Privacy Policy - Welling Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Welling Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Welling Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request quotes, book services, receive cleaning services, or otherwise interact with us in relation to carpet cleaning and related household or commercial cleaning services.

We are committed to handling personal data responsibly, lawfully, and transparently. This policy is intended to help you understand what information we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have over your personal information.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for operating our services, responding to enquiries, fulfilling bookings, and meeting legal or contractual obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity details: name, title, and, where applicable, business name.
Contact details: address, email address, telephone number, and service location.
Service information: details of the cleaning work requested, property type, stain or fabric information, booking preferences, and service notes.
Payment-related data: payment status, transaction references, and invoice records. We do not store full card details if payments are handled by a secure payment provider.
Communication records: emails, messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence relating to bookings or service delivery.
Technical data: if you interact with our digital systems, we may process limited device or usage information necessary for security and functionality.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is specifically necessary and you have chosen to provide it. If such information is ever supplied inadvertently, we will treat it with enhanced care and only process it where a lawful basis applies.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and service information;
to manage bookings, appointments, and customer records;
to deliver carpet cleaning and related services safely and effectively;
to communicate with customers about scheduling, changes, or service updates;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records;
to handle complaints, service issues, and customer support;
to meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to improve our services, administration, and operational efficiency;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We only use personal data in ways that are compatible with the original reason it was collected, unless we have a valid legal basis for a new purpose.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, Welling Carpet Cleaners relies on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract: when processing is necessary to provide a quote, arrange a booking, carry out a service, or manage related customer obligations.
Legal obligation: when we need to keep records for tax, accounting, insurance, or regulatory compliance.
Legitimate interests: when processing is needed to operate and improve our business, respond to customer enquiries, maintain security, or manage customer relationships, provided our interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Consent: where we rely on your clear permission for a specific activity, such as optional marketing communications, if applicable.

Where consent is the lawful basis, you may withdraw consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for processing.

Customer and booking records: retained for as long as needed to manage the relationship and handle follow-up matters.
Invoices and financial records: retained for the period required by applicable tax and accounting laws.
Complaint and communication records: retained for a reasonable period to resolve disputes, maintain service history, and improve operations.
Marketing preferences: retained until you opt out or ask us to stop using your data for that purpose.

When personal data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed. We do not keep personal data longer than necessary.

5. Processors and Third Parties

We may use trusted third-party service providers, known as processors, to help us operate our business. These processors only act on our instructions and are required to protect personal data appropriately. Examples may include:

booking and scheduling software providers;
email or communication service providers;
payment processing services;
accounting and invoicing systems;
IT support, data storage, and security service providers;
professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where required.

We may also disclose personal data to public authorities, regulators, insurers, or law enforcement where required by law or where disclosure is necessary to protect our legal rights. We do not sell personal data.

6. International Transfers

Where any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will only transfer personal data where appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protective measures designed to preserve your rights.

7. Security of Personal Data

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and internal data-handling procedures. No system can be guaranteed completely secure, but we take data protection seriously and review our safeguards regularly.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal data. Subject to legal limits and applicable exceptions, 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 data.
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 data in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

We will respond to valid requests within the timeframes required by law. To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

9. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you are concerned about how we have handled your personal data, please raise the matter with us first so we can try to resolve it. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or your relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

10. 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 handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is used.

Summary of Key Points

We collect only the data needed to provide quotes, bookings, services, and support.
We process data under lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent.
We keep data only as long as necessary and then delete or anonymise it securely.
We may share data with trusted processors that help us operate our business.
You have rights over your personal data, including access, correction, deletion, and objection.

Welling Carpet Cleaners is dedicated to respecting your privacy and maintaining trustworthy data practices for all customers in the area.