Privacy Policy - Erith Carpet Cleaners

Erith Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and safeguard personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Erith Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who requests, receives, enquires about, or pays for our carpet cleaning and related services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Erith Carpet Cleaners acts as the data controller for the personal data we collect and process. This means we determine the purposes and methods of processing your personal information when you use our services, contact us, or otherwise interact with us.

We process personal data only where it is lawful, fair, and transparent. We also take appropriate steps to ensure your data is handled securely and kept only for as long as necessary.

2. Information We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information such as booking details, property access notes, cleaning requirements, service preferences, and appointment history.
Payment information such as payment status, transaction references, and limited billing information. We do not store full card details unless processed securely by a payment provider.
Communication records including messages, enquiries, complaints, feedback, and notes from phone calls, emails, or other correspondence.
Technical information if you interact with our digital systems, such as device or usage information, where applicable.

We usually collect data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, book a service, complete payment, submit feedback, or otherwise communicate with us. In some cases, we may receive your details from a third party, for example where someone else arranges a service on your behalf.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide, manage, and complete cleaning services.
To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange bookings, confirmations, cancellations, and service updates.
To process payments and maintain financial records.
To handle complaints, customer support requests, and follow-up communication.
To improve service quality, safety, and operational efficiency.
To comply with legal obligations, tax requirements, and record-keeping duties.
To defend or establish legal claims where necessary.

We will only use your information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe that another compatible purpose applies or we are required by law to use it differently.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Depending on the situation, Erith Carpet Cleaners may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, delivering services, communicating about appointments, and processing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process certain information where it is necessary to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, such as accounting, tax, insurance, fraud prevention, or record retention 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 managing our operations, improving services, maintaining service records, preventing misuse, and handling customer support. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider the balance between our interests and your privacy rights.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may ask for your consent, for example for certain optional communications or data uses. Where consent is used as the lawful basis, you can withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share information only where necessary and proportionate for the purposes described in this policy. This may include sharing with:

Service providers and processors who assist with administration, payment handling, communication, booking management, or secure data storage.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, legal advisers, or auditors.
Public authorities or regulators where required by law or where disclosure is necessary to protect rights, property, safety, or legal interests.

All third parties who process personal data on our behalf are required to do so under appropriate contractual terms and only in accordance with our instructions.

6. Processors We May Use

Where Erith Carpet Cleaners uses external processors, they may include:

Payment processors for secure transaction handling.
IT and cloud service providers for secure storage, email, and operational systems.
Scheduling or customer management tools used to organise appointments and service records.
Accounting or invoicing providers to support financial administration.

These processors are only permitted to process personal data as instructed by us, and they must implement suitable technical and organisational measures to protect that data.

7. Data Retention

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

In general:

Customer and booking records are retained for a period appropriate to service management and business administration.
Financial records are retained for the period required by law, including tax and accounting obligations.
Complaint or dispute records may be retained longer where necessary to resolve issues or defend legal claims.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate security measures designed to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, and staff awareness practices.

Although we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore encourage customers to share only the information necessary for the service being requested.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject under GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain legal conditions and exemptions. They 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 can request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to restrict how your data is used in certain situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can request that certain information be provided to you or another controller in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

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

10. Automated Decision-Making

Erith Carpet Cleaners does not use automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on customers. If this changes in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy and provide any required information about the logic, significance, and consequences of such processing.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, operational practices, or service arrangements. The latest version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and process personal information responsibly, lawfully, and securely. We only collect the data needed to provide our services, retain it for a proper period, and share it only where necessary with trusted processors or where the law requires it. Your trust matters to us, and we aim to ensure that every customer in the Erith area can rely on a fair, transparent, and compliant approach to data protection.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Erith Carpet Cleaners customers in area.