Privacy Policy

1. Overview

This Privacy Policy explains how Blue Trade Alliance ("BTA," "we," "us") collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information when you use our websites and services (together, the "Platform"), including: our main site, the websites of alliance member businesses that we host ("Member Sites"), our project marketplace, and the member dashboard. It applies to homeowners and customers ("Customers"), alliance member businesses and their owners ("Members"), and visitors.

BTA is a network of independently owned local service businesses. When you book a job or accept a quote, the work is performed by an independent Member business — this policy explains exactly what information we pass between you and that business, and when.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

• Booking & project information (Customers): your name, email address, phone number, service address or ZIP code, a description of the work you need, optional budget information, optional project photos, and scheduling preferences.
• Reviews: the rating and comments you submit after a completed booking.
• Membership applications (business owners): business legal name, owner name, trade, contact email and phone, license number where applicable, and any referral code you enter.
• Member account information: the business email used to sign in to the member dashboard, business profile details (display name, city, public contact info), service catalog, and service areas.

Information collected automatically

• Basic technical information needed to operate the Platform, such as IP address, browser type, and pages visited. We use functional cookies for member sign-in sessions. We do not run third-party advertising trackers, and we do not sell or share personal information for targeted advertising.

Payment information

• When online payments launch, they will be processed by Stripe, a third-party payment processor. Card numbers are provided directly to Stripe and are not stored on our servers. Stripe's handling of your information is governed by its own privacy policy.

3. How We Use Information

• To match your project or booking with Member businesses that cover your area and type of work;
• To create and manage bookings, quotes, and calendar invitations;
• To send transactional messages: booking confirmations, quote notifications, private project links, and sign-in links;
• To display verified reviews (see Section 4 for how we limit what appears);
• To route work safely — job descriptions are automatically screened so that work requiring a licensed trade (for example plumbing, electrical, or HVAC) is only directed to appropriately licensed Member businesses;
• To process membership applications, referrals, and member payouts;
• To operate, secure, debug, and improve the Platform, and to prevent fraud and abuse;
• To comply with legal obligations.

We do not use your personal information for third-party advertising, and we do not sell it.

4. How We Share Information

We share personal information only as described here:

• With the Member business you book or choose. When you book a Member directly, that business receives your name, contact information, service address, and job details so it can perform the work. In the marketplace, Members who are eligible to quote your project see only your ZIP code, project description, optional budget, and photos — your name, email, and phone number are shared only with the one Member you choose, and only after you choose them.
• Sealed quotes.Members never see each other's quotes.
• In public reviews.Reviews come only from completed bookings and display your first name and last initial only (for example, "Maria G.") — never your full name, contact information, or address.
• With service providers that help us run the Platform (website hosting, database hosting, email delivery, and — when payments launch — Stripe), under obligations to use the information only to provide those services.
• For legal reasons — to comply with law, enforce our Terms of Use, or protect the rights, safety, and property of BTA, our Members, or others.
• In a business transfer — if BTA is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, personal information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.

We do not sell personal information, and we have not sold it in the preceding 12 months.

5. Project Photos

Photos you attach to a marketplace project are stored securely and are viewable only by (a) you, through your private project link, and (b) Member businesses eligible to quote your project while it is open, plus the Member you ultimately choose. They are not public, and they are not used for marketing without your separate permission. Please avoid including people, documents, or anything private in project photos — photograph the work area only.

6. Cookies & Similar Technologies

We use strictly functional cookies: a session cookie that keeps Members signed in to the dashboard, and technical cookies required for the site to work. We do not use advertising cookies or cross-site tracking. Because we do not track you across other sites, the Platform does not respond differently to browser "Do Not Track" signals — there is nothing to turn off. If we ever introduce analytics or advertising technologies, we will update this policy and provide appropriate choices first.

7. How We Protect Information

• All traffic is encrypted in transit (HTTPS).
• Customer project pages are protected by private, signed links delivered to your email address — treat that link like a password and don't forward it.
• Member dashboard access uses emailed one-time sign-in links; there are no passwords to steal.
• Access to your contact information is gated in software: Members cannot retrieve Customer contact details before you choose them, and Members cannot see other Members' quotes.

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we design the Platform so that each party can only access what they legitimately need.

8. Data Retention

We keep booking, project, and review records for as long as needed to operate the Platform, resolve disputes, meet legal and tax obligations, and maintain accurate records between Customers and Members. When information is no longer needed, we delete or de-identify it. You may request deletion as described in Section 11.

9. Children's Privacy

The Platform is intended for adults. You must be at least 18 to book services, post a project, or apply for membership. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (consistent with the federal COPPA statute). If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Email & Text Communications

We send transactional emails that are part of the service you requested: booking confirmations, calendar invitations, quote notifications, private project links, and sign-in links. If we ever send marketing email, it will comply with the federal CAN-SPAM Act and include a working unsubscribe. We will not send you marketing text messages without your prior express written consent as required by the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and you will be able to opt out by replying STOP.

11. Your Privacy Choices & Rights

Regardless of where you live, you may contact us to:

• Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• Correct inaccurate information;
• Request deletion of your information (subject to records we must keep for legal, tax, dispute, or safety reasons);
• Ask questions about this policy or our practices.

To make a request, email us at the address in Section 14 from the email address associated with your booking, project, or membership — that is how we verify the request is really yours. We respond within 45 days. We will never discriminate against you for exercising privacy rights.

12. State-Specific Disclosures

We currently operate in Florida. As the alliance expands, this section will carry any additional disclosures required by the privacy laws of states where we operate or serve residents (such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, the Colorado Privacy Act, the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, and similar laws). Two standing commitments apply in every state: we do not sell personal information, and we do not process personal information for targeted advertising — which means the opt-out rights those laws center on are satisfied by default. Residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws may exercise the access, correction, deletion, and portability rights described in Section 11, and may appeal a refused request by replying to our decision; where state law provides, you may also contact your state Attorney General.

13. Changes to This Policy

When we make material changes, we will update the date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you by email or a notice on the Platform before the change takes effect. Continued use of the Platform after a change means the updated policy applies.

14. Contact Us

Blue Trade Alliance — Privacy
Email: privacy@bluetradealliance.com
Tampa Bay, Florida

This policy describes our practices in plain language on purpose. If anything is unclear, ask us — we would rather explain it than have you guess.