Privacy Policy - Gardeners Parsons Green

Last updated: This Privacy Policy explains how personal data is collected, used, stored, and protected for all Gardeners Parsons Green customers in the area.

We are committed to handling personal information in a fair, transparent, and lawful manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all Gardeners Parsons Green customers in area, including individuals who enquire about our services, receive gardening work, request quotes, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our services.

By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We may update it from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or the way we deliver services. Any changes will apply from the date they are published.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect data that is necessary for providing and managing our gardening services, responding to enquiries, and meeting legal or operational requirements. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity information: your name or the name of your household or business contact.
Contact details: address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information: details about the gardens, outdoor spaces, tasks requested, service preferences, and appointments.
Billing and payment information: records needed for invoicing, payments, and accounting.
Communication records: messages, notes from calls, feedback, complaints, and service instructions.
Technical or usage data: limited information if you contact us electronically, such as message timestamps or device-related information necessary for service delivery.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data. However, if you voluntarily provide information that may be considered sensitive, we will handle it with appropriate care and only for a valid purpose.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only where we have a valid reason to do so. Typical uses include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
arranging and delivering gardening services;
managing customer accounts, bookings, and service updates;
issuing invoices and processing payments;
maintaining internal records and service history;
dealing with complaints, queries, or disputes;
meeting legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
improving our services and operational efficiency.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis before we process personal information. The lawful bases we rely on may include:

a) Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging gardening work, managing service schedules, and handling payment-related tasks.

b) Legal Obligation

We may process data when required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax rules, accounting requirements, record-keeping duties, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

c) Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include maintaining business records, improving service quality, handling routine communications, and protecting our operations.

d) Consent

In some cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is the most appropriate basis for a specific optional activity. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing carried out before the withdrawal.

Important: We do not rely on consent where another lawful basis is more appropriate, especially for core service delivery and essential record-keeping.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, but only when necessary and in line with data protection law. We require all processors to handle data securely and only on our instructions.

Processors we may use include:

IT and hosting providers: for secure storage, communication systems, and digital record management.
Accounting and bookkeeping services: for invoices, financial records, and tax compliance.
Payment service providers: for processing card or bank-based payments.
Administrative support services: for scheduling, document handling, or customer record management.
Professional advisers: such as legal or financial advisers when needed for compliance or dispute resolution.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, by a court order, or to protect our legal rights. If a business transfer or restructuring occurs, personal data may be transferred as part of that process, subject to applicable safeguards.

We do not sell personal data.

5. Retention of Personal Data

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 requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Customer service records: retained for the period necessary to manage the customer relationship and resolve issues.
Financial records: retained for the period required by law for tax and accounting purposes.
Communication records: retained for a reasonable period to support service continuity and dispute handling.
General enquiry information: retained only as long as needed to respond and follow up appropriately.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it, anonymise it, or securely archive it where appropriate. Retention is based on necessity, not convenience.

6. Security of Your Information

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, limited user permissions, and internal handling procedures.

While we take data protection seriously, no method of transmission or storage is completely risk-free. If a data breach were to occur that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we would deal with it in line with applicable legal obligations.

7. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK GDPR, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 data.
Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restrict processing: you can ask us to limit how your data is used in certain situations.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability: in some cases, you can request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may depend on the legal basis and circumstances of the processing. We may need to retain certain information where required by law or where it is necessary for legitimate business purposes.

We will respond to valid requests within the time limits required by law.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults or for persons acting on behalf of a household, property, or business. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental to service delivery and provided by an authorised adult. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where required.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is stored or processed outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, approved contractual clauses, or other lawful mechanisms designed to protect your information to an equivalent standard.

10. Complaints and Further Information

If you believe your data has been handled improperly, you may raise concerns about our processing practices. We take privacy matters seriously and will review concerns carefully. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection authority if you are dissatisfied with how we handle your personal data.

Please note: This Privacy Policy is intended to give clear and transparent information about our data practices. It should be read together with any relevant service terms, invoices, or customer agreements that apply to your interaction with us.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect legal, operational, or technical changes. The updated version will apply once published. We encourage customers to review this policy from time to time so they remain informed about how personal data is handled.

In summary: Gardeners Parsons Green processes personal data fairly, securely, and only for legitimate service, legal, and business purposes. This policy applies to all Gardeners Parsons Green customers in area and aims to ensure transparency, accountability, and respect for your privacy.