Privacy Policy - Silvertown Carpet Cleaners

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This Privacy Policy explains how Silvertown Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing cleaning services. It applies to all Silvertown Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including household and business customers who request quotations, book services, receive maintenance or aftercare support, or communicate with us in connection with our services.

We are committed to processing 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. This policy is intended to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for delivering our services, managing bookings, handling payments, and meeting legal obligations. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity information: name, title, and any relevant business or household contact details.
Contact information: address, email address, phone number, and service location details.
Service information: details about the carpet cleaning, stain treatment, upholstery cleaning, or related services requested, including instructions, property access notes, and service preferences.
Payment information: payment status, invoice details, and transaction records. Where card payments are processed, this is handled through secure third-party payment providers and not stored in full by us.
Communication records: emails, messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and service follow-up correspondence.
Technical information: limited information generated by digital systems, such as device or browser details, where necessary for security or record keeping.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data unless it is strictly necessary and you choose to provide it, for example, access notes that may indirectly relate to health or mobility needs. Where such information is provided, we handle it with increased care and only where there is a lawful reason to do so.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and manage service enquiries;
to schedule, deliver, and complete cleaning services;
to process payments, issue invoices, and manage account records;
to communicate with customers before, during, and after a service;
to handle complaints, refunds, disputes, and service quality issues;
to maintain internal records and business administration;
to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
to improve our services, customer experience, and operational efficiency;
to protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will only use your data where the use is necessary and proportionate to the purpose for which it was collected.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the specific situation, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, booking services, completing cleaning work, and processing payment.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or record-keeping 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 operations, maintaining service records, responding to customer queries, and improving services. We always assess these interests carefully.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you agree to receive certain marketing communications or to provide optional information not required for service delivery. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Important: We do not process personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was originally collected unless we have a valid lawful basis to do so.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf, or with independent organisations where necessary to provide our services. These parties are bound by appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations.

Examples of processors and recipients may include:

Payment processors who securely handle card or online payment transactions;
Accounting or bookkeeping providers who support invoicing, tax records, and financial administration;
Booking or customer management systems used to organise appointments and service records;
IT and cloud storage providers who host email, business software, or data backups;
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers, where required;
Public authorities or regulators where disclosure is required by law.

We only provide processors with the information they need to perform their services and require them to handle your data securely and lawfully. We do not sell personal data.

5. International Transfers

Where any processor stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that personal data remains protected to a standard consistent with UK data protection requirements. This may include approved contractual safeguards and transfer assessments.

6. Data Retention

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

Quotation and enquiry records: kept for a limited period to manage customer follow-up and business administration.
Service and transaction records: kept for the duration necessary to complete the service and deal with any queries, disputes, or warranty issues.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law.
Complaint and correspondence records: kept for as long as needed to resolve the issue and maintain evidence of service handling.

When personal data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

7. Your Rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, 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 data;
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations;
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format;
Right to object: to 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;
Right to complain: to raise concerns with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data has been mishandled.

To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before responding to any request. We will respond within the time limits required by law.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices. While no system is completely risk-free, we work hard to protect the information entrusted to us.

9. Marketing Communications

We may send service-related communications where necessary to manage bookings, payments, or customer support. We will only send marketing communications where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time, and we will respect your preferences.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is used.

11. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Silvertown Carpet Cleaners customers in area and covers personal data collected in connection with quotations, bookings, cleaning appointments, service communications, and related business activities. By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy.

In summary: we collect only the information we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, share it responsibly with trusted processors, and respect your rights under data protection law.