Privacy Policy - Blackheath Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Blackheath Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Blackheath Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request quotes, make bookings, receive cleaning services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our carpet cleaning and related services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to help you understand what information we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have in relation to your personal data.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name, title, and any business or household name you provide.
Contact information such as your address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information including the type of cleaning requested, property access details, preferred appointment times, and service history.
Payment information such as payment status, transaction references, and limited billing details. We do not store full card details where payments are processed securely by third-party providers.
Communication records including emails, messages, calls, feedback, complaints, and any notes relating to your booking or service experience.
Technical and usage data if you interact with our digital systems, such as device identifiers, browser data, and basic usage logs, where applicable.
Special category data only where you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for a specific request, for example access needs or health-related notes relevant to the service.

We aim to collect only the data that is necessary for providing our services, managing our business, and meeting legal obligations.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

We process personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, confirm bookings, and deliver carpet cleaning and related services.
To communicate with you before, during, and after service appointments.
To manage payments, invoices, and account records.
To keep records of services carried out, including customer preferences and service outcomes.
To deal with complaints, queries, refunds, or service issues.
To maintain the safety and security of our staff, contractors, customers, and property.
To improve our services, operations, scheduling, and customer experience.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.

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

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid lawful basis for every processing activity. Blackheath Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases, depending on the context:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, providing cleaning services, sending confirmations, and handling payment or service-related administration.

Legal Obligation

We may process data when necessary to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, tax, insurance, record-keeping, and responses to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining service records, preventing fraud, improving operations, and managing customer relations. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and apply appropriate safeguards.

Consent

In limited situations, we may ask for your consent, for example where you provide optional special category information that is not required to deliver the service, or where consent is otherwise needed by law. You may withdraw consent at any time, although this will not affect processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and why it is held.

Customer booking and service records are generally retained for a reasonable period to manage repeat services, disputes, and operational records.
Financial and tax records are retained for the periods required by applicable law.
Complaint or dispute records may be kept longer where needed to resolve issues or defend legal claims.
General correspondence is kept only as long as needed for the relevant communication and business purposes.

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

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties where necessary for service delivery, business operations, or legal compliance. These third parties may act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers.

Processors we may use

Payment processors for secure handling of card or electronic payments.
IT and cloud service providers for secure storage, email, scheduling, and record management.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for invoicing and financial administration.
Customer communication platforms used to send confirmations, updates, or service messages.
Operational contractors or subcontractors when necessary to fulfil booked services, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations.

We require processors to act only on our instructions, to protect data appropriately, and to use personal data solely for the agreed purposes. Where data is shared with independent controllers, they are responsible for their own privacy practices.

Important: We only disclose personal data where there is a lawful reason to do so, and we limit access to what is necessary.

6. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will take steps to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place. These may include approved contractual protections or transfers to jurisdictions recognised as providing appropriate data protection standards.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff confidentiality requirements, and regular reviews of our data handling practices.

While we work hard to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will act in line with applicable legal requirements.

8. Your Rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law. Subject to certain conditions and exceptions, these may 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 circumstances.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit processing in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to request your data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any issue promptly and fairly.

9. Third-Party Links and External Services

Where our operations involve third-party services, such as payment tools or communication systems, those providers may process data under their own privacy notices. We recommend reviewing the privacy information of any external service you interact with, as their practices may differ from ours.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational needs. The most current version will apply to your data. Where changes are significant, we will take reasonable steps to make you aware of them.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Blackheath Carpet Cleaners is committed to respecting your privacy and processing personal data responsibly. We only collect information that is relevant to our services, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and share it only where required and protected by appropriate safeguards.

By using our services, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to all Blackheath Carpet Cleaners customers in the area. We will continue to handle your information in a manner that is lawful, fair, and transparent, with due regard to your rights and expectations.