Privacy Policy - Deptford Carpet Cleaners

Deptford Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in our area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you use our carpet cleaning services, request a quote, make a booking, or communicate with us in any way. It applies to all Deptford Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including residential and commercial clients.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Deptford Carpet Cleaners acts as the data controller for the personal data we process. This means we decide why and how your personal data is used in connection with our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing carpet cleaning services, managing customer relationships, and meeting legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

• Identity details such as your name and title
• Contact details such as your phone number and email address
• Address details including the property address where services are delivered
• Service information such as booking preferences, cleaning instructions, and service history
• Payment information such as billing records and transaction details
• Communication records including messages, enquiries, complaints, and feedback
• Technical information if you interact with us online, such as basic device or browser details, where applicable

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or we are required to process it for a specific legal reason. If such data is ever relevant, we will apply appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• To provide quotes and manage bookings
• To deliver carpet cleaning and related services
• To communicate with you about appointments, service changes, or follow-up matters
• To process payments and handle invoices
• To maintain accurate records of services provided
• To respond to enquiries, complaints, or requests
• To comply with legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations
• To improve our services and customer experience

We will only use your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so, as set out below.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid legal basis before processing personal data. Deptford Carpet Cleaners may rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing quotes, bookings, service delivery, invoicing, and customer support related to the services you request.

Legal Obligation

We may process certain data to comply with legal or regulatory duties, such as tax records, accounting requirements, and record keeping obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include improving our services, maintaining customer records, handling operational planning, and preventing fraud or misuse.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent. For example, if we need to use your data for a purpose that is not covered by another lawful basis, we will ask for your clear permission. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis relied upon.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These processors only handle your information under our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately. Examples may include:

• Payment service providers
• Accounting or bookkeeping providers
• Appointment or scheduling systems
• Customer relationship management tools
• IT support and data storage providers

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, or where necessary to protect our rights, property, customers, or staff. We do not sell your personal data.

If any processor is used, we ensure they are bound by appropriate data processing terms and security measures. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we will only do so where suitable safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection law.

6. Data Retention

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

• Customer and booking records may be kept for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards
• Financial and invoicing records are typically retained for the period required by tax and accounting law
• Communication records may be retained for as long as needed to resolve disputes, manage service history, or respond to queries

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in a safe manner.

7. Data Security

We take the protection of your data seriously and use reasonable technical and organisational measures to prevent unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and minimising the amount of data shared with third parties.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and while we work hard to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have several important rights in relation to your personal data. These 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 information
• Right to erasure – to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances
• Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations
• Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format
• Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
• Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, you should make a request using the appropriate channels available to you. We may need to verify your identity before responding, and in some cases we may not be able to comply fully if legal obligations require us to keep certain data.

9. Complaints

If you are concerned about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to raise the matter so it can be reviewed and addressed. You also have the right to complain to the relevant data protection authority if you believe your data protection rights have been violated.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless provided by an adult customer in connection with a service booking or property access arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child without appropriate authority, 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 our services, legal obligations, or data processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how your data is protected.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Deptford Carpet Cleaners will only process personal data where there is a valid lawful basis, will keep it secure, will retain it only as long as necessary, and will work with appropriate processors where needed. We are committed to handling personal data fairly, transparently, and in a way that respects your rights.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Deptford Carpet Cleaners customers in area and is intended to ensure that personal data is handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws and good practice.