Highbury Carpet Cleaners Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Highbury Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores and protects personal data for all customers in our service area. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. We are committed to handling your personal data fairly, lawfully and transparently.
Who this Privacy Policy applies to
This Privacy Policy applies to all Highbury Carpet Cleaners customers in our service area, including individuals, households and business customers who enquire about, book or receive our carpet cleaning and related services. It also applies to people who contact us for information about our services, even if they do not go on to make a booking.
Personal data we collect
We only collect personal data that is necessary for us to provide our services, manage our business and comply with the law. The types of personal data we may collect include:
Identification and contact details, such as your full name, address where the service is to be provided, billing address if different, and any contact details you choose to provide, such as email or other contact channels.
Service and booking details, such as the type of property, room and carpet details, preferred dates and times, access instructions, details of the services you request, and notes relevant to carrying out the service safely and effectively.
Transaction and payment information, such as records of payments made, payment method used, and invoices. We do not store full payment card details, and any processing of card payments is carried out by payment service providers who act as data processors on our behalf or as independent controllers.
Communication records, such as enquiries, booking confirmations, messages, feedback, complaints and any other correspondence between you and Highbury Carpet Cleaners.
Technical and usage data, such as basic information about how you interact with our website or online content, including dates and times of visits, pages viewed and general device information. This is usually collected using cookies or similar technologies.
Sensitive personal data is not routinely collected. We may occasionally receive health or access information if you choose to provide it, for example to explain mobility issues or special requirements. Where this occurs, we keep it to the minimum necessary and protect it with particular care.
How and why we use your personal data
We use your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. The main purposes and lawful bases are:
To provide our services. We process your identification, contact, booking and payment data to respond to your enquiries, provide quotes, schedule and deliver carpet cleaning services, issue invoices and manage your bookings. The lawful basis is performance of a contract or taking steps at your request before entering into a contract.
To manage our business and customer relationships. We use your data to administer our records, maintain accurate customer details, respond to messages and complaints, and provide customer service. The lawful basis is performance of a contract and our legitimate interests in running and improving our business.
To send essential service communications. We may contact you to confirm bookings, inform you of changes, send reminders, or follow up on completed work. The lawful basis is performance of a contract and our legitimate interests in keeping you informed about your bookings.
To send limited marketing communications. With your consent, or where permitted by law based on our legitimate interests, we may contact you with information about similar services, seasonal offers or service updates. You can opt out of marketing at any time.
To comply with legal obligations. We may process your data to meet legal, tax and accounting obligations, to respond to lawful requests from authorities, or to maintain appropriate business records. The lawful basis is compliance with a legal obligation.
To protect our rights and prevent misuse. We may use personal data to prevent fraud, protect our staff and property, and enforce our terms and conditions where necessary. The lawful basis is our legitimate interests in safeguarding our business and customers.
Data processors and third parties
We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf, for example:
IT and hosting providers who store our records or operate systems that we use to manage bookings, communication or customer records.
Payment service providers who process your payments securely.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where they need access to relevant data to provide their services to us.
These third parties are required to keep your data secure and to use it only in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection laws. Where a third party acts as an independent controller, such as some payment providers or public authorities, they will have their own privacy responsibilities and policies.
We may also need to disclose personal data to law enforcement, regulators or other authorities where we are legally required to do so, or where this is necessary to protect our rights, property or safety, or that of others.
International transfers
Where possible, we store personal data within the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area. If we use a service provider that transfers data outside these locations, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, for example by using countries that have been recognised as providing an adequate level of protection or by using standard contractual clauses or equivalent lawful mechanisms.
How long we keep your data
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide our services, meet legal and accounting requirements, and resolve any disputes.
In general, we keep customer and booking records for a period that allows us to respond to queries about past work, manage repeat bookings and fulfil our legal retention obligations. After this period, data is securely deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be linked back to you.
The exact retention period may vary depending on the type of data, the nature of your relationship with us, and any legal requirements that apply. We review our retention periods regularly and adjust them where appropriate.
How we protect your personal data
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. These measures include secure storage systems, access controls, staff awareness and limiting access to personal data to those who need it for legitimate business purposes.
While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. However, we continually work to maintain and improve the security of our systems and processes.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exceptions. These include:
The right of access. You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and receive a copy of the data we hold about you, together with information about how we use it.
The right to rectification. You can ask us to correct or complete personal data that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to erasure. In some circumstances, you can ask us to delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent where consent was the lawful basis.
The right to restrict processing. You can request that we limit the use of your data in certain situations, for example while we are considering a request to rectify it.
The right to data portability. In certain circumstances, you can request that we provide you with your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, or that we transmit it to another controller where this is technically feasible.
The right to object. You can object at any time to our processing of your personal data where our lawful basis is legitimate interests, including for direct marketing purposes. We will then stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or we need to continue processing for legal claims.
The right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you can withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
Exercising your rights and complaints
If you wish to exercise any of your rights, or if you have questions or concerns about how we handle your personal data, you can contact Highbury Carpet Cleaners using the contact details published on our website or provided in our communications with you. We will respond to your request or enquiry in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data. We would, however, welcome the opportunity to address your concerns directly in the first instance.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or how we handle personal data. Any changes will be made available through our usual communication channels. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your privacy.