Privacy Policy - Crossness Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Crossness Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to customers, prospective customers, and other individuals whose information we process. It applies to all Crossness Carpet Cleaners customers in the area and to anyone who interacts with our services, including when requesting a quotation, making a booking, receiving a service, or communicating with us about an existing or past appointment.

1. Who We Are

Crossness Carpet Cleaners provides carpet cleaning and related cleaning services to homes and businesses in the local area. For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for delivering our services, managing our relationship with you, and meeting legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as your address, phone number, and email address.
Service information including property access details, cleaning requirements, service preferences, and booking history.
Payment information such as payment confirmation, billing records, and transaction references.
Communication records including messages, notes from calls, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you contact us online, including IP address or browser data where applicable.
Special instructions provided by you, for example access arrangements or details about items that require special care.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it. If such information is ever needed, we will only process it with an appropriate lawful basis and with additional safeguards where required.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, confirm bookings, and deliver cleaning services.
To communicate with you about appointments, service changes, or follow-up matters.
To manage payments, invoices, and accounting records.
To respond to enquiries, feedback, and complaints.
To maintain service quality, carry out internal administration, and keep our records accurate.
To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To protect our business, staff, customers, and property against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We always aim to keep our use of personal data proportionate and limited to what is necessary for the stated purpose.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the situation, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging bookings, delivering carpet cleaning services, handling payments, and dealing with related service matters.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where required to meet legal obligations, including tax compliance, accounting duties, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is in our legitimate interests to operate and improve our business, provided your interests and rights do not override those interests. Examples include managing customer relationships, preventing fraud, maintaining service records, and responding to complaints. When relying on this basis, we consider whether the processing is necessary and whether it is fair and reasonable.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where consent is needed for certain marketing communications or other optional processing. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell personal data. We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary for legitimate business purposes, legal compliance, or service delivery.

These third parties may act as our processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. Examples include:

Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support financial administration and tax compliance.
IT and cloud service providers that store or support secure business records and systems.
Communication providers that help us manage email, telephone, or messaging services.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, or professional advisers where disclosure is necessary for claim handling, advice, or legal compliance.

Where we use processors, we require them to handle personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to use it only for the agreed purpose. If data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in line with applicable law.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the context in which it is used.

As a general approach:

Customer service and booking records are kept for as long as needed to manage services and deal with any follow-up issues.
Invoice and payment records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaint or dispute records may be kept longer where needed to resolve issues or defend legal claims.
Enquiry records from people who do not become customers may be retained for a reasonable period before being deleted or anonymised.

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

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to be reasonable and proportionate to the risks associated with the data we process. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take data protection seriously and review our practices regularly.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Restriction of processing in certain situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your personal data is handled. If you believe your data protection rights have been affected, you may contact the relevant supervisory authority in the UK, which is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

9. Marketing Preferences

We may occasionally send marketing messages if we are permitted to do so under law or if you have given consent where required. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time. We will always respect your preferences and will not use your data for marketing in a way that is unfair, intrusive, or unlawful.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children for marketing or unrelated purposes. Where a child’s information is incidentally provided as part of a service arrangement, we will handle it carefully and only where necessary and lawful.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or the services we provide. Any changes will take effect when the updated policy is made available. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we use personal data.

12. Summary of Our Data Protection Commitments

In summary, Crossness Carpet Cleaners is committed to handling personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, keep it only for as long as necessary, and protect it using appropriate safeguards. We also respect your rights and will respond to requests in line with applicable data protection law.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Crossness Carpet Cleaners customers in the area and to anyone whose personal data we process in connection with our services.