Privacy Policy - Dalston Carpet Cleaners

Dalston Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Dalston area and surrounding local service area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you use our carpet cleaning and related services. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy applies to all Dalston Carpet Cleaners customers in area, including private households, landlords, tenants, letting agents, commercial clients, and anyone who makes an enquiry, books a service, receives a quotation, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with our services.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services safely, efficiently, and professionally. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name, title, and any business name you provide.
Contact details such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
Service information such as property access details, preferred appointment times, cleaning requirements, carpet type, stain concerns, and relevant instructions.
Billing and payment data such as payment status, transaction records, and invoicing details.
Communication records such as emails, text messages, call notes, complaint details, and service feedback.
Technical data where applicable, including limited device or usage information if you contact us through digital channels.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for service delivery or legal compliance. Special category data may include information about health, disability, or other sensitive personal circumstances. If such data is ever provided, we handle it with extra care and only where there is a lawful reason to do so.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use personal data for legitimate business and legal purposes connected to our carpet cleaning services. The main purposes include:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations.
Scheduling and delivering carpet cleaning and related services.
Managing customer accounts, bookings, and service records.
Processing payments, issuing invoices, and handling refunds where appropriate.
Communicating appointment updates, service confirmations, and aftercare information.
Handling complaints, claims, and service quality issues.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations.
Improving our services, customer experience, and internal processes.

We will only use your data in ways that are compatible with the reasons it was collected. We do not sell personal data, and we do not use it for unrelated purposes without a valid lawful basis.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Dalston Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases, depending on the context:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, delivering services, handling payments, and managing service-related communications.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include managing customer records, maintaining security, preventing fraud, improving services, and responding to enquiries.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal duties such as accounting, taxation, consumer protection, and insurance requirements.

Consent

Where we rely on your consent, for example for optional communications or certain non-essential uses, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal.

Vital Interests

In exceptional cases, we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency involving health or safety.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary and only to the extent required for service delivery, administration, compliance, or security. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and cloud service providers that support data storage, communications, and secure systems.
Payment processing providers that handle transactions securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with financial records and tax obligations.
Scheduling or customer management tools used to manage bookings and service records.
Insurance providers and professional advisers where required for claims, risk management, or legal compliance.
Subcontractors or cleaning operatives where needed to complete your service, subject to confidentiality and data protection obligations.

Where we use processors, we ensure they are subject to appropriate contractual safeguards and only process personal data on our instructions. We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or to protect our legal rights.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as long as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason for keeping it.

Customer enquiry data is typically kept for a limited period if no booking follows.
Service and booking records are retained for the period needed to manage the customer relationship and resolve any disputes.
Invoice, payment, and accounting records are retained for the duration required by tax and financial laws.
Complaint and claim records may be kept longer where necessary to defend or establish legal claims.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it. Retention is based on necessity, legal obligations, and risk management, not convenience.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of trusted processors.

Although we work hard to safeguard your data, no system can be completely secure. In the unlikely event of a data breach, we will assess the risk and take appropriate steps in line with applicable law, including notifying affected individuals and regulators where required.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limits and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erase your data in certain circumstances.
Restrict processing in certain situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Data portability for data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your data is handled. If you believe your rights have been violated, you may lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue promptly and fairly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults arranging cleaning services for their homes or businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to a service arrangement and necessary for lawful, practical reasons. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers in the Dalston area to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Dalston Carpet Cleaners is committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, retain it only as long as necessary, and protect it through appropriate safeguards. We respect your rights and aim to handle all personal information with care, professionalism, and accountability.

If you are a customer in the Dalston area, this Privacy Policy applies to you whenever you use our services or interact with us in relation to carpet cleaning and associated work.