Privacy Policy - Chislehurst Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Chislehurst Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our carpet cleaning services. It applies to all Chislehurst Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request quotes, make bookings, receive services, or otherwise interact with us. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Chislehurst Carpet Cleaners provides professional carpet cleaning services to residential and commercial customers in the local area. In this policy, “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Chislehurst Carpet Cleaners. “You” or “your” means the customer, website visitor, or other individual whose personal data we process.

2. What personal data we collect

We collect only the information that is necessary to provide our services, manage customer relationships, and comply with legal obligations. The categories of personal data we may process include:

• Identity data such as your name and, where relevant, business name.
• Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service and booking data such as appointment details, service preferences, cleaning requirements, and notes needed to carry out the work.
• Payment data such as transaction records and payment status. We do not store full card details if payments are handled by a third-party payment provider.
• Communication data such as enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
• Technical data where relevant, such as basic device or usage information if you interact with any digital services we operate.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it, for example if a note about access needs, allergies, or other health-related information is required to deliver services safely. Where such information is processed, we do so with additional care and only where a lawful basis applies.

3. How we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide quotes and confirm bookings;
• to deliver carpet cleaning and related services;
• to manage customer accounts and service records;
• to communicate about appointments, changes, or follow-up actions;
• to process payments, refunds, and invoice-related matters;
• to handle complaints, disputes, and customer support requests;
• to maintain records for accounting, tax, and legal compliance;
• to improve our services and customer experience;
• to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use your information in ways that are relevant to the service you receive and the legal obligations we must meet.

4. Lawful basis for processing

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

Contract

We process personal 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 arranging quotes, confirming bookings, delivering cleaning services, and managing payments.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain records to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including tax, accounting, and business record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal 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 service improvement, customer administration, record keeping, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and apply safeguards where appropriate.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive optional marketing communications or where we need to process information not otherwise covered by another lawful basis. You may withdraw consent at any time.

5. Sharing your data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These organisations act as processors when they process data on our behalf and under our instructions, or as independent controllers where they determine their own purposes for processing.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

• payment processing providers;
• booking, scheduling, and administration software providers;
• email and communication service providers;
• IT support, cloud storage, and data backup providers;
• accountants, bookkeepers, and tax support services;
• professional advisers and legal service providers where needed.

Where we use processors, we require appropriate data processing terms and safeguards to protect your personal data. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also disclose information if required by law, regulation, court order, or lawful request from a public authority, or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

6. International transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate protection is in place. This may include the use of approved contractual safeguards or transfer mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

7. Data retention

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

As a general approach:

• Customer and booking records are retained for as long as needed to manage the service relationship and handle any follow-up issues.
• Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
• Correspondence and complaint records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage disputes and demonstrate compliance.
• Consent-based marketing records are kept until you withdraw consent or the data is no longer needed.

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

8. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and periodic review of our data handling practices. However, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, so we encourage you to share information carefully and only when necessary.

9. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions and exceptions, but we will always consider your request carefully.

• 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 – in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your personal data.
• Right to restriction – you can request that we limit how we use your data in certain situations.
• Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to data portability – where applicable, you can request a copy of data you provided in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We would, however, appreciate the chance to address your concern first.

10. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where necessary in connection with a customer’s service request and only with appropriate care.

11. Marketing communications

We may send service-related messages that are necessary for bookings, confirmations, or administration. We will only send optional marketing communications where permitted by law, and where required, with your consent. You may opt out of marketing at any time. Service messages will still be sent where needed to complete a service or meet legal obligations.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we protect your personal data.

13. Summary of our commitment

Chislehurst Carpet Cleaners is committed to using personal data responsibly, transparently, and only where it is necessary for legitimate business or legal purposes. We aim to keep data accurate, secure, and retained only for as long as needed. We also respect your rights and will respond to requests in line with applicable law. If you are a customer of Chislehurst Carpet Cleaners in the area, this policy applies to the information we hold about you in connection with our services.

We are committed to data protection, customer trust, and lawful processing at every stage of our service delivery.