Privacy Policy - Colyers Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Colyers Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our services. It applies to all Colyers Carpet Cleaners customers in the area where our services are provided. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Colyers Carpet Cleaners provides carpet cleaning and related domestic and commercial cleaning services. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in the course of providing our services, unless we are acting on behalf of another organisation under a separate written agreement.

2. Personal data we collect

We only collect information that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, maintaining records, and meeting legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity details such as name and title
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and property address
Service details such as booking information, property access notes, and cleaning preferences
Payment-related information such as payment status and transaction references, where relevant
Communication records including messages, complaints, queries, and customer feedback
Technical data such as limited website or device information if you interact with our digital systems, where applicable
Special instructions you choose to provide, for example access arrangements or sensitivities relating to a property

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is clearly necessary and you choose to provide it. If such information is ever provided, we will only process it where a lawful basis exists and appropriate safeguards are in place.

3. How we collect personal data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you enquire about our services, make a booking, request a quotation, communicate with us, or provide feedback. We may also receive data from third parties where necessary for service delivery, such as from a landlord, letting agent, property manager, or another customer acting on your behalf. In some cases, we may receive limited information from publicly available sources or from our own records where this is necessary for legitimate business purposes.

4. Why we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage carpet cleaning and related services
To process bookings, quotations, and customer requests
To communicate with you about appointments, changes, and service updates
To handle payments, refunds, and accounting records
To manage complaints, disputes, and customer support issues
To maintain business records and improve our services
To comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations
To prevent fraud, misuse, and unlawful activity

We always aim to limit our use of personal data to what is necessary and proportionate. We do not sell personal data.

5. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for every use of personal data. Depending on the circumstances, Colyers Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, delivering cleaning services, issuing quotes, arranging access, and managing service-related communication.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer relationships, improving service quality, keeping internal records, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse.

Legal obligation

We may process personal data where required to meet a legal obligation, such as maintaining tax records, responding to lawful requests, or complying with accounting and regulatory duties.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is the most appropriate basis for a particular type of communication or optional service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

6. Sharing your data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary to run our business and provide our services. Where these third parties process personal data on our behalf, they act as processors and are only allowed to use the data according to our instructions and applicable law.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and hosting providers who store data or support our systems
Payment service providers who handle transactions securely
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial records
Customer management or scheduling systems used to organise bookings and communications
Professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers, where needed

We may also share data with other parties where required by law, such as law enforcement, regulators, courts, or public authorities. If our business is reorganised, sold, or transferred, personal data may be disclosed to relevant parties as part of that process, subject to appropriate safeguards.

7. International transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses personal data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. This may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. We take reasonable steps to ensure that your data remains protected to an appropriate standard wherever it is processed.

8. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Customer and booking records are usually kept for as long as needed to manage the service relationship and resolve any related issues
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law and accounting rules
Communication records may be kept for a reasonable period to support customer service, complaints handling, and business protection
Inactive or unnecessary data will be securely deleted or anonymised when it is no longer needed

When deciding how long to retain data, we consider the nature of the data, the potential risk of harm, legal obligations, and operational needs. We regularly review data to ensure that it is not kept longer than necessary.

9. How we protect your data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited permissions, staff awareness, and safe disposal procedures. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable and proportionate steps to protect the information we hold.

10. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the basis on which we process the data.

Right of access – you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data in certain situations
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
Right to data portability – you can ask for certain data to be provided in a structured, commonly used format
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits set out by law, usually within one month, unless the request is complex or numerous.

11. Marketing preferences

We may send you service-related communications where necessary to provide our services. If we ever send optional marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You may object to or opt out of such communications at any time. Service messages are different from marketing messages, and we may still need to contact you about appointments, invoices, or service matters even if you opt out of marketing.

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 incidentally provided in connection with a property or service request. If we become aware that data has been collected inappropriately, we will take reasonable steps to delete it or secure it in accordance with legal requirements.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational requirements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

14. Complaints

If you are concerned about how your personal data has been handled, you have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant data protection authority. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concerns promptly and fairly. You also have the right to seek legal advice or use other remedies available under data protection law.

In summary, Colyers Carpet Cleaners is committed to respecting privacy, using personal data responsibly, and maintaining strong safeguards over the information entrusted to us. This policy applies to all Colyers Carpet Cleaners customers in area and is intended to provide clear, transparent information about how we process personal data in line with GDPR requirements.