Privacy Policy - Walthamstow Village Carpet Cleaners

Walthamstow Village Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy of our customers, clients, and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Walthamstow Village Carpet Cleaners customers in the Walthamstow Village area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, makes an enquiry, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with our carpet cleaning services.

1. Who we are

For the purposes of data protection law, Walthamstow Village Carpet Cleaners acts as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our services. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed. We take our responsibility seriously and aim to handle personal data fairly, transparently, and securely.

2. Information we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your business or property owner.
Contact details such as your telephone number, email address, and service address.
Service information including details of the carpets, rugs, upholstery, or related areas to be cleaned, appointment preferences, and special instructions.
Communication records such as messages, emails, call notes, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Billing and payment information such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records. We do not store full card details if payments are processed through secure third-party systems.
Technical data if you contact us online, such as IP address, browser type, device information, and basic usage information where applicable.
Marketing preferences such as whether you want to receive service updates or promotional messages.

We generally collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quotation, book a cleaning service, communicate with us, or provide feedback. In some cases, we may also receive data from third parties such as property managers, landlords, letting agents, or payment processors where they arrange services on your behalf.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data only when we have a valid reason to do so. Typical uses include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
arranging, confirming, and delivering carpet cleaning services;
managing appointments, access arrangements, and service updates;
processing payments and issuing invoices or receipts;
handling complaints, feedback, and service issues;
maintaining business records and service history;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
improving our services, operations, and customer experience;
sending marketing communications where permitted and where you have not opted out.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. We rely on the following:

Contract

We process your personal data where it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotes, confirming appointments, carrying out cleaning services, and managing payment and service administration.

Legal obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, fraud prevention, consumer law, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and rights do not override those interests. This may include service improvement, internal administration, record retention, responding to complaints, and defending legal claims. When we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on your rights and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

Consent

Where required, we will ask for your consent, for example for certain marketing communications. You may withdraw consent at any time, and doing so will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. How we share personal data

We only share personal data when necessary and appropriate. We may disclose information to:

Service providers and processors who support our business operations;
Payment processors that handle transactions securely;
Accounting or bookkeeping providers that assist with financial records;
IT and cloud service providers that store or support our systems;
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers;
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, property, or safety.

We do not sell your personal data. If data is shared with third-party processors, they are only permitted to process it on our instructions and must protect it appropriately.

6. Processors and third-party services

Some tasks may be carried out by trusted processors acting on our behalf. These may include booking systems, invoicing tools, communication platforms, payment services, data storage providers, and technical support companies. We choose processors carefully and require them to follow data protection obligations, maintain confidentiality, and implement suitable security measures.

Examples of processor responsibilities include:

storing customer records securely;
processing booking or payment information;
hosting business software used to manage appointments;
supporting email or communication services;
assisting with secure backup and recovery.

Where a processor acts outside the UK or EEA, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent legal protections where required.

7. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the purpose of processing.

Quote and enquiry records are kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up questions and business records.
Customer service and booking records are retained for as long as needed to provide services and resolve disputes.
Invoice, payment, and tax records are retained for the period required by law and standard accounting practice.
Complaints and legal correspondence may be retained longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices.

8. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unlawful access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, restricted permissions, and regular review of our data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we aim to reduce risks to an acceptable level and to respond promptly to any security concerns.

9. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have important rights regarding your personal data. 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 information;
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 where applicable;
Right to object – to 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;
Right to complain – to raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We encourage you to contact us first if you have any concerns, so we can try to resolve them promptly and fairly. Exercising your rights will not usually involve a fee, although we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse repeated or manifestly unfounded requests where permitted by law.

10. Marketing communications

We may send occasional service-related messages and, where permitted, promotional communications. You can object to marketing at any time. If you opt out, we will stop sending marketing messages, although we may still contact you for essential service, billing, or legal reasons.

11. Children’s data

Our services are directed to adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in relation to our carpet cleaning services. If we become aware that we have collected such information without appropriate consent or lawful basis, we will take steps to delete it.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, our services, or our data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically so you remain informed about how your data is used.

13. Summary of our privacy commitment

Walthamstow Village Carpet Cleaners aims to process personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, share it carefully with trusted processors, and keep it only as long as necessary. We respect your rights and seek to handle all customer information with care and confidentiality.