Privacy Policy - Carpet Cleaners Shoreditch

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpet Cleaners Shoreditch collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Carpet Cleaners Shoreditch customers in the Shoreditch area, including residential and commercial clients who request a quote, make a booking, receive a service, or communicate with us in connection with our work. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We respect your privacy and aim to keep your information secure, limited to what is necessary, and used only for clearly defined purposes.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Carpet Cleaners Shoreditch acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we decide how and why personal data is processed in connection with our carpet cleaning services, customer administration, and related operations.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information needed to provide our services effectively and manage our relationship with customers. Depending on your interaction with us, this may include:

• Identity details such as your name.
• Contact details such as phone number, email address, and service address.
• Booking information including requested service dates, service type, and property access instructions.
• Payment details necessary to process transactions, invoices, or refunds.
• Service history including previous appointments, cleaning preferences, and notes relevant to the service.
• Communication records such as emails, messages, call notes, and complaints or feedback.
• Technical information if you contact us through digital systems, such as IP address, device information, or usage logs, where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and lawful to do so. If such data is ever provided by you, we will only process it where a valid legal basis exists and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data in the following ways:

• Directly from you when you request a quote, book a service, or speak with us.
• Through email, telephone, text, or other communication methods.
• From payment or invoicing processes.
• From third parties who help us deliver services, such as referral partners or payment processors, where relevant.

We may also receive limited information from individuals acting on your behalf, such as property managers, tenants, landlords, or business representatives, where necessary for service delivery.

4. Why We Use Your Data

We process personal data for specific and legitimate purposes connected to our business. These include:

• Providing quotes and responding to enquiries.
• Managing bookings and delivering carpet cleaning services.
• Processing payments, issuing invoices, and handling refunds where required.
• Keeping service records and maintaining customer accounts.
• Handling complaints, disputes, and customer support requests.
• Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
• Improving service quality, administration, and operational efficiency.

We do not sell your personal data. We only use it for the purposes described in this policy or for purposes compatible with those originally stated.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Carpet Cleaners Shoreditch relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, delivering cleaning services, and managing payment arrangements.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information to comply with legal duties, including accounting, tax, record-keeping, and business compliance obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process information where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include service administration, internal record management, responding to customer enquiries, improving services, and maintaining security. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we balance our needs against your privacy rights.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you specifically agree to a particular type of communication or optional processing. When consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These parties only process data under our instructions and are required to keep it secure and use it only for the agreed purpose. Such processors may include:

• Payment processors for handling card or electronic payments.
• Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration and compliance.
• IT and hosting providers for secure storage, email, and system support.
• Customer management tools used to organise bookings and service records.
• Professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers where necessary.

We may also disclose data to public authorities, insurers, or other third parties where required by law or where necessary to protect our legal rights. When we use processors, we ensure appropriate contractual and technical safeguards are in place.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of record and the reason it is held.

As a general approach:

• Quote and booking information is retained for the period needed to manage the service relationship and follow-up.
• Invoice, payment, and tax records are retained for the time required by law.
• Communication records and complaint files are retained for a reasonable period to support service management and dispute resolution.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it or anonymise it securely.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting access to those who need it for business purposes.

While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take data protection seriously and work to reduce risks wherever possible.

9. International Transfers

If any processor or system used by us stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in line with applicable law. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these rights may include:

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

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with legal requirements and may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided by an adult customer in connection with a property or service arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate basis, we will take steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically.

13. Summary of Our Commitments

Carpet Cleaners Shoreditch processes personal data responsibly, lawfully, and only for legitimate business purposes. We collect the minimum information needed, use secure processors, retain data only as long as necessary, and respect your rights under GDPR. This policy applies to all Carpet Cleaners Shoreditch customers in the Shoreditch area and is intended to provide clear information about how your data is handled.

Your privacy is important to us, and we aim to keep our data practices transparent, proportionate, and compliant.