Maher Mechanical Ltd. - Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 22, 2026

1. INTRODUCTION

This Privacy Policy describes how Maher Mechanical Ltd. collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit our website, request an estimate, or use our services.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly, in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and other applicable Canadian privacy laws.

Contact Information:

2. WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?

Personal information is any information that can be used to identify you, including:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Service address
  • Details about your plumbing or HVAC system
  • Payment information

Not personal information (we don't protect as personal data):

  • General business contact information (your company name, business phone, business email used for business purposes)
  • Anonymized or aggregated data that cannot identify you

3. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

3.1 Information You Provide

When you interact with us, we may collect:

When you request an estimate:

  • Your name, address, phone number, and email
  • Description of your plumbing or HVAC problem
  • Photos or details you provide about your system
  • Preferred appointment times

When you schedule service:

  • Service address and access instructions
  • Emergency contact information
  • Payment information (for invoice purposes)
  • Preferences or special requests

When you contact us:

  • Message content
  • Communication preferences

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

Usage Data:

  • IP address (internet protocol address)
  • Browser type and version
  • Pages you visit
  • Time spent on each page
  • Referring website
  • Device type (computer, mobile, tablet)

Cookies and Tracking:

  • Session cookies (deleted when you close your browser)
  • Persistent cookies (remain on your device for future visits)
  • Analytics data to understand how you use the website

4. HOW DO WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?

We use your personal information only for the purposes you've provided it or related service purposes:

Primary Purposes:

  • To respond to your estimate or service request
  • To schedule and provide plumbing/HVAC services
  • To contact you about your appointment
  • To send invoices and billing information
  • To provide warranty information
  • To follow up after service completion
  • To comply with legal obligations (building codes, permits, WorkplaceNL)

Secondary Purposes (only with your consent):

  • To send you information about new services we offer
  • To send promotional or special offer emails
  • To send SMS reminders for upcoming appointments

You can opt out of secondary purposes at any time by:

Purposes We Do NOT Use Your Information For:

  • Selling to third-party companies
  • Marketing for unrelated products/services
  • Sharing with competitors or advertisers
  • Any purpose not disclosed in this policy

5. COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES

What are Cookies?

Cookies are small files stored on your device when you visit our website. They help us:

  • Remember your preferences
  • Understand how you use our website
  • Improve website functionality
  • Analyze traffic patterns

Types of Cookies We Use:

Essential Cookies:

  • Required for website to function
  • Help authenticate your identity
  • Cannot be disabled
  • Example: Session cookies for online booking

Functionality Cookies:

  • Remember your choices (language preference, contact info)
  • Optional, but improve your experience
  • Example: Remembering you selected "English"

Analytics Cookies:

  • Track how you use the website
  • Help us improve our site
  • Third-party: Google Analytics
  • Data shared: Aggregated, not individual

Tracking/Remarketing Cookies:

  • Used for targeted advertising (Google Ads, Facebook, etc.)
  • Track your browsing across websites
  • Allow us to show you relevant ads

Controlling Cookies:

In your browser:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Select Privacy/Security
  3. Manage cookies and tracking
  4. Block all, allow essential, or customize

Opt out of specific services:

Note: Disabling cookies may affect website functionality.

6. WHO DO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH?

Service Providers (with contracts in place):

We may share your information with trusted third parties to help us provide services:

Service Provider Why We Share What Data Privacy Link
Google Analytics Website traffic analysis Anonymous/aggregated data Google Privacy
Google Ads Remarketing/advertising Anonymous/hashed email Google Privacy
Email Marketing Appointment reminders, newsletters Email, name, phone [Your email provider]
Payment Processor Invoice/payment processing Payment information [Your processor's policy]
WorkplaceNL Workers' compensation compliance Required employment info www.workplacenl.ca

Important: All service providers sign agreements to protect your privacy. We remain responsible for how they handle your data.

We Do NOT Share For:

  • Marketing/advertising (without consent)
  • Sale of personal data (we don't sell your info)
  • Business transfer (unless you are notified)
  • Affiliate marketing

We May Share If:

  • Required by law (court order, government agency, police)
  • Legal obligation (building permits, safety investigations)
  • Safety emergency (life-threatening situation)
  • Legal proceedings (if you sue us or we must defend ourselves)

7. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

Data Retention Schedule:

Type of Data Retention Period Reason
Contact information from estimate 1 year To follow up on opportunities
Service records & invoices 7 years Legal/tax compliance (CRA requirements)
Warranty claims Duration of warranty + 1 year To honor warranty obligations
Email marketing lists Until you unsubscribe Ongoing consent
Website analytics 26 months Google Analytics default
Cookies Session to 2 years Depends on cookie type
Payment records 7 years Financial/tax records

After the retention period:

  • Data is securely deleted or anonymized
  • You can request deletion anytime
  • Some data kept if legally required

8. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

Under Canadian privacy law, you have the right to:

Right to Access

See what information we have about you

Right to Correct

Update or fix incorrect information

  • Contact us to correct outdated information
  • Example: Address changed, phone number updated
  • No charge for reasonable requests

Right to Deletion

Request deletion of your personal information

  • We'll delete information when it's no longer needed
  • Some information must be kept for legal reasons (7-year tax records)
  • Deletion request: email jason.maher@mahermechanical.ca with "DELETE" in subject

Right to Withdraw Consent

Stop us from using your information

  • Opt out of marketing emails anytime (click unsubscribe)
  • Stop receiving SMS messages (reply STOP)
  • Call us to ask not to contact you

