Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Pool Founder, LLC ("Pool Founder," "we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our pool service management platform, including our website at poolfounder.com, mobile applications, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By using our Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

We collect information that you voluntarily provide when you register for an account, use our Service, or communicate with us:

• Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, password, and profile photo
• Company Information: Business name, business address, tax identification number, and business license information
• Customer Data: Your customers' names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and service preferences
• Service Location Data: Addresses and geographic coordinates of service locations
• Payment Information: Billing address and payment card details (processed securely through our payment processor, Stripe)
• Communications: Messages, notes, and communications you send through our Service
• User Content: Photos, documents, service notes, and other content you upload
• Employee Information: Names, contact information, and work schedules for your employees/technicians

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you access or use our Service, we automatically collect certain information:

• Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information
• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, actions taken, time and date of visits, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
• Location Data: Real-time geographic location when using GPS tracking features (with your permission)
• Log Data: IP address, browser type and version, browser plug-in types, time zone setting, and access times

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third parties, including business partners, marketing partners, and publicly available sources. This may include business information from data providers to help verify your business identity.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Provide and Maintain Service: To create and manage your account, provide customer support, and deliver the features and functionality of our Service
• Process Transactions: To process payments, send invoices, and manage billing
• Improve Our Service: To understand how users interact with our Service, identify issues, and develop new features
• Communications: To send service-related notifications, updates, security alerts, and administrative messages
• Marketing: To send promotional communications (with your consent where required by law)
• Route Optimization: To provide GPS tracking and route optimization features for your technicians
• Analytics: To analyze usage patterns and trends to improve user experience
• Security: To detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, security risks, and technical issues
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes

4. SMS/Text Messaging

Pool Founder uses SMS text messaging as part of the Service to deliver account verification codes, job assignments, schedule updates, service appointment confirmations, technician arrival notifications, and invoice/payment reminders.

4.1 Consent

Business users opt in to receive SMS messages by checking a required SMS consent checkbox during account registration. Customers are informed they will receive service-related text messages when their pool service company adds them to the platform. Consent to receive SMS is not a condition of purchase.

4.2 Message Frequency and Rates

Message frequency varies based on your service activity and account usage. Message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile carrier and plan.

4.3 Opting Out

You can opt out of SMS messages at any time by replying STOP to any message you receive from us. After opting out, you will receive a final confirmation message and no further SMS messages will be sent. For help or support, reply HELP or contact us at support@poolfounder.com.

4.4 No Sharing with Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or share your phone number or SMS opt-in data with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes. Your information is only shared with our SMS service provider (Twilio) for the sole purpose of delivering messages on our behalf.

5. Legal Basis for Processing (EEA/UK Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, our legal basis for collecting and using your personal information depends on the specific information and context:

• Contract Performance: Processing necessary to provide our Service to you
• Legitimate Interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our Service, marketing, and fraud prevention
• Consent: Where you have given us specific consent to process your information
• Legal Obligations: Processing necessary to comply with our legal obligations

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf:

• Stripe: Payment processing and billing
• Convex: Database and backend infrastructure
• Google Maps: Mapping and route optimization services
• Amazon Web Services (AWS): Cloud hosting and storage
• Twilio: SMS notifications and communications
• Tawk.to: Customer support chat

5.2 Other Disclosures

• Within Your Organization: Information is shared with employees and team members you authorize to access your account
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or government request
• Protection of Rights: To protect the rights, property, or safety of Pool Founder, our users, or the public
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity
• With Your Consent: We may share information with your explicit consent

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and track information and to improve our Service:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the Service to function properly (authentication, security)
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our Service
• Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, some portions of our Service may not function properly.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS/SSL
• Encryption of data at rest
• Regular security assessments and audits
• Access controls and authentication requirements
• Secure password hashing
• Regular backups and disaster recovery procedures

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to:

• Provide our Service and maintain your account
• Comply with legal obligations (e.g., tax and accounting requirements)
• Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements
• Support business operations

When you close your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 90 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal, regulatory, or legitimate business purposes.

9. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information
• Portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable format
• Objection: Object to processing of your personal information
• Restriction: Request restriction of processing
• Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Opt-out of Marketing: Unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time
• Opt-out of SMS: You may opt out of receiving SMS messages at any time by replying STOP to any message. For help, reply HELP or contact us at support@poolfounder.com

To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@poolfounder.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

10. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Know: You may request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you
• Right to Delete: You may request deletion of your personal information
• Right to Opt-Out: You may opt-out of the sale of your personal information (note: we do not sell personal information)
• Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights

To exercise your CCPA rights, please contact us at privacy@poolfounder.com.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence, including the United States. These countries may have data protection laws that are different from the laws of your country. When we transfer your information internationally, we implement appropriate safeguards in accordance with applicable law, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

12. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@poolfounder.com. If we discover that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

13. Third-Party Links

Our Service may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not operated by us. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page, updating the "Last updated" date, and, where appropriate, sending you a notification via email or through our Service. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

If you are located in the EEA or UK and have concerns about our data processing that we have not been able to resolve, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.