Rubbish Removal Richmond upon Thames Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Rubbish Removal Richmond upon Thames collects, uses, shares and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers within the Richmond upon Thames area. We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and to handling your information in a fair, transparent and secure manner.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Rubbish Removal Richmond upon Thames customers and prospective customers located in the Richmond upon Thames area who contact us, request a quotation, make a booking, or use any of our rubbish removal or related services. It applies whether you interact with us by phone, email, online enquiry forms, or in person.

Who we are and how to contact us

Rubbish Removal Richmond upon Thames is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. As data controller, we decide how and why your personal data is processed. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your personal data, or if you wish to exercise your data protection rights, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our main service information documents or through the usual communication channels you use with us.

Types of personal data we collect

We may collect, store and use the following categories of personal data about you:

Identification and contact details, such as your full name, address, email address, telephone number and any other contact information you choose to provide. Service and booking information, such as service address, access instructions, property type, preferred dates and times for collections, details of waste to be removed, photographs you send us to describe a job, and records of quotations and bookings. Payment and transaction data, such as amounts charged, payment method and basic billing information. We do not store full card details when you pay via card; these are processed by our chosen payment processor. Communication data, including emails, messages, phone call details, complaints, feedback and any correspondence between you and us. Technical and usage data, such as information about how you interact with our online forms or website, including basic device and browser information, IP address, and the dates and times of your visits, where this is collected.

How we collect your personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us to request information, obtain a quotation, or make a booking for rubbish removal services. This may be done by telephone, email, contact form or other communication methods. We may also receive personal data from third parties where this is necessary to deliver services you have requested, for example from letting agents, landlords, property managers or contractors who arrange rubbish removal on your behalf. In addition, limited technical data may be collected automatically when you visit any online pages or forms we operate.

Lawful bases for processing your data

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so under GDPR. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

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, booking collections, carrying out rubbish removal services and managing your account. Legal obligation. We may process your personal data where this is necessary to comply with legal obligations, for example financial record keeping, tax requirements or responding to lawful requests from authorities. Legitimate interests. We may process your personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests, for example to manage our business operations, to prevent fraud or misuse, to improve our services, or to handle queries and complaints. Consent. In certain limited cases, we may ask for your consent, for example to send you specific types of marketing communications that are not otherwise covered by our legitimate interests. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

How we use your personal data

We may use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide our rubbish removal services, including preparing quotations, confirming bookings, carrying out collections and disposing of waste. To communicate with you about your enquiries, bookings, amendments, cancellations or service updates. To manage payments, invoicing, refunds and accounting records. To respond to questions, feedback, complaints or disputes and to provide customer support. To maintain and improve our services, processes and customer experience, including internal training and quality control. To comply with legal, regulatory and insurance requirements. To send you service-related messages that are necessary for the performance of your contract with us or for legitimate business reasons.

Data sharing and use of processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. These third parties act as data processors or independent controllers, depending on their role.

Data processors we may use include payment processing providers to handle card and electronic payments, IT and cloud service providers to host and maintain our systems and records, communication service providers to help us send emails, text messages or operate phone systems, and subcontractors or logistics partners who assist us in delivering rubbish removal services on our behalf. We require all processors to respect the security of your personal data and to process it only in accordance with our written instructions and applicable law.

We may also share personal data with other third parties where required by law, to enforce our contractual rights, to protect the safety or property of our staff, customers or the public, or in connection with business restructuring, provided appropriate safeguards are in place.

Data retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which we collected it, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, contact, booking and invoicing records are retained for a number of years after your last interaction with us, in line with applicable limitation periods and tax and accounting obligations. Communications such as emails or messages may be retained for a similar period where necessary to respond to queries, handle complaints or maintain business records. When personal data is no longer required for the purposes for which it was collected and we are not legally obliged to retain it, we will delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you.

Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include controlling access to systems and records, using secure storage and communication methods where appropriate, and ensuring that staff and contractors who need access to personal data are subject to confidentiality obligations and receive suitable guidance on data protection. While we work to protect your personal data, transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure, and you provide information to us at your own risk.

Your data protection rights

Under GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exemptions. These include:

Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation that we process your personal data and to obtain a copy of that data, along with certain other information. Right to rectification. You have the right to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you. Right to erasure. In some circumstances, you may request that we delete your personal data. This is not an absolute right and may be subject to legal obligations requiring us to retain some data. Right to restriction of processing. You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we are verifying its accuracy or assessing an objection you have raised. Right to object. You have the right to object to certain types of processing, including processing based on our legitimate interests or for direct marketing. Right to data portability. In some cases, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format or that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.

To exercise any of your rights, please contact us using the contact details normally provided for our services. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond within the time periods set by applicable law.

Complaints

If you are concerned about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority for data protection matters. Details of how to do this are available from official government information sources.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or how we process personal data. Any updates will be made available through our usual communication channels. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to remain informed about how we protect your personal data.