Privacy Policy

Earl's Court Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Earl's Court Removals collects, uses, stores and protects personal data when providing removal and related services. It applies to all Earl's Court Removals customers in our service area, including individuals and business clients who contact us, request a quotation, make a booking or otherwise engage with our services.

We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and all relevant data protection laws. We only process personal data in a lawful, fair and transparent manner, and we take appropriate steps to keep it secure.

Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. The types of data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details, such as name, title, postal address, move addresses, contact address, and contact preferences.

Communication details, such as information you provide when you contact us by phone, in writing, through online forms, or in person, including any notes taken during surveys or consultations.

Service information, such as the type of removal or related services requested, property access details, inventory lists, special handling instructions, and scheduling information.

Contract and transaction details, such as quotation information, booking confirmations, invoices, payment confirmations, and records of services provided.

Technical and usage information, where applicable, such as basic information about how you interact with our website or digital tools, including dates and times of visits and pages viewed. We do not seek to identify individual users from this information unless required to do so by law or for security reasons.

We do not intentionally collect special categories of personal data, such as health information or data about criminal convictions, unless it is strictly necessary for a specific purpose you have requested, and we will inform you clearly if this is the case.

How we collect personal data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you request a quotation, make a booking, complete a form, speak with us by phone, correspond with us in writing, or meet with a member of our team.

We may also receive personal data indirectly through third parties when they arrange services on your behalf. In these cases, we take reasonable steps to ensure that these third parties are authorised to share your data and have informed you about that sharing.

Lawful bases for processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Performance of a contract. We process your personal data to take steps at your request before entering into a contract and to perform our contract with you. This includes providing quotations, completing surveys, planning your move, delivering removal and related services, and managing payments.

Legitimate interests. We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This may include managing and improving our services, handling customer queries and complaints, and keeping records for business planning.

Legal obligations. We may process personal data where needed to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, such as record-keeping, tax, accounting and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent. In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example in relation to certain marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, surveys and advice in connection with removal and related services.

To set up, manage and fulfil contracts for removal services, including scheduling, logistics, inventory management and communication before, during and after your move.

To process payments, issue invoices, receipts and statements, and manage any queries related to billing.

To respond to enquiries, handle complaints, and provide customer support.

To manage our business operations, including internal record-keeping, quality control, staff training and service development.

To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax, accounting and audit obligations.

Where permitted, to send information about services that may be relevant to you. You may opt out of receiving such communications at any time.

Data sharing and processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information with third parties only where necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy and where we have an appropriate legal basis.

In particular, we may share personal data with:

Service providers and data processors who support our operations, such as IT and system support providers, secure data storage providers, payment processing services, or subcontractors assisting with removal services. These parties are only permitted to process your data on our instructions and must keep it secure and confidential.

Professional advisers, such as accountants or legal advisors, where needed for business, legal or regulatory purposes.

Public authorities, regulators, law enforcement agencies or courts, where we are required to do so by law or where it is necessary to protect our rights, your safety or the safety of others.

Whenever we use data processors, we ensure that appropriate data protection agreements are in place to safeguard your personal data.

International transfers

Our services are primarily provided within our service area, and we aim to keep personal data within the United Kingdom or other jurisdictions with adequate levels of data protection. If it becomes necessary to transfer personal data internationally, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection law.

Data retention

We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, we keep records relating to contracts, services provided and payments for a period aligned with applicable limitation periods and regulatory requirements. After the relevant retention period has expired, we will securely delete or anonymise your personal data so that it can no longer be associated with you.

The exact retention period may vary depending on the nature of the data, the services provided and our legal obligations.

Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. These measures include secure storage, restricted access to personal data, staff training and regular review of our security practices.

Despite our efforts, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. However, we are committed to responding promptly to any suspected personal data breach and, where required, notifying affected individuals and relevant authorities.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exemptions. These include:

Right of access. You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, along with certain information about how it is used.

Right to rectification. You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure. In some circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected.

Right to restriction of processing. You may ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection.

Right to object. You can object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, and we will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue or we need the data for legal claims. You always have the right to object to direct marketing.

Right to data portability. Where processing is based on consent or a contract and carried out by automated means, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond within the time limits set by law.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

Contact and complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise your data protection rights, you can contact us using our usual contact details as provided on our customer communications and documentation.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed. We would welcome the opportunity to address your concerns directly before you approach a supervisory authority.