Gardeners Custom House Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Custom House collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to its customers in the Gardeners Custom House service area. It also explains the rights you have under the General Data Protection Regulation GDPR and related data protection laws. This policy applies to all customers and prospective customers who use or enquire about our gardening and related services in our operating area.

Who We Are and Scope of This Policy

Gardeners Custom House is a provider of gardening and related services to residential and business customers. For the purposes of applicable data protection law, Gardeners Custom House is the data controller in respect of the personal data we collect from you. This Privacy Policy applies to all services we provide to customers in our local service area, whether you contact us online, by post, or in person.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different types of personal data about you depending on how you interact with us. The categories of data we may collect include

Identification and contact details, such as your name and preferred contact details. Service and property details, such as service address, type of property, garden layout information you choose to share, access instructions and preferences. Contract and transaction information, including records of services requested, quotes, invoices, payment records excluding full payment card details which are handled by our payment processor, and communications relating to your bookings. Communication records, including details of enquiries, complaints, feedback and any correspondence you have with us. Usage and interaction information, such as how you interact with our website or communications where technically collected, including basic technical information from your browser or device.

How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data in the following ways

Directly from you when you contact us to request a quote, make a booking, or ask a question. Through ongoing service delivery when we provide gardening services at your property, including when you update your preferences or contact details. From payment related interactions when you pay for services through our chosen payment processors. Through limited technical data collected automatically when you visit our website, such as basic device and browser information, subject to applicable cookie and tracking rules.

Lawful Bases for Processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so under GDPR. The main lawful bases we rely on are

Performance of a contract, where processing is necessary to enter into and fulfil our service agreement with you, including providing quotes, managing bookings, and delivering gardening services. Legal obligation, where we must process and retain certain information to comply with legal, tax, or accounting requirements. Legitimate interests, where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Examples include improving our services, managing customer relationships, and protecting our business. Consent, where we rely on your explicit agreement for specific activities, such as certain types of marketing communications where required by law. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We may use your personal data for the following purposes

To provide and manage our gardening and related services, including preparing quotes, scheduling visits, carrying out work, and managing any follow up. To communicate with you about your enquiries, bookings, changes to services, and important information relating to your contract with us. To manage billing, payments, refunds, and accounting obligations. To respond to complaints, resolve disputes, and enforce our contractual rights. To improve our services, customer experience and operations, including internal analysis and service planning. To send you information about similar services to those you have purchased from us, where permitted by law, and subject to your right to opt out. To protect our business, for example detecting and preventing fraud or misuse of our services.

Data Retention and Storage

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention periods we apply are determined by the nature of the data, the purposes for which it is processed, and legal requirements.

Customer and contract records are normally kept for a period that allows us to manage our relationship with you and deal with any legal claims. Financial records and invoices are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws. Enquiry information from prospective customers may be retained for a reasonable period to follow up on your request and manage our business records. When personal data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or anonymised.

Data Processors and Third Parties

We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors only process your data in accordance with our instructions, for specified purposes, and are subject to contractual obligations to protect your data.

Types of processors we may use include

IT and hosting providers, who host and maintain our systems and data storage. Payment processors, who handle secure payment transactions on our behalf. Professional service providers, such as accountants or advisers, who assist us with our business functions subject to confidentiality obligations. Customer management and communication providers, who support our scheduling, messaging or administrative activities.

We do not sell your personal data. We only share your personal data with third parties for the purposes described in this policy or where required by law, such as with regulators or authorities when we have a legal obligation to disclose data.

International Transfers

Where we transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection law. This may include using standard contractual clauses or transferring data to countries recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection.

Security of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage. Measures may include restricted access to systems and records, secure storage practices, use of passwords and other controls, and staff awareness regarding data protection responsibilities. While we strive to protect your personal data, no system can be completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under GDPR and applicable data protection laws, you have several rights in relation to your personal data held by Gardeners Custom House. These include

The right of access, to obtain confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and to request a copy of the data we hold about you. The right to rectification, to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data. The right to erasure, sometimes called the right to be forgotten, to request deletion of your personal data where there is no longer a lawful basis for us to retain or process it. The right to restriction of processing, to request that we limit the way we use your data in certain circumstances. The right to data portability, to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, and to transmit it to another controller where technically feasible and legally required. The right to object, to object to processing based on our legitimate interests or to direct marketing at any time. The right to withdraw consent, where processing is based on your consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, you can contact us using the contact methods made available through our usual customer communication channels. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond within the timeframes required by law.

Customers in the Gardeners Custom House Area

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Custom House customers and prospective customers within our service area. By engaging with us for gardening or related services in this area, you acknowledge that you have been informed of how we collect and process your personal data in accordance with this policy.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection best practice. The updated version will be made available through our usual customer information 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 personal data.