Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy - Aldgate Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Aldgate Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Aldgate Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request quotes, book appointments, make enquiries, receive services, or otherwise interact with us. We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws.

1. Who We Are

Aldgate Carpet Cleaners is a service provider that processes personal data to deliver cleaning services, manage customer relationships, maintain records, and comply with legal obligations. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal information we collect and use in connection with our business operations.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

• Identity information: name, title, and any preferred form of address.
• Contact details: phone number, email address, and service address.
• Service information: details about the requested cleaning service, property type, appointment preferences, and special instructions.
• Payment and transaction data: records of payments, invoices, and payment status.
• Communication data: messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence with us.
• Technical data: limited information such as device details or access records if you contact us through digital channels.
• Legal and compliance data: records required for tax, accounting, fraud prevention, or dispute handling.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it, for example, if it is relevant to access arrangements or service safety. Where such information is provided, we will only process it where a lawful basis applies and appropriate safeguards are in place.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

• request a quote or make a booking;
• communicate with us by phone, email, message, or other means;
• provide feedback, raise a complaint, or request support;
• complete payment or invoicing arrangements; or
• use our services at your property or business premises.

We may also receive data from third parties where permitted by law, such as referral partners, payment providers, bookkeeping services, or property managers acting on your behalf.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a valid lawful basis to process personal data. Aldgate Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases depending on the activity involved:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes providing quotations, scheduling services, completing cleaning work, issuing invoices, and managing bookings.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal obligations, including tax rules, accounting requirements, fraud prevention, insurance, and record-keeping duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and rights do not override those interests. Examples include service administration, internal quality control, handling enquiries, improving customer service, and defending legal claims. We always consider whether the processing is fair, necessary, and proportionate.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for specific optional communications or for particular kinds of data processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. How We Use Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide quotes, arrange appointments, and deliver cleaning services;
• to manage customer accounts and service records;
• to process payments and issue invoices;
• to communicate about bookings, updates, or service issues;
• to respond to questions, complaints, and requests;
• to maintain business, accounting, and tax records;
• to improve our services and customer experience;
• to protect against fraud, misuse, or security risks; and
• to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

We will only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that another lawful purpose applies and it is compatible with the original purpose.

6. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only where necessary and lawful. We do not sell your personal information. Data may be shared with processors and other authorised third parties who help us run our business. These may include:

• payment processors;
• accounting and bookkeeping providers;
• customer management or scheduling software providers;
• IT and system support services;
• professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors;
• public authorities where required by law; and
• service partners who help deliver operational tasks on our behalf.

Where we use processors, they are required to process personal data only on our instructions, protect it appropriately, and comply with data protection law. We seek to ensure that any third party with access to personal data has appropriate confidentiality and security measures in place.

7. International Transfers

If any service provider processes personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are used, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. We take steps to ensure that transferred data receives a level of protection consistent with UK GDPR requirements.

8. Retention of Personal Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing. In general:

• customer and service records are kept for the duration of the relationship and a reasonable period afterwards;
• financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law;
• complaints and dispute records may be kept longer where needed to defend legal claims; and
• marketing-related data is kept until you withdraw consent or object, where applicable.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention procedures. We regularly review data held to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary.

9. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our processes. While no system is completely secure, we work to maintain a high standard of protection.

10. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these may 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 data.
• Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restrict processing: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
• Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
• 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.
• Right to complain: to raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been breached.

To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. We aim to respond within the timeframes required by law.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental to providing services at a property and is necessary for lawful business purposes. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without a valid reason, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or how we process personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Aldgate Carpet Cleaners is committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We only collect data that is needed to provide our services and run our business responsibly. We use appropriate safeguards, limit retention to necessary periods, and respect your rights under GDPR. Your privacy matters to us, and we aim to handle all customer data with care, confidentiality, and accountability.