Privacy Policy - Upton Park Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Upton Park Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Upton Park Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who has requested a quote, booking, inspection, or service from us. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on your interaction with us. This may include:

Identity information such as your name;
Contact details such as your address, telephone number, and email address;
Service information such as details about the cleaning service requested, property access notes, stain or fabric concerns, and booking preferences;
Payment information such as transaction records, billing details, and payment confirmation;
Communication records such as emails, messages, call notes, complaints, and feedback;
Technical information where relevant, such as basic device or usage data if you interact with us electronically.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it, for example where a cleaning issue or access requirement reveals information that is relevant to the service. If such data is provided, we only process it where permitted by law and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to manage our services and operate our business. Typical purposes include:

providing quotes and confirming appointments;
delivering carpet cleaning and related services;
managing billing, invoices, and payment reconciliation;
responding to enquiries and customer support requests;
maintaining service records and quality control;
handling complaints, follow-up questions, and aftercare;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
protecting our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and that use is permitted by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR to process personal data:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform our contract with you. This includes bookings, service delivery, invoicing, and customer communications relating to the service.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include improving our services, keeping internal records, preventing fraud, managing customer correspondence, and defending legal claims. We consider these interests carefully and use data in a way that is proportionate and respectful of your privacy.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, tax, record-keeping, health and safety, and regulatory requirements.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of optional marketing or where required by law for specific processing. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Information

We only share personal data when necessary and with appropriate safeguards. We may share data with trusted third parties that help us operate our business, including:

Payment providers who process card or electronic payments;
Accounting and bookkeeping processors who assist with financial records and invoicing;
IT and cloud service providers who support data storage, communications, and business systems;
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where needed;
Regulators, authorities, or law enforcement where required by law or to protect legal rights.

Where third parties process data on our behalf, they do so under written instructions and are required to keep the data secure and use it only for the agreed purpose. We do not sell your personal data.

5. Processors and Data Handling

Some service providers act as processors on our behalf. This means they only process personal data according to our instructions and are not permitted to use it for their own purposes. We choose processors carefully and seek to ensure they have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place.

Examples of processor activities may include secure data hosting, scheduling tools, invoice management, customer messaging systems, and payment processing. We review processor arrangements where appropriate to help ensure data is handled securely and lawfully. If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that suitable safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection law.

6. 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 depend on the nature of the data and the reason for processing.

Customer service and booking records are generally retained for a reasonable period to manage service history, customer support, and business administration;
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by accounting and tax laws;
Communication records may be kept for a period needed to resolve disputes, handle complaints, or maintain accurate business records;
Marketing consent records are retained while consent remains valid and until you withdraw it;
Legal and insurance records may be retained for the time needed to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices. We aim to keep information no longer than necessary.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply in different circumstances and may be subject to legal limits. Your rights include:

Right of access – you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction – 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 data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used format where legally applicable;
Right to withdraw consent – if processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time;
Right to complain – you can raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully.

We will respond to valid requests within the time limits required by law and may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and appropriate confidentiality obligations. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risks and keep data protected.

9. Marketing Communications

We may send you service-related messages where necessary for bookings, appointments, invoices, or customer service. We will only send marketing communications where permitted by law. If you have given consent to receive marketing, you may opt out at any time. If you opt out, we will stop using your data for that purpose, although we may still contact you for service or legal reasons.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or how we process personal data. 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 information is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitments

Upton Park Carpet Cleaners is committed to respecting your privacy and keeping your data secure. We collect only the information needed to provide our services, process it on a lawful basis, retain it only as long as necessary, share it only with trusted processors or where required by law, and support your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all customers in the Upton Park area and is intended to ensure that your personal data is handled transparently and responsibly.