Bow Carpet Cleaning Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Bow Carpet Cleaning collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in our service area. We are committed to handling your information lawfully, fairly and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and applicable data protection laws.

By using our services, requesting a quote or otherwise providing your personal information to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Scope and Data Controller

This Privacy Policy applies to all Bow Carpet Cleaning customers and prospective customers in our service area, including individuals and business contacts who engage with us for carpet, upholstery and related cleaning services. Bow Carpet Cleaning is the controller of the personal data described in this Policy, which means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data.

Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing our relationship with you and meeting our legal obligations. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identification and contact data such as name, postal address, billing address, property access details, and communication preferences.

Communication data such as information you provide when contacting us to request a quote, make a booking, reschedule an appointment, provide feedback or make a complaint.

Service-related data such as details of the services you request, property type and access notes necessary to perform the work, dates and times of visits, and records of work carried out.

Financial and transaction data such as records of payments made, payment method used and related invoicing information. We do not store full payment card details when payments are processed through secure third-party providers.

Technical data such as basic information about how you access our website, including standard log data, device type and browser type, to help us maintain and improve our online services.

How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us by phone, through any online form we may provide, in person or by other means to request a quote, make a booking, confirm details of an appointment, or ask a question about our services.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where this is necessary to provide our services, for example where a letting agent, landlord or property manager provides your contact details in order for us to arrange a cleaning service at a property you occupy or manage, and they confirm that they are entitled to share that data with us.

Lawful Bases for Processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the context, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract: We process your personal data to take steps at your request before entering into a contract and to perform a contract with you. This includes arranging quotes, bookings, carrying out cleaning services, and handling payments.

Legitimate interests: We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests. This includes maintaining records of services provided, improving our services, managing our business operations, and communicating with you about similar services that may be of interest, where permitted by law.

Legal obligation: We process certain personal data to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as record-keeping, tax and accounting requirements, and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent: In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where required for certain types of direct marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time by contacting us using the details set out in this Privacy Policy.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes, schedule and deliver carpet cleaning and related services, and to communicate with you about your bookings and appointments.

To manage our relationship with you, including responding to your enquiries, processing your feedback or complaints, and providing customer support.

To issue invoices, process payments through our chosen payment providers, and maintain appropriate financial and service records.

To operate, maintain and improve our business processes, services and website, and to develop new services.

To send service-related communications, such as appointment confirmations, reminders, and important updates about changes to our terms or policies.

To send marketing communications about our services where we are permitted to do so by law, and subject to any preferences you have indicated.

To comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our contractual terms.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy.

We may share your data with service providers who act as processors on our behalf, such as external accountants, customer management and scheduling systems, secure payment processors, IT support and hosting providers. These processors are only permitted to process your personal data in accordance with our documented instructions and are required to implement appropriate security measures.

We may also share your data with professional advisers such as legal or financial advisers where this is necessary to obtain professional advice or defend legal claims.

Where we work with landlords, letting agents or property managers, we may share limited information about completed services and appointment details where necessary for managing the property or fulfilling the service you requested.

We may disclose personal data where we are required or permitted to do so by law, for example to law enforcement authorities or regulators.

International Transfers

Where any of our processors or service providers are located outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for any transfer of personal data in accordance with data protection laws. These may include the use of approved standard contractual clauses or reliance on an adequacy decision issued by the relevant authority.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, we retain customer and transaction records for a period that allows us to respond to queries about past services, meet our tax and accounting obligations, and manage any potential legal claims. After the applicable retention period has ended, we will securely delete or anonymise your personal data.

Specific retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the requirements of applicable law.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include restricting access to personal data to those employees, contractors and processors who need it for business purposes, and requiring them to handle it in accordance with our instructions and data protection obligations.

While we take reasonable steps to safeguard your personal data, no system can be completely secure. You are responsible for taking appropriate steps to protect your own information when communicating with us.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection laws, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain limitations and conditions. Subject to those, your rights include:

Right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data.

Right to rectification: You can request that we correct or complete any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or where you withdraw consent.

Right to restriction: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as where you contest the accuracy of the data.

Right to data portability: You can request that we provide you with your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, or that we transmit it directly to another controller where this is technically feasible and where the processing is based on consent or contract.

Right to object: You can object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests, including profiling based on those interests. You also have the right to object at any time to the use of your personal data for direct marketing.

Rights in relation to automated decision-making: You have rights in relation to decisions based solely on automated processing, including profiling, where these have legal or similarly significant effects. Bow Carpet Cleaning does not currently make such decisions in relation to customers.

To exercise any of these rights, or to raise any concerns about how we handle your personal data, you may contact us using the contact details made available on our service materials or website. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe that your rights have been infringed.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or the services we provide. Any updated version will be made available through our usual communication channels and will take effect from the date of publication.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.