Scotland Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Scotland Removals collects, uses, stores and shares personal data when providing removal and related services. It applies to all Scotland Removals customers and prospective customers in our service area, including individuals acting on behalf of businesses and organisations.

1. Who we are and scope of this policy

Scotland Removals provides household and commercial removal, storage and associated services. In doing so, we act as a data controller for the personal data we collect and process about our customers, prospective customers and relevant contacts. This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data processed by Scotland Removals in connection with enquiries about our services, quotations, bookings, service delivery and aftercare throughout our operating area.

2. Types of personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data, depending on how you interact with us and which services you use:

Identification and contact details: name, title, address of current and destination properties, contact addresses, preferred contact methods and communication preferences.

Communication records: details of enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence between you and Scotland Removals, including notes from phone calls, written correspondence and messages submitted through online forms.

Service and contract details: information relevant to providing a quotation or carrying out a removal, such as property access details, inventory information, dates and times, special instructions, insurance details and contract history.

Payment and billing information: billing address, details of payments made, payment method used and related transaction records. We do not store full payment card details; these may be processed by secure payment processors on our behalf.

Website and usage data: technical information collected when you visit our website, such as IP address, device information, browser type, pages visited, and the date and time of your visit. This may be collected through cookies or similar technologies where permitted by law.

3. How we collect personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us by phone, through our website, in writing or in person to request information, a quotation or to book a service. We may also collect personal data when you complete forms, respond to surveys, provide feedback or interact with us on social media.

We may receive personal data about you from third parties where this is necessary to provide our services, for example from comparison websites, relocation companies, letting agents, estate agents or corporate clients who arrange services on your behalf. In such cases, we ensure that these third parties have a lawful basis to share your data with us.

4. Lawful bases for processing personal data

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

Contract: to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, and to perform a contract with you, such as providing quotations, managing bookings, delivering removal and storage services, and handling payments.

Legal obligation: to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax, accounting and insurance obligations, and to respond to requests from law enforcement or regulatory authorities where we are legally required to do so.

Legitimate interests: to pursue our legitimate business interests in a way that does not override your rights and freedoms. This includes managing and improving our services, handling enquiries and complaints, maintaining records, preventing fraud or misuse, training staff, and ensuring health and safety.

Consent: where required by law, for example for certain forms of direct marketing or the use of specific cookies or tracking technologies. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

5. How we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and manage bookings: assessing your requirements, preparing and delivering quotations, confirming bookings, scheduling services and communicating with you about arrangements.

To deliver our services: planning and carrying out removals, storage and related services; recording inventory where applicable; managing access and logistics; and coordinating with any third parties involved.

To manage customer relationships: responding to enquiries, addressing complaints, handling insurance or damage claims, and providing aftercare and service updates.

To manage payments and accounts: issuing invoices, processing payments, managing refunds and keeping financial records.

To improve our services and business operations: analysing service performance, training staff, monitoring for quality and safety, and reviewing customer satisfaction and feedback.

To comply with legal and regulatory obligations: maintaining records required by law and cooperating with competent authorities where necessary.

6. Data sharing and processors

We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy and in compliance with data protection law.

Service providers and data processors: these may include IT and system support providers, secure data storage providers, payment processors, insurance providers, document management and communication service providers. These third parties act as processors on our behalf and may only process your personal data according to our instructions and for the specified purposes.

Professional and business partners: where needed to provide or support services, such as storage partners, specialist transport providers, or other subcontractors assisting with your removal. In such cases, data is shared only to the extent required to perform the services.

Authorities and legal recipients: where required by law or to protect our legal rights, we may share data with law enforcement agencies, regulators, courts and professional advisers.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

7. International data transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we take steps to ensure that it is afforded an equivalent level of protection as under UK data protection law. This may include using jurisdictions that have been formally recognised as providing adequate protection, or putting in place appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent measures.

8. Data retention

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

In general, we retain customer and contract records for a period that allows us to respond to queries and to deal with potential claims related to the services we have provided. Financial and transaction records are retained for the periods required by tax and accounting laws.

When personal data is no longer required, we securely delete, anonymise or destroy it in line with our retention and deletion procedures.

9. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, disclosure or destruction. Measures may include access controls, secure storage, encryption, staff training and regular review of our security practices.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no transmission of data over the internet or any storage system can be guaranteed as completely secure. You are responsible for keeping any passwords or access details confidential.

10. Your data protection rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under UK data protection law in relation to the personal data we hold about you. These rights apply to all Scotland Removals customers and prospective customers in our service area, subject to certain legal conditions and exemptions.

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

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

Right to erasure: in certain 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 or where you withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing.

Right to restrict processing: you can ask us to limit the processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we are checking its accuracy or in connection with an objection you have raised.

Right to object: you can object to processing that is based on our legitimate interests, including profiling based on those interests. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing is needed for legal claims.

Right to data portability: where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may request to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and to have it transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

11. Exercising your rights and complaints

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights or have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact Scotland Removals using the contact details provided on our website or in your service documentation. When you make a request, we may need to verify your identity to protect your privacy and security.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority for data protection if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data. We encourage you to contact us in the first instance so that we can try to resolve any concerns directly.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our data protection practices or applicable law. Any updates will be made available through our website or other appropriate channels. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.