Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Vowch ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website vowch.app and related services (the "Platform"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Platform. Please read this policy carefully. By using Vowch, you consent to the practices described herein.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

• Account Information: Name, email address, password, and business details when you register as a vendor
• Vendor Profile Data: Business name, contact information, bio, photos, gallery images, pricing, service areas, and availability
• Couple Inquiry Data: Names, email address, phone number, wedding date, venue, budget, and style preferences submitted through inquiry forms
• Payment Information: Stripe processes all payments. We do not store credit card numbers. We store transaction records, wallet balances, and payout history.
• Communications: Messages sent between couples and vendors through our messaging system
• Reviews: Review content, ratings, and couple names submitted through our review system

Information Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, search queries, and interaction patterns
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, and screen resolution
• Log Data: IP address, access times, and referring URLs
• Cookies: We use essential cookies for authentication and session management. See Section 7 for details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate, maintain, and improve the Platform
• Match couples with relevant wedding vendors based on preferences, location, budget, and style
• Process transactions, payouts, and credit purchases
• Send transactional emails (lead notifications, team invites, payout confirmations, dispute updates)
• Provide in-app notifications about account activity
• Prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access
• Analyze usage patterns to improve our recommendation algorithm and user experience
• Respond to support requests and communications
• Enforce our Terms of Service

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in the following circumstances:

• Between Couples and Vendors: When a couple submits an inquiry, their contact and wedding details are shared with the selected vendors to facilitate communication.
• Service Providers: We use third-party services to operate the Platform (see Section 5). These providers only access data necessary to perform their functions.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or government request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Vowch, our users, or the public.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user data may be transferred as part of the transaction.

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the Platform:

Each service has its own privacy policy governing how they handle data. We encourage you to review their policies.

6. Data Retention

• Account Data: Retained as long as your account is active. You may request deletion at any time.
• Inquiry and Lead Data: Retained for the duration of the business relationship and for up to 3 years after for dispute resolution and analytics.
• Transaction Records: Retained for 7 years to comply with tax and financial reporting requirements.
• Messages: Retained as long as both parties have active accounts.
• Usage Logs: Retained for up to 90 days for security and debugging purposes.

7. Cookies

We use essential cookies for authentication and session management. These are necessary for the Platform to function and cannot be disabled. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. If we introduce analytics cookies in the future, we will update this policy and provide opt-out options.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements
• Portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Opt-Out: Opt out of non-essential communications at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at breanna@vowch.app.

9. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, request its deletion, and opt out of any sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To submit a request, contact us at breanna@vowch.app.

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data, including encryption in transit (TLS), row-level security policies on our database, secure authentication, and regular security audits. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Children's Privacy

The Platform is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 18, we will delete it promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at breanna@vowch.app.