Privacy Policy - Gardeners Hampton Wick

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Hampton Wick collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to its customers and service users. It applies to all Gardeners Hampton Wick customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a service, communicates with us, or otherwise engages with our gardening services. We are committed to handling personal information in a fair, lawful, transparent, and secure manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We respect your privacy and aim to collect only the information that is necessary to provide our services, manage customer relationships, maintain records, and meet legal obligations. By using our services, you acknowledge that your data may be processed in accordance with this policy.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This can include:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as the type of gardening work requested, property access notes, preferred appointment times, and service history.
Billing and payment records such as invoices, transaction references, and payment status.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and feedback.
Technical data where applicable, such as basic website usage or device information if you interact with online forms or digital systems.
Marketing preferences if you choose to receive service updates or promotional information.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or unless we are legally required to do so. If such information is ever provided, it will be handled with additional care and only where a lawful basis applies.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for specific and legitimate purposes connected to our gardening services. These include:

Responding to enquiries and preparing quotes.
Delivering gardening services and managing bookings.
Maintaining customer records and service histories.
Processing payments, invoices, and administrative tasks.
Communicating about appointments, service changes, or follow-up matters.
Handling complaints, disputes, or customer care issues.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
Improving our services, operations, and customer experience.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected, unless we have a valid lawful basis and have informed you where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the situation, Gardeners Hampton Wick may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes providing quotes, scheduling services, delivering gardening work, and issuing invoices.

Legal Obligation

We may process certain data to comply with legal obligations, including tax requirements, record-keeping duties, accounting rules, and other statutory responsibilities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer relationships, keeping internal service records, preventing fraud, and improving operations.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, such as where it is required for optional communications or where processing is not otherwise covered by another lawful basis. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as where there is an emergency involving safety or welfare.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share data when necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

IT and hosting providers that support data storage, email, or digital systems.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help with invoices, tax records, and financial administration.
Payment processing services used to manage card or bank-related transactions.
Administrative support providers that help manage scheduling or records.
Professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers where necessary.

Where we use processors, they are required to handle your data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to use it only for the agreed purposes. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose data if required by law, by a court order, or to protect our rights, property, staff, customers, or the public.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Customer and service records are usually retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial records such as invoices and payment records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records may be retained for handling queries, disputes, and service quality purposes.
Marketing preferences are retained until you withdraw consent or object, where applicable.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our internal retention practices.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the data we process and the risks involved.

Although we make reasonable efforts to safeguard information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a data breach occurs and it is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will deal with it in line with legal requirements.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the legal basis for processing and the circumstances of your request.

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – in certain situations, you can request deletion of your data.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how your data is used in specific circumstances.
Right to data portability – you may request a copy of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, you may make a request using the appropriate channels made available to you. We may need to verify your identity before responding. Some rights are subject to legal limits or exceptions.

8. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections. This is done to preserve a level of protection that is consistent with UK data protection requirements.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or processing practices. Any updates will take effect when published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how personal data is handled.

10. Scope of This Policy

This policy applies to all customers of Gardeners Hampton Wick in the area, whether services are booked once, on a recurring basis, or as part of an ongoing customer relationship. It also applies to prospective customers, suppliers, and anyone else whose data we process in connection with our gardening services.

By choosing our services, you agree that your information may be collected and used in line with this policy and with applicable law. We are committed to keeping your information safe, relevant, and properly managed while delivering a reliable gardening service.

Gardeners Hampton Wick values privacy as part of respectful and professional service delivery. We aim to process personal data in a way that is lawful, fair, transparent, and limited to what is necessary, ensuring that your rights are recognised and protected at every stage.