Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Find Texas Plumbers ("we," "us," or "our") operates the online business directory located at findtexasplumbers.com (the "Platform"). The Platform connects homeowners in Texas with licensed Plumbers professionals.

For the purposes of applicable data protection law, Find Texas Plumbers is the data controller responsible for personal information collected through this Platform. All data-related inquiries may be submitted via our contact page.

This Privacy Policy applies to all visitors, registered users, and business listing subscribers of the Platform. It does not apply to third-party websites linked from the Platform.

2. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide Directly

Data Type	Examples	Purpose
Identity Data	Full name, business name	Account creation, listing display
Contact Data	Email address, phone number	Account management, communication
Business Data	Address, license number, services, hours, website	Public listing display
Profile Data	Business description, photos, logo	Listing enhancement
Communications Data	Messages sent via contact forms or support	Customer support, dispute resolution

B. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Platform, we automatically collect technical information including IP address, browser type and version, device type and operating system, pages visited, time spent on pages, referring website or search query, and date and time of each visit. This data is used in aggregate form to improve the Platform.

C. Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about your business from publicly available sources, including state licensing databases and business registries, in connection with pre-populating or verifying listing information. Any pre-populated information will be clearly indicated and may be claimed and updated by the rightful business owner.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information collected through the Platform for the following lawful purposes:

Platform Operation: To create and manage your account, publish and maintain your business listing, and provide all Platform features and services.
Verification and Quality Control: To verify submitted listing information and maintain the accuracy and integrity of the directory.
Customer Communications: To respond to support inquiries, send account notifications, invoice confirmations, and subscription renewal reminders.
Payment Processing: To process subscription payments securely through our designated payment processors.
Platform Improvement: To analyze usage patterns, diagnose technical issues, and improve functionality and content.
Marketing Communications: To send you relevant promotional updates. You may opt out at any time.
Legal Compliance and Safety: To enforce our Terms, detect fraudulent activity, and comply with applicable legal obligations.
SEO and Search Visibility: To index your business listing in search engines, helping homeowners find your business through organic search.

✅ Our Commitment: We will never use your personal information for purposes unrelated to operating and improving Find Texas Plumbers without first obtaining your explicit consent.

4. Public Visibility of Business Listing Information

When you submit a business listing, certain information will be made publicly visible on the Platform and indexed by search engines. Information typically made public includes: business name, trade category, service specializations, business address and service area, contact phone number, business website URL, business description, photos and logo, license numbers, hours of operation, and customer reviews.

⚠️ Please Note: By submitting your business information to Find Texas Plumbers, you acknowledge that this information will be publicly available on the internet, including through search engine indexing. If you have privacy concerns about specific information, contact us via our contact page before submitting your listing.

Your personal account email address is never made publicly visible on the Platform.

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes. We may share your data only in the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers: Trusted third-party service providers who assist in operating the Platform, including hosting providers, email delivery services, payment processors, and analytics providers. These providers are contractually obligated to process your data only as directed by us.
Payment Processors: Subscription payment information is processed directly by our designated payment processors (Stripe and/or Paystack). We do not store your full card details on our servers.
Analytics Providers: We use Google Analytics 4 to collect aggregated, anonymized data about Platform usage. You can opt out via the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information where required by law, court order, or government authority.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction with appropriate notice provided.

6. Payment Data and Financial Information

All subscription payments are handled by PCI-DSS compliant third-party payment processors. We do not store, transmit, or have access to your full credit or debit card number, CVV, or bank account details on our servers.

