Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners Customer Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores and protects personal data about its customers. It applies to all Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners customers in the Hammersmith area who use our carpet cleaning and related services, whether contacting us online, by message, or in person.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy covers personal data processed by Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners in connection with providing carpet, upholstery and related cleaning services, customer service, invoicing and marketing. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and understand how we process your personal data in line with applicable data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data about you as our customer:

Identification details such as your name and, where relevant, your business or organisation name and role. Contact details such as service address, billing address, and any alternative addresses you provide, as well as any online identifiers you choose to share when communicating with us. Booking and service information such as details of the services you request, preferred dates and times, property access instructions that you provide to us, and information about the areas or items that require cleaning. Transaction and payment information such as records of quotes, invoices, payment status and methods. We do not directly process full payment card details where third-party payment processors are used. Communication data such as enquiries, messages, feedback, complaints and any other correspondence with us in relation to our services. Technical data such as basic device or browser details and information derived from cookies or similar technologies where used for basic service functionality and analytics.

Purposes and Lawful Bases for Processing

We process your personal data for specific purposes and only when there is a lawful basis to do so under data protection law. The main purposes and lawful bases are:

To provide and manage our services. We use your identification, contact, booking and service information to arrange, deliver and manage carpet cleaning and related services at your property. The lawful basis is performance of a contract or steps taken at your request before entering into a contract.

To handle enquiries and customer support. We process your contact and communication data to respond to enquiries, reschedule appointments, resolve complaints and provide ongoing support. The lawful basis is performance of a contract and our legitimate interest in maintaining customer relationships.

To manage billing and payments. We use your transaction and limited payment details to issue quotes and invoices, record payments and manage any refunds or disputes. The lawful basis is performance of a contract and compliance with legal obligations regarding financial records.

To improve our services and operations. We may process service records and feedback to improve our cleaning services, scheduling efficiency and customer experience. The lawful basis is our legitimate interest in running and developing our business in a way that does not override your rights and freedoms.

To send service updates and limited direct marketing. We may send you important service messages, such as changes to bookings or to this Privacy Policy, based on our contractual and legal obligations. We may also send you information about similar services you have already used, based on our legitimate interests, unless you choose to opt out.

To comply with legal and regulatory requirements. We may process your data to meet obligations relating to tax, accounting, consumer rights, health and safety or to respond to lawful requests from authorities. The lawful basis is compliance with legal obligations and legitimate interests in protecting our business.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. As a general guideline, we retain:

Basic customer and service records for a period that enables us to handle repeat bookings, queries or complaints, and to demonstrate our service history. Financial and invoicing records for the period required under relevant tax and accounting legislation. Communication and complaint records for a reasonable period necessary to resolve issues and to demonstrate how we have handled them.

When personal data is no longer needed for these purposes, we will either delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to an identifiable individual.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data, to the extent necessary, with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These may include:

Payment service providers that process payments and refunds on our behalf. Providers of booking, scheduling or customer management systems that help us manage appointments, customer records and communications. IT and hosting providers that store or support our business systems and help ensure the security and availability of our data. Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary for business, legal or compliance reasons.

Each processor is only permitted to use your personal data in accordance with our instructions and for the specific purposes we have agreed with them. We take steps to ensure that processors provide appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data.

We may also share limited personal data where we are legally required to do so, for example with regulatory authorities or law enforcement, or where it is necessary to protect our rights, property or safety or the rights, property or safety of others.

International Transfers

Where any of our service providers or their systems are located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data, in line with data protection law. This may include the use of standard contractual clauses or equivalent legal mechanisms.

Your Data Protection Rights

As a customer of Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions under the law. These rights include:

The right of access. You can request confirmation that we process your personal data and ask for a copy of the data we hold about you.

The right to rectification. You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.

The right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent and there is no other lawful basis for processing.

The right to restriction of processing. You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we are verifying the accuracy of data or assessing an objection you have raised.

The right to data portability. Where processing is based on your consent or on a contract and is carried out by automated means, you may request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, or that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.

The right to object. You can object to our processing of your personal data based on our legitimate interests, including profiling related to those interests, and you have an absolute right to object at any time to processing for direct marketing purposes.

The right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent as the lawful basis for processing, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing before consent was withdrawn.

Security of Your Personal Data

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include limiting access to personal data to those who need it for their role, using secure systems and applying safeguards recommended by relevant guidance. While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be fully secure.

Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, the way we process personal data or legal requirements. Any changes will take effect when the updated policy is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we use your personal data.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners customers in the Hammersmith area and is intended to provide clear information about our data protection practices so that you can make informed choices about using our services.