Privacy Policy - Carpet Cleaners Croydon

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpet Cleaners Croydon collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Carpet Cleaners Croydon customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a service, receives a service, or communicates with us in connection with carpet cleaning or related cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Carpet Cleaners Croydon is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data. We take our responsibilities seriously and aim to process only the information we need, for clear and legitimate purposes.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on your interaction with us. The information we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as your telephone number and email address.
Service information including your address, property access instructions, cleaning requirements, appointment history, and service preferences.
Payment information such as transaction records and limited billing details.
Communication records including emails, messages, notes from phone calls, and any feedback or complaints you provide.
Technical data where you interact with our systems, such as basic usage information or device-related data, if applicable.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data unless it is necessary for a specific service and you have provided it or there is another lawful basis to process it. If any special category data is provided to us incidentally, we will handle it with additional care and only where permitted by law.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To manage bookings and deliver cleaning services.
To communicate with you about appointments, changes, or service-related matters.
To process payments and maintain financial records.
To handle complaints, resolve disputes, and improve service quality.
To maintain internal records and business administration.
To meet legal and regulatory obligations.

We only use your personal data where it is necessary and relevant to the service relationship or to our legal duties. We do not sell your personal data.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We will only process your personal data when we have a lawful basis to do so under UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, managing bookings, completing cleaning services, issuing invoices, and arranging follow-up actions.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where needed to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, fraud prevention, or record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining service records, improving our operations, protecting our business from misuse, and managing customer communications.

Consent

Where required by law, we will rely on your consent. For example, if we ever need to use your data for a purpose that requires consent, we will ask for it clearly and you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These organisations act as processors when they handle data on our behalf, or as separate controllers where they determine their own purposes. We take steps to ensure any third party we use protects your data appropriately.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers that process card or online transactions.
Accounting or bookkeeping services that assist with financial administration.
IT, software, and cloud storage providers that support our record management and communications.
Customer management systems used for scheduling, booking, or service administration.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or a public authority, or where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

6. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under applicable data protection law.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, and in line with legal, accounting, and business requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Customer service and booking records are generally retained for a reasonable period after the service is completed to manage queries, complaints, and follow-up matters.
Financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records may be retained for a period necessary to support customer service, dispute resolution, or legal defence.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it. We regularly review our retention practices to ensure we do not keep data for longer than necessary.

8. Security of Your Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited data access on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable steps to safeguard the information we hold.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to limitations and exemptions in certain circumstances.

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – in some cases, you can ask us to delete your personal data.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability – 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.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will review your request and respond within the time limits set by law. We may need to verify your identity before actioning your request.

10. Complaints and Further Rights

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you may raise a concern with us so we can review and address it. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we have the opportunity to resolve the issue.

11. 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. We encourage customers to review it periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Carpet Cleaners Croydon is committed to treating personal information with care, respect, and confidentiality. We process data only when we have a valid reason, keep it only as long as necessary, and use suitable safeguards to protect it. Our approach is designed to support a reliable service while respecting the privacy rights of every customer in the Croydon area.

By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.