Privacy Policy - Teddington Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Teddington Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Teddington Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request services, receive quotations, book appointments, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our carpet cleaning and related domestic or commercial cleaning 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. We only collect and use personal data where we have a valid legal basis to do so, and we do not use personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected.

1. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as details of the cleaning services requested, property access notes, appointment dates, and service preferences.
Payment-related information such as billing records and transaction details, where applicable.
Communication records such as messages, requests, complaints, feedback, and correspondence related to our services.
Technical information when you interact with our digital systems, including basic device or usage information if it is necessary for security, performance, or record-keeping.

We usually collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quotation, book a service, make a payment, or communicate with us. We may also receive limited information from third parties acting on your behalf, such as property managers, letting agents, or payment providers, where relevant and appropriate.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange and deliver cleaning services.
To manage bookings, scheduling, and operational planning.
To process payments and maintain financial records.
To communicate with you about appointments, service updates, and service-related issues.
To manage complaints, disputes, and customer support matters.
To maintain business records and comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services, customer experience, and internal processes.
To protect against fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access.

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If this position changes in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy and provide additional information where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We will only process personal data where one or more lawful bases under the UK GDPR apply. Depending on the circumstances, the lawful bases we rely on may include:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, confirming bookings, carrying out cleaning services, handling payment arrangements, and managing service delivery.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, record-keeping, and other regulatory requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer relationships, improving service quality, maintaining operational security, and preventing fraud or misuse.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or optional uses of data. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

4. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

In general:

Customer and service records are retained for as long as needed to administer the business relationship and resolve any queries or disputes.
Financial and transaction records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records are kept for a reasonable period to support customer service, evidential needs, and business administration.
Data that is no longer needed is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

Where we are unable to delete data immediately because it is required for legal or legitimate business reasons, we will restrict access to it and retain it only for the minimum necessary period.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate our services. These parties act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the circumstances.

Processors may include:

Payment service providers that process transactions securely.
IT and cloud service providers that support our systems, storage, and communications.
Administrative and bookkeeping service providers that assist with records and financial management.
Customer communication or scheduling tools used to manage appointments and service delivery.

Where a third party acts as a processor, they are only allowed to process personal data on our instructions and must protect it appropriately. We take reasonable steps to ensure that all processors are subject to suitable contractual and security obligations.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our business, customers, or others. We do not sell personal data.

6. International Transfers

Some of our processors or service providers may store or access data outside the United Kingdom. Where this happens, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal data is protected to a standard that is consistent with UK data protection law, including the use of approved safeguards where required.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may not apply in every situation, but where they do, we will respond in line with legal requirements.

Right of access - you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification - you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure - you may ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing - you may request that we limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability - you may request that certain data be provided to you or transferred to another controller, where applicable.
Right to object - you may 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.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. This is to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to the wrong person.

8. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the information we process and the risks involved. Although no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, we take data protection seriously and review our safeguards on a regular basis.

Access to personal data is limited to those who need it for legitimate business purposes. Where possible, we use access controls, secure storage methods, and internal procedures to reduce the risk of misuse.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and property-related customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children as part of our ordinary business activities. If we become aware that we have unintentionally collected such information, we will take appropriate steps to delete or safeguard it in line with applicable law.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational requirements. Any changes will take effect when the updated policy is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is used.

11. Complaints and Further Information

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, you should first raise the matter with us so we can review and address it. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

We are committed to handling personal data responsibly, lawfully, and with respect for your privacy. This Privacy Policy is intended to provide a clear explanation of our data practices and to reassure all customers in the Teddington area that their information is treated with care.