Privacy Policy - Gardeners Waddon

Gardeners Waddon is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Waddon area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Gardeners Waddon customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who interacts with our services in connection with gardening work, quotations, bookings, and ongoing service arrangements.

We aim to keep this notice clear, fair, and transparent. By explaining our practices openly, we want customers to understand what personal data we hold, why we need it, and what rights they have regarding that data. This policy applies whether information is provided directly by you, collected during service provision, or received from third parties acting on your behalf.

1. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the delivery and administration of our services. The exact information collected depends on your relationship with us and the type of gardening service requested.

Information you provide to us

Identity details such as your name or the name of your household representative.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details relating to the gardening tasks requested, preferred dates, access instructions, and property-specific notes.
Payment-related information where needed to process invoices, receipts, or refunds.
Communication records including messages, queries, complaints, feedback, and service updates.

Information we collect automatically or indirectly

Site and service records such as appointment history, quotes provided, job notes, and service outcomes.
Technical or device information if you contact us electronically, such as basic usage data from emails or online forms, where applicable.
Information from third parties where a customer, landlord, agent, or property manager provides details needed to arrange or manage a service.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have chosen to provide it, or we are legally required to process it. If such information is ever received, it will be handled with increased care and only for a lawful purpose.

2. How We Use Personal Data

Gardeners Waddon uses personal data only for legitimate service-related purposes. These include:

providing quotations, scheduling visits, and delivering gardening services;
communicating with customers about bookings, changes, or follow-up work;
maintaining accurate customer and service records;
issuing invoices and managing payment administration;
responding to questions, complaints, or service-related requests;
meeting legal, accounting, and tax obligations;
improving the quality, efficiency, and safety of our services;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with those described in this policy unless we are required or permitted to do so by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Gardeners Waddon relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

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

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include maintaining records, managing customer relationships, improving service delivery, and protecting our business from misuse.

Legal obligation

Some processing is required to comply with legal obligations, such as record keeping for tax purposes, accounting requirements, or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, especially where processing is optional and not required for service delivery. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our services. These organisations act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We ensure that any sharing is limited, relevant, and subject to appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle secure payment processing.
Accounting or bookkeeping providers that assist with invoices, financial records, and tax compliance.
IT and cloud storage providers that support secure data storage, email, or administrative systems.
Administrative support providers who help manage bookings, scheduling, or customer records.

Where processors act on our behalf, they are only permitted to use personal data according to our instructions and for the agreed service purpose. They are required to protect the data and maintain appropriate security measures.

We may also share personal data where necessary with professional advisers, insurers, law enforcement, or regulatory bodies if required by law or necessary to protect our legal rights.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data, the service involved, and any legal or contractual requirements.

In general:

customer service records are retained for the period needed to manage the ongoing relationship and resolve disputes;
financial and tax-related records are retained for the period required by law;
communication records are kept long enough to address queries, confirm instructions, or support service history;
unneeded or outdated information is securely deleted or anonymised when it is no longer required.

When deciding retention periods, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use, the purposes of processing, and any legal obligations that apply. We do not keep data indefinitely without a valid reason.

6. How We Protect Your Data

We use appropriate organisational and technical measures to keep personal data secure. These may include access restrictions, secure storage, controlled use of devices and systems, and careful handling of paper and electronic records. While no system can guarantee absolute security, we work to reduce the risk of loss, misuse, disclosure, or unauthorised access.

Staff or contractors who access personal data are expected to follow confidentiality obligations and data protection requirements. Access is limited to those who need it for legitimate business purposes.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under the UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may not apply in every situation, but we will always assess requests carefully and respond in accordance with the law.

You may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erase your data in certain circumstances.
Restrict how we process your data in certain situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Data portability for information you have provided to us, where applicable.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns if you believe your data has been handled improperly. If you are unhappy with how we process personal data, you may complain to the relevant supervisory authority. We encourage customers to raise concerns promptly so we can review them and take appropriate action.

8. Children’s Data

Gardeners Waddon services are directed toward adult customers and property-related service arrangements. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary and lawful in connection with a household service arrangement. If we become aware that data has been collected without an appropriate lawful basis, we will take steps to delete or correct it as required.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, service arrangements, or internal data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date of publication or the date stated in the revised notice. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically so you remain informed about how your data is used.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Gardeners Waddon respects privacy, limits data collection to what is needed, uses personal data fairly and lawfully, and retains information only as long as necessary. We work with trusted processors under proper safeguards and recognise the rights customers have over their information. This policy applies to all Gardeners Waddon customers in the area and is designed to support transparency, accountability, and responsible data handling.