Privacy Policy – Stratford Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Stratford Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Stratford Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, active customers, and individuals who contact us for services, quotations, or support. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Stratford Carpet Cleaners provides professional carpet cleaning and related cleaning services. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our services. This means we decide why and how personal data is processed.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services effectively, manage customer relationships, and meet legal obligations. Depending on your interaction with us, the information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as address, phone number, and email address.
Service information such as the type of cleaning requested, property details, appointment preferences, and service notes.
Payment information such as transaction records and billing details. We do not store full card details unless required by a secure payment provider.
Communication records including messages, enquiries, complaint details, and service feedback.
Technical information if you use our digital services, such as device data, browser type, and basic usage data collected through cookies or similar technologies.
Operational information such as photographs taken before or after a service where necessary for quality control, evidence of work, or dispute resolution.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you provide it voluntarily and it is relevant to your request, for example if you share access or health-related information needed to safely carry out a service. If such information is provided, we handle it with additional care and only where necessary.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and schedule cleaning appointments.
To deliver cleaning services and manage service delivery.
To process payments, refunds, and invoices.
To communicate with you about bookings, service updates, and customer support.
To respond to complaints, queries, or requests.
To improve our services, training, and customer experience.
To maintain business records and comply with legal and accounting obligations.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use your data where we have a valid legal reason to do so, as explained below.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis before processing your personal data. We rely 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 preparing quotations, managing bookings, delivering services, and taking payment.

Legal Obligation

We process some personal data to comply with legal requirements, such as tax recordkeeping, accounting rules, and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights. This includes improving services, managing customer relationships, maintaining business records, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or optional data processing activities. You may withdraw consent at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties, known as processors, who help us operate our business and deliver services. These processors only act on our instructions and are required to protect your data appropriately.

Processors may include:

Payment providers that securely process card and online payments.
IT and cloud service providers that host data, email, or business software.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support financial recordkeeping.
Customer communication tools used to manage bookings, reminders, or service messages.
Professional advisers such as lawyers, insurers, or auditors where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or regulatory obligation. Any third party receiving data must keep it secure and use it only for the agreed purpose.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, operational, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for processing.

Customer booking and service records are generally retained for the period needed to manage the relationship and handle any follow-up issues.
Financial and transaction records are kept for the time required under tax and accounting laws.
Complaints, disputes, and correspondence may be kept longer where needed to resolve issues or defend legal claims.
Technical data is retained for a limited period unless it is needed for security, fraud prevention, or service improvement.

When data is no longer required, we securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and data minimisation practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have important rights in relation to your personal data. These rights include:

The right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
The right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
The right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in some situations.
The right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
The right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been mishandled. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and households arranging cleaning services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided and necessary for service delivery. If we learn that we have collected data from a child without appropriate justification, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

10. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure that suitable safeguards are in place to protect it. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other approved legal mechanisms. We only transfer data where necessary and where appropriate protections are available.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our business practices, or our services. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how we process personal data.

12. Summary of Our Commitments

We are committed to processing personal data fairly, securely, and transparently. In practical terms, this means:

We collect only data needed for service delivery and business operations.
We use data only where there is a lawful basis.
We share data only with trusted processors and where required by law.
We retain data for no longer than necessary.
We respect and support your data protection rights.

Stratford Carpet Cleaners values your privacy and aims to handle all personal data with care and respect. This policy is intended to give you clear information about how we use your data and the rights available to you under GDPR.