Privacy Policy - Queenspark Carpet Cleaners

Queenspark Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy of all customers in our service area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in connection with our carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Queenspark Carpet Cleaners customers in area, including prospective customers, existing customers, and anyone who interacts with us for service enquiries, bookings, or aftercare.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to be clear and transparent about what data we collect, why we collect it, and the rights available to individuals whose data we process.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing our business, and meeting our legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service details including appointment preferences, property access notes, carpet type, stain or damage descriptions, and service history.
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records. We do not intentionally store full card details unless required by a secure payment provider.
Communication records including messages, complaints, feedback, and correspondence about quotations, scheduling, or service issues.
Technical information if you contact us electronically, such as basic device or usage information collected through standard business systems.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where it is necessary to complete a service, such as property managers, landlords, letting agents, or household members arranging a booking on your behalf. In such cases, we expect the person providing the data to have the authority to do so.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange, manage, and carry out carpet cleaning services.
To communicate about bookings, access arrangements, delays, or service updates.
To process payments, issue invoices, and manage accounts.
To deal with complaints, insurance matters, and service follow-up.
To maintain business records, improve service quality, and support internal administration.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.

We do not use personal data for unrelated marketing unless we have a lawful basis to do so and, where required, your consent. Any promotional contact will be limited and respectful of your preferences.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, delivering services, managing payments, and dealing with service-related communications.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining business records, handling customer support, improving operations, preventing fraud, and protecting our business from claims. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on individuals and limit processing to what is necessary.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, and business compliance requirements.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain forms of optional electronic marketing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and provide our services. These parties act as data processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud storage providers used for secure data hosting and business administration.
Payment service providers that handle transactions securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers used for financial record management.
Communication service providers used for email, phone, or messaging support.
Scheduling or customer management systems used to organise appointments and service records.

We only use processors that provide suitable safeguards, appropriate contractual protections, and instructions consistent with data protection law. Processors may only process personal data on our instructions and must keep it secure. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, law enforcement request, or to protect our legal rights, property, or safety. If a business transaction such as a restructuring or sale occurs, customer data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate protection.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Booking and service records are typically retained for as long as needed to manage service history and resolve disputes.
Financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaint and correspondence records may be retained for a reasonable period after service completion for quality and legal purposes.
Data collected for marketing, where applicable, is kept until you withdraw consent or opt out.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it or securely anonymise it. Retention periods may vary depending on legal requirements and the nature of the information held.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, and the use of reputable service providers. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to protect your information using measures proportionate to the risks involved.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These may include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
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 object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
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 relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe your data has been handled improperly. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging domestic or commercial carpet cleaning. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in a service context and collected lawfully by an adult responsible for the property or booking.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

10. Contact and Further Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights, or want more information about how your data is processed, you may contact us through our usual business channels. We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests to ensure your data is protected.

In summary: Queenspark Carpet Cleaners processes personal data fairly, lawfully, and securely, using it only for legitimate business purposes, service delivery, and legal compliance. We aim to keep all customer information accurate, confidential, and retained only for as long as necessary.