Privacy Policy - Cowley Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy applies to all Cowley Carpet Cleaners customers in our service area. It explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data when we provide carpet cleaning and related services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Cowley Carpet Cleaners provides carpet cleaning and related domestic and commercial cleaning services. In the course of delivering our services, we may process personal data about customers, prospective customers, property occupiers, and business contacts. This policy explains how that data is managed.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for operating our business and delivering our services. The information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as your telephone number and email address.
Address details such as the property or business premises where services are performed.
Booking and service details including appointment dates, service preferences, cleaning instructions, and records of work completed.
Payment information such as payment status, invoices, and transaction references. We do not intentionally store full card details unless required by a secure third-party payment provider.
Communication records including messages, enquiries, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data if you contact us through digital channels, such as basic device or usage information collected by service providers.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data. However, if you provide information that may reveal sensitive details, for example access needs related to a health condition, we will treat it carefully and only use it where necessary to provide the service safely.

3. How We Collect Data

We may collect personal data in the following ways:

Directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, or communicate with us.
From your authorised representative, such as a family member, tenant, landlord, or office manager.
From payment and invoicing processes.
From third parties that help us deliver services, such as scheduling or payment platforms.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data only for legitimate business purposes, including:

Providing quotations, confirming bookings, and delivering services.
Managing customer accounts and service records.
Processing payments, refunds, and invoices.
Communicating appointment updates, changes, or service-related issues.
Responding to enquiries, feedback, and complaints.
Maintaining internal records for administration, accounting, and tax purposes.
Meeting legal, regulatory, and insurance obligations.
Improving our services, systems, and customer experience.

We do not sell personal data. We also do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected, unless we obtain a valid legal basis or are required by law to do so.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for using personal data. Cowley Carpet Cleaners relies on 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, service delivery, payment administration, and customer support.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to meet legal obligations, such as maintaining tax records, accounting records, or complying with lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include business administration, service quality monitoring, fraud prevention, record keeping, and resolving customer disputes. We always consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example if we need permission to use certain optional information or to send non-essential communications where consent is required. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the record:

Customer and service records are kept for a reasonable period after the last service so we can manage follow-up queries, resolve disputes, and maintain service history.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by applicable accounting and tax laws.
Communications may be retained for a period necessary to manage complaints, evidence agreements, or support ongoing customer service.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

7. Who We Share Data With

We may share personal data only where necessary and with appropriate safeguards in place. Recipients may include:

Service providers who support booking, administration, accounting, communication, or payment processing.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers, where required.
Regulators or public authorities where we are legally required to do so.
Subcontractors or employees involved in providing the service at your property or premises.

We only share the minimum information necessary. Where third parties process personal data on our behalf, they are required to act in accordance with data protection law and our instructions.

8. Processors and Third-Party Services

Some of our service providers act as data processors. This means they process personal data on our behalf and are not permitted to use it for their own purposes. We work only with processors that provide suitable security and confidentiality commitments. Examples may include:

Appointment scheduling and calendar systems.
Invoicing and accounting software.
Email, messaging, or customer support tools.
Payment processing providers.
IT and cloud storage providers.

We make reasonable efforts to ensure processors have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to protect personal data.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protective measures. This is intended to ensure your data remains protected to a standard consistent with UK GDPR requirements.

10. Data Security

We take the security of personal data seriously. We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, secure storage, password protection, and staff awareness on confidentiality. However, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. 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 information.
Right to erasure – to ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used 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 can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise these rights, you may contact us using the details provided in our usual customer communication channels. We will respond within the time limits required by law, unless an extension is permitted.

12. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is provided by an adult customer as part of a service arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where required.

13. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use personal data for decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. Any decisions affecting service delivery are made by people, not by automated systems alone.

14. 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 handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

15. Summary of Our Commitment

Cowley Carpet Cleaners is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and lawfully. We collect only what we need, use it for clear purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and protect the rights of every customer in our area. Our aim is to provide a trustworthy service while respecting your privacy at every stage.