Privacy Policy - Clerkenwell Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Clerkenwell Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Clerkenwell Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a service, receives a visit from our team, or otherwise interacts with our business in connection with carpet cleaning and related services.

We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to process personal information fairly, lawfully, transparently, and securely.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to:

Residential customers;
Commercial customers;
Prospective customers who request information or quotes;
Individuals who communicate with us by phone, email, online forms, or in person;
Any customer in the Clerkenwell area who uses our carpet cleaning or associated cleaning services.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy.

2. Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide and manage our services effectively. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Information you provide directly

Identity details such as your name;
Contact details such as your telephone number and email address;
Address details for service delivery and billing;
Service information including booking preferences, property access notes, and cleaning requirements;
Payment-related information where needed to process invoices and payments;
Communications including messages, complaints, feedback, or service requests.

Information collected automatically

If you contact us electronically, we may collect limited technical information such as:

Device and browser information;
IP address and approximate location;
Interaction logs relating to messages or service enquiries.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for a service-related reason, such as access considerations, allergy information, or health-related cleaning concerns. Where this occurs, we treat such information with extra care and only use it when strictly necessary.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and respond to enquiries;
To schedule, manage, and deliver carpet cleaning services;
To communicate with you about appointments, changes, and service updates;
To process payments, invoices, and account records;
To deal with complaints, disputes, and service follow-up;
To maintain internal records and business administration;
To meet legal, accounting, and tax obligations;
To improve service quality and customer experience;
To protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud or misuse.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with those listed above unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, completing cleaning services, and managing payments.

Legal obligation

We process certain information where required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, such as tax, accounting, or record-keeping duties.

Legitimate interests

We may process data based on our legitimate business interests, such as managing appointments, improving services, maintaining internal records, preventing fraud, and responding to service issues. We ensure that our interests do not override your rights and freedoms.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example if you voluntarily provide sensitive information that we need to handle in a specific way, or where consent is required by law. You may withdraw consent at any time, where it is the lawful basis for processing.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These third parties act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum information necessary and require appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments;
IT and hosting providers that store or support our systems and records;
Scheduling or customer management providers used to organise bookings and service records;
Accountants or bookkeeping services that assist with financial records;
Communication providers that help with email, SMS, or telephone systems;
Professional advisers such as lawyers or insurers when necessary.

Where a processor is used, we take reasonable steps to ensure they process personal data securely, only on our instructions, and in compliance with data protection law.

We may also share information where required by law, to respond to lawful requests from public authorities, or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

6. 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.

Quotation and enquiry records are typically retained for a limited period unless they result in a customer relationship;
Customer service records are kept for as long as needed to manage the relationship and address follow-up matters;
Invoice, payment, and tax records are retained for the periods required by applicable law;
Complaint and dispute records may be retained longer where necessary to resolve issues or defend legal claims.

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

7. Data Security

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

Although we take reasonable steps to secure information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to pose a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will handle it in accordance with applicable law.

8. Your Rights Under Data Protection Law

You have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations and exemptions.

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 information;
Right to erasure – you may ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restrict processing – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations;
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests;
Right to data portability – you may request 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;
Right to complain – you may raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data rights have been infringed.

We will respond to valid requests within the time limits required by law and may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided by an adult customer as part of a service request. If we become aware that we have collected such data without a lawful basis, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will only do so where appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our operations, or the way we handle personal data. The latest version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed.

12. Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and aim to process all personal data responsibly. We only collect what we need, keep it only as long as necessary, and use it for clear and legitimate purposes. If you choose to use Clerkenwell Carpet Cleaners, we will handle your information in a way that is lawful, fair, and transparent.

Summary of our approach:

We collect limited customer and service-related data;
We rely on lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent;
We use trusted processors with appropriate safeguards;
We retain data only as long as necessary;
We respect your rights under data protection law.

Privacy matters to us, and we are committed to maintaining your trust.