Gardeners Longford Privacy Policy

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

Scope and who this policy applies to

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Longford customers and prospective customers in our service area, including individuals who contact us for quotations, make bookings, receive gardening services, or otherwise interact with us in relation to our business. It also applies to individuals who visit our website or contact us by any communication method to enquire about our services.

Data controller details

Gardeners Longford is the data controller in respect of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. As data controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for ensuring that such processing is carried out in accordance with data protection law.

Types of 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, postal address, property location, and any other contact information you choose to provide when you request information, quotations, or services.

Service and contract details, such as details of your garden or outdoor space, photographs you provide or that we take with your consent as part of our work, service instructions, records of work carried out, invoices, payment records, and related correspondence.

Communication data, such as records of communications between you and Gardeners Longford, including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and any notes taken during phone calls or site visits.

Usage and technical data, such as information about how you interact with our website or online content, including date and time of visits and basic technical information supplied by your browser or device. We only collect such data to the extent necessary to operate and improve our services.

How we collect your personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us by phone, via our website, in person, or through any other communication channel to request information, obtain a quotation, or book our services. We may also collect personal data when we carry out work at your property or when you respond to any feedback request or survey that we send to you.

In some cases, we may receive your details from third parties who have your permission to share your information with local service providers, for example when you use an online trades directory or local listing service. Where this occurs, we will only use your data for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy and in accordance with data protection law.

Purposes and lawful bases for processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. The main purposes for which we process your data and the corresponding lawful bases are:

To provide quotations, enter into and perform a contract for gardening and related services. This includes processing your contact details, property information, and service preferences so that we can assess your requirements, provide quotations, schedule work, and deliver the agreed services. The lawful basis for this processing is that it is necessary for the performance of a contract, or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.

To manage our business relationship with you. This includes issuing invoices, receiving payments, handling enquiries, dealing with complaints, and maintaining our internal records. The lawful basis for this processing is the performance of a contract and our legitimate interests in running and developing our business in an efficient manner.

To comply with legal and regulatory obligations. We may process your personal data to meet tax, accounting, and other legal obligations, including maintaining appropriate business and financial records. The lawful basis is compliance with legal obligations to which Gardeners Longford is subject.

To improve and develop our services. We may use certain data, including feedback and limited usage data, to monitor the quality of our work, improve our services, and plan our business activities. Where such processing is not strictly necessary for a contract, we rely on our legitimate interests in developing and improving the services we provide to customers.

To send you information about our services. Where you are an existing customer, we may occasionally contact you with information about similar services that we think may be of interest to you. We rely on our legitimate interests in promoting our services, and you can object to such communications at any time. In situations where consent is required by law, we will only send you marketing communications where you have given your explicit consent.

Data sharing and use of processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These may include providers of cloud storage or document management systems, accounting or invoicing software, website hosting services, and information technology or security support providers.

Where we use processors, they are only permitted to process personal data in accordance with our written instructions and for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. They are required to maintain appropriate confidentiality and security measures and are not allowed to use your data for their own purposes.

We may also share your personal data with professional advisers, such as accountants or legal advisers, where this is necessary for the provision of their services to us and to comply with legal or regulatory obligations. In rare circumstances, we may need to disclose personal data to law enforcement agencies, courts, regulatory bodies, or other public authorities where we are legally required to do so.

International transfers

Where possible, we store and process your personal data within the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area. If it becomes necessary to transfer personal data to a country outside these areas, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses, and that the transfer complies with applicable data protection laws.

Data retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The exact retention period may vary depending on the type of data and our obligations.

In general, we retain customer and contract records, including contact details, service history, and invoices, for a period that allows us to respond to queries, deal with any disputes, and comply with tax and accounting rules. At the end of the relevant retention period, we will securely delete or anonymise your personal data so that it can no longer be associated with you.

Data security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include access controls, secure storage arrangements, and staff awareness of data protection responsibilities. While we strive to protect your data, no system is completely secure, and you are encouraged to exercise care when sharing information with us.

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, which allows you to request confirmation as to whether we hold personal data about you and to obtain a copy of that data, along with certain other information.

The right to rectification, which allows you to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.

The right to erasure, sometimes known as the right to be forgotten, which allows you to request that we delete your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no legal obligation to retain it.

The right to restriction of processing, which allows you to request that we limit the use of your data in certain situations, such as while we are assessing a request for rectification or objecting to processing.

The right to data portability, which allows you in some circumstances to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and to have that data transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.

The right to object, which allows you to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including any direct marketing. If you object to direct marketing, we will stop processing your data for that purpose.

Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

Exercising your rights

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact Gardeners Longford using your usual communication method with us and clearly state which right you wish to exercise and any relevant details to help us identify your records. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

We will respond to your request within the timeframes required by law. While most requests are free of charge, we may in certain limited circumstances charge a reasonable fee, for example if a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how Gardeners Longford handles your personal data, you are encouraged to contact us so that we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority in your country or region if you believe that your rights have been infringed.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, how we process personal data, or changes in applicable law. Any updated version will apply to all Gardeners Longford customers and prospective customers in our service area from the date it is published. You are encouraged to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.