Carpet Cleaners Merton Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpet Cleaners Merton collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data of all customers and prospective customers in the Merton area. It is intended to provide clear information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and related data protection laws. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Scope and Data Controller

This Privacy Policy applies to all Carpet Cleaners Merton customers, as well as individuals who contact us to enquire about our carpet cleaning and related services in the Merton area. Carpet Cleaners Merton is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect personal data that is necessary to provide our services, manage our relationship with you, and meet our legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identification and contact data: name, address, property access details relevant to the service, and general location information within the Merton area.

Communication data: information you provide when you contact us by any communication method, including the content of your messages, booking details, and any feedback you give.

Service and contract data: information about the services you request or receive, dates and times of appointments, service notes, and details of any follow-up visits.

Billing and payment data: information necessary to process payments and invoices, including payment method details and transaction records. Specific payment card data is processed only by our chosen payment processors and is not stored by us unless required for legal or accounting purposes.

Technical and usage data: limited technical data such as your use of our online forms or booking tools, including time and date of interactions and basic device or browser information where relevant. We keep this to what is necessary for security, troubleshooting, and improving our services.

How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us, request a quotation, make a booking, or communicate with us about existing or past services. We may also collect data when you use our website or any online booking tools we provide.

In some cases, we may receive personal data from third parties where it is lawful to do so, such as business partners who refer you to us, or property managers who coordinate cleaning services on your behalf. Where required, we will ensure that such third parties have obtained appropriate permissions to share your information with us.

Lawful Bases for Processing

We process your personal data only where there is a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract: We process personal data to enter into and perform a contract with you, including handling bookings, providing carpet cleaning services, and managing payments and aftercare.

Legal obligation: We process certain data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax, accounting, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate interests: We process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This includes managing our business operations, improving our services, responding to enquiries and complaints, and maintaining security and fraud prevention.

Consent: In some cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time as described in this policy.

How We Use Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage carpet cleaning and related services, including booking appointments, accessing your property with your authorisation, and performing the requested work.

To communicate with you about enquiries, quotations, bookings, changes to appointments, service updates, and customer support issues.

To manage billing and payments, prepare invoices, and deal with refunds or disputes.

To maintain our business records, meet accounting and tax requirements, and comply with other legal or regulatory duties.

To monitor and improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of our services, including training and internal quality control.

To send you service-related information and, where permitted, carefully selected marketing messages about similar services you might find useful. You can object to marketing communications at any time.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as it is needed for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or as required by law. The exact retention period depends on the type of data and the context in which it is collected.

In general, service and contract records, including basic contact details, booking history, and invoices, are retained for a period necessary to meet legal, tax, and accounting obligations. After the applicable retention period, data will be securely deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be linked to you.

We review our data retention practices regularly to ensure that personal data is not kept for longer than necessary. If you have questions about specific retention periods, you can contact us using the details made available through our usual communication channels.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We only share it where necessary and lawful. We may share personal data with:

Service providers and data processors who perform functions on our behalf, such as payment processing, accounting support, IT hosting and maintenance, and customer management tools. These providers are required to process personal data only according to our instructions and to apply appropriate security measures.

Professional advisers, including accountants or legal advisers, where necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims, or to meet our regulatory obligations.

Authorities or law enforcement agencies where we are legally required to do so or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

In all cases, we limit the personal data shared to what is strictly necessary for the relevant purpose and ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place.

International Transfers

Where our service providers or systems are located outside the United Kingdom, personal data may be transferred to countries that may have different data protection laws. If we transfer personal data internationally, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are used, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent measures, to protect your rights.

Data Security

We take the security of personal data seriously and use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include access controls, secure storage, and regular review of our data handling practices.

While we strive to protect personal data, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to responding promptly to any suspected data breaches and, where required, notifying affected individuals and relevant authorities.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:

Right of access: you can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, along with information about how it is used.

Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct or complete personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.

Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and there is no legal obligation to retain it.

Right to restriction of processing: you can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we are addressing a concern about its accuracy.

Right to data portability: in some cases, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, or that we transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to object: you can object to processing based on our legitimate interests and to direct marketing, including any profiling related to such marketing.

Where processing is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before you withdrew consent.

Exercising Your Rights and Complaints

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, or if you have questions or concerns about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us through our usual communication channels. We will respond to your request or enquiry in accordance with applicable data protection laws and will normally do so within one month.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal data. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve any issues directly.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. Any significant changes will be communicated where appropriate. The latest version of this policy will always apply to the personal data we hold and will indicate the date of its most recent update.