Privacy Policy - Removals Switzerland

This Privacy Policy explains how Removals Switzerland collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services it provides. It applies to all Removals Switzerland customers in area, including prospective customers, individual clients, and business clients who use our removals, transport, packing, storage, or related services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This policy describes what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to individuals whose data we process.

1. Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to deliver our services, manage our operations, and comply with legal obligations. Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

Identity data: name, surname, title, and, where relevant, company name or role.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and delivery or collection details.
Service data: details about the move, property access, item descriptions, inventory lists, special handling requirements, and scheduling preferences.
Billing and transaction data: invoice details, payment status, bank or payment information where required for processing payments.
Communication data: messages, quotations, complaints, feedback, and records of discussions relating to our services.
Technical data: basic information collected when you interact with our digital systems, such as device type, browser type, and access logs, where applicable.
Compliance data: information required for accounting, tax, insurance, fraud prevention, or other legal obligations.

We do not intentionally collect special categories of personal data unless you provide it voluntarily and it is strictly necessary for a specific service, such as access arrangements or health-related handling instructions. Where such information is processed, it is subject to enhanced protection and only used for the limited purpose for which it was provided.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and assess service requirements;
to plan, manage, and perform removals and related services;
to communicate with customers before, during, and after a service;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records;
to manage customer support, complaints, and service improvements;
to comply with legal, regulatory, insurance, and accounting obligations;
to protect our business, staff, and customers against misuse, fraud, or security incidents.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless a compatible lawful purpose applies under data protection law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, every use of personal data must have a lawful basis. Removals Switzerland relies on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing a quotation, arranging your move, coordinating logistics, providing packing or storage services, and handling invoicing.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping obligations. This may involve retaining invoices, transaction records, and other business documentation.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Such interests include improving service quality, managing operations, preventing fraud, securing our systems, resolving disputes, and maintaining internal records.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where processing is optional and not necessary for the performance of a contract or for legal compliance. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy and in line with legal requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Service and contract records: kept for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle disputes, follow-up queries, or warranty-related issues.
Financial and accounting records: retained for the period required by applicable tax and accounting laws.
Communication records: retained as long as needed to address the relevant matter and maintain business records.
Security and incident records: retained only as long as necessary for investigation, prevention, and legal compliance.

When data is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise, or securely archive it in accordance with our retention practices and legal obligations.

5. Processors and Data Sharing

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties that process data on our behalf or that require the information to perform services related to your move. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers.

Typical processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers;
accounting and invoicing systems;
payment service providers;
storage and logistics partners;
customer management and communications platforms;
professional advisers, such as legal or insurance advisers, where necessary.

We require processors to handle personal data only under our instructions, to keep it confidential, and to implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures. We do not sell personal data. If data is transferred outside the European Economic Area or Switzerland, we will take appropriate safeguards to protect it, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent mechanisms permitted by law.

6. Data Security

We use reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, staff confidentiality obligations, and internal procedures designed to reduce risk.

While no system can guarantee absolute security, we review our practices regularly and seek to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the sensitivity of the information we process.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

Individuals whose personal data we process have a number of rights under GDPR. Subject to legal limitations, you may have the right to:

Access: obtain confirmation of whether we process your data and request a copy of it.
Rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erasure: request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Restriction: request that we limit processing in specific situations.
Portability: receive data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
Objection: object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where relevant.
Withdraw consent: withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage customers to raise concerns with us first so that we may address them promptly and fairly.

8. Children???s Data

Our services are intended for adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided as part of service delivery and only when necessary for legitimate operational reasons.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, operations, or data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made effective. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how personal data is processed.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Removals Switzerland is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and in compliance with GDPR. We collect only what is necessary, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it only as long as needed, share it only with trusted processors or where required by law, and respect the rights of every individual whose data we handle. This policy applies to all Removals Switzerland customers in area and is designed to support transparent and lawful data protection practices.