Effective Date: June 3, 2025

1. Overview
This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data collected by Ganga Plumbers (“we,” “our,” “us”) across our website (gangaplumbers.co.za), WhatsApp channels (including our AI Chatbot), CRM systems, and any other communication methods. It explains what information we collect, how we use and share it, and your rights concerning that information. By visiting our website, sending us messages on WhatsApp (including AI-driven chats), or otherwise interacting with us, you consent to the practices described below.

2. Information We Collect
We collect only the personal data necessary to provide our plumbing services, answer your inquiries, and improve our offerings. This includes:

• Contact & Identifying Data

• Name, phone number, email address (from website forms, WhatsApp, or CRM).

• Physical address (when scheduling on-site services).

• Communication Content & Metadata

• Messages you send via WhatsApp, our AI Chatbot (WhatsApp or website), or website contact forms.

• Chat logs and timestamps (to deliver accurate responses and troubleshoot issues).

• Service Details & Preferences

• Requested services, appointment dates/times, job locations, and any notes you provide.

• Feedback or ratings you give about our service.

• Usage & Analytics Data

  • Pages you visit on our website (IP address, browser details, referral source).

  • Interaction metrics (e.g., number of chatbot queries, site navigation patterns).

3. How We Use Your Information

• Service Delivery
  • Schedule appointments, dispatch plumbers, confirm bookings, provide quotes, send invoices, and follow up on completed work.
  • Answer your questions via WhatsApp, AI Chatbots, email, phone, or website chat.

• Customer Support & AI Improvement
  • Train and refine our AI Chatbot so it provides more accurate, relevant answers over time.
  • Analyze common requests to improve FAQs, website content, and response templates.

• Marketing (With Your Consent)
  • If you opt in (e.g., by subscribing to our newsletter or requesting promotional messages), we may send occasional updates about new services, special offers, or maintenance tips via email or WhatsApp. You can opt out at any time by replying “STOP” or contacting us.

• Legal & Regulatory Compliance
  • Comply with South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and other applicable laws.
  • Respond to lawful requests (e.g., subpoenas) and protect our rights, property, or safety of customers and others.

4. Data Retention

• We retain your contact and service-related data (chat logs, appointment details) for up to 24 months from your last interaction, after which it is anonymized or deleted, unless required otherwise by law (e.g., tax or accounting purposes).

• Anonymized analytics (e.g., website usage patterns, chatbot query trends) are kept indefinitely for service improvement.

• If you opt out of marketing, we keep your contact in a suppression list (without linking to additional personal data) to ensure you do not receive further promotional messages.

5. Sharing & Disclosure
We will never sell or rent your personal data. We share information only in these circumstances:

• Service Providers & Third-Party Partners
  • Hosting & Email/CRM Platforms (e.g., our web host, mail-provider, CRM): to store and process data securely.
  • AI Providers (e.g., our Chatbot’s AI engine): to generate automated responses. Only the conversation content (not full identifying profiles) is shared with the AI service.
  • WhatsApp/Meta: for routing and delivering messages (subject to Meta’s Data Policy).

  All third-party partners are contractually bound to use your data only for the specified purpose and to maintain appropriate security measures.

• Legal Obligations
  • If required by law, we may disclose your information to comply with a court order, subpoena, or other legal process.
  • To protect our rights or those of others (e.g., fraud prevention, investigations).

• Business Transfers
  • In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred as part of the transaction, under the same privacy terms or as updated at that time.

6. Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to safeguard your data, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (e.g., HTTPS for our website, WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption).

• Access controls—only authorized employees and partners can view your data.

• Secure servers with regular security updates and backups.

No system is completely risk-free; in the unlikely event of a breach, we will notify affected individuals and authorities as required by law.

7. Your Rights & Choices
Depending on applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.

• Correct or update inaccurate information.

• Delete your data (subject to legal obligations).

• Restrict or object to our processing (e.g., stop marketing communications).

• Withdraw Consent at any time for processing activities based solely on your consent (e.g., promotional messages).

To exercise these rights, please contact us as below. We will respond to your request within 30 days, unless law requires otherwise.

8. International Data Transfers
Some of our service providers (e.g., AI models, hosting) may be located outside South Africa. We ensure that any international transfer of your personal data is protected by appropriate safeguards (e.g., data-processing agreements, standard contractual clauses).

9. Children’s Privacy
Our services are not directed at children under 13 years old. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If we learn we have inadvertently collected data from someone under 13, we will delete it immediately.

10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The “Effective Date” at the top indicates the current version. If changes are material, we’ll post a notice on our website or send a message via WhatsApp.

11. Contact Us
Phone: 031 26 26 871 (24 Hours) and 083 455 1549 (24 Hours) gangaplumbers.co.za
Email: info@gangaplumbers.co.za gangaplumbers.co.za
Address: 19 Chelsea Avenue, New Germany, 3610 gangaplumbers.co.za

If you have questions, wish to exercise your rights, or need further assistance, please reach out via any of the above channels. We aim to respond promptly and in compliance with applicable laws.

By using Ganga Plumbers’ website, WhatsApp AI Chatbot, or any of our communication channels, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to this Privacy Policy.