Privacy Policy - Morden Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Morden Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Morden Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who interact with us on behalf of a home, business, or property requiring 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. This policy is intended to help you understand what data we process, why we process it, and the rights available to you.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you use our services. The data we collect is limited to what is necessary for providing cleaning services, managing bookings, and maintaining our business operations.

Information you provide directly

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, preferred appointment times, and special requirements.
Payment-related information where needed to process invoices, receipts, and account records.
Communication records such as messages, enquiries, complaints, and feedback.

Information collected automatically

Technical information such as device type, browser type, and basic usage data if you contact us through digital channels.
Operational information such as service history, appointment schedules, and job completion notes.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is provided by you voluntarily and is necessary for a specific service concern, such as access arrangements or health-related safety information. If such information is shared, we will only use it where a lawful basis applies and where additional safeguards are appropriate.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To schedule and deliver cleaning services.
To manage customer accounts, bookings, and service records.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records.
To communicate regarding appointments, service updates, or customer support.
To improve our services, training, quality control, and operational efficiency.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
To protect our business, property, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes described above or for closely related purposes that you would reasonably expect.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Depending on the context, Morden Carpet Cleaners 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 services, confirming bookings, carrying out cleaning work, and managing payment obligations.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service administration, fraud prevention, record management, customer support, and improving service quality.

Legal obligation

We process certain data when required to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, consumer protection, and record-keeping duties.

Consent

Where consent is required, for example for certain marketing communications or the handling of optional sensitive information, we will ask for it clearly. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service provided. Where they act as processors, they only process personal data on our instructions and are required to protect it.

Examples of processors and service providers

IT and hosting providers who support storage, security, and communication systems.
Booking or administrative software providers used to manage appointments and records.
Payment service providers who process transactions and related financial data.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where needed for compliance and business operations.
Operational subcontractors engaged to assist with service delivery, subject to confidentiality and data protection safeguards.

We may also disclose personal data to public authorities, regulators, courts, or law enforcement where required by law or necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal rights.

We do not sell personal data. If any international transfer is required by a processor, appropriate safeguards will be used to protect your information.

5. Retention of Personal Data

We only keep personal data for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention period may vary depending on the type of record and the reason it is held.

Typical retention approach

Customer booking and service records are generally kept for the period needed to manage the service relationship and handle follow-up matters.
Invoice and payment records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records may be kept for a reasonable period to resolve disputes, answer queries, or maintain service history.
Marketing-related data is kept until you withdraw consent or opt out, where applicable.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention procedures.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices.

While no system is completely secure, we work to maintain an appropriate level of protection based on the nature of the data and the risks involved.

7. 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 restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.

These rights are subject to legal conditions and exceptions. This means there may be situations where we cannot fully comply with a request, for example where we must retain records to meet legal obligations or defend a legal claim.

We will respond to valid requests within the timeframe required by law. To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

8. 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 published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how your data is handled.

9. Our Commitment

Morden Carpet Cleaners respects your privacy and is committed to responsible data handling. We aim to process personal data only when necessary, keep it secure, and use it in ways that are consistent with your expectations and applicable law. If you are a customer in the area, this policy applies to you whenever we collect or use your personal data in connection with our services.