Privacy Policy - Millbank Carpet Cleaners

Millbank Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in our service area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, store, and protect personal information when you use our services. It applies to all Millbank Carpet Cleaners customers in area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who have previously used our services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Millbank Carpet Cleaners acts as the data controller for the personal information we process. This means we decide how and why your personal data is used in connection with our cleaning services, scheduling, customer support, quotations, invoicing, and service management.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing and managing our services. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact information such as your address, phone number, and email address.
Service information such as booking details, cleaning preferences, property access instructions, and records of services performed.
Payment and billing information such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication records including emails, messages, complaints, feedback, and service-related notes.
Technical information where relevant, such as basic device or usage information if you interact with us online.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and lawful to do so. If such data is ever provided to us, we will treat it with additional care and only process it where a valid legal basis applies.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to operate our business and provide our services effectively. This may include:

Managing bookings and arranging appointments.
Providing carpet cleaning and related services.
Preparing quotations, invoices, and receipts.
Communicating with you about your booking, service updates, or customer support matters.
Keeping internal records of services carried out.
Handling complaints, queries, or service follow-up requests.
Meeting legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
Improving our services, operations, and customer experience.

We only use your information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably need to use it for another compatible purpose and the law allows us to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR and GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the activity, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, delivering cleaning services, sending invoices, and responding to customer requests related to the service.

Legal Obligation

We may process your data to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, fraud prevention, and other regulatory duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Examples include maintaining business records, improving services, managing customer relationships, and protecting our business from misuse.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it only where necessary and lawful, including with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These may include:

Payment processors who handle card or electronic payments.
IT and system providers who support our booking, storage, or communications systems.
Accounting or bookkeeping processors who assist with financial records and tax compliance.
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers where needed.
Regulators or public authorities when disclosure is required by law.

Where we use third-party service providers, they act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service. Processors are only allowed to handle your data on our instructions and must protect it appropriately. We require appropriate safeguards and contractual controls to ensure your information is handled securely and lawfully.

6. Data Retention

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

Customer and service records are generally kept for as long as needed to manage the relationship and handle any follow-up issues.
Financial and tax-related records are kept for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained for a reasonable period to help us manage enquiries, complaints, and service history.

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

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricting access to data on a need-to-know basis.

While no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, we work to maintain a level of security appropriate to the risk.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These may 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 data.
Right to erasure - to ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction - to request limited processing 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 processing is based on consent.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal conditions or exemptions. If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding.

9. Automated Decision-Making

We do not typically use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and ensure suitable safeguards are in place.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or communicated, as appropriate.

11. Summary of Key Points

We collect only the personal data needed to provide and manage our services.
We process data under lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where applicable.
We may share data with trusted processors and other parties only when necessary.
We keep data only for as long as needed and then securely delete or anonymise it.
You have rights over your personal data, including access, correction, deletion, and objection.

Millbank Carpet Cleaners is dedicated to handling personal information fairly, transparently, and in accordance with data protection law. This Privacy Policy applies to all Millbank Carpet Cleaners customers in area and is intended to explain our practices clearly and responsibly.