Privacy Policy - Shacklewell Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Shacklewell Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Shacklewell Carpet Cleaners customers in area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who interacts with us to request a service, receive a quotation, make a booking, or provide feedback.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only collect data that is necessary for our business operations and to provide our services effectively.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include:

Identity information such as your name.
Contact information such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as details of the cleaning services you request, property type, cleaning preferences, access instructions, and appointment times.
Payment information such as records of payments made and billing details. We do not store card details unless necessary through a secure payment provider.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, complaints, enquiries, and feedback.
Technical information where applicable, such as limited information collected through our systems for security, administration, or service improvement.

We do not collect more information than is reasonably required. Where we need to collect special category data, we will do so only when necessary and with an appropriate lawful basis.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to provide our carpet cleaning services, manage bookings, communicate with customers, and comply with legal obligations. Typical uses include:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations.
Scheduling and managing appointments.
Delivering cleaning services at the requested property.
Processing payments, refunds, and invoices where needed.
Handling complaints, service issues, and aftercare requests.
Maintaining internal records and business administration.
Meeting tax, accounting, and other regulatory obligations.
Improving our services, training staff, and protecting against fraud or misuse.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and, where required, your permission.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the activity, our lawful bases may include:

Contract - processing is necessary to provide a quote, make a booking, perform cleaning services, or take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
Legal obligation - processing is necessary to comply with tax, accounting, health and safety, or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests - processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as managing our operations, improving service quality, preventing fraud, and keeping accurate records, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Consent - in limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for specific communications or optional services. You may withdraw consent at any time.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether the processing is necessary and whether it is balanced against your privacy rights. Where we rely on consent, it will be obtained clearly and can be withdrawn easily.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and with appropriate safeguards. This may include sharing with trusted third-party service providers who act as processors on our behalf. These processors may include:

Booking and scheduling software providers.
Payment processing providers.
IT, cloud storage, and data security service providers.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers.
Customer communication or email service providers.

Processors are required to handle personal data only according to our instructions, keep it secure, and process it in compliance with data protection law. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also share data where necessary with:

Professional advisers such as accountants or insurers.
Law enforcement, regulators, or public authorities where required by law.
Successor organisations in the event of a business transfer, merger, or restructuring, subject to confidentiality and legal requirements.

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The length of retention depends on the type of information and the reason for processing.

In general:

Customer service and booking records are kept for a reasonable period to manage our relationship and resolve disputes.
Invoice, payment, and tax-related records are kept for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained to maintain evidence of instructions, service outcomes, or complaints.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it where appropriate.

6. Security of Your Data

We use suitable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable steps to reduce risk and respond promptly to any suspected data incident.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under data protection law. These rights may apply in different circumstances and can be subject to legal limits. Your rights include:

Right of access - you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification - you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure - you may ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing - you may ask us to limit how your data is used in certain situations.
Right to data portability - you may ask for certain data to be provided in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object - you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent - where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise your rights, you may make a request to us using the appropriate service channels. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond without undue delay and within the time limits required by law.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully or unfairly. We would welcome the opportunity to address your concerns first.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and general household or business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult customer as part of a service arrangement and only where necessary. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it or obtain proper consent where required.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation, service practices, or operational needs. Any updated version will replace the previous version. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is used.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and are committed to handling personal data responsibly. In summary, we only collect data that is needed, process it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it only for as long as necessary, use trusted processors where appropriate, and protect your rights under data protection law. This policy is intended to ensure that all Shacklewell Carpet Cleaners customers in area can understand how their information is managed in a transparent and lawful way.

By using our services, making an enquiry, or providing your information to us, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and understand how we process personal data.