Gardeners Archway Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Archway collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to its customers and prospective customers in our service area. It also describes your rights under applicable data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act. Gardeners Archway is committed to handling your personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Archway customers, as well as individuals who enquire about our services, within our operating area. It covers personal data collected in person, by post, by telephone, via online enquiry forms, through messaging services and through any other direct communication with Gardeners Archway.

Personal data we collect

Gardeners Archway may collect and process the following categories of personal data, where relevant to the services we provide:

Identification and contact details, such as your full name, postal address, property address where services are delivered, and general area of residence.

Communication details, such as your preferred method of contact and records of communications you send to us and that we send to you, including enquiries, quotations and service updates.

Service and contract details, such as details of the gardening or maintenance services requested, property access instructions that you provide, service history, quotations, invoices, payment status and related correspondence.

Payment information, such as details necessary to receive and reconcile payments, including payment method and transaction references. Gardeners Archway does not store full card details where card payments are processed through a secure third-party provider.

Technical and usage information, such as basic device and browser data and general interaction data with our online content, where collected. This is used only to the extent necessary to operate and improve our services and manage security.

How we collect personal data

We obtain personal data directly from you when you contact Gardeners Archway to request a quotation, book a service, sign a contract, ask a question or provide feedback. We may also receive personal data from third parties where you have authorised them to share information with us, for example if a letting agent, landlord or property manager engages us to carry out work at your property and provides your contact details for coordination purposes.

Lawful basis for processing your data

Gardeners Archway processes personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under the UK GDPR:

Performance of a contract: We process your personal data to provide gardening and related services you have requested, to prepare and issue quotations, to schedule and carry out work, to invoice you and to manage ongoing service arrangements.

Legal obligations: We may process your data where necessary to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax and accounting laws, record keeping obligations or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate interests: We may process your personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include managing customer relationships, improving our services, preventing fraud, ensuring health and safety, and protecting our rights and property.

Consent: In limited circumstances, we may rely on your explicit consent to process your data, for example for certain types of marketing communications where required. Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries, provide quotations and supply information about our services on your request.

To schedule, manage and deliver gardening services at the agreed address, including any necessary site visits and access arrangements.

To manage our relationship with you as a customer, including handling questions, complaints, feedback and requests to amend or cancel services.

To issue invoices, process and reconcile payments and maintain accurate financial records.

To maintain and improve the quality, safety and reliability of our services, and to manage staff and contractor assignments.

To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations and to protect our legitimate business interests, including the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Data retention and storage

Gardeners Archway retains personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting and reporting requirements. The specific retention period will depend on the category of data and the nature of our relationship with you.

Typically, basic customer and contract records, service history and related financial records may be retained for up to seven years after the end of the relationship, to comply with tax and accounting rules and to handle any potential legal claims. Communications related to enquiries that do not lead to a service may be kept for a shorter period, after which they are securely deleted or anonymised.

When personal data is no longer required, we take appropriate steps to securely delete or anonymise it so that it can no longer be associated with an identified or identifiable individual.

Data processors and third parties

Gardeners Archway may share your personal data with trusted third parties where this is necessary for the operation of our business and the delivery of our services. These third parties may act as data processors, processing personal data on our behalf and under our instructions, or as separate data controllers with their own responsibilities.

Categories of third parties we may use include:

Accounting and bookkeeping providers who help us maintain financial records, issue invoices and manage tax and reporting obligations.

Payment processing providers who securely handle customer payments.

IT and systems support providers who host or support our digital tools, data storage, scheduling or communication systems.

Professional advisers, such as legal or financial advisers, where necessary to manage our business and comply with legal obligations.

Where we use data processors, we ensure that appropriate contractual and technical safeguards are in place to protect your personal data and to ensure that processors process it only in accordance with our instructions and applicable laws.

International data transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area by a third-party provider, Gardeners Archway will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. This may include reliance on adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under applicable data protection laws.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection laws, you have a number of rights in relation to the personal data that Gardeners Archway holds about you. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and legal exemptions. Subject to those, you may have the right to:

Access your personal data and receive a copy of the information we hold about you.

Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Request erasure of your personal data where there is no longer a lawful reason for us to continue processing it.

Request restriction of the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.

Object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including certain types of direct marketing.

Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to another service provider where the law provides for data portability.

Where we rely on consent for processing, withdraw that consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, you can contact Gardeners Archway using the contact details made available through our usual communication channels. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

Security of your personal data

Gardeners Archway takes reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access. These measures include access controls, secure storage practices and staff awareness of data protection responsibilities. While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed as completely secure.

Marketing communications

Gardeners Archway may contact existing customers from time to time with information about services that are similar to those you have previously used, where permitted by law. You can object to receiving marketing communications at any time by following the instructions provided in the communication or by contacting us through the usual channels. Where we rely on your consent to send marketing messages, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Gardeners Archway may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our data processing practices or applicable law. Any updated version will be made available through our standard communication channels and will take effect from the date of publication. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

Contact and complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how Gardeners Archway handles your personal data, you can contact us through our normal customer contact methods. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority in your jurisdiction.