Privacy Policy - Gardeners Ruxley

Gardeners Ruxley is committed to protecting personal data and respecting privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and safeguard personal information when we provide gardening and related services. It applies to all Gardeners Ruxley customers in area, including anyone who requests a quote, makes an enquiry, books a service, or otherwise interacts with us.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for legitimate business purposes and for delivering our services effectively. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity details such as your name or business name.
Contact details such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Service information such as details of the gardening work requested, preferred timings, property access notes, and service history.
Billing and transaction data where needed for invoicing, payment processing, and accounting records.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and other correspondence.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you submit a form or interact with digital services.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or we are required to do so by law. If special category data is ever needed, we will handle it with appropriate safeguards.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to manage our relationship with customers and to deliver services safely and efficiently. Typical uses include:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations.
Scheduling, delivering, and managing gardening services.
Processing payments and maintaining financial records.
Keeping records of customer instructions, preferences, and completed work.
Sending service-related updates, reminders, or administrative communications.
Handling complaints, disputes, or service issues.
Meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and insurance obligations.
Protecting against fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access.

We ensure that personal data is used only for the purposes described in this policy or for other purposes that are compatible with them.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR and GDPR principles, we must have a lawful basis before processing personal data. Gardeners Ruxley relies on the following lawful bases depending on the activity involved:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing a quote at your request, booking services, carrying out gardening work, issuing invoices, and managing customer accounts.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include managing our business operations, improving service quality, keeping records, preventing fraud, and maintaining internal administration. We always consider whether the processing is fair, necessary, and proportionate.

Legal Obligation

Some data must be processed to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, including tax law, accounting requirements, insurance obligations, and record-keeping duties.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where specific optional communications or data uses require it. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing and Processors

We do not sell personal data. We may share it only when necessary and only with trusted third parties acting as data processors or independent controllers, depending on the circumstance.

Processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle secure transaction processing.
Accounting, bookkeeping, or invoicing providers.
IT, cloud storage, email, and system support providers.
Scheduling, customer management, or business administration tools.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers.

Where a processor acts on our behalf, they are required to keep data secure, use it only for our instructions, and comply with GDPR obligations. If data is shared with an independent controller, that party will be responsible for its own privacy practices.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, a court order, a regulator, or in connection with the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims.

5. Retention of Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to satisfy legal, accounting, insurance, and operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason it is held.

Customer and service records are retained for the period needed to manage ongoing services and resolve queries.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records are retained as long as needed for administration, service history, and dispute handling.
Consent records are retained as evidence of your preferences and choices.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful handling of records. While no system can be guaranteed to be perfectly secure, we work to reduce risks and respond appropriately to incidents.

7. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK or EEA, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. These safeguards are used to maintain an adequate level of protection for personal data.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under GDPR in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limits and verification of identity, you may have the right to:

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

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so that we can try to resolve them promptly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults or for customers acting on behalf of households, property owners, or organisations. We do not knowingly collect children’s personal data unless it is provided incidentally and is necessary for service delivery or legal compliance. If we become aware that we hold data about a child without proper basis, we will take appropriate steps to address it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Gardeners Ruxley will only collect and process personal data that is necessary, lawful, and proportionate. We aim to be transparent, careful, and responsible with the information entrusted to us. Our approach is built on privacy by design, secure processing, and respect for your rights.

By using our services, requesting information, or engaging with Gardeners Ruxley, you acknowledge that this policy applies to your personal data and to the way we manage it for customers in area.