Privacy Policy
Swiss Cottage Carpet Cleaners Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Swiss Cottage Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when providing carpet and upholstery cleaning and related services. It applies to all customers and prospective customers of Swiss Cottage Carpet Cleaners in our service area, including individuals making enquiries, booking services, or otherwise interacting with us.
We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation. This Privacy Policy is intended to provide clear and transparent information about our data practices and your rights.
Data Controller
Swiss Cottage Carpet Cleaners is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. As data controller, we decide how and why your personal data is processed when you use our services or contact us.
Types of Personal Data We Collect
We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and comply with legal obligations. The categories of personal data we may collect include:
Contact details such as your full name, address where services are to be carried out, billing address if different, and town or area within our service region.
Communication details such as your preferred contact method and the content of communications you send to us, including enquiries, feedback, and complaints.
Service details such as information about the property or premises where cleaning is required, the type of carpets, rugs, upholstery, or other items to be cleaned, and any access instructions you provide.
Booking and transactional data such as appointment dates and times, records of services provided, prices, invoices, payments made, payment method type, and basic transaction confirmations received from our payment providers. We do not store full payment card numbers or security codes.
Technical and usage information such as basic information generated when you visit our online pages, submit an online enquiry form, or interact with our digital content, for example your IP address and the time and date of your visit, where this is collected.
How We Collect Personal Data
We collect personal data in several ways, including:
Directly from you when you contact us by phone, via online forms, or in person to request a quote, make a booking, or ask a question.
When you use our services and we record details of the work we carry out, follow-up arrangements, and transactions.
From third parties where necessary for our services, for example from online platforms or advertising services through which you have requested that a cleaning provider contacts you.
Automatically through limited technical information when you interact with our online presence, for example when you submit an enquiry or browse our website, subject to applicable consent requirements.
Lawful Bases for Processing Personal Data
We process personal data only when we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the context, we may rely on the following legal grounds:
Performance of a contract. We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or fulfil a contract with you. This includes handling enquiries, providing quotes, scheduling and delivering cleaning services, and processing payments.
Legitimate interests. We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include managing our business, maintaining records, improving our services, responding to customer queries, and ensuring the security of our systems and staff.
Legal obligations. We process personal data when necessary for compliance with legal obligations, such as accounting, taxation, and record-keeping requirements.
Consent. In some cases we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of marketing communications where consent is required by law. You can withdraw your consent at any time, which will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use personal data for the following purposes:
To respond to enquiries, provide information about our services, and prepare quotes tailored to your needs.
To manage bookings, including confirming appointments, arranging access, and communicating any changes to scheduled work.
To deliver cleaning and related services at the agreed location and to the agreed specification.
To process payments, issue invoices, manage refunds or adjustments, and maintain financial records.
To manage customer relationships, including handling feedback, dealing with complaints, and providing aftercare where relevant.
To operate, evaluate, and improve our business, including quality assurance, staff training, and service development.
To comply with applicable legal, regulatory, and professional obligations, and to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims if necessary.
Data Retention
We keep personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the context of our relationship with you.
In general, we retain basic customer and transaction records for a number of years after the last interaction with you, in order to comply with tax and accounting obligations, to respond to queries about past work, and to handle any potential legal claims within relevant limitation periods.
Where data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, and there is no legal requirement to keep it, we will delete or anonymise it securely.
Data Processors and Third Parties
We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors only process personal data according to our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately. Categories of processors may include:
IT and hosting providers who support our website, email, and data storage systems.
Payment service providers who process transactions on our behalf.
Accounting or administrative service providers who help with record-keeping and financial reporting.
In some circumstances, we may also share personal data with other third parties acting as independent controllers, for example:
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary for advice or to protect our rights.
Regulatory or public authorities where required by law or to respond to lawful requests.
We do not sell your personal data. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK or European Economic Area by our processors, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection laws.
Security of Your Personal Data
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures include access controls, data minimisation, staff guidance, and secure deletion methods. While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection laws, you have a range of rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you. Subject to certain conditions and exceptions, these rights include:
Right of access. You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, along with information about how we use it.
Right to rectification. You can ask us to correct or complete any personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.
Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected.
Right to restriction. You can request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, for example while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection you have raised.
Right to object. You can object to certain types of processing, including processing based on legitimate interests and, in particular, processing for direct marketing purposes.
Right to data portability. Where processing is based on your consent or on a contract and is carried out by automated means, you may request to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, or ask us to transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.
Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of prior processing.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can address your concerns directly.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, business operations, or legal obligations. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We recommend that you review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle personal data.
Contact About Privacy
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how Swiss Cottage Carpet Cleaners handles your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our main customer information channels.
