Privacy
How Thrift Apps handles personal information.
1. Who this policy applies to
This privacy policy applies to Thrift Apps Pty Ltd (ABN 29 698 218 389), trading as ThriftApps, and to personal information we handle through thriftapps.com, our advertising and lead forms, email, calls, project portals, website hosting, support and related services.
ThriftApps builds affordable websites, project portals, automations, custom apps and related digital systems for small businesses. In some projects we may handle information about our own leads and customers. In other projects we may handle information on behalf of a client as part of building, hosting or supporting that client's website or software.
2. Personal information we collect
The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us. It may include:
- contact details, such as your name, business name, email address, phone number, location and preferred contact method;
- enquiry details, such as your current website status, project goals, budget range, timing, business needs, message content and files or links you choose to send us;
- information from Meta, Instagram or other advertising lead forms when you choose to submit a form to us, including details that may be pre-filled by that platform;
- project and support information, such as briefs, website copy, brand assets, images, tasks, feedback, support requests, portal activity and correspondence;
- billing and account administration details, such as invoices, payment status and service history, noting that card or payment details are usually handled by payment providers rather than stored by us directly;
- technical and usage information, such as IP address, device and browser information, pages visited, form events, referral source, approximate location, analytics data and cookie or pixel identifiers.
We do not intentionally collect sensitive information such as health information, political opinions, religious beliefs, biometric information or government identifiers unless it is genuinely required for a particular service and you have provided it knowingly. Please do not include sensitive information in general website or ad enquiries.
3. How we collect information
We collect information when you:
- submit a form on our website;
- submit a lead form through Meta, Facebook, Instagram or another advertising platform;
- email, call, message or meet with us;
- use a ThriftApps project portal, client portal, support channel or hosted service;
- send us business assets, website content, screenshots, uploads, briefs or other project materials;
- visit our website or interact with our ads, analytics, pixels, cookies or similar technologies;
- become a client, supplier, contractor or business contact.
Where practical, we collect personal information directly from you. We may also receive information from platforms you use to contact us, referral partners, service providers, public business listings, analytics tools or our clients where we are providing services to them.
4. Why we use personal information
We use personal information for legitimate business purposes, including to:
- respond to enquiries and recommend the cleanest starting point for a website, app, portal, automation or support service;
- prepare quotes, proposals, project plans, invoices and service recommendations;
- build, host, maintain, monitor and support websites, custom apps, portals, automations and related systems;
- operate project portals, support workflows, client communication and handover processes;
- send service updates, support messages, project reminders, reports and administrative notices;
- send marketing or follow-up communications where permitted, with an unsubscribe or opt-out path where required;
- measure ad performance, website performance, lead quality and service demand;
- improve our website, services, systems, security, support and internal processes;
- detect misuse, spam, fraud, security risks, technical issues or unlawful activity;
- meet legal, tax, accounting, insurance, dispute resolution and regulatory obligations.
We do not sell personal information.
5. Meta lead forms and advertising
If you submit a lead form through Meta, Facebook, Instagram or another advertising platform, that platform may pre-fill information from your profile or account and process your interaction under its own privacy policy and terms.
Once you submit the form to ThriftApps, we use the information to respond to your enquiry, qualify your needs, provide a recommendation or quote, and follow up about relevant website, hosting, support, automation or app services.
Our lead forms should only ask for information needed to understand and respond to the enquiry. We do not use lead forms to intentionally request sensitive information, financial account details, passwords or unnecessary identifiers.
7. When we share information
We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to run our business and deliver our services, including to:
- our directors, employees, contractors and professional advisers;
- website hosting, domain, email, cloud, database, security, support, analytics, CRM, project management and automation providers;
- payment processors, accountants, banks and billing platforms;
- advertising and analytics platforms, including Meta and Google, where used for campaign measurement or remarketing;
- clients where we are working with information on their behalf, or where information relates to their project or service;
- law enforcement, regulators, courts, insurers or other parties where required or permitted by law, or where needed to protect rights, safety, security or property.
Some providers may store or process information outside Australia, including in countries such as the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Singapore or other locations where major cloud and software providers operate. Where we use such providers, we take reasonable steps to work with reputable services that publish privacy, security or data-processing commitments.
8. Client website and app data
When ThriftApps builds, hosts, maintains or supports websites, portals, automations or apps for clients, we may process personal information submitted by that client's customers, staff or users. In many of those cases, the client is responsible for deciding what information is collected and why, and ThriftApps acts as a service provider or technical operator.
Clients are responsible for their own privacy notices, consents, lawful collection practices and instructions to us. We will take reasonable steps to handle client data securely and in line with the agreed service, but we are not responsible for a client's own legal obligations, content, forms, customer promises or misuse of exported data.
9. Security and retention
We take reasonable technical, organisational and administrative steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. This may include access controls, reputable cloud providers, account security, backups, monitoring, limited access and secure workflows.
No internet, email, hosting or software system can be guaranteed secure. Please avoid sending passwords, payment card details or sensitive information through general website forms or email unless we specifically request a secure method.
We keep personal information for as long as reasonably needed for the purpose it was collected, for project records, support, legal, accounting, tax, insurance, dispute or security purposes, or as required by law. When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete, de-identify or securely archive it.
10. Access, correction and complaints
You can contact us to request access to personal information we hold about you, ask for corrections, unsubscribe from marketing, or make a privacy complaint.
Email: hello@thriftapps.com
We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within a reasonable time and may refuse or limit a request where permitted by law, such as where access would affect another person's privacy, reveal confidential information, be frivolous or unlawful, or compromise security.
If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy complaint, you may be able to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy as our services, technology, legal requirements or business processes change. The latest version will be published on this page with the updated date.