Gardeners Surrey Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Surrey collects, uses, stores and protects personal data when providing gardening and related services. It applies to all Gardeners Surrey customers and prospective customers located in Surrey and the surrounding area, as well as visitors who contact us about our services.
Who we are
Gardeners Surrey is a gardening services provider operating in the Surrey area. We are the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy, meaning we decide how and why your personal data is processed when you use our services.
Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data that we collect and process about customers, prospective customers and individuals who make enquiries about our services within the Surrey area. By engaging our services or contacting us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Personal data we collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data about you:
Identification and contact details, such as your name, address, property location, and any other contact details you choose to provide.
Service and contract details, such as records of the services you request, quotations, bookings, contracts, job notes and communication history about your gardening requirements.
Billing and payment information, such as records of payments made, payment method used and relevant invoicing information. We do not store full payment card details if you pay by card through a third party payment processor.
Communication data, such as emails, messages, notes of telephone conversations and other correspondence relating to your enquiries, bookings or ongoing services.
Website and usage data, where applicable, such as information about how you interact with our website, basic technical information from your browser, and any forms you submit online.
Photographs and site information, such as images of your garden or property exterior taken for quoting, design and project management purposes, and notes about site conditions relevant to the services we provide.
How we collect your personal data
We collect personal data about you in a variety of ways, including:
Directly from you when you contact us by phone, through online forms, by post or in person, or when you request a quotation or book a service.
During site visits, when our gardeners or representatives attend your property to assess your requirements, perform work or provide an estimate.
From our website, when you visit, submit an enquiry or otherwise interact with our online content.
From third parties, in limited cases, such as referrals from existing customers or business partners, or where another person books services on your behalf.
Lawful bases for processing
We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and applicable data protection laws. Depending on the context, our lawful bases may include:
Contract. We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide gardening services, schedule appointments, handle billing and manage your account.
Legal obligation. We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as maintaining appropriate business records and complying with tax or accounting requirements.
Legitimate interests. We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This includes managing and improving our services, responding to enquiries, keeping records of work undertaken, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse.
Consent. In some cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where required for specific types of communications. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.
How we use your personal data
We may use your personal data for the following purposes:
To provide gardening and related services you request, including arranging site visits, carrying out the work, and managing any follow up services.
To prepare and provide quotations, estimates and proposals based on your requirements.
To manage bookings, scheduling and communication regarding ongoing or future services.
To issue invoices, process payments, manage accounts and maintain financial records.
To respond to your enquiries, questions or complaints and to provide customer support.
To maintain accurate internal records of customer relationships, services performed and project history.
To improve our services, operations and customer experience, including through analysis of service usage and feedback.
To protect our rights, property and safety, and that of our customers and staff, including in relation to disputes or legal claims.
Data retention
We keep personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements. The retention period will vary depending on the type of data and the nature of our relationship with you.
In general, we keep customer records, service history and basic contact information for as long as you remain an active customer and for a reasonable period afterward, typically up to seven years, to comply with legal obligations and to maintain accurate business records.
Where we no longer need personal data for the purposes for which it was collected and there is no legal requirement to retain it, we will delete or anonymise it.
Data processors and third parties
We may share your personal data with selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors may include:
IT and hosting providers who support our systems, websites and data storage.
Payment processing providers who handle card or electronic transactions securely.
Accountants or professional advisers who assist with financial and regulatory obligations.
Scheduling, communication or customer management service providers we use to organise our work and keep records.
Where we engage processors, we ensure that appropriate contracts and safeguards are in place to protect your personal data and ensure it is processed only in accordance with our instructions and applicable law.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We will only disclose personal data to other third parties if required by law, to protect our rights, or with your explicit consent.
International transfers
Where any of our service providers or their systems are located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will take steps to ensure that your personal data is afforded an equivalent level of protection. This may include using standard contractual clauses or ensuring that an adequacy decision is in place.
How we protect your data
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, and regular review of our data handling practices. While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:
The right of access. You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, together with information about how we process it.
The right to rectification. You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
The right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you have the right to request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no legal basis to retain it.
The right to restriction of processing. You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as while we verify accuracy or respond to an objection.
The right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, including profiling related to those interests, or where we process your data for direct marketing.
The right to data portability. Where our processing is based on your consent or on a contract and carried out by automated means, you may have the right to request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format or to request that it be transmitted to another controller.
Where our processing is based on your consent, you also have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing before consent was withdrawn.
Exercising your rights
If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, or if you have any questions or concerns about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the details provided on our website or through the usual communication channels you use with us. We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests. We aim to respond to all valid requests within one month, subject to any extensions permitted by law.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have used your personal data, we encourage you to contact us in the first instance so that we can try to resolve your concerns. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority in the United Kingdom.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations or how we process personal data. The updated version will be made available through our usual communication channels, and the date of the latest revision will be indicated. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.
