Privacy Policy - Gardeners Feltham

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Feltham collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to all Gardeners Feltham customers in the area. It is designed to meet the standards of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. By using our services, requesting a quote, making an enquiry, or entering into a service arrangement with us, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this policy.

1. Who We Are

Gardeners Feltham provides gardening and related outdoor maintenance services to residential and commercial customers in Feltham and the surrounding area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our services. This means we decide how and why personal data is processed.

This policy applies to all customers, prospective customers, and relevant contacts in the area who interact with Gardeners Feltham. It covers information collected through enquiries, quotations, bookings, service delivery, correspondence, and administrative records.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant, adequate, and limited to what is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name or the name of your business or property manager.
Contact details such as address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information such as the type of gardening work requested, access arrangements, service preferences, and appointment details.
Billing and payment information such as invoicing records, transaction references, and payment status.
Communication records including messages, notes about your enquiry, complaints, feedback, and service updates.
Technical information if you contact us digitally, such as device or browser data, where relevant for security or service administration.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless there is a clear and lawful reason to do so and such information is provided voluntarily and necessarily. If any sensitive information is received by mistake, we will handle it carefully and only retain it where required by law or for legitimate administrative reasons.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to provide and manage our gardening services efficiently and professionally. Typical purposes include:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations.
Scheduling, delivering, and managing services.
Maintaining customer records and service history.
Processing invoices, payments, and account administration.
Handling complaints, disputes, and customer support requests.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations.
Protecting our business, staff, customers, and property against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only process personal data where there is a valid lawful basis and where the processing is fair, transparent, and proportionate.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must identify a lawful basis before processing personal data. Gardeners Feltham may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, arranging services, carrying out gardening work, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal obligations, including record-keeping, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing client relationships, improving services, preventing fraud, and maintaining secure records. We ensure that any such processing is limited and appropriate.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily agree to receive certain communications or provide information for a specific purpose. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and only with trusted third parties that help us operate our services. These organisations act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We require appropriate safeguards from any processor used.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Administrative and communication providers who help with booking, record management, or messaging systems.
Payment and invoicing providers who process payments or support financial administration.
IT and cloud storage providers who securely host or back up business records.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary for business compliance.

We do not sell personal data. If data must be disclosed to a public authority, insurer, or other third party, we will only do so where required by law, necessary for legitimate business purposes, or otherwise permitted under UK GDPR.

6. Retention of Personal Data

Gardeners Feltham retains personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for holding it.

In general:

Customer enquiry records may be kept for a reasonable period to follow up on services or future requests.
Service and invoicing records may be kept for tax, accounting, and contract administration purposes.
Correspondence and complaint records may be retained as long as needed to resolve disputes and demonstrate compliance.
When data is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in line with legal and business requirements.

We review our records periodically to ensure that data is not kept longer than necessary. Retention is managed according to the principle of storage limitation.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have important rights under UK GDPR. Subject to legal limits, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure of your data in certain circumstances.
Restriction of processing in certain situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Data portability for data processed by automated means and based on consent or contract, where applicable.
Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.

You also have the right to be informed about how your data is used and the right to raise concerns if you believe your information has been handled incorrectly. We will respond to rights requests in accordance with applicable law and within the required timeframes.

8. Data Security

We take the security of personal data seriously and use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and careful management of electronic and paper records.

However, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Where a data incident occurs, we will assess the situation promptly and take appropriate action in line with our legal obligations.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Gardeners Feltham is committed to treating personal data with care, transparency, and respect. We only collect information that is necessary for providing our services, we use it lawfully and fairly, we keep it only for as long as needed, and we ensure that trusted processors are bound by appropriate safeguards. Our approach is grounded in privacy by design and the principle that your personal information should always be handled responsibly.

By choosing Gardeners Feltham, customers in the area can be confident that their personal data is managed in a way that is consistent with UK data protection law and with our commitment to professionalism and trust.