Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

YES Plumbing is the developer name used for the digital side of this business, and YES Plumbing maintains this website together with the operator named below. This Privacy Policy explains how Yes Plumbing And Heating Inc. collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when you call the shop, use the contact form, request a callout or visit this website. We believe a plumbing business should treat a name, a phone number and an address with the same care it gives a soldered joint: measured, tested and kept sound. The policy is written in plain language so that any household or small business can understand it without legal training. It applies to every service described on this site and to every message sent to our inbox. If anything here is unclear, please contact us using the details at the end of this page and we will explain it.

We operate from 990 Taunton Rd E, Whitby - L1R 3L8, Canada (CA). Our day to day work involves entering homes, reading heating systems, lifting floors and replacing fittings, and each of those activities can involve information about the people who live there. This policy sets out what we do with that information, why we need it and what choices you have. It is part of the relationship between us and the client, and it should be read alongside the service terms published on this website. Nothing in this policy reduces any right you hold under the law of the province of Ontario or the federal law of Canada.

2. Who we are

The organization responsible for the information described in this policy is Yes Plumbing And Heating Inc., with its workshop and office at 990 Taunton Rd E, Whitby - L1R 3L8, Canada (CA). The business provides residential and light commercial plumbing, heating repair, boiler service, bathroom refits, drain clearing, fixture replacement and seasonal pipe checks in and around Whitby. Where this policy says we or us, it means Yes Plumbing And Heating Inc. Where it says you, it means a client, a prospective client, a visitor to this website or a person acting for one of those.

We are a small organization with a direct line to the owner. We do not employ a separate marketing department and we do not run a call centre. That means the person who answers a question about your data is often the same person who arranged the visit, which makes requests easier to handle and less likely to be lost between departments. If you wish to reach the person accountable for privacy matters, use the contact details in the final section and ask for the privacy contact. You may also write to the workshop address above and mark the envelope for the attention of the privacy contact.

3. Scope of this policy

This policy covers personal information that we handle in the course of running a plumbing and heating business. That includes information you give us directly, information we create while doing the work, such as job notes and service histories, and a limited amount of information gathered automatically when you browse this website. It also covers information shared with us by a landlord, a property manager, a letting agent or another contractor who arranges work on your premises.

This policy does not cover the practices of other organizations, even where we link to them or work alongside them. For example, a manufacturer whose boiler we install will have its own warranty and registration process, and a payment provider that handles a card transaction will have its own privacy terms. Those organizations are responsible for their own information handling. We do not control what they do with information you choose to give them directly, and we encourage you to read their notices before sharing details with them.

This policy also does not cover information about our own suppliers and trade contacts, which is handled under separate commercial arrangements. Where a supplier sends an invoice that includes your address, we treat that invoice as a business record and apply the retention and security rules described later in this policy.

4. Information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us. A person who only reads this website gives us very little information. A person who books an emergency callout gives us enough information to find the property and to send the right fitter. We try to make the boundary between those two cases clear so that you know what to expect at each stage.

When you contact us, we may collect the following categories of information:

• Your name and the name of anyone who will be present for the visit.
• Your postal address and, where useful, directions to the property.
• Your email address and telephone number, including a mobile number for text updates if you provide one.
• The subject and content of any message you send through the contact form or by email.
• Details of the property, such as its age, construction, heating type and access arrangements.
• Details of the fault or request, including photographs or video you choose to share.
• Billing details, where an invoice or a payment record is required.
• Any notes we take during a visit, including readings, part numbers and follow-up tasks.

We ask only for information that helps us deliver a safe and accurate service. If a question seems unrelated to the work, you are free to decline to answer it, and we will explain why we asked if the reason is not obvious.

5. Callout and booking records

A callout produces a working record. That record typically contains the date and time of the call, the address, the name of the person who reported the fault, a description of the symptom and the actions taken by the fitter. It may also contain meter readings, pressure readings, the model number of a boiler or a pump, and photographs of the installation before and after repair. These records serve a practical purpose: they let a future visit start with knowledge instead of a fresh diagnosis, and they help us honor any warranty or repeat-work commitment.

Where a landlord or property manager arranges the work, we may record the name of the person who arranged it as well as the name of the tenant who gave access. We share the minimum necessary with the arranging party, usually a description of the work and the invoice, and we do not pass on a tenant personal contact details unless the tenant has agreed or the law requires it. Tenants who want to know what we hold about them may contact us in the same way as any other person.

Emergency calls are sometimes recorded in a short written log at the bench. That log includes the phone number used to reach us and the disposition of the call, such as attended, deferred or referred. The log is kept for operational reasons and is not used for marketing.

6. Technical information

When you open a page on this website, the server that delivers it may record standard technical information. This can include the internet protocol address of the device that made the request, the date and time of the request, the page requested, the referring page, the browser type and the operating system. This information is used to keep the site running, to diagnose errors and to understand in broad terms which pages are useful to visitors.

