Privacy Policy - Upton Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Upton Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Upton Carpet Cleaners customers in our service area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, receives a service, or communicates with us in relation to carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, rug cleaning, stain removal, or related domestic and commercial cleaning 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. We respect your privacy and only process personal data where we have a valid legal basis to do so.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is reasonably necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and comply with legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact information such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as details of the cleaning service requested, property access instructions, appointment dates, and any special requirements.
Payment information such as payment status, transaction records, and billing details. We do not usually store full card details if payment is processed by a third-party provider.
Communication records such as emails, messages, call notes, and service-related correspondence.
Technical information where relevant, such as limited website or device information if you interact with our online services.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where necessary, for example from property managers, landlords, agents, or referral partners when they arrange a booking on your behalf.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to operate our business and deliver our services efficiently. This includes:

providing quotes and confirming bookings;
carrying out carpet and related cleaning services;
communicating with you about appointments, service changes, and follow-up matters;
issuing invoices and processing payments;
handling complaints, queries, and customer support requests;
maintaining business records and service history;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We do not sell your personal data. We only use your data for purposes that are necessary and proportionate to the service we provide.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for every processing activity. Depending on the situation, Upton Carpet Cleaners may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes you request, scheduling cleaning appointments, and delivering the service you have booked.

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 managing our customer records, improving service quality, responding to enquiries, and protecting our business against fraud or misuse. We always consider whether the impact on your privacy is reasonable before relying on this basis.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information where required to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

Consent

Where we rely on your consent, such as for specific optional marketing communications, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing that has already taken place lawfully.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for which it is used.

Customer and booking records are typically retained for the period needed to manage the service relationship and resolve any follow-up issues.
Financial and invoicing records are retained for the periods required by tax and accounting law.
Complaint and correspondence records may be retained for a reasonable time to manage disputes and maintain service quality.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services, run our business, or comply with the law. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the circumstances.

Examples of processors or service providers we may use include:

IT and cloud storage providers for secure data hosting and record management;
payment processors for handling card or electronic payments;
accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration;
customer communication tools for sending service-related messages;
professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where needed.

We require processors to handle your data securely, only on our instructions, and in compliance with data protection law. We do not allow them to use your data for their own purposes unless they are acting as an independent controller and have a lawful basis to do so.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or other lawful request from a public authority.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the data we process and the risks involved. While no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, we work to maintain a high standard of protection and review our practices regularly.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have several rights under GDPR. Subject to legal limits and exemptions, you may have the right to:

access the personal data we hold about you;
rectify inaccurate or incomplete information;
erase your data in certain circumstances;
restrict how we use your data in certain situations;
object to processing based on legitimate interests;
data portability for information you provided to us, where applicable;
withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. We will respond within the time limits required by law, usually within one month, unless the request is complex or numerous.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been mishandled. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve the matter promptly and fairly.

8. Marketing and Preferences

If we send you marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You may opt out of marketing at any time. Service messages, appointment confirmations, payment reminders, and other operational communications are not marketing and may still be sent where necessary to fulfil our contractual or legal obligations.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and organisations arranging cleaning services. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children. If we become aware that we have collected such data without appropriate authority, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Upton Carpet Cleaners is committed to respecting your privacy and using personal data responsibly. We process data only where we have a lawful basis, keep it only for as long as necessary, use trusted processors under appropriate safeguards, and support your rights under data protection law.

By using our services, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to you as a customer in our area of service.