Privacy Policy

Gardeners Biggin Hill Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Biggin Hill collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to customers in the Biggin Hill area. It is intended to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. By using our gardening services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Biggin Hill customers located in the Biggin Hill area who use or enquire about our gardening, maintenance or related services. It covers personal data collected via telephone, in person, through online enquiries, written correspondence and any other methods we may use to communicate with you about our services.

Who we are and our role as data controller

Gardeners Biggin Hill is the organisation responsible for determining how and why your personal data is processed. For the purposes of data protection law, Gardeners Biggin Hill is the data controller. This means we are responsible for ensuring that your personal data is handled lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner.

Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for us to provide our services. Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect:

Identification and contact details, such as your name, home address, service address, and general contact details. Service and account information, such as details of work requested or carried out, site notes, schedules, quotations and invoices. Communication records, such as messages, notes from phone calls and any feedback or complaints that you share with us. Payment-related information, such as records of payments made and payment method used. We do not store full card details; payment processing is handled by secure payment processors. Usage information related to how you engage with our services, such as frequency of visits, preferred times and service history.

How we collect your personal data

We collect personal data in several ways, including:

Information you provide directly when you contact us to request a quotation, make a booking or ask a question. Information gathered during site visits and when our gardeners attend your property to provide services. Information generated in the course of managing and providing your services, including administrative and billing records. Information collected through third-party service providers acting on our behalf, such as payment processors or scheduling tools, where this is necessary to deliver our services.

Lawful bases for processing your data

We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases when processing your personal data:

Performance of a contract: We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or fulfil a contract with you, for example to provide gardening services, issue quotations, manage bookings and take payment. Legitimate interests: We may process your data when it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, and where these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing and improving our services, keeping records, and responding to your enquiries. Legal obligations: We process certain data in order to comply with legal obligations, such as maintaining tax and accounting records or responding to lawful requests from authorities. Consent: In some limited cases, we may ask for your consent before processing your data, for example for optional marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage gardening and maintenance services at your property. To prepare and send quotations, confirmations, invoices and statements. To plan and schedule visits, including regular maintenance and one-off jobs. To communicate with you about appointments, changes, service updates or queries. To manage our business operations, including record keeping, quality control and staff training. To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including accounting and taxation. To respond to feedback, complaints or disputes and to protect our legal rights.

Processors and sharing of your data

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors only process your data in accordance with our instructions and for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. They are required to keep your data secure and confidential.

Examples of processors and third parties we may use include:

Payment processing providers who handle card and electronic payments on our behalf. Bookkeeping or accounting service providers who assist with financial record keeping. IT and administrative service providers who support our systems, data storage and communications. In some circumstances, we may also share data with professional advisers, such as legal or financial advisers, where this is necessary to protect our rights or meet our obligations.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We will only disclose your data to third parties where it is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, where we have your consent, or where we are required to do so by law.

Data retention and storage

We keep your personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or to meet legal, accounting or reporting requirements. The specific retention period will depend on the type of data and the context in which it was collected.

Typically, service and contact records are retained for the duration of your relationship with Gardeners Biggin Hill and for a period afterwards to enable us to respond to queries, handle disputes and demonstrate compliance with our obligations. Financial and transactional records are generally kept for longer periods to comply with tax and accounting rules.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you.

Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include restricting access to personal data to those who need it to perform their roles and using secure systems and processes for storing and managing data.

While we take reasonable steps to safeguard your personal data, no system can be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to acting promptly and responsibly in the event of any suspected data incident.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include the right to:

Access your personal data and obtain a copy of the information we hold about you. Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data. Request deletion of your personal data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it, subject to legal and contractual obligations. Object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, and you believe these interests are overridden by your rights and freedoms. Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances, for example while we verify the accuracy of data you believe is incorrect. Request the transfer of your personal data to you or another organisation in a commonly used, machine-readable format, where technically feasible and where the processing is based on consent or contract. Withdraw consent where we rely on your consent for specific processing activities, such as optional marketing communications.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, you can contact us using your usual communication method with Gardeners Biggin Hill. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

Customers in the Biggin Hill area

This Privacy Policy applies to all customers and prospective customers of Gardeners Biggin Hill whose properties are located in the Biggin Hill area. By requesting or receiving services at an address in this area, your personal data will be processed in accordance with the terms set out in this Privacy Policy.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services or the way we process personal data. Any updates will take effect from the date they are published. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.