Privacy Policy Melbourne Shine Cleaning

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to Melbourne Shine Cleaning, which provides carpet, upholstery, mattress and curtain cleaning across Melbourne, Geelong and wider Victoria. In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” mean Melbourne Shine Cleaning, and “you” means anyone who contacts us, requests a quote, books a service or uses this website.

We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the 13 Australian Privacy Principles in Schedule 1 of that Act. Small businesses under the annual turnover threshold are not always bound by the Privacy Act, but we choose to apply these standards regardless, because you are entitled to know what happens to your information either way.

2. What personal information we collect

We only collect information we actually need in order to quote, book, perform and invoice a cleaning job. That is normally:

• Contact details. Your name, phone number and email address.
• Service address details. Your suburb or postcode, and the full address once you book, because we cannot attend a job without it.
• Job details. What needs cleaning, the rooms or items, any stains, odours or damage you tell us about, and access instructions.
• Booking and payment records. Dates, quotes, invoices and what was paid. We do not store your full card number.
• Photographs of the work. Before and after photos of the items we cleaned, used for quality control and for insurance or dispute records.
• Website and enquiry data. Information you type into our quote form, and technical data described in the cookies section below.

We do not seek sensitive information. Occasionally a customer volunteers health related context, for example that an accident on a mattress relates to a medical condition. We only use that to do the job properly, we do not record more of it than we need, and we do not disclose it.

You can deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym when you are only asking a general question. We cannot attend a booking anonymously, because we need an address and a contact number.

3. Photographs of your property

Our technicians photograph the items they clean before and after the work. These photos protect both of us: they record the condition we found and the result we delivered, which is what settles a dispute if one arises.

• We photograph the item being cleaned, not your household generally.
• We do not publish a photo of your property on our website, in advertising or on social media without asking you first.
• If you would prefer we take no photos at all, tell the technician on the day and we will note it on your job. Be aware this also removes the record that protects you.
• If a photo of your property is already published and you want it removed, email us and we will take it down.

4. How we collect it

We collect personal information directly from you in almost every case: when you call us, send the quote form on this website, email us, or speak to a technician at your address.

We may also receive your details from a third party who is arranging the work, for example a real estate agent, property manager, strata manager, insurer or another contractor. Where that happens we treat the information the same way as if you had given it to us directly.

5. Why we collect it and how we use it

We use your personal information to:

• prepare a quote and answer your enquiry
• schedule, attend and perform the cleaning
• contact you about your booking, including running late or rescheduling
• invoice you and take payment
• handle a re clean under our guarantee, or a complaint or dispute
• keep the business, tax and insurance records we are required to keep
• improve how we work, including reviewing before and after photos internally

Direct marketing. We may occasionally contact existing customers about our own services. Every marketing message tells you who it is from and includes a way to opt out, as the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) requires. You can tell us to stop at any time by replying, or by emailing info@melbourneshinecleaning.com.au, and we will action it promptly and at no cost. We do not sell your details to anyone, ever.

6. Who we disclose it to

We disclose personal information only where it is necessary, and only to:

• Our own technicians, who need the address, contact number and job details.
• Service providers who operate our systems, such as our website host, our email provider, our booking and invoicing software and our payment processor. They may only use the information to provide that service to us.
• The person who arranged the job, where an agent, landlord, strata manager or insurer booked and is paying for the work. In that case they normally receive the invoice and the scope of work.
• Our insurer or legal advisers, if there is a claim or a dispute.
• A government agency, court or regulator, where we are required or authorised by law to disclose.

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information.

7. Overseas disclosure

Some of the software we use to run the business, such as email, website hosting services and analytics, is provided by companies that may store or process data on servers outside Australia, including in the United States and the European Union.

Where that happens we take reasonable steps under Australian Privacy Principle 8 to ensure the overseas recipient handles your information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles. If you would like to know which providers we currently use and where they hold data, ask us and we will tell you.

8. Cookies, analytics and advertising

This website uses cookies and similar technologies. A cookie is a small file stored by your browser. We use them to:

• keep the site working, for example remembering a form you have started
• measure how the site is used, such as which pages are visited and for how long, so we can improve it
• measure the performance of our advertising, including whether a visit that came from an advertisement resulted in an enquiry

Advertising. We advertise through Google. Google and similar providers may set cookies or use device identifiers to measure conversions and to show our advertisements on other websites you visit. That data is collected and handled under those providers’ own privacy policies, not ours. You can control personalised advertising through Google Ads Settings, and you can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking cookies will not stop you using this site or contacting us.

We do not use this data to identify you personally, and we do not combine advertising data with your booking records.

9. How we store and protect it

We take reasonable steps under Australian Privacy Principle 11 to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. In practice that means password protected devices and accounts, access limited to the people who need it, and reputable providers for hosting, email and payments.

No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of information sent to us over the internet. Please do not email us full payment card details.

Data breaches. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm to you, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in Part IIIC of the Privacy Act 1988.

How long we keep it. We keep job, invoice and tax records for at least 7 years, because Australian tax and business record keeping rules require it. Quote enquiries that never became a booking are kept for up to 2 years and then deleted. Photographs are kept with the job record. When we no longer need information and are not required to keep it, we destroy it or de identify it.

10. Accessing and correcting your information

Under Australian Privacy Principles 12 and 13 you can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and you can ask us to correct it if it is wrong, out of date or incomplete.

• Email info@melbourneshinecleaning.com.au with the subject “Privacy request”.
• Tell us what you are asking for. We may need to verify who you are first.
• We will respond within a reasonable period, and in any case within 30 days.
• We do not charge you to make a request or to correct your information.

If we refuse a request we will tell you in writing why, and how you can complain about that decision.

11. Complaints

If you think we have mishandled your personal information, please tell us first so we can fix it. Email us with the details and we will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and give you a written response within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, which is the national privacy regulator. The OAIC can be contacted on 1300 363 992 or through its website at oaic.gov.au.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our business or the law changes. The current version is always on this page and the date at the top tells you when it last changed. If we make a change that materially affects how we handle your information, we will take reasonable steps to tell you.