Privacy
Joel Works is a one person renovation business in Simcoe, Ontario. The short version: the site counts visits so Joel knows whether it is doing its job, and the only information about you personally is what you choose to send when you get in touch. That goes straight to Joel and is used to answer you and quote your work. Nothing is sold and nothing is shared for marketing.
What this site measures
This site loads Google Tag Manager, which runs Google Analytics. That is the one third party script here, and it is there so Joel can see how many people find the site and which pages they actually read. It counts visits, it does not identify you, and nothing on this site is used to follow you around other websites.
Google Analytics sets cookies in your browser so a returning visit can be told from a new one, and records which pages you look at, roughly where in the world you are, and what sort of device and browser you use. Google works the location out from your IP address and does not pass the address itself into the reports Joel sees. The data is held by Google on its own servers, which are not all in Canada.
If you would rather not be counted, any browser or extension that blocks trackers will stop it, and Google publishes an opt-out add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. Nothing on this site is withheld from you either way, and there is no banner asking you to agree to anything.
The site is hosted on GitHub Pages, and like any web host GitHub records basic request information such as your IP address in its own server logs. That is GitHub’s data, not ours, and Joel has no access to it.
What the contact form collects
If you fill in the form on the contact page, you are sending:
- Your name and phone number, which are required so Joel can reply
- Your email address, if you choose to add one
- Your town, if you choose to add one
- The type of job, from the dropdown
- Whatever you write in the details box
- Any extra work you tick as worth quoting at the same time
Please only put in the details box what you would be comfortable saying over the phone. It is a quote enquiry, not a secure channel, so there is no need to include anything sensitive.
Where the form sends it
The form is handled by FormSubmit, an outside service that takes the submission and emails it to Joel. It passes through their systems on the way. Joel does not have an account with them and they are not given the information for any purpose other than delivering that one email.
If you would rather skip that step entirely, call or text (226) 931-5768 or email joel@joelworks.ca directly.
Calls, texts and email
When you call, text or email, that message sits in Joel’s phone or email account the same way any other message from a customer would. It is used to get back to you and to keep track of the work.
What it is used for
Answering you, preparing a quote, and doing the job if you go ahead. That is all. Your information is never sold, rented, or handed to anyone for advertising.
The one time it goes any further is when doing your job requires it, for example giving a countertop supplier the measurements and an address for a template appointment. Only what is needed gets passed on, and only for work you have asked for.
Photos of your job
Joel photographs finished work for the gallery on this site and for his Instagram and Facebook pages. Photos are of the work itself, never of people, and location data is stripped from every image before it is published. Nothing shown identifies whose house it is.
If you would prefer your job not be photographed or posted at all, say so at any point and that is the end of it, including after the fact.
How long it is kept
Enquiry emails stay in Joel’s email account so he can look back at what was discussed if you get in touch again, which customers often do years later. There is no automatic deletion schedule. If you want yours removed, ask and it will be deleted.
Your choices
You can ask Joel what he holds about you, ask him to correct it, or ask him to delete it. Email joel@joelworks.ca or call (226) 931-5768 and he will sort it out. There is no charge and you do not need to give a reason.
This is a small business, so the answer will come from Joel himself rather than a department.
Security
The site is served over HTTPS, so what you type into the form is encrypted in transit. Beyond that, your information is protected the way anything on a working person’s phone and email account is: with a passcode, and by not being shared. No system is perfect, and it is worth knowing that rather than being promised otherwise.
Changes
If how any of this works changes, this page changes with it and the date below is updated.
Questions or complaints
Ask Joel first: joel@joelworks.ca. If you are not satisfied with the answer, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, which oversees the federal privacy law that applies to businesses like this one, at priv.gc.ca.