Right to Complain

Report privacy violations

  • First: Contact us directly to resolve
  • Then: Complain to Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
  • Website: www.priv.gc.ca
  • Phone: 1-800-282-1376
  • Email: info@priv.gc.ca

9. SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION

We take security seriously. We use:

Technical Safeguards:

  • Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS)
  • Secure password protection
  • Firewall protection
  • Regular security updates

Administrative Safeguards:

  • Limited access to personal information
  • Employee training on privacy
  • Confidentiality agreements with staff
  • Background checks where applicable

Physical Safeguards:

  • Locked filing cabinets (for paper records)
  • Restricted access to offices
  • Secure disposal of sensitive documents

No Guarantee: Despite our efforts, no security system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute protection, but we use industry-standard safeguards.

Data Breach Protocol:

If we discover unauthorized access to your personal information:

  1. We investigate immediately
  2. We assess the level of risk to you
  3. We notify you within 30 days (as required by law)
  4. We provide steps you can take to protect yourself

10. CROSS-BORDER INFORMATION TRANSFERS

Where Your Data Is Stored:

  • Primary: Canada
  • Backup: Canada
  • Analytics: Google servers (may be worldwide)

Protection for International Transfers:

  • We require service providers to meet Canadian privacy standards
  • Data transfer agreements include security requirements
  • We only transfer to countries with adequate protections

By using our services, you consent to information being transferred outside Canada if necessary for service provision.

11. THIRD-PARTY LINKS

Our website may contain links to:

  • Manufacturer websites (water heaters, furnaces, etc.)
  • Government sites (permit info, building codes)
  • Service directories
  • Review sites

We are not responsible for:

  • Third-party website privacy practices
  • Content on linked websites
  • Information you provide to third parties

We recommend:

  • Review privacy policies before submitting information
  • Don't assume our policy applies to linked sites
  • Contact third parties directly about their privacy practices

12. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY

Our website and services are not intended for anyone under 18 years old.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover we've collected information from a child without parental consent, we will delete it immediately.

If you're a parent and believe we've collected information from your child:

13. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect:

  • Changes in our practices
  • New legal requirements
  • Technology improvements
  • Regulatory updates

When we change this policy:

  1. We update the "Last updated" date at the top
  2. We post the new version on our website
  3. For material changes, we'll notify you by email (if we have it)
  4. We recommend reviewing regularly

Your rights:

  • Changes don't apply retroactively
  • Continued use means you accept updates
  • Opt out if you disagree with changes

14. ADDITIONAL CANADIAN PRIVACY LAWS

PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act)

  • Federal law covering private-sector organizations
  • Governs how we collect, use, and protect information
  • We comply with 10 fair information principles
  • Applies across Canada

CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation)

  • Federal law regulating commercial email and SMS
  • Requires consent before marketing messages
  • Applies to emails we send you
  • Includes unsubscribe mechanism in all emails

ATIPPA (Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act)

  • Newfoundland and Labrador public sector law
  • If you request government permits, government may access information
  • Doesn't apply to Maher Mechanical, but relevant to project permits

15. CONTACT US FOR PRIVACY QUESTIONS

Privacy Officer/Contact:

For Privacy Complaints:

Step 1: Contact Us

Step 2: External Complaint

If we don't resolve your concern:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

16. SPECIFIC TOOL DISCLOSURES

Google Analytics

What it tracks:

  • Pages visited
  • Time on site
  • Geographic location (approximate)
  • Device type
  • Traffic sources

Data shared with Google:

  • Aggregated, anonymized traffic data
  • NOT individual names or contact info

Opt out:

Privacy Policy:

Google Ads/AdWords Remarketing

What it does:

  • Shows you ads on other websites
  • Tracks if you visit after seeing ad
  • Uses cookies to recognize you

Data shared with Google:

  • Hashed email address (if available)
  • Cookie data (not personal info)
  • Website browsing activity

Opt out:

Privacy Policy:

Facebook Remarketing

What it does:

  • Shows you Maher Mechanical ads on Facebook/Instagram
  • Recognizes you across devices
  • Tracks website visits

Opt out:

Privacy Policy:

Invisible reCAPTCHA (Google)

What it does:

  • Verifies you're human (not a bot)
  • Protects website from spam/abuse
  • Runs in the background

Data collected:

  • IP address
  • Interaction data
  • Cookies

Privacy Policy:

17. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS

Right/Principle What It Means
Transparency We tell you what info we collect and why
Consent We ask permission before using your data
Limitation We collect only what we need
Security We protect your information
Accuracy We keep information up to date
Retention We keep data only as long as needed
Access You can request to see your information
Correction You can request to fix errors
Deletion You can request we delete your info
Complaint You can complain to privacy authorities

18. QUICK REFERENCE

Need to...

Unsubscribe from emails?

→ Click unsubscribe link in any email

Update your information?

→ Email jason.maher@mahermechanical.ca with "PRIVACY UPDATE"

Delete your information?

→ Email jason.maher@mahermechanical.ca with "DELETE" in subject

See what we have about you?

→ Email jason.maher@mahermechanical.ca with "PRIVACY REQUEST"

Report a privacy violation?

→ Email us first, then contact Office of Privacy Commissioner (www.priv.gc.ca)

Opt out of cookies/tracking?

→ Update browser settings or use tool links provided

Last Updated: January 22, 2026
Effective Date: January 22, 2026