Privacy Policy - Pimlico Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Pimlico Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Pimlico Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including current, former, and prospective customers who request a quotation, make a booking, receive a service, or otherwise interact with us.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only collect data that is necessary for our business operations and service delivery, and we do not use it in ways that are incompatible with the purposes described in this policy.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Identity information: name, title, and any other details needed to identify you.
• Contact information: address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service information: property access details, preferred appointment times, cleaning instructions, and details about carpets, rugs, upholstery, or other items to be cleaned.
• Transaction information: records of quotations, bookings, invoices, payments, refunds, and payment status.
• Communication records: enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence relating to our services.
• Technical data: limited information such as device type, browser type, and usage data where you interact with our digital systems or communications.
• Special category data: we do not normally collect sensitive personal data. If such information is incidentally provided to us, we will only process it where permitted by law and where strictly necessary.

We generally collect this information directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, book a service, complete a form, communicate with us, or provide feedback. In some cases, we may receive information from third parties acting on your behalf, such as landlords, letting agents, property managers, or family members arranging services for you.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide quotations and respond to service enquiries;
• to manage bookings and deliver cleaning services;
• to communicate about appointments, changes, and service updates;
• to process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records;
• to handle complaints, service issues, and customer support requests;
• to maintain internal records and service history;
• to improve our services, customer experience, and business operations;
• to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
• to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use your personal data for the purpose for which it was collected unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose. If we need to use your data for an unrelated purpose, we will inform you and explain the legal basis that allows us to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as providing a quote, confirming a booking, carrying out cleaning services, or processing payment.

Legal Obligation

We process data where required to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, tax, record-keeping, consumer law, and other regulatory requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer relationships, improving services, maintaining business records, preventing fraud, and protecting our operations.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is necessary for a specific optional purpose. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests and Public Task

These bases are unlikely to apply in normal service delivery, but we may rely on them in exceptional circumstances where necessary to protect someone’s vital interests or where required by law.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business and provide services. These parties act as processors when they handle data on our behalf and only according to our instructions.

Examples of processors and service partners may include:

• Payment service providers who process card or electronic payments;
• Booking and scheduling systems used to manage appointments and service records;
• IT and cloud storage providers that host business data securely;
• Accounting and invoicing providers that support financial administration;
• Customer communication tools used for operational messages;
• Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary;
• Regulators, law enforcement, or public authorities where we are required to disclose information by law.

We only share data that is necessary for the specific purpose. All processors are expected to implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures and to process personal data lawfully. We do not sell personal data.

5. Data Retention

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

In general, we retain:

• Customer and booking records for as long as needed to administer the service relationship and handle follow-up issues;
• Financial and invoice records for the period required under tax and accounting law;
• Communication records for a reasonable period to manage queries, disputes, or complaints;
• Technical and operational records for short periods unless needed for security or service improvement.

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

6. Data Security

We take appropriate measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, restricted permissions, and regular review of our systems and procedures.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risks and only provide access to personal data to individuals who need it to perform their duties.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under data protection law. These rights may be subject to conditions and exceptions, but we will always assess requests carefully and respond within the required timeframes.

• 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 data.
• Right to erasure: you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction: you can ask us to limit processing 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 in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
• Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
• Right to complain: you can raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request. This is to protect your privacy and prevent unauthorised disclosure.

8. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place so that the data receives a level of protection consistent with UK data protection requirements. This may include reliance on adequacy regulations or approved contractual safeguards.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are primarily intended for adults arranging carpet cleaning in domestic or commercial premises. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children, and we do not intentionally market services to them. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data without appropriate authorisation, we will take steps to delete it where required.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.

11. Summary of Our Commitments

Pimlico Carpet Cleaners is committed to processing personal data responsibly and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We respect your rights and aim to handle all personal data with care, security, and accountability.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Pimlico Carpet Cleaners customers in the area.