Privacy Policy

CartridgeID LLC ("we," "us," or "our") operates the cartridgeid.com website, mobile app, and related services (collectively, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information when you use the Service.

By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information we collect

Information you provide directly. When you create an account, submit a cartridge identification ticket, place an order, or contact us, we collect:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Mailing/shipping address
• Company name (if you are a plumbing professional)
• User type (plumber/handyman or homeowner)
• Photos and descriptions you submit for cartridge identification
• Payment information (processed by Stripe; see Section 4 below)
• Communications with our support team

Information collected automatically. When you use the Service, we automatically collect:

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Device type, operating system, and browser
• Pages viewed and actions taken on the Service
• Referring URLs and search terms
• Session recordings (mouse movements, scrolls, clicks — see Section 5 below)
• Time zone and language preferences

Information from third parties. When you sign in using a third-party authentication provider (Google, Facebook, Apple), we receive your name and email address from that provider per their authentication scope.

2. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and improve the Service
• Identify cartridges and source parts you request
• Process orders, payments, and shipping
• Communicate with you about your tickets, orders, and account
• Send transactional SMS notifications (with your consent)
• Send marketing communications (with your consent — you can opt out at any time)
• Detect and prevent fraud, unauthorized access, and abuse
• Comply with legal obligations
• Improve our identification accuracy by analyzing patterns in submitted photos and identifications
• Build our product catalog and reference library

3. SMS / text message communications

By providing your phone number and opting in, you consent to receive SMS notifications from CartridgeID LLC regarding your orders, shipping updates, identification status, and account activity. Message and data rates may apply. You may reply STOP at any time to unsubscribe. Reply HELP for help. For questions, contact us at orders@cartridgeid.com.

We distinguish between transactional SMS (order updates, ticket status, payment confirmations — required for service delivery if you opt in) and marketing SMS (promotional offers, new product announcements — separately optional). You can opt in or out of either independently.

We do not sell or share your phone number with third parties. The above excludes text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

4. Third-party service providers

We share information with the following trusted service providers solely to operate the Service:

• Stripe — payment processing. Receives name, billing address, payment method information (handled directly by Stripe; we do not store payment card numbers).
• Base44 — application hosting and database. Operates under Base44's own privacy practices.
• Brevo — email marketing communications. Receives name, email address, marketing preferences.
• Pingram — SMS notification delivery. Receives phone number and message content.
• Google Analytics 4 — usage analytics. Receives pseudonymous device and behavior data.
• Microsoft Clarity — session recording for UX improvement. Receives mouse movements, scrolls, clicks (see Section 5).
• Meta (Facebook) Pixel — advertising attribution. Receives pseudonymous browsing events.
• Gmail (Google) — supplier email communication on your behalf. Receives order and identification context only.

We share only the information necessary for each provider to perform their function. Each provider is contractually required to handle data securely and only for the purposes we specify.

5. Session recording disclosure

We use Microsoft Clarity to record user interactions on the Service — including mouse movements, scrolls, clicks, page views, and form interactions — for the purpose of improving our user experience. Recordings exclude personal information typed into form fields. Recordings are pseudonymous (associated with a session ID, not your account) unless you have provided account information that links the session.

You can opt out of session recording by using your browser's Do Not Track setting or emailing us at support@cartridgeid.com with a request to disable Clarity for your account. We retain session recordings for up to 90 days, after which they are automatically deleted.

6. Cookies and tracking technologies

We use cookies, local storage, and similar technologies for authentication and session management (essential — cannot be disabled while using the Service), remembering your preferences, analytics (Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity), and advertising attribution (Meta Pixel). You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies will prevent the Service from functioning.

7. Data retention

We retain personal information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide ongoing service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements, and improve identification accuracy (de-identified data may be retained for model training).

When you close your account, we delete or anonymize your personal information within 90 days, except where retention is required by law. Session recordings are retained for 90 days.

8. California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) rights

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Right to Know. You may request that we disclose the specific categories of personal information we have collected, the sources, the purposes for which we use it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.

Right to Delete. You may request that we delete personal information we have collected about you, subject to certain legal exceptions (e.g., we must retain records of completed transactions for tax purposes).

Right to Opt Out of Sale. We do not sell personal information. This includes specifically the prohibition on selling text messaging originator opt-in data and consent.

Right to Non-Discrimination. We will not deny service, charge different prices, or provide a lower quality of service to you because you exercise any of your CCPA rights.

How to exercise your rights. Email orders@cartridgeid.com with your request and provide enough information for us to verify your identity. We will respond to verifiable requests within 45 days.

Photo and content removal. If you have submitted photos or other content through the Service (for example, via a cartridge identification ticket) and would prefer that we not use that content in marketing materials, you may request removal at any time by emailing orders@cartridgeid.com with your account email and the relevant ticket number. We will remove the content from marketing materials within 45 days of a verified request. Removal of marketing-use content does not affect the underlying ticket record or your order history.

9. Children's privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at support@cartridgeid.com and we will delete it.

10. Data security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure — including encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), encryption at rest for sensitive data, access controls, regular security reviews, and multi-factor authentication for administrative access. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

11. Data breach notification

If we become aware of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and applicable regulatory authorities as required by law. Notifications will describe the nature of the breach, the categories of information affected, and the steps you can take to protect yourself.

12. International data transfers

We currently provide service only to U.S. addresses and do not knowingly transfer personal data internationally. Service providers we use may store data on infrastructure located in the United States; some providers may use sub-processors located in other countries under their own privacy and security practices.

13. Third-party links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing them with information.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email and post a notice on the Service. You will be prompted to re-accept the updated Privacy Policy upon your next session. Continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes your acceptance.

15. Contact

For privacy and data requests: orders@cartridgeid.com
For general support: support@cartridgeid.com

CartridgeID LLC
San Jose, CA, USA