We are We Are Genie Ltd, a company registered with Companies House in England and Wales under number 15880622 whose registered office is Amberley, Maori Road, Guildford, England, GU1 2EL. We operate under the trading name “Genie” (“genie”, “we”, “us” or “our”). We control the ways your personal data are collected and the purposes for which your personal data are used by Genie. For the purposes of the UK Data Protection Act 1998 (as amended or replaced), the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the “GDPR”) and other applicable European data protection legislation (together the “Data Protection Legislation”), Genie is your data controller.
Genie provides a service which enable households (“Households”) to connect with and hire professional cleaners (“Cleaners”) (collectively, the “Services”).
We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This is of paramount importance to us. By using and interacting with our App and the Services, you consent to us processing your personal data in accordance with this genie Privacy and Cookie Policy (the “Policy”).
This Policy explains:
- What information we may collect about you;
- How we may use the information we collect about you;
- Whether we share your information with anyone else;
- The types of cookies and similar technologies we use and how you can reject these cookies;
- Your choices regarding the personal information you provide to us;
- Where we store your information; and
- How we keep your information secure.
1. WHEN DOES THIS POLICY APPLY
This Policy and our Terms of Use (“Terms of Use”) apply to your use of wearegenie.com. The Policy and the Terms of Use also apply to all of the Services we offer, including our App services and any placement or matching services provided through the platform.
For the avoidance of doubt, this Policy applies to both Households and Cleaners on our website and any other Services we offer.
2. THE INFORMATION WE MAY COLLECT ABOUT YOU
A. Information You Voluntarily Provide
When you register to use the Services, or create a profile, you may provide us with certain information about yourself. Depending on your role as a Household or as a Cleaner, this information may include:
- Personal Details: Your name, address, date of birth, a profile photograph, and other identification details.
- Contact Information: Your email address, telephone number, and, optionally, details from your social media account (if you choose to link one).
- Payment Information: Credit/debit card details or bank account details provided via our secure payment processors, to enable payments between Households and Cleaners.
- Role-Specific Information:
- For Households: Information such as details about your home, special cleaning requirements, and any other relevant preferences.
- For Cleaners: Information including qualifications, certifications, references or reviews, and (if applicable) background check details.
- Additional Information: Any information you choose to provide when contacting us (by phone, email, or through the site) to report a problem or complete surveys or competitions.
We may store and process any such information on our servers, and, with your consent, information may also be obtained from your social media or device contacts where applicable.
B. Information We Collect Automatically
When you visit our site and interact with our Services, we (and third party service providers) may automatically or passively collect information about your Device and how you use our Services. This information may include:
- Technical details such as the type of Device you are using, your operating system, unique device identifiers, mobile network information, IP address, and browser type;
- Data collected via cookies, pixels, HTML5 Local Storage, or similar technologies (see the “Cookies, Pixels, Local Storage and Other Similar Technologies” section below).
C. User-Generated Content
Any content you create using our site —for example, reviews of Cleaners or feedback provided by Households—is stored on our servers and may also be cached on your Device. Such content will be displayed on your profile and may be used for dispute resolution or quality assurance purposes in accordance with our legitimate interest in providing a safe, secure, and transparent marketplace.
D. Third Parties We Work With
We work closely with third parties who provide technical, verification, and payment services. These include advertising networks, analytics providers, social network providers, payment service providers, and verification service providers. For example:
| Third Party | Purpose | Legal Basis for Processing |
|---|---|---|
| To allow you to sign in with your Facebook credentials and, with your permission, import details from your Facebook account. | Legitimate interest – to provide a secure and efficient marketplace. | |
| Verification Providers (e.g. for background checks) | To process background and other verifications for Cleaners, as applicable. | Performance of contract |
| Braintree | To process payments from Households to Cleaners. | Performance of contract |
| Analytics Providers (e.g. Google Analytics) | To monitor App performance and user experience. | Legitimate interest – to optimize your App experience |
| Messaging Providers (e.g. OneSignal, TextAnywhere) | To send push notifications and transactional messages regarding your account and Service requests. | Legitimate interest – to communicate important information |
We may also work with additional third parties not listed above, or cease working with any of the above at our discretion.
HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
We use the information you provide to us for various purposes, including:
- Providing the Services: To connect Households with Cleaners, enable payment processing, and facilitate communication between users.
- Optimizing Your Experience: To ensure that content is presented in the most effective way for your Device and provide a user-friendly navigation experience.
- Promotional and Marketing Purposes: To send you information on promotions, offers, and discounts that may be of interest to you, subject to your consent.
- Compliance and Security: To comply with our Terms of Use, enforce our policies, verify your identity, and ensure a secure and transparent marketplace.
Marketing Communications
With your consent, we may send you marketing messages or advertisements that we believe might be of interest to you. You may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions provided in our messages or by contacting us directly at the email address provided below.
In some cases, we may use limited personal information (such as your email address) to create anonymous or aggregated data that we share with third parties for marketing purposes. Please note that these third parties are not controlled by genie and have their own privacy policies.
Use of Aggregated and Anonymised Information
We may combine your information with that of other users and share aggregated, anonymised data with third parties. This data does not identify you personally and is used to help improve the design, delivery, and overall effectiveness of our Services.
