Privacy Policy - Carpet Cleaners W1T

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpet Cleaners W1T collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Carpet Cleaners W1T customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, receive quotations, make bookings, or otherwise interact with us in connection with carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, stain treatment, and related domestic or commercial services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to explain, in clear terms, what information we process and why we process it.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, business name or property details.
Contact details such as telephone number and email address.
Address information including service addresses, billing addresses, and location details needed to carry out cleaning services.
Service information such as booking requests, cleaning preferences, type of flooring or fabric, special instructions, and job notes.
Payment-related information such as transaction status and billing records. We do not retain card details unless necessary for a specific payment process handled through a secure provider.
Communication records including emails, messages, and call notes relating to enquiries, bookings, complaints, or feedback.
Technical information if you visit a digital service used by us, such as device type, browser type, and basic usage data. This is only processed where applicable and in a limited way.
Marketing preferences if you choose to receive updates or promotional messages.

We only collect data that is relevant and necessary for the provision of our services, business administration, and legal compliance. We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is provided to us by you and is necessary for a specific reason, such as access requirements or health-related instructions connected to the service.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and manage bookings.
To deliver carpet cleaning and associated services safely and effectively.
To contact customers about appointments, service changes, or service-related questions.
To process payments, invoices, and account administration.
To maintain business records and respond to complaints or enquiries.
To improve service quality, scheduling, and customer support.
To comply with tax, accounting, insurance, and other legal obligations.
To send marketing communications where lawful and where you have not opted out.

We will only use your personal data where we have a valid legal basis to do so. We will never use your data in a way that is incompatible with the purposes set out in this policy.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must identify a lawful basis for each type of processing. Depending on the circumstance, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, delivering services, and managing customer communications related to a service agreement.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data where it is necessary to meet legal duties, such as tax compliance, accounting requirements, record keeping, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests may include improving customer service, managing our business, preventing fraud, maintaining service records, and handling routine operational matters. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and only use data in a proportionate way.

Consent

In limited cases, we rely on your consent, for example where it is required for certain marketing communications or optional uses of data. If consent is used as the lawful basis, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

Vital Interests and Public Interest

These bases are unlikely to apply in ordinary customer service situations, but if exceptional circumstances arise, we will rely on them only where permitted by law.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the operation of our services. Such third parties act as data processors or independent controllers depending on the nature of the service they provide.

Processors may include:

Payment service providers who handle secure transactions.
Booking or scheduling systems used to organise appointments.
IT and cloud storage providers that support secure data management.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers when required for business administration or compliance.
Service partners or subcontractors involved in completing a cleaning appointment, where this is necessary for the service.

We require processors to act only on our instructions, to use appropriate technical and organisational measures, and to protect personal data in accordance with data protection law. We do not sell personal data. We also do not disclose personal data to third parties for their own marketing purposes unless you have expressly agreed or the law otherwise allows it.

In certain circumstances, we may need to disclose information to law enforcement, regulatory bodies, insurers, or courts where required or permitted by law.

5. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will take steps to ensure it receives an adequate level of protection. This may include using approved contractual safeguards or relying on an adequacy decision where applicable.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, tax, and reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Customer service records are generally retained for a period necessary to manage the relationship and address follow-up queries.
Financial and transaction records are retained for the period required by law and standard accounting practice.
Communication records may be kept for a reasonable time to resolve disputes, maintain service history, and support business administration.
Marketing preferences are kept until you withdraw consent or opt out, or until we no longer need the information.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. Retention is reviewed periodically to ensure we do not keep data longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to ensure that information is handled carefully and only accessed by people who need it for legitimate business purposes.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the legal basis for processing and the circumstances of your request.

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – in some cases, you may ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – where applicable, you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been mishandled. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so that we can try to resolve the matter promptly and fairly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are aimed at adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in the ordinary course of our services. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such data, we will take appropriate steps to delete it where required.

10. Marketing Communications

Where permitted by law, we may send limited marketing communications relating to our services. You can opt out of marketing at any time by using the method provided in the communication or by contacting us through the appropriate channel. We will respect your choice and update our records accordingly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practice, or the way we process personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

We value privacy and handle personal data with care. We collect only what is needed, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. Customers may exercise their rights at any time, subject to legal limits and verification of identity where appropriate. This policy applies to all Carpet Cleaners W1T customers in the area and is intended to support transparent and responsible data protection practices.