Privacy Policy - Queensbury Carpet Cleaners

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all customers of Queensbury Carpet Cleaners in the area we serve. It explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in connection with our carpet cleaning and related services.

1. Introduction

Queensbury Carpet Cleaners is committed to respecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a fair, transparent, and secure manner. We process personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws. We only collect data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing our business, and meeting our legal obligations.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Queensbury Carpet Cleaners customers in area, including individuals who request quotations, book services, make enquiries, complete transactions, or otherwise interact with us.

2. Data We Collect

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

Identity data: name and, where relevant, title.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and any service location details.
Service data: details of the cleaning service requested, property access notes, cleaning preferences, appointment dates, and service history.
Billing and payment data: payment status, invoice records, and limited financial information necessary to process transactions.
Communication data: enquiries, feedback, complaints, and correspondence with us.
Technical data: basic website or device information if you contact us online, such as IP address or browser details, where applicable.
Special category data: we do not usually collect special category data. If you voluntarily provide information about health, accessibility, or other sensitive needs, we will only use it where necessary and lawful.

We normally collect personal data directly from you when you request a quote, book a service, make payment, or communicate with us. In some cases, we may receive your details from a third party, such as a landlord, letting agent, property manager, or another person acting on your behalf, where they have a lawful basis to share that information.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide carpet cleaning and related services;
to manage bookings, arrivals, and service delivery;
to send quotes, invoices, receipts, and service updates;
to respond to enquiries and customer support requests;
to maintain records of work completed and customer preferences;
to manage accounts, payments, and debt recovery where necessary;
to improve our services, operations, and customer experience;
to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
to handle complaints, claims, or disputes;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do so and you are informed where required.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the context, our lawful bases may include:

Contract: when processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as providing a cleaning service or handling payment.
Legal obligation: when we must process information to comply with tax, accounting, consumer, or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests: when processing is needed for our legitimate business interests, such as managing operations, improving services, preventing fraud, or maintaining secure records, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests.
Consent: where required by law, for example if we rely on your explicit permission for specific optional communications or the handling of sensitive information.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on your privacy and balance our interests against your rights. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These parties act as data processors or independent controllers, depending on their role. We only share what is necessary and require appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

payment processors that handle card or electronic payments;
accounting and bookkeeping providers;
IT, hosting, and software service providers used for scheduling, record keeping, or communication;
professional advisers such as insurers, accountants, or legal advisers;
subcontractors or service partners assisting with service delivery, where needed.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Queensbury Carpet Cleaners, our staff, our customers, or others.

Where data is transferred to processors, we use written contracts and appropriate technical and organisational measures to help ensure your data is protected and processed only on our instructions.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including to meet legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason it is held.

In general:

customer and service records are kept for the duration of our relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
invoice, payment, and tax-related records are kept for the period required by law;
complaint and dispute records are retained as long as needed to resolve matters and defend legal claims;
communication records may be retained for customer service, quality control, and evidential purposes.

When personal data is no longer needed, we securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in a controlled way. Where possible, we apply the principle of storage limitation so information is not kept indefinitely.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited access to data on a need-to-know basis.

Although we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. If we become aware of a data breach that affects your rights and freedoms, we will respond in line with applicable law.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 cases.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, where applicable.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any issue promptly and fairly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and households, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary for service arrangements and handled appropriately by an adult customer or guardian. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete or correct it as required.

10. Changes to This Privacy 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 to customers. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we process personal data.

11. Summary of Key Points

What we collect

We collect only the information needed to provide our services, manage our business, and meet legal duties.

Why we use it

We use personal data for service delivery, administration, communication, compliance, and legitimate business purposes.

Who we share it with

We may share data with trusted processors such as payment, accounting, IT, and professional service providers.

How long we keep it

We retain data only for as long as needed for the relevant purpose and legal obligations.

Your control

You have rights over your personal data, including access, correction, deletion, objection, and withdrawal of consent where applicable.

Queensbury Carpet Cleaners is committed to using personal data responsibly, lawfully, and transparently. Your privacy matters to us, and we aim to ensure that every customer in our area can trust us with their information.