Privacy Policy - Finsbury Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Finsbury Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Finsbury Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and former customers whose information we may retain for legal or operational reasons. 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

Finsbury Carpet Cleaners is a service provider offering carpet cleaning, stain removal, upholstery cleaning, rug care, and related domestic and commercial cleaning services. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our services. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

• Identity details: name, title, and, where relevant, company or organisation name.
• Contact details: address, email address, telephone number, and service location.
• Booking and service information: requested services, appointment dates, service notes, access instructions, and work history.
• Payment and transaction data: payment status, invoice details, and records of services purchased. We do not store full card details where payment is processed through secure third-party systems.
• Communication records: messages, emails, call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence relating to your enquiry or booking.
• Technical data: limited information collected through digital systems, such as device or browser information, if used to support booking or service administration.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or it is otherwise required for a legitimate operational reason and permitted by law. If such data is ever collected, it is handled with enhanced care and appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect information directly from you when you:

• request a quotation or make a booking;
• communicate with us by phone, email, or other channels;
• provide details on-site before, during, or after a service;
• complete forms or give instructions relating to access or service delivery;
• make a payment or request an invoice.

We may also receive limited information from third parties, such as property managers, letting agents, landlords, or business clients who arrange services on your behalf. In such cases, those parties should ensure they have a lawful basis for sharing your data with us.

4. Why We Use Your 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 and issue receipts or invoices;
• to keep records of completed work and service history;
• to handle complaints, claims, and customer support matters;
• to improve our services, training, and operational standards;
• to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and accounting requirements;
• to maintain the security and integrity of our systems and records.

We will only use your data in ways that are compatible with the reasons for which it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do otherwise.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Finsbury Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging bookings, delivering services, taking payment, and providing customer support related to the service.

Legitimate Interests

We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing appointments, keeping service records, preventing fraud, improving service quality, and communicating with customers about existing services.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain data to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, health and safety, and record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you expressly agree to receive certain types of marketing communications or where consent is the most appropriate basis for a specific activity. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf or, in some cases, independent controllers. These parties are only given the data necessary to perform their role and are required to protect it appropriately.

Processors may include:

• IT and software providers that host or support our booking, scheduling, email, or record-management systems;
• payment service providers that handle secure transaction processing;
• accounting and bookkeeping providers that support financial administration;
• customer communication tools used to send service-related messages;
• professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where necessary;
• subcontractors or operational partners assisting with service delivery, where applicable.

Where required by law, we may also disclose personal data to public authorities, courts, or law enforcement bodies. Any sharing will be limited to what is necessary and proportionate.

7. International Transfers

Some of our processors may store or access data outside the United Kingdom. If personal data is transferred internationally, we will take steps to ensure it is protected by appropriate safeguards, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the type of record and the reason for holding it.

• Customer service and booking records: retained for the period needed to manage the service relationship and resolve any issues.
• Financial records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
• Complaint or dispute records: retained for as long as necessary to defend legal claims or address ongoing matters.
• Marketing consent records: retained until consent is withdrawn or the information is no longer needed.

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

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions and exemptions, but we will always consider requests carefully and respond within the required timeframe.

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

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so that we can attempt to resolve the issue promptly.

10. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and the use of trusted processors with suitable security arrangements. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we regularly review our safeguards to maintain a high standard of protection.

11. Automated Decision-Making

We do not generally use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on customers. If this position changes, we will update this policy and provide further information about the logic involved and your associated rights.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, technology, our services, or our operational practices. Any updates will apply from the date they are published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how we use personal data.

13. Our Commitment

Finsbury Carpet Cleaners respects the privacy of every customer and is committed to processing personal data responsibly. We aim to ensure that all information is handled with care, kept only for as long as necessary, and used only for legitimate purposes. By using our services, you acknowledge that your data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

This policy applies to all Finsbury Carpet Cleaners customers in the area.