Gardeners Locksbottom Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Locksbottom collects, uses, stores and protects personal data in connection with our gardening and related services. It applies to all Gardeners Locksbottom customers and prospective customers in our service area, including individuals who make enquiries, request quotations, or otherwise interact with us in the course of our business.

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

Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for us to provide and manage our services. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details, such as your full name and your preferred method for us to contact you.

Service and property details, such as your service address, type of property, information about your garden or outdoor space, and any access instructions you choose to provide.

Booking and communication records, including details of your enquiries, quotations provided, bookings, service history, and any messages or feedback you send us.

Billing and payment-related information, such as records of invoices issued, payments received and payment method used. We do not store full payment card details; where card payments are used, they are processed securely by third-party payment processors.

Technical and usage data, where applicable, such as information about how you interact with our website or online booking tools. This may include IP address, device information, and basic analytics data used to understand how our services are accessed and to improve them.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us, request a quotation, book a service, or communicate with us by any means. This can be in person, over the phone, through electronic messages, or via our website or online tools where available.

We may also receive limited personal data from third parties where necessary to carry out our services, for example where a landlord, letting agent, or building manager provides your details to arrange gardening work at a property you occupy, or where an existing customer refers you to us with your permission.

Lawful Bases for Processing Personal Data

We process your personal data under the following lawful bases set out in the UK GDPR:

Contract. We process personal data to enter into and perform a contract with you, including providing quotations, scheduling and delivering our services, managing payments, and communicating with you about your bookings.

Legitimate interests. We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your rights and freedoms are not overridden. This includes managing our relationship with you, improving our services, responding to enquiries, maintaining records, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse.

Legal obligation. We process certain personal data where we are required to do so to comply with our legal obligations, such as keeping financial records for tax and accounting purposes.

Consent. In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where you explicitly agree to receive certain types of marketing communications from us. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us using your usual contact route.

How We Use Your Personal Data

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

To provide gardening and related services, including arranging visits, carrying out agreed work, and following up on any issues or additional requests.

To prepare and issue quotations, invoices and receipts, and to manage payments and account balances.

To communicate with you about your bookings, service reminders, changes to our terms, and other service-related information.

To manage our customer records, understand service usage, and improve how we deliver and organise our work.

To handle complaints, disputes or claims and to enforce our contractual terms.

To comply with legal, regulatory and tax obligations, including record keeping requirements.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, we retain customer and service records for a period that reflects the typical lifecycle of our services and any applicable limitation periods for potential legal claims. Financial and transactional records are usually kept for a longer period as required by tax and accounting laws.

When personal data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be associated with you.

Data Processors and Third Parties

We may use carefully selected third-party service providers to process personal data on our behalf. These data processors are engaged to help us deliver our services and manage our business operations. Typical categories of processors include:

Payment processing providers who handle electronic payments securely on our behalf.

Cloud-based software or storage providers used for scheduling, record keeping, document storage, or communication tools.

IT support and technical service providers who help maintain the security and functionality of our systems.

External accountants or professional advisers who assist with financial, tax or compliance obligations and who may access relevant records where necessary.

Where we use data processors, they are only permitted to process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and for specified purposes, and they are required to implement appropriate security measures to protect your data.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We may disclose personal data to other third parties only where required by law, where necessary to protect our rights, or where you have requested or clearly consented to such sharing, for example where we refer you to another trusted tradesperson at your request.

International Data Transfers

Where any of our service providers are located outside the United Kingdom, we take steps to ensure that an adequate level of protection is in place for your personal data in line with data protection law. This may include relying on adequacy regulations or using appropriate contractual safeguards.

Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include access controls, secure storage, and limiting personal data access to people who have a genuine business need to know it.

While we strive to protect your personal data, no system can be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee the absolute security of any information transmitted to us or stored by us, but we do take reasonable steps to minimise risks.

Your Data Protection Rights

As a customer or prospective customer of Gardeners Locksbottom, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data under data protection law. These may include:

The right of access. You can request confirmation of whether we hold personal data about you and request a copy of that data, together with certain information about how it is processed.

The right to rectification. You can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

The right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you can 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 reason to continue processing it.

The right to restrict processing. You can ask us to suspend the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we verify its accuracy or our reasons for processing it.

The right to object. You can object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests, including any direct marketing activities, and we will stop unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue.

The right to data portability. In some cases, you can request to receive personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and to have that data transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.

These rights are subject to certain legal conditions and exceptions. If you exercise any of your rights, we may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access or change the information.

Contact and Complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us using your usual communication method with Gardeners Locksbottom or by using the contact details provided in our service correspondence or on our business materials.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you are unhappy with how we have used your personal data. We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns first, so we encourage you to contact us in the first instance.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our internal practices, or legal requirements. Any updated version will take effect from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.