Gardeners Bankside Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Bankside collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to customers in the Gardeners Bankside service area. It is intended to provide clear and transparent information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Bankside customers and prospective customers located in the Gardeners Bankside area who use our services, visit our premises, or otherwise interact with us.

Who we are and scope of this policy

Gardeners Bankside is a gardening and related services provider operating in the Gardeners Bankside area. For the purposes of data protection law, Gardeners Bankside is the data controller in respect of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide why and how your personal data is collected and used.

This Privacy Policy covers all personal data we process about individuals who are customers, potential customers, or recipients of our communications, as well as visitors to our premises in the Gardeners Bankside area.

Types of personal data we collect

We collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The types of data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details: name, postal address, billing address, service address, and basic contact preferences.

Service and contract data: records of the gardening services you request, quotations provided, service instructions, schedules and appointments, invoices and payment records, and correspondence relating to those services.

Payment and transaction details: information relating to payments you make to us, such as payment amounts, dates, method of payment, and internal transaction references. We do not store full payment card details.

Usage and interaction data: details of your interactions with us, such as enquiries, complaints, feedback, and any notes we make in order to provide and improve our services.

Technical and visit data: limited technical information that may be collected if you visit our website or contact us through online forms, such as the date and time of contact and basic device or browser information, where relevant.

How we collect your data

We collect personal data from you directly when you contact us, request a quote, book or receive a service, or communicate with us in person, by post, by phone or using online forms. We may also receive personal data indirectly where another person makes an enquiry or booking on your behalf or where an existing customer refers you to us and provides your basic contact details.

Our lawful bases for processing

We use your personal data only when we have a lawful basis to do so under data protection law. Depending on the situation, we process your data on one or more of the following bases:

Contract: we process your personal data where it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or in order to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes providing quotes, arranging visits, delivering gardening services, and managing your account.

Legal obligation: we process some personal data to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate interests: we process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing our relationship with you, improving our services, handling queries and complaints, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse.

Consent: where required by law, we will rely on your consent to send certain types of direct marketing or to use data in a way that is not covered by the other lawful bases. You may withdraw your consent at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

To provide and manage our gardening and related services in the Gardeners Bankside area, including scheduling appointments, carrying out work, and managing follow-up visits.

To create and maintain customer records, issue quotations, and prepare and send invoices and statements.

To communicate with you about your enquiries, bookings, service changes, and any issues that may affect your services.

To manage payments, accounting, and financial reporting relating to the services we provide.

To respond to questions, feedback or complaints and to improve the quality, safety and reliability of our services.

To send you information about our services and related offers, where permitted by law and where you have not opted out of such communications.

To protect our rights, property and safety, and those of our staff, customers and others, and to detect and prevent fraud or other unlawful activity.

Data retention and storage

We retain personal data only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and to meet our legal and regulatory obligations. The precise retention period will depend on the type of data and the context in which it was collected.

Generally, we keep customer records, service and contract data, and payment-related data for a period required by tax and accounting laws after the end of our relationship with you. In many cases this will be up to several years from the date of the last transaction or service provided.

Where personal data is no longer required for the purposes for which it was collected and there is no legal requirement for us to retain it, we will delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you.

Data processors and third parties

We may share your personal data with carefully selected third party service providers that act as data processors on our behalf. These processors only process your personal data according to our instructions and for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. We require all processors to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data.

Examples of such processors may include providers of payment processing services, accounting and bookkeeping services, secure data storage and backup providers, and providers of software tools used to schedule appointments and manage customer information.

We may also share limited personal data with third parties who act as independent data controllers where this is necessary to comply with a legal obligation or to protect our legitimate interests, for example with professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, or with public authorities when we are required to do so by law.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

International transfers

Where we engage processors or use tools that store or process your 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 data protection law. This may include the use of standard contractual clauses or reliance on an adequacy decision for the country in question.

How we protect your data

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure. These measures include internal policies, staff training and the use of secure systems and tools to store and process data. While no system can be completely secure, we regularly review our security measures and aim to ensure that they remain appropriate to the level of risk.

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 legal exceptions. Your rights include:

Right of access: you can ask us for confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and, if so, request a copy of that data along with information about how we use it.

Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct or complete any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected or where you withdraw consent and there is no other lawful basis for processing.

Right to restriction of processing: you can ask us to restrict the use of your data in certain situations, such as while we are reviewing a request for rectification or objection.

Right to data portability: where we process your data on the basis of consent or contract by automated means, you may request that we provide your personal data in a commonly used, machine-readable format or transfer it to another organisation where this is technically feasible.

Right to object: you can object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as the lawful basis, including for direct marketing. If you object to direct marketing, we will stop sending you such communications.

Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on your consent to process your data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed.

Privacy for customers in the Gardeners Bankside area

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Bankside customers and prospective customers located in the Gardeners Bankside area. By engaging our services or interacting with us as a customer in this area, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or guidance from regulators. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available.