Acton Carpet Cleaners Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Acton Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores and protects personal data about our customers in our service area. It also sets out your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. 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 customers and prospective customers of Acton Carpet Cleaners within our operating area who contact us, request a quotation, make a booking, receive our services, or otherwise interact with us.
Data Controller
Acton Carpet Cleaners is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. As data controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for ensuring that such processing complies with applicable data protection laws.
Personal Data We Collect
We only collect personal data that is necessary to provide and manage our carpet and upholstery cleaning services. The types of personal data we may collect include:
Identification and contact details such as your name, postal address, service address if different, and any other contact details you choose to provide, excluding email addresses and phone numbers.
Service information such as details of the services you request or receive, the type and size of property, access instructions, preferred dates and times, and information about areas or items to be cleaned.
Transaction and billing information such as details of services booked, prices, payment status, and basic invoice records. We do not store full card details if payments are taken electronically; these are handled securely by our payment processors where applicable.
Communication records such as notes of conversations, and any messages or feedback you provide about our services.
Technical and usage information where applicable, such as basic information about how you interact with our website or online booking forms, including date and time of visits and the pages viewed.
How We Collect Your Data
We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us, request a quotation, make a booking, or communicate with us in any other way. We may also receive personal data indirectly from third party platforms that you use to contact us, such as online directories or comparison sites, where you have provided your details for this purpose.
Purposes and Lawful Bases for Processing
We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. The main purposes and lawful bases are:
To provide our services. We use your data to provide quotations, arrange appointments, deliver cleaning services, issue invoices, and manage your bookings. The lawful basis is that processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
To manage our relationship with you. This includes responding to your enquiries, handling complaints, sending important service or booking updates, and requesting feedback. The lawful basis is performance of a contract and, where appropriate, our legitimate interests in running and improving our business.
To maintain business and financial records. We keep records for accounting, tax, and administrative purposes. The lawful basis is compliance with legal obligations and our legitimate interests in maintaining accurate business records.
To improve and develop our services. We may use service usage data and feedback to analyse performance and improve service quality. The lawful basis is our legitimate interests in managing and developing our services, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
To protect our business and comply with the law. We may process data for fraud prevention, to protect our rights, or to comply with legal obligations and requests from public authorities. The lawful bases are compliance with legal obligations and our legitimate interests in protecting our business.
Data Retention
We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. In general:
Customer and booking records are usually retained for up to six years from the end of our relationship with you, to comply with tax and contract law requirements.
Invoices, payment records, and related financial information are retained for the period required by applicable tax and accounting laws.
Enquiry-only records, where no service is provided, may be kept for a shorter period, generally up to two years, to manage queries and potential repeat business.
We may retain certain information for longer if necessary to resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, or comply with legal obligations. When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
Data Sharing and Processors
We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with third parties only when necessary and in accordance with data protection law. These third parties may act as data processors, processing personal data on our behalf, or as independent controllers.
Categories of recipients may include:
Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments securely.
IT and systems providers that support our booking, scheduling, or record-keeping systems.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary for our legitimate business and legal purposes.
Public authorities where we are legally required or permitted to do so.
Where we engage data processors, we ensure that appropriate contracts are in place requiring them to process your personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with data protection law.
International Transfers
Where our service providers are located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, or store data in other countries, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data, such as using standard contractual clauses or ensuring that the destination country has been recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection.
Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. Measures include limiting access to personal data to staff and processors who need it, using secure storage and, where appropriate, implementing access controls and staff training on data protection responsibilities.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are subject to certain conditions and exemptions. They include:
Right of access. You can request confirmation of whether we hold personal data about you and request a copy of that data.
Right to rectification. You can ask us to correct or complete inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data.
Right to restriction of processing. You can ask us to restrict how we use your personal data in certain situations.
Right to data portability. Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, or that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.
Right to object. You can object to processing based on our legitimate interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds which override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or unless processing is necessary for legal claims.
Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on consent as our lawful basis, you can withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
Exercising Your Rights and Complaints
If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights in relation to Acton Carpet Cleaners, you can contact us using the usual communication methods you use for our services. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond without undue delay and within the time limits set by law.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioners Office if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data. We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns first, so we encourage you to contact us in the first instance.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.