Privacy Policy

1Who we are

TradieChat is a business name of Mark Davis, a sole trader based in Bunbury, Western Australia (ABN 12 055 294 011). In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean TradieChat.

TradieChat builds enquiry assistants for Australian tradespeople. Each tradie gets their own page where customers can ask common questions and send an enquiry.

Whether or not the law requires it for a business our size, we follow the Australian Privacy Principles as our standard.

2Who this policy covers

This policy covers two groups of people:

• Tradies who sign up for TradieChat (our clients).
• Customers who use a tradie's TradieChat page to ask a question or send an enquiry.

It also covers anyone who visits tradiechat.au or contacts us directly.

3What we collect

From tradies

• Business details: business name, trade, service areas, hours, pricing information and other details you choose to show customers.
• Contact details: your name, phone numbers and email address.
• ABN and licence numbers, if you provide them.
• Your logo, if you send one.
• Billing details. Card payments are handled by Stripe. We never see or store your full card number.

From customers using a TradieChat page

If you send an enquiry, we collect what you enter:

• your name and phone number
• your suburb
• the type of job, how urgent it is and your preferred time
• any message you write.

You can use the chat to ask questions without giving us any contact details. We only need them if you want the tradie to get back to you.

Usage information

For each chat, we record usage statistics without names or phone numbers. For example: the number of messages, the topics asked about, the suburb or job type mentioned, the time of day and whether an enquiry was sent.

If we keep copies of questions typed into the assistant to improve its answers, we remove phone numbers and email addresses, we don't link them to any enquiry or person, and we delete them within 12 months.

Website visits

Like almost every website, our hosting provider keeps standard server logs, such as IP addresses, browser type and pages visited. These help keep the site running and secure. We don't use Google Analytics, advertising cookies or tracking cookies.

4Please don't send sensitive information

If you send something sensitive by mistake, contact us and we'll delete it.

5How we use information

• To send your enquiry to the tradie. When you submit an enquiry, your details are shared with that business so they can follow it up. They receive it by SMS and/or email.
• To build and run TradieChat pages for our tradie clients.
• To bill clients and manage their subscriptions.
• To give support and respond when you contact us.
• To improve TradieChat, using de-identified usage information only. For example, adding better answers to questions that get asked often.
• To meet legal obligations, such as tax record keeping.

What we never do

• We never sell personal information.
• We never use it for advertising.
• We never show one tradie's usage statistics or leads to another tradie.

Automated decisions

The TradieChat assistant answers questions using set rules and the information each tradie gives us. It may flag an enquiry as urgent so the tradie sees it quickly. It doesn't make decisions that significantly affect anyone. The tradie decides whether and how to take on a job.

6Who we share information with

We share personal information only when needed to run TradieChat:

We may also disclose information if the law requires it.

Once an enquiry reaches a tradie, they hold their own copy (for example, on their phone or in their email). They're responsible for how they handle it. If you want your details removed, please contact the tradie as well as us.

7Storage outside Australia

Some of the services we use store or process information outside Australia:

• Our website host (Namecheap) stores data in the United States.
• Google, Stripe and ClickSend may store or process information in other countries, including the United States.

We choose established providers with strong security practices. By using TradieChat, you understand your information may be handled overseas.

8How we keep information safe

• Two-step verification is on for every account that holds TradieChat data.
• Our work computer is encrypted.
• Card details are handled only by Stripe.
• Access to TradieChat data is limited to the people who run TradieChat.
• We collect only what we need, which means there's less to protect.

No system is perfectly secure, but we take these steps seriously and review them as we grow.

9How long we keep information

Deleting means removing it from every place we keep it: our spreadsheets, email, SMS records, script settings and the tradie's page and logo on our website.

You can ask us to delete your information sooner (see below).

10Seeing, fixing or deleting your information

You can ask us to:

• tell you what information we hold about you
• correct anything that's wrong
• delete your information.

Contact us using the details below. We may need to check who you are first, so we don't give your information to someone else. There's no charge.

If we can't do what you ask (for example, because we must keep payment records for tax), we'll explain why.

11If something goes wrong

If we ever have a data breach that could cause serious harm, we'll act quickly to contain it and we'll tell the people affected. Where serious harm is likely, we'll also notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

12Complaints

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, please tell us. We'll acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and give you a full answer within 30 days. Most are sorted much faster.

If you're not satisfied with our answer, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

13Changes to this policy

We'll update this policy if the way we handle information changes, and we'll change the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll email our tradie clients before it takes effect.

14Contact us