Privacy Policy - Acton Carpetcleaning

This Privacy Policy explains how Acton Carpetcleaning collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Acton Carpetcleaning customers in the area, including prospective customers, existing customers, and anyone who interacts with us in connection with our services. 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

Acton Carpetcleaning is a service provider that processes personal data to deliver cleaning services, manage customer relationships, issue estimates and invoices, and maintain our business operations. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in the course of providing our services.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on the service requested and the way you interact with us. This may include:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as address, email address, telephone number, and service location.
Service information such as the type of cleaning requested, preferred appointment times, property access notes, and special instructions.
Payment and transaction data such as billing records, payment status, and invoice information.
Communication records such as messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Technical data if you interact with digital systems we use, such as device identifiers or basic usage details.
Additional information you choose to provide, including notes about stains, materials, pets, or access conditions.

We do not collect more data than is necessary for legitimate business and service purposes. Where possible, we aim to limit the information processed to what is relevant and proportionate.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data to provide and improve our services, manage bookings, and support our day-to-day business activities. Typical uses include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
scheduling, delivering, and managing cleaning appointments;
confirming service details and access arrangements;
issuing invoices and processing payments;
handling customer service queries, complaints, and follow-up requests;
keeping records for accounting, tax, and legal obligations;
improving service quality and internal processes;
maintaining security, preventing fraud, and protecting our business and customers.

We use personal data only for purposes that are compatible with the reasons it was collected, unless a new lawful basis applies.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, Acton Carpetcleaning may 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 arranging visits, completing services, taking payment, and managing service delivery.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain records because we are required to do so by law, including for tax, accounting, or regulatory purposes.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This can include business administration, service improvement, record keeping, fraud prevention, and internal quality control.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is appropriate for optional communications or specific types of data use. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These organisations act as processors when they handle personal data on our instructions and under appropriate contractual safeguards. They may include:

payment service providers;
accounting and bookkeeping services;
IT, hosting, cloud storage, and software providers;
customer communication tools;
professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers;
service partners or subcontractors where needed to deliver a booked service.

We only share the minimum information necessary for the relevant purpose. All processors are required to protect personal data, act only on our instructions, and comply with data protection obligations.

We may also disclose personal data where necessary to comply with legal requirements, enforce our terms, protect our rights, or respond to lawful requests from public authorities.

6. 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. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason for processing.

Customer and service records are generally kept for the period needed to manage the customer relationship and resolve queries.
Financial and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records may be kept for a reasonable period to maintain service history and evidence of agreements or complaints.
Consent-based data is retained until consent is withdrawn or it is no longer needed for the stated purpose.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it, anonymise it, or securely archive it in line with our retention practices. We do not keep personal data indefinitely without a valid reason.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or misuse. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and regular review of our data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

8. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses personal data outside the United Kingdom, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protections required by law.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, 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 requests carefully and respond as required by law.

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 may request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how your data is used in specific situations.
Right to data portability – you may request certain data 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 may withdraw it at any time.

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits set by law.

10. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, you should let us know so we can review the issue. You also have the right to raise a complaint with the UK data protection authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this Policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is used.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Acton Carpetcleaning is committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal data responsibly. We only collect information that is needed to provide our services, we process it under a valid lawful basis, we retain it for no longer than necessary, and we use trusted processors under appropriate safeguards. Your rights matter, and we aim to respect them at every stage of our service relationship.