Privacy Policy - Plaistow Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Plaistow Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Plaistow Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request quotations, book services, receive services, or communicate with us in relation to carpet cleaning and related services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy.

1. Who We Are

Plaistow Carpet Cleaners provides carpet cleaning and related cleaning services to residential and commercial customers in the Plaistow area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller when we determine why and how your personal data is processed.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide our services, manage customer relationships, and meet legal and business obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity data: your name and, where relevant, business or household name.
Contact data: address, email address, and telephone number.
Service data: property access details, service instructions, booking preferences, carpet or fabric-related requirements, and notes about the work requested.
Transaction data: payment records, invoices, service history, and relevant billing details.
Communication data: records of emails, messages, calls, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data: limited information such as website usage logs, if applicable, and basic device or browser information when you interact with our online services.
Special category data: we do not usually collect this type of data. However, if you voluntarily provide information that could reveal health or accessibility needs, we will only process it where necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

We do not knowingly collect unnecessary personal data. Please do not share information unless it is relevant to your enquiry or service request.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and respond to service enquiries;
to arrange, deliver, and manage carpet cleaning services;
to process payments and maintain financial records;
to communicate about appointments, changes, or service issues;
to respond to complaints, questions, or requests;
to improve our services, internal processes, and customer experience;
to maintain accurate business records;
to comply with legal, regulatory, and accounting requirements;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or other unlawful activity.

We do not sell personal data. Any use of personal information is limited to what is necessary and proportionate for the purposes described in this policy.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, managing bookings, carrying out cleaning services, and processing payments.

Legal Obligation

We process data when required to meet legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, or record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include managing our business, preventing fraud, improving services, handling customer enquiries, and maintaining operational security.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain optional communications or provide additional information. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In exceptional cases, we may process information to protect someone’s vital interests, for example in an emergency involving health or safety.

5. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to run our business and provide services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle transactions securely;
IT and cloud service providers that host data, email systems, or business software;
Accounting or bookkeeping providers that support financial records and compliance;
Customer management or scheduling software providers that help organise bookings;
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary;
Delivery or subcontracted service partners who support service completion where applicable.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, only for instructed purposes, and in accordance with data protection law. We do not allow processors to use your data for their own independent purposes.

We may also disclose data where required by law, court order, or a competent public authority, or where necessary to protect our rights, property, staff, customers, or the public.

6. International Transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms required by data protection law.

7. Data Retention

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

Customer and service records are generally retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained for longer where needed to resolve disputes, demonstrate service history, or maintain business records.

When personal data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of safely.

8. Data Security

We use 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 confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our procedures.

While no system can be guaranteed 100% secure, we work to reduce risks and to respond promptly to any suspected data breach in accordance with our legal obligations.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to limitations or conditions in certain cases.

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

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in line with applicable data protection law.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided by an adult customer and is necessary for service delivery or safety reasons.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Your Responsibility

When you provide us with personal data, you should ensure it is accurate and up to date. If any information changes, please inform us promptly so that we can maintain correct records and provide our services effectively.

13. Summary of Key Principles

Plaistow Carpet Cleaners processes personal data only where there is a lawful basis to do so, keeps it no longer than necessary, and uses trusted processors where required to deliver services. We respect customer privacy, limit access to data, and provide rights that allow you to understand and control how your information is used.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Plaistow Carpet Cleaners customers in the area.