Privacy Policy - Gardeners Wennington

Effective from: This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Wennington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data for all customers in the Wennington area and anyone who interacts with our services in that area.

We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all Gardeners Wennington customers in area, whether you use our gardening services, request a quote, make an enquiry, or otherwise engage with us.

We only collect and process personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, meeting legal obligations, and improving the quality and safety of our work. We do not sell personal data.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details: name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details: address, phone number, and email address.
Service details: information about the gardening services requested, property access notes, service preferences, and instructions.
Communication records: messages, enquiry history, and notes from conversations relating to quotations, bookings, or service updates.
Billing and payment information: invoicing details, transaction references, and records of payments made or due.
Technical information: limited device or usage data if you contact us electronically, such as email headers or basic interaction logs.
Site and access information: any information needed to carry out work safely and efficiently at a customer property, such as gate codes, preferred access arrangements, or security instructions.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where necessary, such as a landlord, managing agent, or another authorised representative who arranges services on someone’s behalf.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. The main purposes include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotes;
setting up and managing customer accounts or service records;
delivering gardening services and arranging appointments;
communicating about scheduling, access, service changes, and follow-up matters;
issuing invoices, processing payments, and maintaining financial records;
managing complaints, disputes, or service queries;
meeting tax, accounting, insurance, and other legal obligations;
maintaining appropriate records of work carried out;
protecting our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or unsafe activity;
improving our services and internal operations.

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

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, delivering gardening services, handling bookings, and managing payments.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include maintaining service records, improving customer service, preventing fraud, and keeping our business secure.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal and regulatory duties, such as accounting, tax, record-keeping, and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent. For example, if we ever ask to use your information in a way that requires consent under law, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing already carried out before consent was withdrawn.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. These third parties are only used where necessary and are required to handle data securely and lawfully.

Typical processors may include:

IT and hosting providers: for secure storage, email services, and system support;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: for invoicing, financial administration, and tax compliance;
Payment service providers: for handling card or electronic payments;
Customer management software providers: for scheduling, record-keeping, and service administration;
Professional advisers: such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where needed;
Delivery or operational partners: where necessary to complete a service request.

We require processors to follow appropriate technical and organisational safeguards, to act only on our instructions where applicable, and to keep data secure. If data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, to enforce our agreements, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Gardeners Wennington, our staff, our customers, or others.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Customer service records: kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law, generally in line with accounting and tax obligations.
Communication records: retained as long as needed to manage enquiries, service history, or disputes.
Safety, access, and operational notes: retained only while relevant to ongoing services or legal requirements.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention procedures.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted permissions.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable and proportionate steps to reduce risk and to manage data responsibly. We also review our practices from time to time to help maintain security and compliance.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and any legal exemptions.

Right of access: you can ask for 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: you can ask us to delete your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to limit the use of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability: you can ask for certain information in a structured, commonly used format where the law allows.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your data has been handled. We encourage you to raise concerns directly with us first so we can try to resolve the matter promptly.

8. Children’s Data

Our gardening services are intended for adult customers and property-related arrangements. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental, limited, and necessary for lawful service delivery or legal compliance. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where required.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal duties, or data protection practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is handled.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Gardeners Wennington is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to provide gardening services, manage customer relationships, and meet our legal responsibilities. We use trusted processors, retain data only as long as necessary, and respect your rights under data protection law.

By using our services in the Wennington area, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy. We aim to handle all information with care, confidentiality, and respect for your privacy.

This policy applies to all Gardeners Wennington customers in area.