Hackney Carpet Cleaners Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Hackney Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in the Hackney area. It describes your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws, and how you can exercise those rights.
By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to read it carefully and to contact us if you have any questions about how we handle your personal data.
Scope and Data Controller
This Privacy Policy applies to all customers and potential customers of Hackney Carpet Cleaners within the Hackney area, including anyone who makes an enquiry, requests a quote, books a service, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with our carpet cleaning and related services.
Hackney Carpet Cleaners is the data controller in respect of the personal data collected and processed in connection with our services. As data controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for ensuring that such processing complies with applicable data protection laws.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process personal data that is necessary to provide our services, respond to enquiries, and operate our business. The categories of personal data we may collect include:
Identification and contact data: name, address, service address, billing address, and other contact details such as general communication channels you use to contact us.
Service and booking data: information about the services you request, appointment dates and times, access instructions for the property, details of any special requirements, and records of communications relating to bookings.
Payment and transaction data: details of payments made for our services, such as transaction amounts, dates, and payment method type. We do not store full card details when you pay through third-party payment processors; only limited data necessary for accounting and record-keeping is retained.
Communication data: information contained in emails, messages, or other communications you send to us, as well as notes and records of our correspondence with you.
Technical usage data: limited technical information generated when you visit our website, such as your approximate location based on IP address, pages visited, and basic device or browser information, where this is necessary for the operation and security of the website.
Lawful Bases for Processing
We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so under the UK GDPR. Depending on the context, we rely on the following lawful bases:
Contract: when processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide carpet cleaning services you have requested, manage bookings, send confirmations, and process payments.
Legal obligation: when processing is necessary to comply with legal or regulatory requirements, such as maintaining accounting records, tax documentation, and complying with lawful requests from authorities.
Legitimate interests: when processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This includes managing and improving our services, responding to enquiries, keeping basic records of past services, and protecting our business against fraud or misuse.
Consent: in limited circumstances we may rely on your consent, for example, where you have clearly agreed to receive certain types of optional marketing communications. You can withdraw consent at any time, although this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
To respond to enquiries and provide quotes for our services.
To create and manage bookings, schedule appointments, and deliver carpet cleaning and related services at your premises.
To process and record payments, issue invoices and receipts, and maintain accurate financial records.
To communicate with you about your bookings, including confirmations, reminders, changes, and follow-up messages relating to completed services.
To manage customer relationships, handle complaints, and provide customer support.
To maintain and improve our services, website, and internal processes, including staff training and quality control.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including tax and accounting requirements.
To protect our rights, property, and safety, and that of our staff, customers, and the public, including preventing and addressing fraud and misuse of our services.
Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
In general, we keep core customer and transaction records for the period required by law for accounting and tax purposes. After this period, data that is no longer needed will be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise irreversibly removed from our systems.
We may keep limited information about past services and communications for a longer period where necessary to resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, or defend potential legal claims, in line with applicable limitation periods.
When we no longer have a lawful basis to process your personal data, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
Data Processors and Third Parties
We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors only process personal data according to our instructions and for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, and they are contractually required to keep your data secure and confidential.
Such processors may include:
Payment service providers that process payments and handle secure payment information on our behalf.
IT and hosting providers that supply, maintain, and support our business systems and website.
Customer management and scheduling tools that help us manage enquiries, bookings, and communications.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal professionals, where necessary for our legitimate business needs and legal obligations.
We may also share personal data with competent authorities, regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies, or insurers when required by law or when necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of others.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
International Transfers
Where any of our service providers or systems involve the transfer of personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with the UK GDPR. These safeguards may include the use of standard contractual clauses or other legally recognised mechanisms to ensure that your personal data continues to be subject to a level of protection essentially equivalent to that provided in the United Kingdom.
Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures may include access controls, secure storage solutions, encryption in suitable contexts, and staff awareness of data protection responsibilities.
While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to maintaining a high level of protection and to reviewing our safeguards regularly.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under the UK GDPR, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to certain conditions and legal exceptions, these include:
Right of access: you can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, together with information about how it is processed.
Right to rectification: you can request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data be corrected or updated.
Right to erasure: you can request that we delete your personal data where there is no longer a lawful basis for us to keep it, or where you have withdrawn consent and there is no other legal ground for processing.
Right to restriction of processing: you can request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example while we verify its accuracy or our legal grounds for processing it.
Right to data portability: in certain cases, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and that it be transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.
Right to object: you can object to processing carried out on the basis of our legitimate interests, including profiling based on those interests. We will stop the processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or where processing is necessary for legal claims.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
Exercising Your Rights and Complaints
If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, or if you have any questions or concerns about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the usual communication channels you use to interact with Hackney Carpet Cleaners.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can address your concerns wherever possible.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or services. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We recommend that you review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we protect your personal data.
Your continued use of our services following any changes to this Privacy Policy will constitute your acknowledgement of the updated policy.
