Privacy Policy - Watford Carpet Cleaners

Effective for all Watford Carpet Cleaners customers in the area. This Privacy Policy explains how Watford Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing our carpet cleaning and related services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to all Watford Carpet Cleaners customers in area, including people who request a quote, book a service, communicate with us, receive cleaning services, or interact with us in connection with our work. It also applies to any individual whose personal data we process as part of delivering our services, including residential customers, commercial customers, and property managers where applicable.

2. What personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, and meeting our legal obligations. The information we may collect includes:

• Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
• Contact details such as your telephone number, email address, and service address.
• Service information such as booking details, cleaning preferences, property access notes, and special instructions.
• Payment information such as payment status, transaction records, and billing details. We do not need to retain card details where payment is processed securely by a third party.
• Communication records such as emails, messages, complaints, and customer service notes.
• Technical and usage data such as basic website or device information if you interact with our online systems, where applicable.
• Photographs or service evidence only where needed to document the condition of an item, verify completed work, or handle a complaint. We will only do this where appropriate and lawful.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is strictly necessary and one of the lawful conditions for processing is met. For example, limited information may be provided by a customer that relates to accessibility needs or health-related access requirements. In such cases, we process it carefully and only for the purpose for which it was shared.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide quotes and confirm bookings;
• to deliver carpet cleaning and related services;
• to communicate with customers about appointments, changes, or service issues;
• to process payments, invoices, and refunds;
• to handle complaints, claims, or service follow-up;
• to maintain our business records and improve service quality;
• to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
• to protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or unsafe conduct.

We do not sell your personal data. We only use it in ways that are relevant to our services and our legal responsibilities.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for using your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, arranging access, delivering cleaning services, issuing invoices, and managing service-related communications.

Legal obligation

We may process data when required to meet legal obligations, such as accounting rules, tax law, insurance requirements, or record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights. This may include business administration, responding to customer enquiries, maintaining service records, preventing fraud, and improving our services. When we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and use only the minimum data needed.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example if we need to use optional marketing communications or certain types of images beyond core service needs. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing your personal data

We only share personal data where necessary and appropriate. We may share information with:

• Payment processors that handle transactions securely on our behalf.
• IT and communications providers that support our business systems, email, file storage, or scheduling tools.
• Accounting or bookkeeping providers that help manage financial records.
• Insurance providers, legal advisers, or claims handlers if needed for dispute resolution, liability issues, or compliance.
• Subcontractors or staff who need access to customer details in order to perform services.
• Public authorities if required by law or to protect our rights, customers, or property.

All processors and service providers are required to protect your data and act only on our instructions, where applicable. We do not allow them to use your personal data for their own unrelated purposes.

6. Retention of personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, tax, and insurance requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for holding it.

• Customer booking and service records are generally kept for a reasonable period after completion of the service to manage follow-up, disputes, or repeat bookings.
• Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
• Complaint or claim records may be retained longer where needed to defend legal claims or comply with insurance obligations.
• Consent-based marketing records are kept until you withdraw consent or it is no longer needed.

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

7. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited access on a need-to-know basis, and care when transmitting information. While no system can be completely secure, we work to reduce risks and review our practices regularly.

8. Your rights under GDPR

You have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the legal basis we are using.

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

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in line with applicable data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. In some cases, we may not be able to fully comply where legal obligations or legitimate grounds require us to keep certain information.

9. International transfers

Where any service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection law. These safeguards may include recognised transfer mechanisms and contractual protections.

10. Children’s data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult customer as part of a service arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where required.

11. Changes to this privacy policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updates will take effect when published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of our commitment

Watford Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting personal data and using it responsibly. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and respect your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all Watford Carpet Cleaners customers in area and is intended to provide clear, transparent information about how your personal data is managed.