Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

• Account information: name, email address, and authentication details, handled by our authentication provider (Clerk).
• Business/vendor information: business name, contact details, service area, trade categories, self-reported license and insurance information, and (if submitted) business license or entity numbers used for verification.
• Job and property information: job descriptions, photos, service addresses, and access notes submitted by Customers; these are shown to Vendors only after they unlock or are invited to a specific job.
• Messages: messages sent between Customers and Vendors through the platform, which may be automatically screened for payment-fraud patterns.
• Payment information: processed directly by Stripe. We do not store your full card number or bank account details. Vendor payouts are handled through Stripe Connect.
• Google Business Profile data: if a Vendor chooses to link their Google Business Profile, we store and display the business name, address, rating, and review count/content they confirm is theirs.
• Technical information: basic request information (such as IP address and browser type) that our hosting and authentication providers process to operate and secure the platform.

2. How We Use Information

We use the information above to:

• Operate the marketplace -- matching jobs to eligible Vendors, processing payments, and enabling messaging between parties to a job.
• Review business and vendor verification submissions, which involves an automated plausibility check and, for submissions it flags, human review by VendVenture staff.
• Screen job listings and messages for quality, fraud, and safety signals, which may involve sending submitted text to a third-party AI service (Google's Gemini) for automated analysis. This analysis is used to flag listings or messages for review -- it is not used to independently verify real-world facts like licensing or business registration.
• Communicate with you about your account, jobs, bids, and platform updates.
• Investigate and prevent fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms of Service.

3. Who Can See What

A Customer's exact service address, access notes, and direct contact details are private until a Vendor unlocks or is invited to that specific job. Vendor business profiles (business name, trade categories, rating, and verification status) are visible to Customers browsing the marketplace. VendVenture staff and administrators can access account and job data as needed to operate the platform, review verification submissions, and resolve disputes.

4. Cookies

VendVenture uses only the session/authentication cookies set by our authentication provider (Clerk) to keep you signed in. We do not currently use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. If that changes, we will update this policy.

5. Third-Party Service Providers

We share information with the following service providers as necessary to operate VendVenture:

• Clerk -- authentication and account sessions.
• Supabase -- our database and file storage.
• Stripe -- payment processing and Vendor payouts (Stripe Connect).
• Google -- Places API (Vendor-confirmed Business Profile data) and Gemini (automated text review described above).

These providers are only permitted to use your information to perform services for VendVenture, not for their own independent marketing purposes. We do not sell your personal information.

6. When We May Disclose Information

Beyond the service providers above, we may disclose information if we believe it is necessary to:

• Comply with a subpoena, court order, or other legal process;
• Investigate suspected fraud or violations of our Terms of Service;
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of VendVenture, our users, or the public; or
• Respond to an emergency involving a risk to someone's safety.

7. Data Retention

We retain account and job data for as long as your account is active and as needed to resolve disputes, comply with legal obligations, and maintain business records (e.g. completed job and payment history).

8. Your Rights and Choices

You can update most account and profile information directly in the product. To request a copy of your data or ask us to delete your account, contact vendventure33@gmail.com -- we aim to respond to verified requests within 30 days, subject to data we're required to retain by law (e.g. payment and tax records). If you are a California or European resident, you may have additional rights to access, correct, or delete your personal information under the CCPA, GDPR, or similar law; contact us to exercise those rights. VendVenture is based in, and primarily operates in, Utah; if you access VendVenture from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

9. Children's Privacy

VendVenture is not directed to, and does not knowingly collect personal information from, anyone under 18. If we learn we have collected information from someone under 18, we will delete it.

10. Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections (TLS) and delegating payment handling to Stripe so we never see your full card or bank details. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Links to Other Sites

VendVenture may link to third-party websites (for example, a Vendor's linked Google Business Profile). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of sites we don't operate.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Continued use of VendVenture after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy: vendventure33@gmail.com.