Privacy Policy - Gardeners Dagenham

This Privacy Policy explains how personal data is collected, used, stored, and protected by Gardeners Dagenham. It applies to all Gardeners Dagenham customers in the area, including anyone who requests, receives, or enquires about gardening services. We are committed to handling personal information fairly, lawfully, and transparently in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to customers, prospective customers, visitors who make enquiries, and anyone whose personal data is processed in connection with our services. By personal data, we mean any information that can identify a living person directly or indirectly. This may include names, addresses, phone numbers, email details, service preferences, booking records, and billing information.

We only process data that is relevant, limited, and necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, meeting legal obligations, and improving service quality.

2. Data we collect

Gardeners Dagenham may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity data: name, title, and, where relevant, business or property name.
Contact data: address, phone number, and email address.
Service data: details of requested gardening services, property access instructions, appointment notes, and customer preferences.
Transaction data: records of payments, invoices, service history, and booking confirmations.
Technical data: limited information collected through digital systems, such as device details or basic usage logs, where applicable.
Communication data: records of correspondence, complaints, feedback, and any other messages sent to us.

We do not collect more information than is necessary for the purpose for which it is used. Where data is collected directly from you, it will usually be supplied when you request a quote, confirm a booking, or communicate with us about an existing service.

3. How we use personal data

We use personal data to provide and manage our gardening services, including scheduling work, preparing quotations, fulfilling customer requests, handling invoices, and maintaining service records. We may also use data to:

respond to enquiries and customer support requests;
arrange access to properties where services are delivered;
manage account and payment administration;
keep records of services carried out;
improve customer experience and service delivery;
comply with legal, tax, and regulatory requirements;
protect our business, customers, and staff from fraud, misuse, or security issues.

We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected unless we reasonably believe that we need to use it for another compatible purpose.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Gardeners Dagenham relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, delivering services, handling payments, and keeping related records.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is in our legitimate business interests and your rights do not override those interests. Examples include improving services, managing customer communications, preventing fraud, and maintaining operational records. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and take appropriate safeguards.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain data when required to comply with legal duties, including accounting, tax, record-keeping, and regulatory requirements.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is needed for a specific optional purpose. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

5. Sharing data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the service provided. Processors only handle data on our instructions and must keep it secure.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

booking and administration platforms;
payment handling services;
secure data storage and IT support providers;
accounting and invoicing services;
communication tools used for customer correspondence.

Where personal data is shared, we ensure appropriate contractual and security measures are in place. We do not sell personal data. We also do not share data with any party unless it is necessary, lawful, and proportionate to the service being provided.

6. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as needed for the purpose for which it was collected, or as long as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Customer service and booking records: kept for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law and accounting obligations.
Correspondence and complaint records: retained for as long as necessary to manage the issue and demonstrate proper handling.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed in a safe manner.

7. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the data and the risks involved. Access to personal data is limited to authorised personnel and service providers who need it to perform their duties.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a strong standard of protection and to reduce risk wherever possible.

8. Your rights under GDPR

If your personal data is processed by Gardeners Dagenham, you have several rights under data protection law. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and any legal exemptions.

Right of access: you may request confirmation of whether we hold your personal data and receive a copy of it.
Right to rectification: you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: in certain cases, you may request deletion of your data.
Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit how we use your data in specific situations.
Right to data portability: you may request that certain data be provided in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will handle requests in accordance with legal requirements and respond within the applicable time limits.

9. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults who arrange gardening work for homes, properties, or businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children as part of our ordinary business activities. If we become aware that such data has been collected unintentionally, we will take appropriate steps to delete it unless there is a lawful reason to retain it.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, operational practices, or service arrangements. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of our approach

Gardeners Dagenham respects privacy and handles personal data with care, fairness, and accountability. We collect only the information needed to deliver services, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and protect it through suitable security controls. We also ensure that all relevant processors are chosen carefully and bound by data protection obligations.

Gardeners Dagenham is committed to privacy practices that are lawful, transparent, and proportionate. This policy is designed to give customers clear information about how their data is used and what rights they have over it.