Privacy Policy - Rotherhithe Carpet Cleaners

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

We are committed to handling personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We believe privacy is a fundamental right, and we take appropriate steps to ensure personal information is used fairly, lawfully, and transparently.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The information we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including property access notes, booking preferences, cleaning requirements, and instructions related to the service.
Payment information such as payment status, transaction references, and limited billing details.
Communication records including messages, enquiry details, complaint information, and customer service correspondence.
Technical information if you contact us electronically, such as device and usage data that may be automatically collected by communication tools or website systems.
Marketing preferences where you choose to receive updates or opt out of communications.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it for a specific reason, for example where access arrangements require us to know about a disability-related need. If such information is provided, it will be handled carefully and only for the purpose for which it was shared.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. We may use your information for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and respond to enquiries.
To arrange, deliver, and manage cleaning services.
To process payments and manage invoices or records.
To communicate about appointments, changes, cancellations, or service updates.
To handle complaints, disputes, and customer support requests.
To maintain internal records, business administration, and quality control.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services and customer experience.
To send relevant marketing communications where permitted by law and where you have not opted out.

We only process the personal data necessary for the specific purpose concerned. We do not sell your data to third parties.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. The lawful bases we rely on include:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing quotes, bookings, service delivery, payment handling, and related communications.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where we need to comply with legal duties, such as maintaining tax records, accounting records, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may use your information where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include improving operations, keeping internal records, preventing fraud, resolving disputes, and ensuring service quality. We balance these interests against your privacy rights.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or where we need to process information that is not otherwise covered by another lawful basis. You may withdraw consent at any time.

4. Sharing Your Information and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as processors on our behalf or as independent controllers where required by law. These may include:

Payment service providers who process card or electronic payments.
Accounting, bookkeeping, and tax service providers.
IT, cloud storage, and communications providers.
Scheduling, invoicing, or business administration platforms.
Professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers.
Regulators, law enforcement agencies, or other public bodies where required by law.

Where we use processors, we ensure they are subject to appropriate contractual obligations, including requirements to keep your information secure, to use it only on our instructions, and to comply with applicable data protection law.

We do not permit processors to use your personal data for their own unrelated purposes.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and in accordance with legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of record and the reason for processing.

Customer service and booking records may be kept for a reasonable period to support service history, disputes, and administration.
Financial and tax records are usually retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained where needed to evidence instructions, complaints, or agreement of service terms.
Marketing preferences are retained until you withdraw consent or object.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

6. 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 awareness practices, and data minimisation. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain safeguards that are proportionate to the nature of the data we process.

Only people who need access to your information for legitimate business purposes may access it.

7. Your Rights

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

Some rights may not apply in all situations, as legal exemptions or obligations may limit what we can do. If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding.

8. Marketing Communications

Where permitted, we may send service-related updates or relevant promotional information. You may opt out of marketing at any time. If you object to marketing, we will stop using your data for that purpose. Service messages that are necessary for an active booking or ongoing service may still be sent.

9. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or processes data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

10. Complaints and Further Information

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to raise them so we can address the matter properly. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been breached.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal duties, or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers in the Rotherhithe area to review this policy periodically.

12. Our Commitment

Rotherhithe Carpet Cleaners is committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner. We will only collect what we need, use it for clear purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and protect it with appropriate safeguards. This policy is designed to ensure that our customers understand how their personal data is used and what rights they have.

By using our services, requesting information, or otherwise engaging with Rotherhithe Carpet Cleaners, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to you as a customer in the area.