Privacy Policy - Essex Pool Cleaners

Effective Date: 3rd August 2025

At Essex Pool Cleaners, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This hypothetical Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and disclose your personal data when you visit our website (https://www.essexpoolcleaners.co.uk/) or use our services. We adhere to the principles of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Important Information and Who We Are

Essex Pool Cleaners is the data controller responsible for your personal data. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in a transparent manner.

2. The Data We Collect About You

We may collect, use, store, and transfer different kinds of personal data about you, which we have grouped together as follows:

Identity Data: Includes first name, last name, title.
Contact Data: Includes billing address, service address (your property in Essex), email address, and telephone numbers.
Technical Data: Includes internet protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.
Usage Data: Includes information about how you use our website and services.
Marketing and Communications Data: Includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and your communication preferences.

We do not collect any Special Categories of Personal Data (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health, and genetic and biometric data). Nor do we collect any information about criminal convictions and offences.

3. How Your Personal Data is Collected

We use different methods to collect data from and about you, including through:

Direct interactions: You may give us your Identity and Contact Data by filling in forms on our website (e.g., “Get Your Free Quote Today” form) or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email, or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you:
- Enquire about our services.
- Request a quote.
- Engage us for services.
- Give us feedback or testimonials.
Automated technologies or interactions: As you interact with our website, we may automatically collect Technical and Usage Data about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies and other similar technologies.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

To provide you with services: To process your requests for quotes, schedule and perform pool cleaning and maintenance services, and manage our relationship with you.
To communicate with you: To respond to your enquiries, provide updates on your service, and send important service-related notices.
To improve our website and services: To understand how users interact with our website and to enhance our service offerings.
For marketing purposes: If you have given us your explicit consent, we may send you marketing communications about our services, offers, and news. You can opt out at any time.
To comply with legal obligations: Where it is necessary for compliance with a legal or regulatory obligation that we are subject to.

5. Our Legal Basis for Processing Your Personal Data

We rely on the following legal bases under UK GDPR to process your personal data:

Performance of a Contract: Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or in order to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract (e.g., providing a quote, delivering pool cleaning services).
Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests (e.g., improving our services, preventing fraud, managing our business operations). We ensure we consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative) and your rights before we process your personal data for our legitimate interests.
Consent: Where you have given us clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., sending you marketing communications). You have the right to withdraw consent at any time by contacting us.
Legal Obligation: Where processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation that we are subject to.

We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

Service Providers: Third-party companies and individuals who perform services on our behalf (e.g., payment processing, IT support, marketing services). These providers are only given access to the information necessary to perform their functions and are obligated to protect your information.
Legal and Regulatory Authorities: If required by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or a government agency).
Business Transfers: In connection with any merger, sale of company assets, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business by another company.

We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

7. Data Security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered, or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors, and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions, and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

8. Data Retention

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which we collected it, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data, and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

9. Your Legal Rights

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. These include the right to:

Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a “data subject access request”).
Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you.
Request erasure of your personal data.
Object to processing of your personal data.
Request restriction of processing of your personal data.
Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party.
Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us using the details below. You also have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.

10. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site. For detailed information on the cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them, please refer to our separate Cookie Policy (if applicable, or integrate here).

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes we make will be posted on this page with an updated “Effective Date.” We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us through the methods provided on our Website.