At Waterfile.net, we are committed to maintaining trust and transparency with both the homeowners searching for services and the contractors listing their businesses. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and share information when you visit or interact with our platform.
1. Information Collected from Homeowners
When you use our directory, we collect limited information to facilitate connections with listed businesses:
- Quote Request Details: If you submit a quote request to a contractor, we collect your name, phone number, email address, chosen service type, and any project details you provide. This information is passed directly to the chosen contractor.
- Usage Activity: We collect search entries, page views, and state/county queries using anonymous tracking cookies to improve search relevance.
2. Information Collected from Contractors
When you register or claim a business listing, we collect details to index and verify your services:
- Business Identification: Business name, category, license numbers, physical location, and service county.
- Contact Credentials: Public business phone number, email address, website URL, and direct registration verification details.
- Payment Details: For Pro and Featured tiers, subscription payments are processed securely through our payment processors. We do not store credit card details on our servers.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use information collected to provide and improve directory services, including to:
- Connect homeowners directly with selected utility contractors.
- Audit and index credentials (e.g., verifying TDLR or state DBPR license registrations).
- Prevent search fraud, spam listings, or unauthorized business claims.
- Analyze website usage patterns to optimize directory navigation.
4. Information Sharing and Lead Auctions
We do not auction, rent, or sell your leads to third parties. Unlike other lead broker platforms, when you submit a quote form, your information is sent solely and directly to the contractor you clicked on. We do not distribute your inquiries to multiple competing bidders.
5. Cookies & Analytics
We use Google Analytics to monitor traffic and platform interactions. This helps us ensure that the site loads quickly and that homeowners find search entries successfully. You can manage cookie preferences directly through your browser settings.
6. Security
We apply standard encryption technologies (SSL/HTTPS) to secure forms, claims, and inquiries. However, please be aware that no transmission method over the internet is 100% secure.
7. GDPR Data Rights & Subprocessors
If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA) or the European Union, you are protected by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Under these guidelines, you have the following rights:
- Right to Access & Portability: You can request copies of the personal data we store about you in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Right to Rectification: You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Right to Erasure (The "Right to be Forgotten"): You can request that we erase your personal data from our systems (e.g. quote requests or contractor accounts).
- Right to Withdraw Consent: You can change your cookie consent preferences or opt-out of analytics processing at any time.
We work with trusted third-party services (Subprocessors) to operate our platform. These include:
- Clerk (User Authentication & Session Management)
- Supabase / PostgreSQL (Secure Cloud Database Storage)
- Web3Forms (Contact and Inquiries Email Dispatcher)
- Vercel (Application Hosting Infrastructure)
- Google Analytics (Site Traffic Measurement, pending your explicit cookie consent)
8. Contact
For questions regarding this policy, to request data removal/updates, or to exercise your GDPR rights, please contact us at: privacy@waterfile.net.