Gardeners Aperfield Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Aperfield collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to 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 2018. By using our gardening services, contacting us, or providing your personal data, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Aperfield customers and potential customers within our service area, as well as visitors who contact us to enquire about our services. It covers personal data collected in the course of providing gardening, maintenance, and related services, whether collected in person, by post, or by electronic means.

Data Controller

Gardeners Aperfield acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means that we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for ensuring that it is handled in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner.

Types of Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data about you when you engage with Gardeners Aperfield:

Identification and contact details, such as your name, address, and other basic contact information you choose to provide so that we can communicate with you and deliver services to your property.

Service and contract information, such as details of the gardening or maintenance services you request, site notes, schedules, visit records, and any instructions or preferences you provide in relation to your garden or property.

Billing and payment information, such as records of payments made and received, payment status, and basic financial details required to issue invoices and manage accounts, excluding full payment card details where third party payment processors are used.

Communication records, including information contained in emails, letters, and notes from telephone conversations or in-person meetings, such as enquiries, feedback, and any complaints you may raise.

Technical and usage data, where applicable, such as basic data generated when you visit our online content or submit an online enquiry, which may include the time and date of contact and limited technical information that allows us to respond and manage our services.

Purposes and Lawful Bases for Processing

Gardeners Aperfield processes personal data only where a lawful basis applies. The main purposes and lawful bases are as follows:

To provide gardening and related services. We process your identification, contact, and service information to set up and perform our contract with you, including arranging site visits, carrying out work, and managing ongoing maintenance. The lawful basis for this processing is performance of a contract or steps taken at your request before entering into a contract.

To manage billing and payments. We use billing and payment information to issue invoices, record payments, and manage accounts. The lawful basis for this processing is performance of a contract and our legitimate interest in maintaining accurate financial records.

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations. When you contact Gardeners Aperfield for information or a quote, we process the personal data you provide to answer your enquiry and, if requested, prepare and send a quotation. The lawful basis is performance of a contract or steps taken at your request prior to entering into a contract, as well as our legitimate interests in operating and growing our business.

To manage our relationship with you. We process communication records and service history to maintain our relationship, handle requests, and manage issues that arise in the course of providing services. The lawful basis is performance of a contract and our legitimate interest in providing an efficient and reliable service.

To comply with legal obligations. We may process personal data in order to comply with legal obligations, such as record-keeping, tax, and accounting requirements. The lawful basis for this processing is compliance with legal obligations.

To improve and protect our services. We may use limited usage data and feedback to monitor the quality of our services, improve how we operate, and protect our systems. The lawful basis is our legitimate interests in running an effective, secure gardening business.

Data Retention

Gardeners Aperfield retains personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. The retention periods depend on the type of data and the nature of our relationship with you.

Customer service records and contact details are generally retained for the duration of your contract with us and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle any follow-up enquiries, issues, or legal claims.

Billing and financial records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting laws, which is typically several years after the end of the relevant financial year.

Enquiry and quotation information that does not lead to a contract is kept for a limited period so that we can respond to follow-up questions and keep track of the services requested.

After the applicable retention period has expired, we will securely delete or anonymise your personal data so that it can no longer be associated with you.

Data Processors and Third Parties

Gardeners Aperfield may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors may include providers of accounting or bookkeeping services, payment processing services, and information technology and system support.

These processors are engaged under contracts that require them to process your personal data only on our documented instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with applicable data protection laws. They are not permitted to use your personal data for their own independent purposes.

We may also share personal data where required by law, for example with government authorities, law enforcement, or regulators, or in connection with legal claims, to defend our rights or the safety of our staff and customers.

Gardeners Aperfield does not sell personal data and does not share it with third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.

Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures include restricting access to personal data to staff and processors who need it for their work, keeping records in secure systems, and storing paper records in secure locations.

While we take care to secure your personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should keep this in mind when choosing how you communicate with us and when sharing any sensitive information.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, individuals in our service area have a number of rights in relation to their personal data processed by Gardeners Aperfield. These rights are subject to certain conditions and legal exemptions.

Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation as to whether we hold personal data about you and to request a copy of that data, together with certain information about how we use it.

Right to rectification. You have the right to request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you is corrected or updated.

Right to erasure. In some circumstances, you have the right to request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent where consent was the basis for processing.

Right to restriction of processing. You may ask us to restrict our use of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we are considering an objection you have raised.

Right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as the lawful basis. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or unless the processing is required for legal claims.

Right to data portability. Where our processing is based on your consent or on a contract and is carried out by automated means, you have the right to request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to request that it is transmitted to another controller where this is technically feasible.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, you can contact Gardeners Aperfield using the contact details made available with our service information. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We will respond in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Complaints and Further Information

If you have concerns about how Gardeners Aperfield handles your personal data, you are encouraged to contact us in the first instance so that we can try to resolve the matter. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority in the United Kingdom.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the way we provide our services. Any significant changes will apply from the date the revised Privacy Policy is made available. You should review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.