1. Who We Are
Responsible Party: Potch Petsitting Service
Contact: 079 783 6665 | Potchefstroom, North West Province, South Africa
We are a pet sitting and house sitting service operating in and around Potchefstroom. This policy explains how we collect and use your personal information when you use our website or book our services.
2. Information We Collect
When you make a booking or interact with our website, we may collect:
- Personal details: First name, last name, email address, phone number
- Pet information: Pet names, species, breed, health notes, special requirements
- Service details: Booking dates, times, service type, address
- Payment information: Booking reference and payment confirmation reference (we do not store your card number — payments are processed securely by Paystack)
- Communication records: WhatsApp messages related to your booking
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information only for the following purposes:
- To process and confirm your booking
- To assign and coordinate the right sitter for your pet
- To send booking confirmations, receipts, and service reminders
- To communicate with you via WhatsApp or phone regarding your booking
- To handle cancellations, refunds, or disputes
- To improve our services
We will never use your information for unsolicited marketing without your explicit consent.
4. Sharing Your Information
We share your personal information only with:
- Our staff members — only the information necessary to fulfil your booking (name, pet details, address, time)
- Paystack — our payment processor. Paystack processes your card transaction securely. View their privacy policy at paystack.com/za/privacy
- Meta (WhatsApp) — we use the WhatsApp Business API to send booking notifications. Messages are subject to Meta's privacy policy.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.
5. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to:
- Provide our services and maintain booking records
- Comply with legal and accounting obligations (generally 5 years)
- Resolve any disputes or complaints
Once your information is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted or anonymised.
6. Security
We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse, including:
- HTTPS encryption on all web pages
- Secure, hashed password storage for staff accounts
- Payment processing via PCI-DSS compliant Paystack
- Restricted access to personal data — only authorised staff can view booking details
7. Your Rights (POPIA)
Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Correction — request that inaccurate information be corrected
- Deletion — request that your information be deleted (subject to legal obligations)
- Objection — object to the processing of your personal information
- Withdraw consent — withdraw consent to WhatsApp communications at any time
To exercise any of these rights, contact us via WhatsApp or phone at 079 783 6665. We will respond within 30 days.
8. Cookies
Our website does not use tracking cookies. We do not run any third-party advertising or analytics scripts that collect your browsing data.
9. Children's Privacy
Our services and website are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can delete it.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
11. Complaints
If you believe we have not handled your personal information in accordance with POPIA, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa:
- 🌐 www.justice.gov.za/inforeg
- 📧 inforeg@justice.gov.za
12. Contact Us
For any privacy-related questions or requests:
- 📞 079 783 6665
- 💬 WhatsApp: 079 783 6665
- 📍 Potchefstroom, North West Province, South Africa