Privacy Policy - Gardeners Kenton

Gardeners Kenton is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Kenton area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and safeguard personal information in a way that is consistent with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Gardeners Kenton customers in area, including prospective clients, current clients, and anyone who communicates with us about our services.

1. Introduction

We understand that personal data is important and should be handled with care. When you contact us for gardening services, request a quotation, book an appointment, or otherwise engage with us, we may process information about you in order to provide our services properly. This Policy is written to be clear and transparent, so you can understand what data we collect, why we collect it, and what rights you have.

By using our services or interacting with us, you acknowledge that your personal information may be processed as described in this Policy. We only process data where we have a lawful reason to do so and only for purposes that are necessary, relevant, and proportionate.

2. Data We Collect

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

Identity information such as your name, title, and any details you provide when making an enquiry.
Contact information such as your address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information such as details of the gardening work requested, property access notes, scheduling preferences, and job history.
Billing and payment information such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication records such as messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Technical information where relevant, such as basic device or browser information if you interact with our digital systems.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific purpose. If you provide such information, we will handle it with extra care and only where permitted by law.

How We Collect Data

Personal data may be collected directly from you when you request a service, complete a form, make a payment, or communicate with us. We may also receive information from third parties where it is lawful and necessary, such as from payment providers, subcontractors acting on our behalf, or other service partners involved in delivering a booking.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must identify a lawful basis for each type of processing. Gardeners Kenton relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract - to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, and to perform the contract when we provide gardening services.
Legal obligation - to comply with tax, accounting, record-keeping, and other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests - to manage our business, improve services, handle enquiries, maintain records, prevent fraud, and ensure service quality, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Consent - where we rely on your permission for a specific purpose, for example if a particular optional processing activity requires consent. You may withdraw consent at any time where this is the basis used.

We only use personal data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected. If we need to use data for a new purpose, we will ensure there is a valid lawful basis before doing so.

4. How We Use Your Information

Your personal data may be used for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, book appointments, and deliver gardening services.
To manage customer records and service history.
To communicate about jobs, updates, scheduling, or service issues.
To produce invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records.
To respond to queries, complaints, and general correspondence.
To improve customer experience, service delivery, and business operations.
To comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.

We always aim to process data in a fair and transparent manner. Information is not used in ways that are unexpected or unfair to our customers.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for business operations or service delivery. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum information needed for the relevant purpose.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting service providers that support invoicing, bookkeeping, and financial record management.
IT and data storage providers that host or maintain our business systems and records.
Communication service providers that assist with email, messaging, or telephone support.
Subcontractors or service partners who help deliver gardening services where needed.

All processors are expected to act only on our instructions, to keep personal data secure, and to comply with applicable data protection obligations. We do not sell personal data.

International Transfers

If any processor stores or processes data outside the UK, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure your information remains protected in line with UK data protection requirements.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

In general:

Customer and service records are retained for as long as needed to manage the relationship and service history.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Correspondence and complaint records are retained long enough to resolve the matter and maintain business records.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it as appropriate. Retention decisions are reviewed regularly to ensure we do not keep personal data longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to help protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and careful management of our suppliers.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take the protection of customer data seriously and review our practices to maintain a high standard of security.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these rights may include:

The right of access - to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification - to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
The right to erasure - to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
The right to restrict processing - to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
The right to object - to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing where applicable.
The right to data portability - to receive certain information in a structured, commonly used format where the law allows.
The 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 relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have not been respected. We encourage you to raise concerns directly so we can address them promptly and fairly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults or those acting on behalf of a property owner or authorised representative. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental and necessary for the provision of our services, and always in a lawful manner.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, operational practice, or service delivery. Any updated version will apply from the time it is made available. We encourage customers to review this Policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Our Commitment

Gardeners Kenton is committed to handling personal information responsibly, lawfully, and with respect. We aim to ensure that every customer in the Kenton area can rely on us to process data fairly and only where necessary. Our approach is guided by transparency, accountability, and privacy by design, so that your information is protected while we deliver our gardening services.

By maintaining clear practices for data collection, lawful basis, retention, processors, and user rights, we work to meet our obligations under data protection law and to preserve the trust of our customers.