This Privacy Policy explains how Focus Search Pty Ltd (ABN 70 167 781 946) ("we", "us", "our"), operator of What's The Damage (whatsthedamage.com.au), collects, uses, stores, and discloses personal information. It covers both homeowners who use our site and request quotes, and tradespeople who receive or purchase leads from us. We handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.

Who this policy covers

Homeowners who browse our cost guides, use the Quote Checker, or submit a job to be matched with a tradesperson.

Tradespeople who receive lead notifications from us, purchase leads, or hold an Exclusive Territory Lockdown subscription.

What we collect

Analytics data. We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors use the site: pages visited, time on site, device type, and approximate (city-level) location. This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally.

Compliance reminders. If you ask us to remind you when a fire safety statement, a fire equipment service or a backflow test is due, we save your email address, the item and the month it is due, and the business or site name and postcode if you choose to enter them. We use them only to send the reminders you asked for. Every reminder email has an unsubscribe link.

Quote Checker. When you check a quote — on the Quote Checker page or in the "Already got a quote?" box on a cost guide — we save the trade, job, city, quote amount, any quantity you enter and the result, plus the suburb or postcode if you choose to enter one. We use these records, in aggregate, to keep our price guides accurate. Checking a quote does not collect your name, contact details, IP address, or any other identifying information, and a saved record cannot be linked back to you. If you upload a photo or PDF of a quote, it is sent to our AI provider to read the prices and is not kept once it has been read; only the job, prices and suburb you then confirm are saved, in the same anonymous way. If you ask us to get you quotes from the result screen, the details you enter there are a homeowner job submission (below). If you ask us to save a check or estimate to a project folder, see "Project folders" below.

Project folders. When you ask us for quotes, or ask us to save a quote check or a calculator estimate, we create a project folder for the job. Its private link is in the text Sam sends you, and we email it to you once we have your address. The folder holds your email address with the job, the price band, the quote or estimate, and anything you add to the folder later: notes, further quotes and what each one includes, and whether the job went ahead and what it cost. We email you a private link to the folder and up to three reminders over the following month while you gather quotes; every email has a one-click link to stop them. After the last reminder, or as soon as you stop the emails, share a final price or delete the folder, we remove your email address from the record; the folder keeps working from its link and nothing more is sent. Anything you type in the folder is visible only to someone with the link and is never included in an email. A final price you choose to share is saved for price research without your email address, your notes or the link. You can delete the whole folder at any time from the folder itself. If you ask us to get you quotes from a folder, the details you enter there are a homeowner job submission (below).

Homeowner job submissions. When you submit a job through a "Get a Fair Quote" form, we collect your name, phone number, email address, suburb, and the job details you provide.

Tradesperson business details. Your business name, contact name, phone number, email address, trade, and the areas you service. We collect this when you sign up to receive leads. We may also compile business contact details from publicly available sources, such as public business listings and directories, so we can let tradespeople know about relevant jobs in their area.

Email link activity. Our emails to businesses contain links that tell us when a link was opened and which page was viewed, linked to the recipient's email, so we can follow up about listings. We don't collect IP addresses or device details for this. We delete this information after 90 days.

Lead and billing activity. Which leads you have received or purchased, your payment activity (card payments are processed by Stripe; we do not store your card details), and your subscription status.

Message content. The content of SMS, email, and chat messages you exchange with us.

SMS and automated messaging

A core part of our service runs over SMS. When a homeowner submits a job, we send and receive SMS messages to qualify the enquiry and to connect homeowners with tradespeople. When a relevant job arises, we send SMS and email notifications to tradespeople.

These messages are automated and AI-assisted. We use an automated system, including an AI assistant, to send messages, ask qualifying questions, and draft replies. Unless we tell you otherwise, you are communicating with an automated system rather than a live person.

Opting out. You can stop our SMS messages at any time by replying STOP to any message from us. Tradespeople can opt out of lead notifications by replying STOP or by emailing contact@whatsthedamage.com.au. We send commercial electronic messages to tradespeople on the basis of their relationship with us or their relevance to a specific job; each message identifies us and offers a way to unsubscribe, consistent with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).

How we use AI

We use AI services provided by Anthropic to process the content of homeowner and tradesperson messages: to qualify jobs, extract relevant details such as job scope and timing, and help draft responses. Message content is sent to these AI services so we can provide the service. If you upload a quote to the Quote Checker or when you add a quote to a project folder, the photo or PDF is sent to the same service to read the prices on it, and is not kept once it has been read. If you keep quotes in a project folder, Sam's comparison of them sends the figures, ticks, quote lines and notes in that folder to the same service; the result is shown only in your folder and never emailed. This content is not used to train third-party AI models.

How we use your data

We use the information we collect to:

• Connect homeowners with relevant tradespeople when a quote is requested
• Qualify and route leads, and operate our SMS and email workflows
• Process payments and manage subscriptions
• Respond to enquiries and provide support
• Improve the accuracy and usefulness of our cost guides
• Understand which trades and cities are most in demand

Cookies

Google Analytics (_ga, _ga_*). These cookies help us measure site traffic and understand which pages are most useful. They expire after 2 years. You can opt out by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

No advertising cookies. We do not run ads and do not use advertising or retargeting cookies.

Third-party services and processors

We share personal information with the following providers only to the extent needed to run the service:

Twilio - sending and receiving SMS. Privacy policy.
Stripe - payment processing. Privacy policy.
Resend - sending transactional and notification emails. Privacy policy.
Anthropic - AI processing of message content and uploaded quotes. Privacy policy.
Google (Analytics and Fonts) - site analytics and typography. Privacy policy.
Netlify - website hosting and serverless functions. Privacy policy.

Some of these providers may process and store data outside Australia. We take reasonable steps to ensure they handle your information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Data sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We disclose it only in these cases:

• Quote requests: when you submit a job, your contact details and job information are shared with up to two relevant tradespeople in your area, or with a single tradesperson who holds the Territory Lock for that trade and city.
• Service providers: we share data with the processors listed above so they can perform their functions.
• Legal requirements: we may disclose information where required or authorised by Australian law.

Data retention

Analytics data is retained according to our Google Analytics configuration. Quote Checker records contain no personal information and are kept for price research. Project folders hold your email address only while the reminder emails run (about a month, or less if you stop them, share a final price or delete the folder), and the folder itself until you delete it. Homeowner enquiries, lead records, and tradesperson records are retained for as long as needed to provide the service and to meet our legal and record-keeping obligations, after which they are deleted or de-identified. You can request deletion at any time (see "Your rights" below).

Your rights

Under the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction or deletion of your personal information
• Opt out of marketing or lead communications at any time
• Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Children's privacy

Our site is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent change. Continued use of the site after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

For any privacy question, or to exercise your rights, contact us at:
contact@whatsthedamage.com.au