Privacy Policy - Knightsbridge Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Knightsbridge Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Knightsbridge Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request quotations, book services, communicate with us, or otherwise interact with our business. We are committed to handling personal data 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

Knightsbridge Carpet Cleaners provides carpet cleaning and related cleaning services to residential and commercial customers. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use about our customers, prospective customers, and others who engage with us in relation to our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide our services, manage our relationship with you, and meet legal obligations. The categories of information we may collect include:

Identity data: name, title, and, where relevant, business name or property owner details.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and service location details.
Service data: details about the cleaning services requested, property type, cleaning preferences, and job notes.
Payment data: transaction records, payment status, and limited billing information necessary to process payments and maintain accounts.
Communication data: messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence with our team.
Technical data: basic device and usage information if you interact with our website or digital booking tools, such as IP address and browser type.
Marketing preferences: your choices regarding service updates, promotions, or other communications.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you voluntarily provide it. If such information is ever received, we will handle it with heightened care and only where a lawful basis exists.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To schedule, deliver, and manage cleaning services.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records.
To communicate about appointments, service updates, and customer support.
To handle complaints, disputes, and service-related queries.
To maintain business records and meet legal, regulatory, and tax obligations.
To improve our services, workflows, and customer experience.
To send marketing communications where permitted by law and where you have not opted out.

We only use personal data in ways that are compatible with the purpose for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that another compatible purpose applies or a new lawful basis is available.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, confirming bookings, carrying out cleaning services, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax, insurance, fraud prevention, and record-keeping requirements.

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 and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving service quality, ensuring security, and maintaining internal administration.

Consent

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

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and provide our services. Such parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf, or as independent controllers where they determine their own purposes for processing.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processing providers that handle card or online payments.
Booking and scheduling software providers.
IT, cloud storage, and data backup providers.
Accounting and invoicing service providers.
Customer communication tools, including email or messaging platforms.
Professional advisers such as accountants, legal advisers, or insurers where necessary.

We require our processors to act only on our instructions, to keep personal data secure, and to use it only for the agreed purposes. We do not sell personal data. Where data is shared with third parties outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place as required by law.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, reporting, and customer service requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason it is held.

Customer and service records: retained for the duration of the business relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle queries or disputes.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by applicable law.
Communication records: retained as needed to resolve complaints, maintain service history, or demonstrate compliance.
Marketing records: retained until you withdraw consent or object, or until the data is no longer needed.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention procedures.

7. Data Security

We use 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 confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices. While we take data security seriously, no system is completely risk-free, and we therefore maintain reasonable safeguards proportionate to the nature of the data we process.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. Subject to legal limitations, these include:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit the way we process your data in certain cases.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise your rights, you may make a request through the appropriate channels we provide. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits required by law.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental to a service request or legally necessary. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete or protect it as required.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If you use any online booking or information tools associated with our business, small data files such as cookies may be used to support functionality, improve performance, and analyse usage. Where required, we will obtain appropriate consent for non-essential cookies. You may adjust your browser settings to limit cookies, though some features may be affected.

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 processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we protect your information.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

We are committed to processing personal data lawfully, securely, and transparently. We only collect what we need, keep it no longer than necessary, and use trusted processors where appropriate. We respect your rights and aim to ensure that all Knightsbridge Carpet Cleaners customers in the area can rely on a clear and fair approach to privacy.

By engaging our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.