Privacy Policy - Aldwych Carpet Cleaners

Aldwych Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in our service area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in connection with our carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, stain treatment, and related services. It applies to all Aldwych Carpet Cleaners customers in area and should be read alongside any service terms or booking information provided at the time of engagement.

1. Introduction

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to ensure that any personal information we hold is used fairly, lawfully, transparently, and only for legitimate business purposes. We also take appropriate technical and organisational measures to keep personal data secure and to limit access to those who need it to perform their duties.

This policy applies whether you contact us by phone, email, online form, messaging service, or through a third party acting on your behalf. By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be collected and processed as described in this policy.

2. Data We Collect

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

• Identity information such as your name and, where relevant, the name of a business or property manager.
• Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service and property details including cleaning requirements, access instructions, room sizes, flooring types, fabric information, and any notes needed to carry out the work safely and effectively.
• Booking and transaction information including appointment dates, quotations, invoices, payment status, and service history.
• Communication records such as emails, messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence relating to the services we provide.
• Technical data where you interact with our digital systems, such as device information or basic usage data if captured by our booking or communication tools.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it. For example, you may share information that reveals health-related circumstances when explaining access needs, sensitivities, or special cleaning concerns. If such information is provided, we will only process it where a lawful basis applies and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
• to manage bookings, appointments, and service delivery;
• to assess the work required and prepare the correct equipment and materials;
• to issue invoices, process payments, and keep financial records;
• to maintain customer accounts and service history;
• to communicate about changes, reminders, delays, or follow-up matters;
• to handle complaints, disputes, and customer support requests;
• to improve our services, internal processes, and customer experience;
• to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.

We will only use your data in ways that are compatible with the reasons it was collected. We do not sell personal data. We also do not use personal data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Aldwych Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, carrying out cleaning services, sending invoices, and communicating about the service.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal obligations, such as tax reporting, accounting requirements, fraud prevention, or record-keeping duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may use personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our business efficiently, improving services, responding to enquiries, maintaining customer records, and protecting our operations from misuse.

Consent

In limited cases, we may ask for your consent, for example to send certain forms of marketing communications or to process specific optional information. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Information

We only share personal data when necessary and with appropriate safeguards. This may include sharing data with:

• Service providers and processors who support our business operations;
• Payment providers to process transactions;
• Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration;
• IT and cloud service providers that host, store, or secure records;
• Customer communication tools used to send appointment updates or service information;
• Legal, regulatory, or law enforcement bodies where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights and safety.

Where third parties process data on our behalf, they act as data processors and are only permitted to use the information according to our instructions and applicable law. We require appropriate contractual protections and expect processors to maintain security, confidentiality, and compliance.

6. Data Retention

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

In general, we will retain:

• Customer and booking records for as long as needed to manage service history and resolve issues;
• Invoice and payment records for the period required by tax and accounting laws;
• Correspondence and complaints for a reasonable period after the matter is closed;
• Marketing consent records until you withdraw consent or we determine the information is no longer needed.

When information is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. Security of Your Data

We take the security of personal data seriously. We use measures designed to protect against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and procedures for handling data securely.

While we work hard to protect information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs and we are required to notify you or a regulator, we will do so in accordance with applicable law.

8. Your Rights

You have rights under data protection law in relation to your personal data. These rights may include:

• The right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
• The right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
• The right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes called the right to be forgotten;
• The right to restriction to limit how we use your data in certain situations;
• The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
• The right to data portability in certain circumstances, allowing you to receive your data in a usable format;
• The right to withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with legal timeframes and requirements. Please note that some rights may be limited where we need to keep information for legal reasons or where other lawful grounds apply.

9. Marketing Communications

If we send marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You may opt out of marketing at any time. If you object to direct marketing, we will stop using your information for that purpose. Service-related messages, such as appointment confirmations or important updates, are not marketing and may still be sent where necessary to perform a contract or manage your booking.

10. Third-Party Processors

We may use third-party processors to support our operations. These may include:

• appointment scheduling platforms;
• invoice and accounting systems;
• email and communications providers;
• data storage and backup services;
• customer relationship management tools;
• payment processing services.

Each processor is selected with care and, where required, bound by a data processing agreement. We seek to ensure that personal data is handled securely, used only for the agreed purpose, and not retained for longer than necessary.

11. International Transfers

In some cases, our processors may store or access data outside the United Kingdom. Where this happens, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in line with applicable data protection requirements.

12. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adult customers and property contacts. We do not intentionally collect data from children as part of ordinary service provision. If information relating to a child is inadvertently provided, we will handle it with care and only as necessary for service-related purposes or legal compliance.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or processing practices. The most recent version will apply to the way we handle personal data from the date it is published or otherwise communicated.

14. Summary of Key Points

In summary, Aldwych Carpet Cleaners collects only the personal data needed to provide and manage its services, comply with legal obligations, and operate efficiently. We rely on lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where appropriate. We retain data only for as long as necessary, share it only with trusted processors or legal authorities when required, and respect your data rights under UK GDPR.

Your privacy matters to us. We aim to handle personal information responsibly, transparently, and securely for every customer within our service area.