Thamesmead Carpet Cleaners Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Thamesmead Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, shares, and protects personal data relating to customers and potential customers in our service area. It is intended to meet the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all Thamesmead Carpet Cleaners customers and prospective customers in our service area, including anyone who contacts us to request a quote, make a booking, or otherwise engage with our carpet and upholstery cleaning services. It applies to personal data collected through telephone, text, messaging services, online forms, written correspondence, and in person during site visits or service appointments.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include the following information.
Identification and contact details: name, address, service address, and basic contact information such as your preferred communication channels.
Booking and service information: details of the services you request, dates and times of appointments, access instructions, information about the property areas to be cleaned, and any specific notes about your preferences or requirements.
Payment and billing details: information necessary to process payments and issue invoices, for example payment status and transaction references. We do not knowingly store full payment card details if payment is processed through a secure payment provider.
Communication records: records of communications with you, including summaries of telephone conversations, messages, and any feedback or complaints you provide.
Technical and usage information: if you contact us or interact with us online, we may collect technical data such as IP address, device identifiers, general location, and information about how you use our website or digital services where this is technically available and lawful.
We do not intentionally collect special category data such as health information, except where you voluntarily share limited details to help us provide our services safely, for example to accommodate access needs or vulnerabilities in the household.
Lawful Bases for Processing
We rely on the following lawful bases for processing your personal data.
Contract: we process your personal data because it is necessary to provide our services, manage bookings, respond to enquiries, issue invoices, and fulfil our contractual obligations to you.
Legal obligation: we may process personal data to meet legal and regulatory obligations, such as tax, accounting, or health and safety requirements.
Legitimate interests: we may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, and where your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This can include improving our services, managing our operations, preventing fraud, and handling customer enquiries and complaints.
Consent: where required by law, we will ask for your consent before using your personal data for specific purposes, such as certain types of marketing communications. You can withdraw your consent at any time.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use personal data for the following purposes.
To provide services: arranging and delivering carpet and upholstery cleaning, confirming bookings, rescheduling appointments, and communicating with you about the services you have requested.
Customer support: handling enquiries, providing quotes, dealing with complaints or disputes, and offering aftercare information about completed work.
Business administration: managing accounts, processing payments and refunds, keeping records of transactions, and maintaining internal reporting and auditing.
Safety and security: ensuring that our staff have appropriate information about the property they will visit, managing any risks at the service location, and protecting our business against fraud or misuse of services.
Marketing and service updates: where permitted, informing you about service updates, offers, or similar services that may be of interest to you. You can opt out of marketing at any time.
Data Sharing and Processors
We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
Service providers and processors: we may use third party companies to assist with functions such as payment processing, accounting, IT support, data storage, communications services, or customer relationship management. These providers act as data processors and are only permitted to process personal data on our instructions and for specified purposes. They are required to protect personal data with appropriate security measures.
Professional advisers: we may share data with accountants, legal advisers, or insurers where necessary to obtain professional advice, manage legal obligations, or handle claims.
Authorities and enforcement bodies: we may disclose personal data where required by law or in response to valid legal processes, or to protect our rights, property, or the safety of our staff and customers.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. If in future we consider any new types of data sharing, we will update this Privacy Policy where appropriate.
International Transfers
Where we use service providers located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, or where data is stored on servers in another country, we will take steps to ensure that your personal data receives an equivalent level of protection. This may include the use of standard contractual clauses or other legally approved transfer mechanisms. Details about any international transfers relevant to your data can be provided upon request.
Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
Customer and booking records: we generally retain records of services and related customer information for a period consistent with applicable limitation periods and tax requirements. This helps us respond to queries about past work, manage any potential disputes, and comply with our legal obligations.
Payment and financial data: transaction records are kept for periods required by tax and accounting laws.
Marketing information: if you consent to marketing, we will retain your contact details until you opt out or until we determine that you are no longer actively engaging with our communications. We will then securely delete or anonymise your data where appropriate.
When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you.
Data Security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, and staff training on data protection responsibilities. While no system can be completely secure, we work to ensure that the level of protection is appropriate to the nature of the data and the risks involved.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions.
Right of access: you can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, together with certain information about how it is processed.
Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.
Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data. This right is not absolute and may not apply where we need the data to comply with legal obligations or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we are verifying its accuracy or assessing an objection you have raised.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including profiling in relation to such interests. You also have an absolute right to object to the use of your data for direct marketing.
Right to data portability: in some circumstances, you can request that we provide certain personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine readable format, or ask us to transmit it to another controller where this is technically feasible.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent as a lawful basis, you can withdraw this consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
Exercising Your Rights and Complaints
If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights or have questions about how we handle personal data, you can contact us using the contact methods provided on our website or other customer documentation. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond within the time periods required by law.
If you are not satisfied with our response or believe that your data protection rights have been infringed, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority for data protection in the United Kingdom.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or the way we process personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how Thamesmead Carpet Cleaners protects your privacy.
