Privacy Policy - Whetstone Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Whetstone Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Whetstone Carpet Cleaners customers in the area where our services are offered. We are committed to handling personal information in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only collect and use personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so, and we aim to be clear and transparent about what we do with the information entrusted to us.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to:

Customers who request or receive carpet cleaning services
Potential customers who ask for quotes, assessments, or service information
Payment-related contacts whose details are provided for billing or invoicing purposes
Individuals who communicate with us regarding bookings, complaints, or service queries

By using our services, you acknowledge that this policy applies to the personal data we process in connection with your engagement with Whetstone Carpet Cleaners.

2. Information we collect

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

Personal identification details

Name
Address and service location
Telephone number
Email address

Service and communication details

Booking information
Records of quotes and estimates
Messages and correspondence
Notes about service preferences or access requirements
Details of complaints, disputes, or customer feedback

Payment and transaction information

Invoice details
Payment status and transaction records
Limited financial information required to process payments

Technical and operational information

Basic device or usage data when you contact us electronically
Service history and appointment logs

We do not deliberately collect special category data unless you provide it to us for a specific reason and it is necessary for the service, such as information about allergies or access needs. In such cases, we only use that information with appropriate care and safeguards.

3. How we use personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotes
To schedule, carry out, and complete cleaning services
To manage customer accounts, records, and service history
To issue invoices and process payments
To communicate about bookings, changes, cancellations, or service issues
To handle complaints and resolve disputes
To meet legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations
To improve our services and maintain internal business records

We do not sell personal data. We also do not use customer information for unrelated purposes without a valid lawful basis.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Depending on the activity, Whetstone Carpet Cleaners may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, delivering cleaning services, taking payment, and following up on service-related requests.

Legal obligation

We process personal data where required to comply with laws and regulations, including tax, accounting, fraud prevention, and record-keeping requirements.

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. This may include maintaining service records, improving operations, managing customer communications, and protecting our business against misuse or claims.

Consent

In limited situations, we may ask for your consent, for example where we process optional information that is not necessary for the service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. How we share personal data

We may share personal data only when necessary and only with appropriate safeguards. This may include:

Service processors who support our operations
Payment service providers
Accounting and bookkeeping providers
IT and cloud storage providers
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers
Public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement where required by law

We ensure that any third party handling personal data on our behalf is subject to suitable contractual and security obligations.

6. Processors

Where we use third-party processors, they process personal data only on our instructions and for the purposes we specify. Typical processors may include those providing:

Booking and scheduling systems
Secure data storage and backup services
Payment processing tools
Accounting and invoicing software
Email or communication platforms

We take reasonable steps to ensure processors implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure.

7. Data retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason we hold it.

Typical retention approach

Customer service records: kept for the duration of the business relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage follow-up, complaints, or repeat service needs
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law
Communications and queries: kept only as long as needed to resolve the matter and maintain service history
Consent-based information: retained until consent is withdrawn or the information is no longer needed

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in a responsible manner.

8. Data security

We use appropriate security measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unlawful access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted staff permissions, and safe disposal practices. Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to protect information at a level appropriate to the risks involved.

9. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations and exemptions, but we will always consider your request carefully.

Your rights include:

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 request deletion of personal 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 in certain circumstances
Right to data portability - to receive certain information in a structured, commonly used format where applicable
Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

If you believe your rights have not been respected, you also have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority.

10. International transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that it remains protected to a standard consistent with applicable data protection laws. This may include using approved contractual safeguards or ensuring the destination provides adequate protection.

11. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults arranging carpet cleaning and related domestic or commercial services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a service request and provided by a responsible adult.

12. Updates to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how personal data is handled.

13. Summary of our commitments

We collect only data needed to deliver services and manage operations
We rely on lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent
We retain data only as long as necessary
We share data only with trusted processors or where legally required
We respect and support your GDPR rights

Whetstone Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting your privacy and using personal data fairly, securely, and transparently.