Privacy Policy - Herne Hill Carpet Cleaners

Herne Hill Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, store, and protect information when you use our services. It applies to all Herne Hill Carpet Cleaners customers in the Herne Hill area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or otherwise engages with our business.

This policy is designed to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It sets out what data we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing our business, and meeting legal obligations. The information we may collect includes:

• Identity information such as your name, title, and any business or property name you provide.
• Contact details such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
• Service details such as the type of cleaning requested, booking preferences, access instructions, and notes about the condition of carpets, upholstery, or related items.
• Payment information such as transaction records, invoices, and payment status. We do not routinely store full card details where payment processing is handled securely by a third party.
• Communication records such as emails, messages, call notes, complaints, and feedback.
• Technical data if you interact with us online, such as IP address, browser type, and basic usage information collected through standard website tools, where applicable.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data, such as health information, unless you choose to provide it and it is relevant to the service. If you do provide such information, we will only process it where permitted by law and where necessary to carry out the service safely and appropriately.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To provide quotes and respond to enquiries.
• To schedule, deliver, and manage cleaning services.
• To confirm appointments and service updates.
• To take payment and maintain accounting records.
• To handle complaints, queries, and customer support.
• To improve our services, pricing, and customer experience.
• To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory requirements.

We only use your information where we have a lawful reason to do so. We will never sell your personal data.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Herne Hill Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your information when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing a quote at your request, arranging a booking, carrying out the cleaning work, and managing payment.

Legitimate Interests

We may process certain information where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and rights do not override those interests. Examples include managing our customer records, improving our services, preventing fraud, and keeping accurate operational records. We ensure that any such use is proportionate and relevant.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain some information because the law requires it, including for tax records, accounting purposes, health and safety, and insurance documentation.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example if we send certain types of optional marketing communication. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only where necessary and only for legitimate purposes. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

• Payment processors who securely handle card or electronic payments.
• IT and cloud service providers that host email, scheduling, data storage, or administration systems.
• Accounting and bookkeeping providers who support tax and financial record keeping.
• Insurance providers if needed for a claim, incident, or dispute.
• Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary.
• Regulators, courts, or public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

We require our processors to handle personal data securely, to use it only on our instructions, and to comply with data protection law. We do not permit them to use your information for their own marketing purposes.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason for processing.

• Customer enquiries and quotes: generally kept for up to 12 months if no booking follows, unless longer retention is needed for record keeping or a dispute.
• Booking and service records: typically kept for up to 6 years for contractual, accounting, and legal purposes.
• Invoices and payment records: usually retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
• Complaint or dispute records: kept for as long as necessary to resolve the matter and defend our legal position.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely 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 from unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or misuse. These measures may include restricted access, secure storage, password protection, and careful handling of records.

Although no system is completely secure, we aim to maintain a high standard of protection and regularly review our practices to reduce risk.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing.

• Right of access: you may ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to erasure: in some cases, you may ask us to delete your data.
• Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit how we use your information.
• Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to data portability: where applicable, you may ask for your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to withdraw consent: if we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

8. Marketing Preferences

We only send marketing communications where permitted by law. If you have opted in to receive updates or offers, you can change your preference at any time. You can also object to direct marketing, and we will stop sending it.

9. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information. This may include recognised transfer mechanisms and contractual protections required by law.

10. 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. The latest version will always apply to the personal data we process.

By using the services of Herne Hill Carpet Cleaners, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to your personal data as described above.

We are committed to handling your information fairly, lawfully, and transparently.