WHO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH
We will only share your information where we have a lawful basis to do so. In particular, your information may be disclosed to:
- Affiliated Organisations: Any member of our corporate group, including subsidiaries and our ultimate holding company.
- Third Parties:
- To comply with legal or regulatory obligations;
- To enforce our Terms of Use or investigate potential breaches;
- To protect the rights, property, or safety of genie or our users; or
- To facilitate invoicing or other administrative purposes related to our Services.
In all such cases, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for the processing and transfer of your personal data.
SPECIAL CATEGORIES OF DATA
In providing our Services, there may be instances where we collect information about you that could reveal sensitive aspects of your identity (for example, data relating to your health or other special categories of personal data). We only process such data where you have given explicit consent or where another legal basis applies (such as fulfilling legal obligations).
RETENTION OF DATA
We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our Services. Once your relationship with us ends, we will delete your personal data within 7 working days unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
COOKIES, PIXELS, LOCAL STORAGE AND OTHER SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES
Cookies, pixels, and HTML5 Local Storage are used to enhance your experience of our App. They help in:
- Navigating between pages efficiently;
- Storing your preferences;
- Authenticating you to deliver personalised content.
Below is an example of some of the cookies we use:
| Cookie Name | Expiry Period | Purpose | More Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | 2 years | Used by Google Analytics to distinguish users. | Google Analytics Cookie Usage |
| _gat | 10 minutes | Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rate. | Google Analytics Cookie Usage |
You may manage or remove cookies through your Device’s settings; however, please note that this may affect your ability to use the Services. We are not responsible for any cookies or similar technologies used by third parties that you may encounter when using the App.
TRANSFERRING YOUR INFORMATION INTERNATIONALLY
To provide our Services globally, we may transfer your information outside the European Economic Area (EEA). We ensure that such transfers are compliant with applicable data protection laws by using:
- Standard contractual clauses as approved by the European Commission;
- Binding corporate rules or similar mechanisms; or
- Transferring data to jurisdictions that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of data protection.
Your data will only be transferred where adequate safeguards have been implemented.
KEEPING YOUR INFORMATION SECURE
by reputable cloud service providers such as Microsoft (using Microsoft Azure) and Amazon (using Amazon Web Services). For payment processing, we rely on secure third-party processors such as Stripe, which employ encryption technology in line with industry best practices.
While we use strict security measures to protect your information, please remember that no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and should not share it with anyone.
YOUR RIGHTS
Under the Data Protection Legislation, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a “subject access request”).
- Right to Rectification: You can request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to Erasure: In certain circumstances, you may request that we delete your personal data (the “right to be forgotten”).
- Right to Restrict Processing: You may ask us to restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
- Right to Data Portability: You have the right to obtain your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and request that we transfer it to another controller.
- Right to Object: You have the right to object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing.
If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:
Email: hello@wearegenie.com
We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable law.
THIRD PARTY WEBSITES AND SERVICES
Our site and Services may include links to third-party websites or online properties (such as advertisers or social media sites). These third parties have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites before providing any personal data.
CHANGE OF CONTROL
In the event that the ownership of our business changes, your information may be transferred to the new owner so that they can continue to provide the Services. The new owner will be obligated to adhere to the terms of this Policy.
CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
We may update this Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and if the changes are significant, we may notify you by email or through the site. Your continued use of our Services after any modifications indicates your acceptance of the updated Policy.
CONTACTING US
We welcome any questions, comments, or requests regarding this Policy. Please contact us using the details below:
Email: hello@wearegenie.com
Postal Address:
We Are Genie Ltd
Amberley, Maori Road
Guildford, England, GU1 2EL
APPENDIX: Examples of the Information We Process
For Cleaners
| Type of Data | Purpose of Processing | Legal Basis / Legitimate Interest |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Details: Mobile, full address, email address | To verify identity, allow communication with Households, and enable job-related notifications. | Performance of contract |
| Personal Details: Name, date of birth, photo | For profile creation, background checks, and identity verification. | Performance of contract |
| Payment Details: Bank account or card details | To facilitate payment processing from Households. | Performance of contract |
| Qualifications & Certifications: (e.g. cleaning certifications) | To build and verify your profile so Households can assess your suitability. | Legitimate interest |
| User-Generated Content: Reviews, references | To foster transparency and trust within the marketplace. | Legitimate interest |
| Technical Device Information: Device type, unique identifiers, IP address, etc. | To optimize the App experience and for customer service purposes. | Legitimate interest |
For Households
| Type of Data | Purpose of Processing | Legal Basis / Legitimate Interest |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Details: Mobile, full address, email address | To facilitate communication with Cleaners and manage Service bookings. | Performance of contract |
| Personal Details: Name, photo, and home details | To create your profile, verify identity, and ensure a secure experience on the platform. | Performance of contract |
| Payment Details: Credit/debit card or bank account details | To process payments for Services rendered by Cleaners. | Performance of contract |
| User-Generated Content: Reviews, references | To build trust and allow Cleaners to assess your requirements before accepting a Service request. | Legitimate interest |
| Technical Device Information: Device type, unique identifiers, IP address, etc. | To optimize the App experience and for customer service purposes. | Legitimate interest |
By using Genie, you agree to the terms set out in this Privacy Policy. We are committed to ensuring your data is handled securely and transparently. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch.