Privacy Policy - Wealdstone Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Wealdstone Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Wealdstone Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who contacts us about our services. We are committed to handling personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws.

We respect your privacy and aim to be transparent about the information we collect and why we use it.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and which services you request. This may include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information including property details, carpet or upholstery cleaning requirements, preferred appointment times, and notes relevant to carrying out our work.
Payment information such as billing records and transaction details. Card details, where used, are handled securely by payment providers and are not usually stored by us in full.
Communication records including emails, messages, quotes, complaints, service confirmations, and any other correspondence.
Technical data where relevant, such as basic information generated when you browse a website or submit an online form, for example IP address, browser type, and device information.
Feedback and reviews if you choose to share them with us.

We only collect data that is necessary for our business operations and the delivery of our services.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide carpet cleaning and related services.
To assess your requirements and prepare quotations.
To manage bookings, appointments, and service delivery.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records.
To communicate with you about your enquiry, booking, or service updates.
To handle complaints, aftercare, and customer support.
To maintain records for legal, tax, and insurance purposes.
To improve our services, operations, and customer experience.
To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from authorities.

We do not sell your personal data. We use it only for legitimate business and legal purposes connected to our services.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for using your personal data. Depending on the situation, we 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, booking jobs, delivering cleaning services, and processing payments.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include managing our customer relationships, improving our services, preventing fraud, maintaining business records, and responding to enquiries.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain personal data where required by law, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or regulatory requirements.

Consent

In certain situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you opt in to specific types of communication. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These third parties act as data processors or independent controllers, depending on the service provided. They are required to handle your information securely and in compliance with data protection law.

Typical processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors for handling card or online payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial record keeping and tax compliance.
IT and cloud storage providers for secure data storage, email hosting, and business systems.
Booking or scheduling tools used to manage appointments and customer enquiries.
Customer communication tools for sending service confirmations or responding to messages.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or a lawful request from a public authority.

We only share data that is necessary and proportionate for the relevant purpose.

5. International Transfers

Some of our service providers may store or process data outside the UK. If this happens, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protective measures. These steps are designed to keep your personal data protected to a standard consistent with UK law.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. The length of time depends on the type of record and why it is being kept.

Customer and service records are usually kept for a reasonable period after completion of the work in case we need to deal with follow-up issues or disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be kept for operational and evidential purposes.
Data collected with consent is kept until you withdraw your consent or until it is no longer needed.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices.

7. How We Protect Your Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to help protect personal data against accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, and limiting access to staff or contractors who need the information to perform their duties.

No system is completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to reduce risk and protect your information.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights relating to your personal data. These rights may be limited in some circumstances, but we will always consider your request carefully.

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 restriction – 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.
Right to data portability – you can ask for certain data to be provided in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been breached.

9. Marketing Communications

If we send marketing messages, we will do so only where permitted by law. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time. Where you opt out, we will update our records accordingly and stop sending relevant communications as soon as reasonably practicable. Service-related messages, such as booking confirmations or essential updates, may still be sent where necessary for the delivery of our services.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use a website or online forms, we may use cookies or similar technologies to support basic website functionality, security, and performance monitoring. Any such tools are used in accordance with applicable law. Where consent is required for non-essential cookies, you will be given a choice.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we process personal data.

12. Summary of Key Points

This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to you. Our aim is to handle personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently at all times.

By using our services, making an enquiry, or supplying your information to us, you acknowledge that your personal data will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.