Privacy Policy - Carpet Cleaners Hammersmith

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpet Cleaners Hammersmith collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing cleaning services to customers in the Hammersmith area. It applies to all Carpet Cleaners Hammersmith customers in the area, including residential and commercial clients, prospective customers, and anyone who contacts us to request a quote, make a booking, or ask about our services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a fair, transparent, and secure manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy sets out what data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful basis for processing, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights individuals have in relation to their data.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process a range of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The types of data we collect are limited to what is necessary for service delivery, customer management, legal compliance, and business administration.

Information you provide directly

Identity details, such as your name.
Contact details, such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details, such as the type of carpet cleaning requested, property type, room sizes, and access instructions.
Booking and communication records, including quotes, appointment information, messages, and complaints.
Payment-related information, such as billing records and transaction confirmations. We do not store full card details where payment is handled by a payment provider.
Special instructions you give regarding stains, pets, allergens, or sensitive areas in the property.

Information collected automatically

When you communicate with us online or by phone, we may also collect limited technical and usage information, such as device information, log data, and service interaction records. If cookies or similar tools are used on our digital platforms, these are used only where permitted and necessary for performance, functionality, or analytics.

Information from third parties

We may receive personal data from third parties where necessary to complete a service or verify a booking. This may include referral partners, payment processors, or subcontracted service providers. We only collect third-party data where it is lawful and relevant to the service relationship.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for specific, legitimate purposes connected with our carpet cleaning services. These include:

providing quotes and estimating service requirements;
arranging and managing appointments;
performing carpet cleaning and related services;
communicating with customers before, during, and after service;
issuing invoices, processing payments, and maintaining accounts;
handling complaints, disputes, and service follow-up;
meeting legal, tax, and insurance obligations;
improving our service quality, operations, and customer experience;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do so and you have been informed where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. For example, we use your contact and service details to provide a quote, confirm a booking, complete the carpet cleaning service, and manage payment.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain records to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, tax, consumer law, and insurance requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service improvement, internal record-keeping, fraud prevention, and managing customer enquiries. We always consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is needed for certain marketing activities or optional communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

Vital interests and public task

These bases are unlikely to apply in ordinary carpet cleaning services, but we may rely on them if required in an emergency or where mandated by law.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods are determined by the nature of the data and the reason for processing.

Customer service records are generally kept for a reasonable period after the service ends to handle follow-up queries, complaints, and warranty-related matters.
Financial and invoicing records are retained in accordance with tax and accounting laws.
Communication records may be kept for customer service, quality control, and dispute resolution.
Marketing consent records are kept until you withdraw consent or the data is no longer needed.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it. We do not keep data indefinitely.

5. Processors and Sharing of Data

We may share personal data with trusted third-party processors who act on our behalf and only under our instructions. These processors are contractually required to protect your data and may only use it for the agreed purpose.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers for secure payment handling.
IT and cloud service providers for hosting, storage, and email systems.
Booking and scheduling tools used to manage customer appointments.
Accountants or bookkeeping services for financial administration.
Customer communication providers used to send service-related messages.
Professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers where necessary.

We may also disclose data where required by law, court order, or a lawful request from a public authority. In the event of a business reorganisation, merger, or transfer, data may be shared with relevant parties subject to appropriate safeguards.

We do not sell personal data.

6. International Transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses personal data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect that data. This may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under UK GDPR.

7. Security of Personal Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of processors. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risk and respond promptly to any suspected data incident.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exceptions depending on the circumstances.

Your rights 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 situations.
Right to restrict processing — to ask us to limit how we use your data.
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.
Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before actioning a request to ensure data is disclosed only to the correct person.

9. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, you may raise the issue with us first so we can review and address it. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection matters.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are directed at adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a household service and provided by an adult customer. If we become aware that personal data has been collected unlawfully from a child, we will take steps to delete it where required.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or our services. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers in the Hammersmith area to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Carpet Cleaners Hammersmith is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only the information necessary to provide carpet cleaning services, manage bookings, maintain records, and comply with legal obligations. We use appropriate safeguards, rely on clear lawful bases, retain data for no longer than necessary, and respect the rights of every customer whose data we process. Protecting privacy is an important part of the service we provide.