Privacy Policy - Golders Green Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Golders Green Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our carpet cleaning services. It applies to all Golders Green Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including people who enquire about our services, request quotations, book appointments, receive cleaning services, or otherwise interact with us.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only collect information that is necessary for legitimate business purposes and we take appropriate steps to keep it secure.

1. Data We Collect

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

• Identity data such as your name and, where relevant, the name of the person making an enquiry on behalf of another person.
• Contact data such as address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service data including details of the cleaning services requested, property type, room or item descriptions, preferred dates, access instructions, and special service requirements.
• Transaction data such as records of payments, invoices, quotations, and service history.
• Communication data including messages, notes from calls, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
• Technical data where relevant, such as basic website or device information if you contact us through digital channels, including IP address or browser type if captured by our systems.
• Marketing preferences where you have opted to receive promotional communications or updates.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you choose to provide it to us. If special category data is inadvertently shared, we will treat it with additional care and only process it where a lawful basis applies.

2. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

• submit an enquiry or request a quote;
• book or rearrange a cleaning appointment;
• communicate with us by phone, email, or message;
• provide payment or invoice details;
• leave feedback, make a complaint, or request follow-up support;
• interact with our service team during the course of a visit.

We may also receive information from third parties where necessary, for example from a property owner, landlord, letting agent, or another person arranging services on your behalf. In such cases, we will only use the information for the purposes of providing our services and managing the associated customer relationship.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Performance of a Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to provide a quotation, carry out a cleaning service, manage bookings, issue invoices, or take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, including maintaining service records, improving our services, responding to enquiries, preventing fraud, ensuring quality control, and managing customer communications. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we balance our interests against your rights and freedoms.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as accounting, tax, and record-keeping obligations.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent, for example for certain types of electronic marketing. You may withdraw consent at any time, and doing so will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
• to schedule, deliver, and manage carpet cleaning services;
• to confirm appointments and service details;
• to process payments and maintain invoices;
• to keep records of services provided;
• to deal with complaints, refunds, or service issues;
• to improve the quality and efficiency of our operations;
• to meet legal, accounting, and administrative obligations;
• to send service-related updates and, where permitted, marketing messages.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and you are informed where required.

5. Sharing Your Data with Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers who act as processors on our behalf. These processors only handle your data according to our instructions and are required to protect it in accordance with applicable data protection law.

Examples of processors may include:

• payment service providers used to process card or electronic payments;
• accounting and bookkeeping services;
• IT and data storage providers;
• customer relationship or scheduling software providers;
• email or communication service platforms;
• professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary.

In limited circumstances, we may share personal data with independent controllers, such as insurers, public authorities, or law enforcement, where required by law or necessary to protect our rights, customers, or operations.

We do not sell personal data. If any service provider is located outside the UK or European Economic Area, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place before transferring personal data.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or for as long as required by law. The retention period may vary depending on the type of information and the reason for processing.

• Service and customer records are normally retained for a reasonable period after the end of the relationship to manage follow-up queries, disputes, and service history.
• Financial and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting rules.
• Communication records are kept for as long as necessary to resolve an enquiry, complaint, or ongoing service matter.
• Marketing data is retained until you withdraw consent or opt out, or until it is no longer useful for the purpose collected.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention procedures.

7. Security of Your Information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, and restricted access to customer records.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we regularly review our data handling practices and take reasonable steps to reduce risk. Where an incident affects personal data and a notification is required by law, we will act accordingly.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions and exceptions, but we will always consider and respond to requests appropriately.

• 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 data.
• Right to erasure – in certain situations, you can ask us to delete your data.
• Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability – where applicable, you can request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent – if processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond within the time limits set by law. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request, especially where the request relates to personal or financial information.

9. Marketing Communications

Where permitted, we may send you information about our services, offers, or updates. You will only receive marketing communications where we have a lawful basis to do so. If we rely on consent, you can opt out at any time. If we rely on legitimate interests for limited marketing to existing customers, you may still object and we will respect your choice where required.

We do not send unnecessary communications and we aim to keep marketing relevant, proportionate, and respectful of your preferences.

10. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you have concerns about how we handle personal data, we encourage you to raise them so we can review and address the issue. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

11. 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 protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

Golders Green Carpet Cleaners is committed to respecting privacy and handling personal data responsibly. By using our services, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to your relationship with us and that your information will be handled in accordance with the principles set out above.