We are a plumbing and backflow contractor serving Elgin and the surrounding communities. This policy covers this website, the service request form on it, the text messages and emails we send you about your job, and the systems we use to schedule work, keep backflow test records, and send invoices.
We are not in the business of selling information. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for anyone else’s advertising.
What we collect
When you ask us for service
The form on this site asks for your name, phone number, email address, the address where the work is needed, what kind of work it is, and whatever you choose to tell us about the problem. If you are asking about a backflow test, we also ask what the test is for, how many devices you have, and which village or water district the report is filed with. We ask whether you have worked with us before, so we can match you to your existing record instead of creating a second one.
All of it is optional in the sense that you can call us instead. If you use the form, the fields marked required are the ones we genuinely cannot schedule a visit without.
When we do the work
We keep records of the job: what we did, when, who did it, what was charged, and notes the technician made. For backflow testing, we record the device details and the test readings, and we may take photographs of the assembly and its surroundings. Those records exist because the work is regulated and has to be documented.
When you use this website
Our website host and our analytics and advertising tools record standard technical information: your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you visited, and how you arrived. This is used to understand which pages are useful and whether our advertising is working. You can refuse or delete cookies in your browser settings.
What we do not collect
We do not ask for, and the form does not accept, payment card numbers, bank details or Social Security numbers. If you pay us by card, that transaction is handled by our payment processor, and we never see or store the full card number.
Text messages
We will not text you unless you tick the box asking us to. It is not ticked by default, and you do not have to agree to it to book work with us.
If you do agree, we may send you messages about your request and your appointments, including letting you know a technician is on the way, and reminders when a backflow test is coming due. Some of those messages are sent automatically.
Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP at any time to stop, or HELP for help. You can also just call us and ask us to switch it off. When you give consent, we record the exact wording you were shown and the time you agreed, so what you signed up for is a matter of record rather than a matter of memory.
Your phone number is never shared with anyone for their own marketing.
Who we share information with
We use a small number of outside companies to run the business. They only receive what they need to do their part, and they are not permitted to use it for anything else.
| Who | What they get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Our website host and WordPress | Technical logs, form submissions in transit | Runs this website |
| Cloudflare | IP address, technical request data | Security and spam filtering on the form |
| Google (Analytics and Ads) | Website usage data, cookie identifiers | Understanding site traffic and measuring advertising |
| Our email provider | The contents of your service request | Delivering your request to our office |
| Our text message provider | Your phone number and the message | Sending the texts you agreed to |
| Intuit QuickBooks | Your name, contact details, service address, and the job and invoice | Our accounting and invoicing system |
| Our backflow reporting system | Device details and test results | Filing legally required test reports |
| Your water district or village | Your backflow test report | Required by law — see below |
We may also disclose information where the law requires it, to protect someone’s safety, or to our professional advisers. If the business is ever sold, customer records would transfer with it.
Backflow test reports are not private and cannot be
Backflow prevention testing exists to protect the public water supply, and the results have to be filed with the water purveyor for the property — the village, the city, or the water district. That filing typically includes the property address, the device details, the test readings, and the date. We cannot withhold a test report from the purveyor at your request, because filing it is the point of the test and is a legal obligation on the property owner. If you would rather it was not filed, the answer is not to have the test done, which usually is not an option either.
QuickBooks
We use Intuit QuickBooks Online to keep customer records, produce estimates and send invoices, and we use a private connection between our scheduling system and our own QuickBooks company so that a job you book becomes an invoice without being typed twice.
That connection reads and writes records in our QuickBooks company. It never deletes anything, and it is not connected to any QuickBooks account belonging to you. Information about you reaches QuickBooks in the same way it always has: because you are our customer and we invoice you. If you would like to know exactly what we hold there, ask us, and we will tell you.
Details of that connection, including how it is switched off, are on our QuickBooks connection page.
How long we keep things
- Enquiries that never became a job — kept while they are still worth following up, then deleted.
- Job and invoice records — kept as long as our accounting and tax obligations require.
- Backflow test records and photographs — kept for as long as the testing rules and our professional obligations require, which is generally several years. These are compliance records and we are not free to delete them on request.
- Text message consent records — kept for as long as we may need to demonstrate that you agreed.
Your choices
- See what we hold. Ask us, and we will tell you.
- Correct it. Tell us what is wrong, and we will fix it.
- Have it deleted. We will delete what we are not legally required to keep, and we will tell you plainly what we have to keep and why.
- Stop the texts. Reply STOP, or call us.
- Stop the emails. Use the unsubscribe link, or call us. We will still email you about a job you have actually booked.
- Cookies and advertising. Manage cookies in your browser. You can opt out of Google’s advertising personalisation through Google’s own settings.
We will not treat you differently for exercising any of these.
Security
Information is sent to us over an encrypted connection and is held in systems that require authentication. Access is limited to the people who need it to do the work. No system is perfect, and we would rather say that than claim otherwise.
Children
This website is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us, and we will delete it.
Changes
If we change this policy, we will change the effective date at the top. If the change is significant, we will say so on this page rather than hope you notice.
Contact us
Questions about this policy, or about information we hold, go to:
Fox Valley Plumbing & Backflow, Inc.
Elgin, Illinois
Telephone: (847) 624-3872
Email: foxvalleyplumbing@gmail.com
