Gardeners Selsdon Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Selsdon collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers in our service area. It also sets out your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. By engaging our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy.

Scope and who this policy applies to

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Selsdon customers and individuals who enquire about or use our gardening and related services in our service area. It covers personal data collected through any form of contact with us, including enquiries, bookings, written correspondence, and in-person visits to your property.

Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services and managing our relationship with you. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Contact details such as name, postal address, billing address, and general location details for service delivery. Communication details such as your preferred contact method and any messages or correspondence you send to us. Service information such as details of your garden or outdoor space, access instructions, service preferences, and records of previous work carried out. Transaction information such as services requested, dates and times of visits, amounts charged, payment status, and basic invoicing details. Limited technical or usage information such as the date and time you contact us, how you found our services, and basic information about the device or method used to contact us, where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category data such as health information, race or ethnicity, or data relating to criminal convictions, and we ask that you do not provide such information unless it is strictly necessary for the safe delivery of our services. In those limited cases, we will handle that information with extra care and only where permitted by law.

How we collect personal data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you contact us to request a quote, make a booking, or ask a question. This can be by phone, online forms, written correspondence, or in person. We may also collect personal data during site visits when we assess your property and discuss the services required.

In some cases, we may receive personal data about you from third parties, for example where another person makes a booking on your behalf, or where a business or landlord provides your contact details so that we can carry out services at a specific property. When this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure you are informed that we hold your data and are provided with access to this policy.

Lawful bases for processing your data

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

Contract: We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as to provide gardening services, prepare quotations, schedule visits, and manage payments.

Legal obligation: We may process certain information to comply with legal obligations, for example accounting and tax requirements, record-keeping rules, or to respond to lawful requests from authorities.

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

Consent: In limited situations, we may ask for your consent, for example for optional marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage gardening and related services, including scheduling visits, planning work, and carrying out services at your property. To communicate with you about enquiries, quotations, bookings, changes to appointments, and general customer service. To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records. To manage our relationship with you, including handling feedback, queries, and complaints. To improve our services and operations, for example by reviewing the types of jobs requested and the areas we serve. To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and guidance, and to protect our legal rights, for example in relation to disputes or claims.

Data sharing and 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 policy. These third parties may act as data processors, processing your data on our behalf and under our instructions.

Examples of such processors may include providers of accounting or invoicing systems, providers of scheduling or job management tools, secure data storage and backup providers, and professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary.

We only use processors that implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data and that are bound by contractual obligations consistent with data protection laws.

In limited circumstances, we may also need to share your personal data with other third parties, for example with law enforcement or regulatory authorities where required by law, or with our insurers or professional advisers in relation to a legal claim.

Data retention and storage

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

In general, contact and service data relating to a customer will be retained for as long as you remain an active customer and for a reasonable period afterwards, in case of any queries or disputes. Financial records and associated personal data are typically kept for a period required under tax and accounting laws, which is usually several years.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete or anonymise it so that it no longer identifies you.

International transfers

Where we use external service providers whose systems are located outside the United Kingdom, your personal data may be transferred to and processed in those countries. In such cases, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as using providers in countries that have been recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection, or putting in place contracts that reflect standard data protection safeguards.

Security of your personal data

We take the security of your personal data seriously. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include secure storage, access controls, and procedures to manage any suspected data breaches.

While we take care to protect your data, no system can be guaranteed as completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a high risk to your rights and freedoms, we will inform you and any relevant authorities where required by law.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions. They include:

Right of access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, together with information about how it is used.

Right to rectification: You have the right to ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

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 and we have no other lawful basis to retain it.

Right to restriction of processing: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we are verifying the accuracy of the data or considering an objection you have raised.

Right to object: You may have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis.

Right to data portability: In some cases, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we process your data based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

Exercising your rights and complaints

If you wish to exercise any of your rights or have questions about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the contact details made available on our customer communications or service documentation. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data. We would, however, welcome the opportunity to address your concerns directly first.

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 updates will take effect from the date of publication. You are encouraged to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

Your continued use of our services after any changes are made will be taken as your acknowledgement of the updated Privacy Policy.