Gardeners Eel Pie Island Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Eel Pie Island collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Gardeners Eel Pie Island customers in our service area, whether you contact us in person, by post, by electronic means or through any other communication method.

Who we are

Gardeners Eel Pie Island provides gardening and related services to customers in the surrounding area. For the purposes of data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and any applicable local data protection legislation, Gardeners Eel Pie Island is the data controller in relation to the personal data that we collect and use about you as described in this Privacy Policy.

What personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for us to provide our services and manage our relationship with you. The types of personal data that we may collect and process include the following:

Identification and contact details such as your full name, postal address, job or site address, and general location details where services are provided.

Communication details such as any information you provide in correspondence with us, including enquiries, instructions, feedback, and any other details you choose to share when you contact us.

Service details such as information about your garden or outdoor space, access notes, service preferences, records of services we have provided, and any before and after notes or descriptions recorded by us.

Billing and transaction details such as information necessary to prepare invoices, records of payments received, and basic financial administration information. We do not store full payment card details.

Usage and technical data where applicable, such as basic technical and usage information generated when you interact with our online or digital services, to the extent that this is required for the operation and security of those services.

How we collect your personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us to request a quotation, make a booking, ask a question, provide feedback or otherwise communicate with us.

We may collect information during site visits or while providing services when you give instructions, show us particular areas of your property or explain your preferences and requirements.

We may also collect personal data from third parties where this is necessary for our services and where it is lawful to do so, for example from landlords, managing agents or neighbours who help coordinate access or make introductions, or from publicly available property and mapping sources used to plan work.

Lawful bases for processing your data

We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. The lawful bases that apply to our processing are as follows:

Contract. We process your personal data where this is necessary to enter into a contract with you or to perform a contract that we have with you. This includes taking steps at your request before entering into a contract, such as providing quotes, and providing the gardening services you have requested.

Legitimate interests. We process personal data where this is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Our legitimate interests include managing and improving our services, maintaining accurate records, handling customer enquiries, planning work efficiently and protecting our business.

Legal obligations. We may process personal data where this is necessary to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including maintaining financial and tax records and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent. In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where this is required for particular types of optional communication or for specific uses of your data that are not covered by the other lawful bases. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage our gardening and related services, including scheduling visits, tailoring work to your requirements, and communicating with you about the progress of work.

To prepare and send quotations, invoices and payment reminders, and to keep accurate business and accounting records.

To respond to your queries, requests and feedback, and to provide customer service and support.

To plan our business operations, including managing workloads and resources, improving the efficiency of our services and developing our offerings.

To maintain the safety and security of our staff, customers and property, including managing access instructions and recording relevant safety information.

To comply with legal obligations and to establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.

Data retention and how long we keep your information

We retain personal data only for as long as it is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and to meet any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, customer records and related service details are kept for as long as you remain an active customer and for a reasonable period afterwards, in case of queries, disputes or follow up work. Financial and transaction records are typically retained for a longer period where required by tax and accounting legislation.

When personal data is no longer required for the purposes for which it was collected, and we are not required to keep it for legal or regulatory reasons, we will securely delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be associated with you.

Sharing your personal data and use of processors

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties where this is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy and where there is a lawful basis to do so.

We may use third party service providers acting as data processors who provide services such as accounting support, payment processing, business administration tools or secure data storage. These processors act on our instructions, only process personal data for the agreed purposes and are required to keep your data secure and confidential.

We may share limited information with other parties involved in providing services to you, such as subcontractors or specialists, where their involvement is required to complete agreed work. In such cases we share only the information that is reasonably necessary, such as address, access arrangements and job requirements.

We may also need to share personal data with professional advisers, insurers, authorities or regulators where this is necessary to comply with legal obligations, to protect our rights or to assist in the prevention or detection of crime.

International transfers

Where we engage service providers that store or process personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with applicable data protection laws. This may include the use of standard contractual clauses or other legally recognised mechanisms to ensure that your rights are protected.

Security of your personal data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration or disclosure. These measures include controlling access to records, using secure storage solutions and limiting access to those who have a genuine business need to know the information.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your personal data, no system can be completely secure. You are encouraged to take care when providing information and to notify us promptly if you suspect any misuse of your data in connection with our services.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, and subject to certain conditions and exemptions, you have a number of rights in relation to the personal data that we hold about you. These rights apply to all Gardeners Eel Pie Island customers in our area to whom this Privacy Policy applies.

Right of access. You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether we process personal data about you and, if so, to request a copy of that personal data and certain related information.

Right to rectification. You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.

Right to erasure. In certain circumstances you may have the right to request that we delete your personal data. This right is not absolute and may be limited where we need to retain data for legal or legitimate business reasons.

Right to restriction. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example if you contest the accuracy of the data or object to our processing.

Right to object. You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, and we will consider your objection and stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue.

Right to data portability. Where our processing is based on your consent or on a contract and is carried out by automated means, you may have the right to receive the personal data you have provided in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and to transmit it to another controller where this is technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update or amend this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or the way we operate our services. Any updated version will be made available to you, and the updated terms will apply from the time they are communicated. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle personal data.