Privacy Policy — Commonwealth Haul

Commonwealth Haul respects your privacy. This policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. We collect only what we need to provide our services.

1. Information We Collect

When you contact us for a quote or book a service, we collect:

Your name
Your phone number
Your email address (if provided)
The service address where the job will take place
Photos of items to be hauled (sent by SMS, MMS, or email)
Special instructions or details you share
Payment information, handled by our payment processor

When you visit our website, we automatically collect basic analytics — pages visited, time on page, referring source, general location (city/region level), and device/browser type. We do not collect precise GPS location, contacts, or photos from your device without your explicit action.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Provide quotes and respond to inquiries
Schedule, deliver, and follow up on services
Send service-related communications by text or email
Process payments and maintain records required for taxes
Improve our services and pricing accuracy
Comply with legal obligations
Send occasional marketing communications (you can opt out anytime)

3. SMS Communications

If you text us, you consent to receive responses related to your inquiry. Your phone number and message content are treated as confidential. We do not sell, share, or transfer your phone number or messages to third parties for marketing. Standard carrier rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out of marketing messages; STOP does not opt you out of operational messages directly related to a job you've booked.

4. Who We Share Information With

We do not sell your personal information. We share limited information only with:

Service providers who help us run our business — payment processors, email and SMS providers, web hosting, and analytics tools. These providers are bound by their own privacy obligations.
Disposal and donation partners — for jobs where items are donated, we may share photos or item descriptions with charity partners. We do not share your name, address, or contact details with them.
Legal authorities when required by law, court order, or to investigate fraud or threats to safety.

5. Security and Retention

We use reasonable safeguards to protect the information we collect — secure storage, restricted access, reputable service providers. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain customer information as long as needed to provide services, comply with legal obligations (typically 7 years for tax records), resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Photos sent for quoting are typically retained for up to 12 months unless related to an active or recently completed job.

6. Your Choices and Rights

You can opt out of marketing emails by clicking unsubscribe, or out of marketing texts by replying STOP. Opting out doesn't affect operational communications related to a service you've booked.

You can ask us to provide a copy of personal information we hold about you, correct inaccuracies, or delete information we no longer need to retain. Contact us using the information below. We respond within a reasonable time. Some information may be retained for legal or business record-keeping reasons.

Residents of states that grant additional consumer privacy rights (including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia) may exercise those rights by contacting us. We do not knowingly sell personal information, do not engage in "targeted advertising" as defined under those laws, and do not use personal information for automated decision-making with legal effect.

7. Cookies

Our website uses cookies for basic functionality and analytics. You can disable cookies in your browser settings; this may affect some website functionality. We do not use cookies to track you across other websites for advertising purposes.

8. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above.

10. Contact

Commonwealth Haul
481 Main Street, Waltham, MA 02452
Text or call: (857) 867-0792

Note: This privacy policy is a starting point reflecting common practices for small service businesses operating in Massachusetts. It is not legal advice. We recommend having it reviewed by a privacy or business attorney before going live, especially if you expand into marketing automation or collect data from customers in states with stricter privacy laws.