Privacy Policy - Putney Carpet Cleaners

Putney Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Putney area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Putney Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including private households, landlords, tenants, and commercial clients who use our services.

By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review it carefully so that you know how your information is handled and what rights you have.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary to provide our carpet cleaning and related services, manage our customer relationships, and meet legal or contractual obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as your telephone number and email address.
Service location details such as the address where cleaning work is to be carried out.
Booking information such as requested dates, service type, and preferences.
Payment information such as billing details and payment confirmation records.
Communication records such as messages, complaints, feedback, and service enquiries.
Technical data limited to information collected through digital communication systems, where relevant, for security and service administration.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it. Special category data may include information about health, religion, or other sensitive matters. If such information is provided to help us carry out a service safely, it will only be processed where a lawful basis exists and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange and deliver carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, and related services.
To manage appointments, scheduling, and customer support.
To process payments, invoices, and refunds where necessary.
To keep internal business records and service history.
To handle complaints, disputes, and service issues.
To meet legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations.
To improve service quality and maintain accurate customer records.

We will only use your personal data for the purpose for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe that we need to use it for another compatible purpose. If we need to use it for an unrelated purpose, we will explain the legal basis to you where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid lawful basis to process personal data. Putney Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, arranging services, providing quotations, and completing the work requested.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and interests do not override those interests. This may include managing customer relationships, improving our services, preventing fraud, and maintaining business records. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider the balance between our needs and your privacy rights.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal obligations, such as tax records, accounting requirements, insurance matters, and lawful requests from authorities.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent. Where consent is used, it will be specific, informed, freely given, and easy to withdraw. If you withdraw consent, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing Your Information and Processors

We do not sell personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties that help us operate our business and provide services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processing providers that handle card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help maintain financial records.
IT and cloud storage providers that support secure data storage and communication systems.
Scheduling or administration tools used to manage appointments and customer records.
Subcontracted cleaning professionals, where necessary, to fulfil a booked service.

Where a processor handles personal data on our behalf, we ensure that appropriate contractual safeguards are in place. These contracts require the processor to protect the data, process it only on our instructions, and comply with data protection law.

We may also share data where required by law, court order, or other lawful request from a public authority. If our business is reorganised, sold, or transferred, your personal data may be shared with the relevant parties as part of that transaction, subject to the same privacy protections.

5. Data Retention

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

In general:

Customer booking and service records are retained for a period that allows us to manage follow-up queries, disputes, and service history.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be kept for a reasonable period to help resolve issues and maintain service quality.
Where data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of safely.

We review retained information periodically to ensure that it is not kept longer than necessary. Retention is limited to what is required for business, legal, and operational purposes.

6. Security of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the data we hold and the risks involved.

Although we work to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data incident occurs, we will act in accordance with applicable legal requirements and take steps to reduce any potential harm.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under data protection law. These rights may be subject to conditions and exemptions in some situations. Your rights include:

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 information.
Right to erasure – you may request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit the use of 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 your data in a structured, commonly used format where the law applies.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. This is to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to the wrong person.

8. Automated Decision-Making

We do not generally use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy and provide appropriate information about how such processing works and what rights you have.

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 necessary in connection with a service and a lawful basis exists. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without proper authority or justification, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Putney Carpet Cleaners respects your privacy and handles personal data responsibly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only what is needed, process it for clear purposes, store it securely, and keep it only for as long as necessary. We also ensure that any processors acting on our behalf meet appropriate data protection standards.

By using our services, you can be confident that your personal data is treated with care and that your rights under applicable privacy law are recognised and protected. This policy applies to all Putney Carpet Cleaners customers in the area.

Last updated: This policy should be reviewed regularly to ensure it remains accurate and aligned with current legal requirements.