We do not attempt to identify individual visitors from this technical data, and we do not combine it with the details you give us through the contact form. Where a hosting provider keeps server logs for security purposes, those logs are retained for a short period and are accessed only when investigating an incident such as a flooding of requests or an attempted intrusion. We do not use the technical data to build advertising profiles.

7. Cookies and similar tools

This website is a set of static pages. It does not set advertising cookies and it does not run third party tracking scripts. A hosting provider may use a small cookie or a similar mechanism for security, load balancing or to remember that a session is active. These are functional in nature and are not used to follow you across other websites.

You can control cookies through the settings of your browser. Blocking all cookies may affect the way some websites behave, although it should not prevent you from reading the pages here or from sending us a message by email or telephone. If we ever introduce a tool that uses cookies for measurement, we will update this policy and, where the law requires it, ask for consent before the tool is activated. We do not sell cookie data and we do not share it with data brokers.

8. How we use information

We use personal information for the purposes for which it was provided and for closely related purposes that a reasonable person would expect. The main uses are listed below. We do not use information for a new purpose without telling you first, unless the law permits or requires it.

• To respond to a call, an email or a message sent through the contact form.
• To arrange a visit, confirm a window and send a reminder or a change of plan.
• To carry out the requested repair, service, refit or check in a safe and effective manner.
• To order parts from a supplier using the model number or specification of your equipment.
• To prepare an invoice, record a payment and keep proper accounting records.
• To honor a warranty, a repeat-work commitment or a service schedule.
• To keep a service history so that future visits are informed and efficient.
• To protect the safety of our staff and the occupants of a property.
• To detect and prevent fraud, misuse of the website or other unlawful activity.
• To comply with tax, licensing, insurance and other legal obligations.
• To improve our own service by reviewing what worked and what did not.

We do not sell personal information. We do not rent a contact list. We do not send marketing email to a person who has not asked to hear from us, and where we do send a seasonal reminder to an existing client, we make it easy to opt out and we stop when asked.

9. Legal bases for processing

Different legal systems describe the grounds for handling personal information in different ways. We take the view that our handling rests on one or more of the following grounds, depending on the situation. Where the work is being arranged, we need the information to perform the contract with you or to take steps at your request before a contract is formed. Where you send us an enquiry, we rely on your request and on our legitimate interest in answering it.

Some handling is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, such as keeping financial records for tax purposes or holding a safety certificate for a gas appliance. Some handling rests on our legitimate interest in running a safe and solvent business, for example keeping a callout log or reviewing a complaint. Where the law requires consent for a particular use, we will ask for that consent separately and you may withdraw it at any time without affecting work already completed.

10. Sharing with others

We share personal information only where there is a clear operational or legal need, and we share the minimum that the situation requires. The categories of recipient are limited and are described below. We do not share information with advertising networks or data brokers.

• Suppliers and merchants, to order a part or to arrange a specialty item using the equipment details.
• Other trades, where a job requires a gas fitter, an electrician or a tiler to work alongside us.
• Our accountant, bookkeeper or payroll provider, for financial records and tax filings.
• Our insurer or a claims adjuster, where a matter involves a claim or a warranty.
• Our hosting and email providers, which process data on our instructions under service agreements.
• A landlord, property manager or letting agent, where they arranged the work at their property.
• Law enforcement, a court or a regulator, where disclosure is required by law or a valid order.
• A prospective buyer of the business, under confidentiality, if the business is ever sold.

When we engage a service provider, we require it to use the information only for the service it provides and to protect it with reasonable safeguards. We do not authorize a provider to use your information for its own marketing. If a provider is located outside Canada, the information may be handled in another country, and we note the implications of that in a later section.

11. Photographs of work

Photographs are an important part of plumbing record keeping. A picture of a pipe run before it is closed into a wall can save hours of investigation years later, and a picture of a corroded valve can help a client understand why a replacement was recommended. We take such photographs for the job file and for no other reason unless we ask you first.

We do not photograph personal belongings, documents or people without a clear reason connected to the work. If a photograph unavoidably shows something private, we keep it in the job file and do not publish it. We will only use an image of your property in a public portfolio or on social media if you have given specific permission, and that permission can be withdrawn later. A photograph of a fitting or a boiler flue, taken without any identifying detail, may be used in training material for our own staff.

12. How long we keep records

We keep records for as long as they are useful and for as long as the law requires, and then we dispose of them in a secure manner. Because our work involves safety and warranty questions, we retain service records for a defined period that is long enough to support a later repair or a claim. The periods below are our normal practice; a particular file may be kept longer if it is part of an active dispute, a warranty claim or a legal requirement.

• Enquiries that do not become a job: up to twelve months, then deleted or archived anonymously.
• Job records, notes and photographs: seven years from the date of the last visit.
• Invoices and financial records: seven years, as required by Canadian tax rules.
• Warranty and safety certificates: for the life of the equipment or the warranty period.
• Callout and emergency logs: three years, then destroyed.
• Website server logs held by a provider: normally a short period, as set by the provider policy.
• Complaint files: six years after the matter is closed.

