Privacy Policy - Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners

Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Hammersmith area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you use our carpet cleaning services, request a quote, make an enquiry, or otherwise interact with us. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy applies to all Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including residential and commercial customers, prospective customers, and anyone whose personal data we process in connection with our services.

1. Information We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including the type of cleaning requested, property access instructions, appointment dates, and service preferences.
Payment information such as billing details and payment confirmations. We do not store full card details unless a secure payment provider handles them on our behalf.
Communication records including messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence related to our services.
Technical information where applicable, such as limited device or usage data if you contact us through digital channels.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and usually not expected. If ever collected, this will be handled with extra protection and only where a lawful basis permits it.

We generally collect data directly from you. In some cases, we may also receive information from third parties such as booking platforms, payment processors, property managers, or referral partners, where this is necessary for providing our services.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for clearly defined and legitimate purposes, including:

providing carpet cleaning and related services;
managing bookings, quotes, and customer enquiries;
carrying out service updates, reminders, and follow-up communication;
processing payments and keeping financial records;
responding to complaints, claims, and customer requests;
maintaining records for administration, quality control, and training;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
preventing fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
improving our services and customer experience.

We will only use your information in a way that is compatible with the purpose for which it was collected. If we need to use personal data for a new purpose, we will assess whether that purpose is compatible and, where required, obtain consent or notify you.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the nature of the activity, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, providing carpet cleaning services, processing payments, and communicating about your appointment or service request.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data when required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax recordkeeping, accounting requirements, insurance purposes, or responses to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include business administration, service improvement, fraud prevention, customer support, and record management. We always balance our interests against your privacy rights.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where we need to send certain types of marketing communication or process optional information. Where consent is used as the lawful basis, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

4. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and in line with legal, accounting, and operational requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and why it is held.

Customer service records are usually retained for a reasonable period after the service is completed to manage follow-up queries, complaints, or disputes.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law and accounting rules.
Communication records may be kept for a limited period to support service quality and customer care.
Marketing data, where applicable, is kept until you opt out or withdraw consent.

When personal data is no longer needed, we securely delete it, anonymise it, or archive it in a restricted format where appropriate. We review retention regularly to ensure we do not keep information longer than necessary.

5. Processors and Data Sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who process information on our behalf, known as processors. These providers may only use your data in accordance with our instructions and must keep it secure.

Processors may include:

Payment processors for handling secure transactions;
IT and cloud service providers for storing data, emails, and business systems;
Booking and scheduling tools used to manage appointments;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration;
Customer support and communication services used to manage enquiries or service updates;
Professional advisers such as insurers, accountants, or legal advisers where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, to protect our rights or property, or to respond to lawful requests from public authorities. If we ever need to transfer your data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place so that your information remains protected.

6. Security of Your Information

We take the security of personal data seriously and use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of internal procedures.

Although we do our best to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will act in accordance with applicable law and, where necessary, notify the relevant authorities and affected individuals.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be limited in some circumstances, but we will always assess and respond to your request fairly and lawfully.

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 information.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data where there is no legal reason for us to keep it.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – you may request that certain information be provided in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so that we can try to resolve the matter quickly and fairly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in a specific service context and appropriate safeguards are in place. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without a valid reason, we will take steps to delete it.

9. 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. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners only processes personal data where it is necessary, fair, and lawful. We collect the minimum information required to provide services, maintain accurate records, and comply with the law. We retain data only as long as needed, work with trusted processors under strict safeguards, and respect your rights under data protection law.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy and the applicable UK data protection laws.