Gardeners Seven Kings Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Seven Kings collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Gardeners Seven Kings customers within our service area, regardless of how you contact us or use our services.

We are committed to handling your personal data in a lawful, fair and transparent manner in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act.

Who this Privacy Policy applies to

This Privacy Policy applies to individuals who are customers of Gardeners Seven Kings or who enquire about our gardening and related services within our service area. It also applies to individuals acting on behalf of a customer, such as a family member or property manager arranging services on someone else’s behalf.

By contacting us, requesting a quote, entering into a contract with us or otherwise using our services, 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:

Identity data such as your name, title and, where relevant, the name of a business or organisation you represent. Contact data such as your billing and service address, property location, and any alternative contact details you provide. Service information such as details about your garden or outdoor space, access instructions, photos you choose to share to help us assess work, and records of the services you request and we provide. Communication data including information you provide when you contact us by phone, in writing or in person, as well as records of quotes, invoices and any feedback or complaints. Payment and transaction data including amounts charged and payment status. We do not store full payment card details; these are handled by our chosen payment processors. Technical and usage data where relevant, such as information about how you interact with any online forms or digital tools that we may use to manage enquiries or bookings.

We typically receive personal data directly from you. In some cases we may receive data from third parties, for example from someone who contacts us on your behalf to arrange services at your property.

Lawful bases for processing your data

We will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the context, we may rely on the following lawful bases:

Contractual necessity: To take steps at your request before entering into a contract and to perform our contract with you, for example to provide quotes, schedule and carry out gardening work, and manage billing and payment.

Legitimate interests: To pursue our legitimate business interests in a balanced way that does not override your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, planning our work, maintaining records, improving our services, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse.

Legal obligation: To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as maintaining appropriate records for tax and accounting purposes.

Consent: In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example if you ask us to keep you informed about particular offers or seasonal services by specific communication channels. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time by contacting us.

How we use your personal data

We may use your personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotes. To schedule, deliver and manage gardening and related services at your property. To communicate with you about appointments, changes, access requirements and other practical matters. To issue invoices, process payments, handle queries about charges and maintain financial records. To manage our relationship with you, including handling feedback, complaints and disputes. To plan our workload, allocate staff, and manage resources and materials. To maintain and improve our services, including training staff and reviewing our processes. To comply with legal and regulatory obligations and to protect our legal rights.

Data retention and storage

We keep personal data only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, we will retain basic customer and contract information, including identity, contact and transaction data, for a period required under applicable tax and accounting laws after the end of our relationship with you. Operational records, such as quotes, service notes and communications, may be kept for a shorter period where appropriate. When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it or irreversibly anonymise it.

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access.

Data processors and third party access

We may use carefully selected third party service providers, known as data processors, to assist in delivering our services and running our business. These may include payment processing providers, bookkeeping or accountancy support, scheduling or job management tools, and document storage or backup services.

Where we use processors, they will only process personal data on our instructions, will be subject to strict confidentiality obligations, and will be required to implement appropriate security measures. They are not permitted to use your personal data for their own purposes.

In certain circumstances, we may also share your personal data with other third parties, for example:

Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary for advice or compliance. Insurance providers in relation to claims or incidents. Public authorities or regulators where required by law or where we consider it necessary to protect our legal rights or the rights of others.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

International transfers

Where any of our service providers are located outside the United Kingdom or where data may be stored or accessed from another country, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data, in line with applicable data protection laws. This may include the use of standard contractual clauses or reliance on other recognised transfer mechanisms.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions. You have the right to:

Access: Request confirmation that we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data. Rectification: Ask us to correct or complete inaccurate or incomplete personal data. Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we are not required to retain it.

Restriction: Ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we are verifying its accuracy or considering an objection you have raised. Objection: Object to our processing where we rely on legitimate interests, including profiling based on those interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation. Data portability: Request a copy of certain personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and request that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.

Where we rely on consent as a lawful basis, you also have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Exercising your rights

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, or if you have questions about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using your preferred communication method and provide enough information to identify yourself and your relationship with Gardeners Seven Kings. We may request additional information where reasonably necessary to confirm your identity before responding to your request.

We aim to respond to all valid requests within the timeframes set by data protection law. There is usually no fee to exercise your rights, but we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse to act on a request that is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

Updates 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 legal requirements. The latest version will apply to all Gardeners Seven Kings customers in our service area from the date it is issued. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle your personal data.