When a retention period ends, paper records are shredded and electronic records are deleted from active systems. Backups are rotated on a schedule, so a deleted record may persist for a short time in a backup before it is overwritten. We do not keep an indefinite archive of personal information simply because storage is cheap.

13. Keeping information secure

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, alteration and disclosure. These measures are proportionate to the size of the business and to the sensitivity of the information. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot promise that an incident will never occur, but we work to reduce the likelihood and the impact of one.

• Access to job records is limited to staff who need them to do the work.
• Devices used in the field are protected by a passcode and kept with the fitter.
• Email accounts use strong passwords and multi factor authentication where available.
• Paper job sheets are kept in a locked cabinet when not in use.
• Old devices and drives are wiped before disposal or recycling.
• Staff are told not to discuss a client details in public or on open social channels.
• A suspected incident is reported to the owner promptly and assessed without delay.

If a breach of security creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify the affected individuals and the appropriate authority as required by applicable law, and we will explain what happened and what we are doing about it in plain language.

14. Privacy for Children

Our services are sold to adults who can enter into a contract for work on a property. This website is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a child under the age of majority in the province where the child lives. If a child uses a contact form without permission, we will delete the information on request from a parent or guardian.

A fitter visiting a home may speak with a child who answers the door or may be present while a family is at home. In that situation the fitter does not collect information about the child beyond what is necessary for safe access to the work area. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information about a child, contact us and we will remove it promptly.

15. Your privacy choices

You have choices about the information we hold. Subject to the law and to reasonable verification of identity, you may request access to the personal information we hold about you, ask for a correction if something is inaccurate or incomplete, ask us to delete information that we no longer have a reason to keep, object to a particular use, or withdraw a consent you previously gave. These choices apply to clients, tenants, former clients and visitors alike.

To make a request, contact us using the details in the final section and describe what you would like us to do. We may ask a few questions to confirm that you are the person concerned or are authorized to act for them. We aim to respond within thirty days, and if a request is complex we will tell you when to expect a full answer. If we cannot grant a request, we will explain why and tell you about any further step available to you.

You can also ask us to stop sending a seasonal reminder or a non essential message at any time, and we will action that request promptly. Stopping a marketing message does not affect service messages, such as a notice that a part has arrived or a confirmation of a booked visit.

16. Ontario and Canadian law

Our business operates in Ontario, Canada, and we handle personal information in a manner consistent with applicable Canadian privacy law, including the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act where it applies and Ontario privacy legislation where it applies to our activities. Those laws set out principles for accountability, identifying purposes, consent, limiting collection, limiting use and retention, accuracy, safeguards, openness, individual access and challenging compliance.

Where a client is a consumer in Ontario, provincial consumer protection law may also apply to a transaction, and nothing in this policy limits a right that such law gives. Where a person is not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, they may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, depending on the subject matter. We would rather resolve a concern directly first, and we encourage you to contact us before taking a complaint further.

17. Access from outside Canada

This website can be reached from anywhere, but our services are provided in and around Whitby, Ontario. If you contact us from outside Canada, your information will be handled in Canada and possibly by a service provider located in another country. Privacy laws in that other country may differ from the laws where you live, and the information may be accessible to authorities there under a lawful order.

Before we transfer information to a provider in another country, we consider the sensitivity of the information and the protections offered by the provider. We do not transfer client information abroad for marketing purposes. If you have a question about where a particular record is stored, ask us and we will tell you what we can without compromising security.

18. Links to other websites

This website may include links to a manufacturer manual, a municipal page or a supplier catalogue to help you understand a product or a permit. Those websites are operated by other organizations and are not under our control. A link is not an endorsement of every practice on the destination site, and we are not responsible for its privacy notice or its content.

We encourage you to check the privacy notice of any website before you provide personal information to it. If a link on our site is broken or leads somewhere unexpected, please tell us so that we can correct or remove it.

19. Changes to this policy

We review this policy from time to time, particularly when we change a tool, a supplier or the way we run the business. When we make a material change, we will update the date shown at the top of this page and, where the change affects an active client in a significant way, we will take reasonable steps to let them know. A change does not apply retroactively in a way that reduces a right you already hold.

The version published on this website is the current version. If you would like a copy of an earlier version for your records, contact us and we will provide it where we still hold it.

20. How to reach us

Questions, requests and complaints about privacy should be directed to Yes Plumbing And Heating Inc. at the address below. Please include enough detail for us to understand the request and to locate any relevant record. We do not charge a fee for a routine access request, although we may charge a reasonable amount for a request that requires substantial copying or research, and we will tell you before any fee is incurred.

If you are not satisfied with our handling of a concern, you may raise it with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. We will cooperate with any review of our practices and will act on a finding that requires a change.