Privacy Policy - Fulham Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Fulham Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services it provides. It applies to all Fulham Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who makes an enquiry or otherwise interacts with our services. We are committed to handling personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services or providing us with your personal data, you acknowledge that we may process your information as described in this policy. We encourage you to read it carefully so you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have over it.

1. Information We Collect

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

Identity details: name, title, and any information you provide when booking or enquiring.
Contact details: address, email address, phone number, and preferred method of communication.
Service details: booking information, property access instructions, service preferences, and records of cleaning work carried out.
Payment and billing information: payment status, invoice details, and transaction records. We do not store full card details where payments are handled through secure third-party payment providers.
Customer correspondence: messages, complaints, feedback, and any notes relevant to service delivery.
Technical or usage data: if you contact us digitally, we may receive basic technical information such as device or browser details, although we do not use this to profile customers.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it voluntarily and it is necessary for a specific service-related reason. If you provide information that may be sensitive, we will only process it where there is a lawful basis and an appropriate safeguard.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To schedule, confirm, and deliver cleaning services.
To manage customer accounts, records, and service history.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To handle complaints, disputes, and service follow-up.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.
To improve service quality and maintain accurate business records.

We only process personal data for purposes that are relevant and necessary to operate our business responsibly. We do not sell personal data and we do not use customer data for unrelated marketing without the appropriate legal basis and, where required, consent.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, Fulham Carpet Cleaners may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes booking services, arranging appointments, completing cleaning work, invoicing, and dealing with service-related communication.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with laws and regulations, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer records, preventing fraud, ensuring service quality, and responding to enquiries or complaints.

Consent

Where required, we may rely on your consent. For example, if we ask for optional information not needed for a service, or for certain types of direct marketing. You have the right to withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal data only when necessary and only with trusted parties who support our operations. These may include:

Service processors: IT support providers, cloud storage providers, accounting software providers, and payment processors.
Professional advisers: accountants, insurers, legal advisers, or other consultants where needed for business management or compliance.
Regulators or authorities: where disclosure is required by law, court order, or other legal process.

Any third party that processes personal data on our behalf is required to do so securely, only according to our instructions, and in line with data protection law. We do not authorise processors to use your data for their own purposes.

5. International Transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. This may include UK-approved transfer mechanisms and contractual protections designed to keep personal data secure and protected to a standard consistent with UK GDPR.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Customer and booking records: generally kept for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to deal with follow-up, disputes, or service history.
Invoices and financial records: kept in line with statutory tax and accounting obligations.
Correspondence and complaints: kept for as long as needed to resolve the issue and retain an accurate record of dealings.
Marketing preferences: retained until you opt out or withdraw consent, where consent is the legal basis.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete, anonymise, or securely archive it so it cannot be used in an identifiable form. Retention periods may be extended if necessary for legal claims or compliance obligations.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, secure passwords, encryption where appropriate, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data handling practices.

Although we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. If a data breach were to occur that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we would respond in line with legal requirements, including notifying the relevant authority where required and informing affected individuals when appropriate.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, these may include:

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

Exercising one right does not always guarantee a particular outcome, as some rights are subject to legal exceptions or conditions. We will assess each request carefully and respond within the time limits required by law.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging cleaning services for homes or businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children. If we become aware that we have unintentionally collected such information, we will take appropriate steps to delete it unless there is a lawful reason to retain it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or the way we process personal data. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

11. Contact and Complaints

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights, or are concerned about how your data has been handled, you should raise the issue with us through our usual customer communication channels. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

We will make reasonable efforts to address any concerns promptly and fairly. Our goal is to treat personal data with respect, keep it secure, and use it only for legitimate and clearly defined purposes.

Last updated: This policy is reviewed periodically to ensure ongoing compliance with applicable data protection laws.