We do retain the following payment-related information:

Invoice records including amount charged, date, and subscription plan
Last four digits of the payment card used (for identification purposes only)
Payment status associated with your account
Subscription start and renewal dates

This information is retained for a minimum of seven (7) years to comply with our financial record-keeping obligations.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Cookie Type	Purpose	Duration
Essential Cookies	Required for login sessions, security (CSRF tokens), and core Platform functionality. Cannot be disabled without breaking the Platform.	Session / 1 year
Analytics Cookies	Google Analytics 4 — collects anonymized data about page visits and user behavior to help us improve the Platform.	Up to 2 years
Preference Cookies	Remembers your search preferences and other Platform customizations.	30 days
Security Cookies	Set by Cloudflare to protect against bots, DDoS attacks, and other security threats.	Session / varies

You may control or disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may limit your ability to use some Platform features.

Google Analytics Opt-Out: To opt out of Google Analytics tracking, install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

8. Data Retention

Active Account Data: Retained for as long as your account remains active on the Platform.
Cancelled Accounts: Retained for twelve (12) months following cancellation to allow for reactivation requests and dispute resolution.
Financial Records: Retained for a minimum of seven (7) years in accordance with applicable financial and tax regulations.
Support Communications: Retained for three (3) years following the close of the relevant support request.
Analytics Data: Aggregated, anonymized analytics data may be retained indefinitely.

9. Data Security

Find Texas Plumbers implements comprehensive security measures including:

Encryption in Transit: All data is encrypted using TLS/SSL (HTTPS).
Encrypted Passwords: Account passwords are stored using strong one-way cryptographic hashing. We cannot retrieve your plain-text password.
Access Controls: Access to personal data is restricted on a strict need-to-know basis with SSH key authentication for server access.
DDoS Protection: Our Platform is protected by Cloudflare's network security infrastructure including DDoS mitigation, bot protection, and WAF rules.
Regular Backups: Nightly automated backups with offsite storage to ensure data recovery in the event of server failure.
Security Monitoring: Active error tracking and server monitoring to detect and respond to security incidents promptly.

⚠️ Important: While we implement robust security measures, no internet-connected system can guarantee absolute security. In the unlikely event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information. You may update most listing information directly through your account dashboard.
Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal obligations.
Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we limit how we use your personal information in certain circumstances.
Right to Data Portability: Request your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format where technically feasible.
Right to Object: Object at any time to our use of your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time where we process your data based on consent.

To exercise any of the above rights, please submit a written request via our contact page. We will respond within thirty (30) calendar days and may request proof of identity before fulfilling certain requests.

11. Email Communications and Marketing

By creating an account or submitting a listing, you consent to receiving the following email categories:

Transactional Emails: Account confirmation, password reset, listing notifications, invoice receipts, and subscription reminders. These cannot be opted out of while your account is active.
Service Notifications: Important updates about changes to the Platform or these Terms.
Marketing Emails: Occasional promotional messages about new Platform features or industry news. You may opt out at any time.

To opt out of marketing emails, click the "Unsubscribe" link in any marketing email, or submit a request via our contact page. Opting out of marketing does not affect transactional or service-related emails.

12. Children's Privacy

Find Texas Plumbers is intended exclusively for use by adults aged 18 years or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information to us, please contact us immediately via our contact page and we will take immediate steps to delete that information.

13. Third-Party Links and External Services

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you access through links on our Platform.

Our Platform integrates the following third-party services that may collect data independently:

Google Analytics 4 — web analytics. Google Privacy Policy
Google Maps — mapping and location services. Google Privacy Policy
Cloudflare — network security and performance. Cloudflare Privacy Policy
Stripe / Paystack — payment processing governed by their respective privacy policies.

14. California Residents — CCPA Rights

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the CCPA and CPRA including the right to know what data we collect, the right to delete, the right to correct inaccurate information, the right to opt out of the sale of your data (we do not sell data), and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise your California privacy rights, please submit a request via our contact page with the subject line "California Privacy Rights Request." We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law.

15. Updates to This Privacy Policy

Find Texas Plumbers reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date and post a prominent notice on the Platform. Where required by law, we will notify registered users directly. Your continued use of the Platform following any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy.

16. Contact Us — Privacy Inquiries

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us via our contact page. We take all privacy inquiries seriously and are committed to responding promptly.

Privacy Questions?