Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to customers and potential customers in our service area. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. By using our carpet cleaning services, making an enquiry, or otherwise interacting with us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning customers, past customers, prospective customers, and website visitors located in our service area. It covers personal data collected through our website, over the phone, in person, via messaging services, and through any other method of communication you use to contact us or use our services.

Data Controller

Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning is the data controller in respect of the personal data we collect and process about you. As data controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for complying with data protection laws.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include:

Identification and contact details: name, title, address, postcode, and general location information; preferred contact method and any other contact details you choose to provide.

Service and booking information: details of your carpet cleaning or related services requested, property type and access details needed to provide the service, booking dates and times, notes you provide about the condition of carpets and soft furnishings, and records of services we have provided to you.

Payment and transaction data: details of payments you make to us and information relating to invoices and receipts. We do not store full payment card details if you pay by card. Any payment details processed electronically are handled by secure payment processors.

Communication records: records of enquiries, complaints, feedback, and other correspondence between you and Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning, including the content and date of communications.

Technical and usage data: limited technical information about how you use our website, such as pages visited, the time and date of visits, and general device information, collected via basic analytics or server logs.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us by phone, use our website contact forms, make a booking, request a quotation, or speak with our staff in person. We may also collect data when you respond to our marketing or provide feedback or reviews about our services.

In some cases, we may receive your details from third parties who refer you to us, such as letting agents, landlords, or previous customers. Where this happens, we only process your data for the purpose of responding to the referral and arranging services.

Lawful Basis for Processing

We rely on the following lawful bases under the UK General Data Protection Regulation when processing your personal data:

Contract: we process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide carpet cleaning services, arrange bookings, issue invoices, and manage payments.

Legal obligation: we may process your data to comply with our legal obligations, for example in relation to tax, accounting, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate interests: we may process your data for our legitimate business interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights and interests. This may include responding to enquiries, improving our services, managing our relationship with you, and maintaining business records.

Consent: in certain limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where we wish to send you direct marketing communications by electronic means and consent is legally required. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

To respond to your enquiries, questions, and quotation requests.

To schedule, manage, and deliver carpet cleaning and related services.

To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records.

To manage our relationship with you, including handling feedback, complaints, and after-care queries.

To improve our services, including analysing how customers use our services and website.

To send you essential service messages, confirmations, reminders, and notifications relating to your bookings.

Where permitted, to send you marketing communications about our services that may be of interest to you, and to manage your communication preferences.

To comply with our legal obligations and to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims where necessary.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

Customer and booking records are generally retained for up to six years after our last interaction with you, to allow us to resolve queries, maintain accurate financial records, and comply with legal and tax obligations.

Enquiry records from potential customers who do not go on to use our services may be held for a shorter period, typically up to two years, unless a longer retention period is needed for legal reasons.

Data used for marketing communications is retained until you opt out or we determine it is no longer needed, whichever is sooner. If you opt out of marketing, we will keep a record of your preference so that we do not send you further marketing messages.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These may include:

Payment processing providers who securely process payments and refunds.

IT and hosting providers who support our website, email, and data storage systems.

Customer management or booking system providers that help us organise our services and records.

Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary and appropriate.

We only share personal data that is necessary for the relevant purpose and require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with data protection laws. Processors are not allowed to use your personal data for their own purposes and may only process it on our instructions.

We may also need to share your personal data with law enforcement agencies, regulators, or other authorities if we are legally required to do so, or in order to protect our rights or the rights of others.

International Transfers

If we transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with data protection laws. This may include using standard contractual clauses or transferring data to countries that have been formally recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection.

Data Security

We take data security seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect your personal data from accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include secure storage systems, restricted access to personal data, and staff awareness of data protection responsibilities.

While we take all reasonable steps to safeguard your personal data, no transmission of data over the internet or any storage system can be guaranteed as fully secure. You are responsible for taking reasonable precautions when communicating with us and for keeping any information you send to us secure.

Your Data Protection Rights

You have certain rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions under data protection law, you may have the right to:

Access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and information about how we process it.

Rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Erasure: request that we delete your personal data where there is no compelling reason for us to keep it.

Restriction: ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.

Objection: object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, including for direct marketing purposes.

Portability: request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, where our processing is based on consent or a contract and carried out by automated means.

Where we rely on consent to process your data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing before consent was withdrawn.

Exercising Your Rights

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, or if you have any questions or concerns about how we handle your personal data, you can contact Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning using the contact details provided on our main service information and booking materials. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable data protection laws and may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to contact us in the first instance so that we can try to resolve your concerns. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority for data protection in the United Kingdom.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. Any changes will be made available through our usual communication channels. You should review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.