Privacy Policy - Twickenham Carpet Cleaners

Effective date: This Privacy Policy explains how Twickenham Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data. It applies to all Twickenham Carpet Cleaners customers in the Twickenham area, including individuals who request quotes, book services, make enquiries, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our carpet cleaning and related services.

1. Introduction

We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy describes what data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep it, the types of third parties that may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to you as a data subject.

We only collect information that is necessary for the provision, administration, and improvement of our services. We aim to keep all personal data accurate, relevant, and secure, and we do not use it for purposes that are incompatible with those described in this Policy.

2. Data we collect

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

Identity and contact details: name, address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information: details of the cleaning service requested, property type, service dates, access notes, and any preferences or instructions you provide.
Communication records: enquiries, messages, feedback, complaints, and correspondence relating to bookings or service delivery.
Billing and transaction data: invoice details, payment status, payment history, and records needed for accounting and tax purposes.
Technical data: basic website or device information if you contact us through digital channels, such as IP address, browser type, and usage logs where applicable.
Special instructions: information you choose to provide about allergies, sensitivities, pets, parking, security access, or other service-related requirements.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for service delivery or to meet a legal obligation. If such information is supplied, we will handle it with additional care and only where a lawful basis applies.

3. How we collect personal data

We collect data in several ways, including:

when you request a quote or make an enquiry;
when you book a service or change an appointment;
when you communicate with us by phone, email, or other channels;
when you provide feedback, reviews, or complaints;
when payment or invoicing information is created for your order;
when technical information is generated through digital systems used to support our services.

Where data is provided by a third party on your behalf, we will treat that information in line with this Policy and, where necessary, seek confirmation that the third party is authorised to share it.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract: to take steps at your request before entering into a contract and to perform the services you have booked, including quoting, scheduling, cleaning, invoicing, and customer support.
Legal obligation: to comply with tax, accounting, and record-keeping requirements, and to respond to lawful requests from authorities where required.
Legitimate interests: to manage and improve our business, prevent fraud, maintain service quality, handle enquiries, retain service records, and resolve disputes, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
Consent: where we rely on your consent for a specific optional activity, such as certain marketing communications, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

Important: we do not use personal data for automated decision-making that has legal or similarly significant effects on you.

5. How we use your data

Your data may be used to:

respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
arrange and complete carpet cleaning services;
communicate booking updates and service-related information;
issue invoices and process payments;
maintain business, tax, and accounting records;
handle complaints, claims, and service issues;
monitor quality, safety, and operational performance;
protect our business, staff, customers, and property from misuse or fraud.

We will only use your information for the purposes for which it was collected unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose. If we need to use your data for an unrelated purpose, we will explain the legal basis and, where required, seek your consent.

6. Retention of personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy, including for the purposes of satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Booking and service records: retained for a reasonable period to manage service history, handle disputes, and support customer care.
Invoice and accounting records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Enquiry records: retained for as long as needed to respond to your request and for a short period afterwards for continuity and quality assurance.
Marketing-related data: retained until you withdraw consent or object where we rely on legitimate interests.

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

7. Sharing data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that act as processors or independent controllers, but only where necessary and subject to appropriate safeguards. These may include:

IT and hosting providers: to support secure data storage, communication systems, and operational software.
Payment service providers: to handle payments and related financial processing.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: to maintain records and assist with tax compliance.
Customer support or scheduling tools: to manage appointments, reminders, and service administration.
Professional advisers: such as accountants, auditors, insurers, or legal advisers when necessary.
Authorities or regulators: where we are legally required to disclose information.

Where a processor is used, we require them to process personal data only on our instructions, to protect it with appropriate security measures, and to comply with applicable data protection laws. We do not sell your personal data.

8. International transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses personal data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any transferred data remains protected to an adequate standard.

9. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage practices, staff confidentiality obligations, and supplier oversight.

While we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs, we will assess the risk and, where required by law, notify the relevant authorities and affected individuals.

10. Your rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 restrict processing: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
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.

Please note: these rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal or contractual limitations. If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding.

How we handle rights requests

We will respond to rights requests within the time period required by law, unless the request is complex or multiple requests have been made. If we need more information to confirm your identity or locate your data, we will let you know.

11. Marketing and preferences

Where we send any optional marketing or promotional communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You can object to marketing at any time, and where consent is relied upon, you can withdraw it whenever you choose. We will respect your preferences promptly.

12. Children

Our services are directed at adults and business or household customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in connection with our services. If we become aware that we have received such data without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

13. 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 updates will take effect when published in the revised version. We encourage customers in the Twickenham area to review this Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

14. Summary of our approach

In short, Twickenham Carpet Cleaners processes personal data only where necessary, uses it for clear and legitimate purposes, keeps it only as long as required, and shares it only with trusted processors or where legally necessary. We are committed to protecting your privacy and respecting your rights under data protection law.

If you continue to use our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.