Gardeners Acton Customer Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Acton collects, uses, stores, shares and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in the local area. It also sets out your rights under applicable data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related legislation.
This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Acton customers and enquiry contacts in our service area, regardless of the services requested or communication channels used.
Who we are and scope of this policy
Gardeners Acton provides gardening and related services to residential and business customers within its local operating area. For the purposes of data protection law, Gardeners Acton is the controller of the personal data described in this policy. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed.
This policy covers personal data we collect through enquiries, bookings, ongoing services, and other interactions with you as a customer or potential customer in our area.
Personal data we collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data about you:
Identification details such as your name and, where relevant, the name of any contact person you nominate.
Contact details such as billing and service addresses, and any other contact preferences you provide to us.
Service information such as details of your property relevant to our gardening services, including access instructions, preferred days and times, and records of services carried out.
Communication records such as the content and timing of enquiries, quotes, bookings, feedback, and any complaints you submit.
Billing and payment information such as records of payments made and amounts due. We do not store full card details when third party payment processors are used.
Technical and usage data such as limited device or usage details where you interact with our online content, to the extent that such data allows us to respond to your requests and improve our services.
We collect this information directly from you when you contact us, complete forms, request a quotation, make a booking, or communicate with us in any other way. We may also generate information about you as we provide our services and keep records of the work carried out.
Lawful basis for processing your data
We will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the particular processing activity, we rely on the following lawful bases:
Performance of a contract or steps taken at your request prior to entering into a contract. This applies when we respond to your enquiries, provide quotations, set up your account, and deliver gardening services you have booked.
Compliance with legal obligations. We may process and retain certain data to meet our legal and tax obligations, such as maintaining appropriate business and accounting records.
Legitimate interests. We may process your personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your rights and freedoms are not overridden. These interests include managing and improving our services, planning our work schedules, responding to customer feedback, and ensuring the security of our systems and staff.
Consent. In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where you have specifically agreed to receive certain types of marketing communications. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us and we will stop processing your data for that purpose.
How we use your personal data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
To handle enquiries, provide quotations, and manage bookings and schedules for gardening services.
To deliver and manage the services you have requested, including accessing your property with any instructions you have provided.
To manage customer accounts, issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To communicate with you about your services, including appointment confirmations, rescheduling, updates, and responses to any questions or concerns.
To manage feedback, complaints, queries, and disputes, and to improve the quality and safety of our services.
To maintain internal records for operational, planning, and risk management purposes.
To meet any legal, regulatory, or accounting requirements that apply to our business.
Data sharing and use of processors
We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including:
Service providers acting as processors who support our operations, such as information technology, hosting, customer management, scheduling tools, or payment processing providers. These processors act on our instructions, are subject to confidentiality obligations, and are required to keep your personal data secure.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where this is necessary for our legitimate business purposes or to comply with legal obligations.
Public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement agencies where we are required or permitted to do so by law, or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights or the safety of others.
Where any processor is engaged, we put in place appropriate contractual measures to ensure that your personal data is processed in accordance with applicable data protection laws and only for the purposes specified by Gardeners Acton.
Data retention and storage
We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
In practice, this means:
General customer and service records are typically retained for as long as you remain a customer and for a reasonable period afterwards to answer queries, handle any disputes, and maintain business records.
Financial and transactional records are kept for periods required by law for tax and accounting purposes.
Enquiry information for potential customers who do not proceed with a booking may be retained for a limited period to follow up on your request and manage our records, after which it will be deleted or anonymised.
When personal data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no legal obligation to retain it, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
International transfers
Where we use data processors or services that store or handle personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your data receives an equivalent level of protection. This may include using standard contractual clauses or other safeguards recognised by applicable data protection laws.
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. Subject to those conditions, you have the right to:
Access your personal data and obtain a copy of the information we hold about you, together with certain details about how it is processed.
Request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
Request erasure of your personal data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it, for example where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
Request restriction of processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as where you contest its accuracy or object to its processing.
Object to the processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests and you believe your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms override those interests.
Receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine readable format and, where technically feasible, transmit that data to another controller. This right applies where the processing is based on consent or on a contract and is carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on your consent to process your personal data. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact Gardeners Acton using your preferred communication method. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request, and we will respond within the time limits set by law.
Security of your personal data
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures are designed to ensure a level of security appropriate to the nature of the personal data and the risks associated with its processing.
While we take reasonable steps to secure your personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You are encouraged to take care with the information you provide to us and the way you communicate with us.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, how we process personal data, or changes in legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will take appropriate steps to inform you. The most current version of the policy will apply to our processing of your personal data.
Contact and complaints
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how Gardeners Acton handles your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, you can contact us using the contact details you already use for our services.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you are concerned about how your personal data is being handled. We encourage you to contact Gardeners Acton first so that we can try to resolve your concerns.
