Effective Date: November 1, 2024
Last Updated: November 30, 2025
At Hound Dog's Towing & Recovery ("we," "our," or "us"), we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our services.
Personal Information You Provide
When you contact us or use our services, we may collect:
- Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, mailing address
- Vehicle Information: Make, model, year, VIN, license plate number, vehicle condition
- Location Data: GPS coordinates, pickup and delivery addresses when you request emergency or scheduled services
- Payment Information: Credit/debit card numbers, billing address (processed securely through third-party payment processors)
- Service Details: Type of service requested, date and time, special instructions
- Communications: Records of your communications with us, including emails, phone calls, and chat messages
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, we automatically collect:
- Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers
- Usage Data: Pages viewed, time spent on pages, links clicked, referring website
- Location Information: General geographic location based on IP address
- Cookies and Similar Technologies: See Section 4 for details
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- Service Delivery: To provide towing, roadside assistance, vehicle recovery, and related services
- Communication: To respond to your inquiries, send service updates, and provide customer support
- Payment Processing: To process transactions and send receipts
- Service Improvement: To analyze trends, improve our website, and enhance service quality
- Safety and Security: To protect against fraud, verify identity, and ensure the safety of our staff and customers
- Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests
- Marketing: With your consent, to send promotional materials about our services (you can opt-out at any time)
- Business Operations: To manage our business operations, including dispute resolution and recordkeeping
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:
Service Providers
We may share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business:
- Payment Processors: To process credit card and other payment transactions securely
- Communication Services: Email and SMS providers for customer communications
- Analytics Providers: Google Analytics and similar services to understand website usage
- Hosting Providers: Website and database hosting services
- Customer Relationship Management: CRM systems for managing customer interactions
These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information when required by law or to:
- Comply with legal processes, court orders, or government requests
- Enforce our terms of service and policies
- Protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our customers or the public
- Investigate fraud or security issues
Business Transfers
If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change and the choices you may have.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and gather information about usage patterns.
Types of Cookies We Use
- Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly (e.g., session management, security)
- Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site (e.g., Google Analytics)
- Functional Cookies: Remember your preferences and settings
- Marketing Cookies: Track your online activity to deliver targeted advertising (if applicable)
Managing Cookies
You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences. Most browsers allow you to:
- View what cookies are stored and delete them individually
- Block third-party cookies
- Block all cookies
- Delete all cookies when you close the browser
Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.
Third-Party Analytics
We use Google Analytics to analyze website traffic. You can opt-out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
5. Data Security
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:
- Encryption of sensitive data in transit and at rest (SSL/TLS)
- Secure payment processing through PCI-DSS compliant payment processors
- Access controls and authentication requirements
- Regular security assessments and updates
- Employee training on data protection practices
However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
Retention Periods
- Service Records: Retained for 7 years for business and legal purposes
- Payment Information: Retained as required by financial regulations and tax laws (typically 7 years)
- Marketing Data: Retained until you opt-out or request deletion
- Website Analytics: Aggregated data retained indefinitely; individual data deleted after 26 months
- Customer Communications: Retained for 3-7 years depending on the nature of the communication
After the retention period expires, we will securely delete or anonymize your information. You may request earlier deletion of your information by contacting us (see Section 7).
7. Your Privacy Rights
You have the following rights regarding your personal information:
Access and Correction
- Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Right to Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
Deletion and Restriction
- Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal and business requirements)
- Right to Restriction: Request that we limit how we use your information
Marketing Opt-Out
- Email Marketing: Click the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email
- SMS Marketing: Reply "STOP" to any marketing text message
- Phone Calls: Request to be added to our do-not-call list
How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 14. We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
8. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):
Your California Rights
- Right to Know: Request information about the personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell
- Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information
- Right to Opt-Out: Opt-out of the sale of your personal information (we do not sell personal information)
- Right to Non-Discrimination: Receive equal service and pricing regardless of exercising your privacy rights
- Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Right to Limit: Limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information
Categories of Information We Collect
In the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information:
- Identifiers (name, address, email, phone number)
- Financial information (payment card details)
- Commercial information (service history, preferences)
- Internet activity (website usage, browsing history)
- Geolocation data (precise location for service delivery)
- Professional information (for commercial accounts)
Exercising Your California Rights
California residents may submit requests by:
We will verify your identity before processing your request and respond within 45 days.
9. Children's Privacy
Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent, as required by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us immediately. We will delete such information from our systems.
10. Third-Party Websites and Services
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications that are not operated by us. This Privacy Policy does not apply to these third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.
11. Do Not Track Signals
Some web browsers have a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites you visit that you do not want to have your online activity tracked. Currently, there is no industry standard for how to respond to DNT signals.
At this time, our website does not respond to DNT browser signals. However, you can use the browser and third-party tools described in Section 4 to control data collection and use.
12. Data Breach Notification
In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will:
- Notify affected individuals within 72 hours of discovering the breach (or as required by applicable law)
- Describe the nature of the breach and the information involved
- Provide information about steps we are taking to address the breach
- Recommend actions you can take to protect yourself
- Notify relevant regulatory authorities as required
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
- Post the updated policy on our website
- Notify you via email or prominent notice on our website (for significant changes)
- Obtain your consent if required by law
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:
Privacy Commitment: Your privacy is important to us. We are committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about our data practices. If you have any concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Governing Law: This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, USA.
Any disputes arising from this policy will be resolved in the courts of Franklin County, Ohio.