1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how CostMate LLC ("CostMate," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects personal information when you use the CostMate software, our website at www.costmateapp.com, and related services (together, the "Service").
CostMate is construction management software for contractors. It helps contractors manage customers, proposals, project costs, crews, dispatch, and inventory, with real-time job costing.
The Service is offered to users in the United States. By using the Service, you agree to the practices described in this policy. This policy is part of our Terms of Service
2. Who this policy applies to
This policy covers three groups of people:
Subscribers and users. Contractors and businesses that sign up for CostMate, and the team members they invite to use it.
Website visitors. Anyone who visits www.costmateapp.com.
People whose information subscribers enter. This includes a subscriber's employees, crew members, and customers.
When a subscriber enters information about its employees or customers into CostMate, the subscriber controls that information and decides how it is used. CostMate processes it on the subscriber's behalf to provide the Service. If you are an employee or customer of a CostMate subscriber, please contact that business directly with questions about your information. We will help our subscribers respond to your requests.
3. Information we collect
We collect only the information we need to run, support, and improve the Service.
| Category | Examples | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Account information | Name, email address, phone number, company name, password | You, when you sign up or update your account |
| Employee and crew information | Employee names, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, birthdays, and emergency contact phone numbers and emails | Subscribers, when they add team members |
| Customer information | Names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of a subscriber's customers, plus job site addresses | Subscribers, when they create customers, proposals, and jobs |
| Business and project data | Proposals, estimates, project budgets and costs, schedules, dispatch records, inventory, notes, and files | Subscribers and their users |
| Support information | Help desk tickets, messages, and attachments you send us | You, when you contact support |
| Usage and device information | IP address, browser and device type, operating system, pages and features used, time and date of use, and log and error data | Collected automatically when you use the Service |
| Payment status | Subscription plan, payment success or failure, and a Stripe customer identifier | Stripe, our payment processor |
What we don't collect. We do not collect Social Security numbers, government ID numbers, bank account numbers, health information, biometric data, or precise geolocation. Card numbers and billing details are collected and stored by Stripe, not by CostMate. Please do not enter sensitive information like this into free-text fields in the Service.
4. How we use information
We use personal information to:
- Create and manage accounts, and verify users when they log in.
- Provide the Service's features, including job costing, proposals, crew management, dispatch, and inventory.
- Process subscription payments through Stripe and manage billing status.
- Send service emails, such as account notices, security alerts, job and dispatch notifications, and billing reminders.
- Respond to help desk tickets and support requests.
- Monitor performance, fix errors, and keep the Service secure, including detecting fraud and abuse.
- Understand how the Service is used so we can improve it and build new features.
- Send marketing emails, as described in Section 11.
- Comply with the law, enforce our Terms of Service, and protect the rights and safety of CostMate, our users, and others.
We use employee and customer information that subscribers enter only to provide the Service to that subscriber. We do not use it for our own marketing.
We may create de-identified or aggregated data that no longer identifies any person or business, such as overall usage trends. We may use that data for any lawful purpose.
5. Payments
All subscription payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. When you pay, you enter your card and billing details directly with Stripe. CostMate does not receive or store your full card number, security code, or billing address.
Stripe tells us limited information so we can manage your subscription, such as your plan, whether a payment succeeded, and a customer identifier that links your CostMate account to Stripe. Stripe's use of your information is governed by the Stripe Privacy Policy.
8. How long we keep information
We keep personal information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service.
After a subscription is canceled, we keep the account's data for 90 days. This lets you reactivate your account or request a copy of your data. After 90 days, we delete the data from our active systems.
Copies in our backups are overwritten on a rolling schedule and are fully removed within 7 days after deletion from active systems. Until then, backups are kept secure and are not used for any other purpose.
We may keep some information longer when the law requires it, or to resolve disputes, prevent fraud, or enforce our agreements. For example, records of payments and transactions may be kept for tax and accounting purposes.
9. How we protect information
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information. These include encryption of data in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, multi-factor authentication for staff access, and regular security updates.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. You help protect your account by using a strong, unique password and keeping it confidential. Please contact us right away if you believe your account has been compromised.
If a data breach affects your personal information, we will notify you and any required authorities as required by law.
10. Where information is stored
The Service is intended for users in the United States. Account and business data hosted by CostMate is stored on Microsoft Azure servers located in the United States. Website usage information collected through Microsoft Clarity may be processed and stored by Microsoft in the United States or other countries, as described in the Microsoft Privacy Statement linked in Section 7. Other service providers may also process limited information in other countries, subject to appropriate safeguards.
11. Your choices
Marketing emails. We may send emails about new features, tips, and offers. You can opt out at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email, or by contacting us. You can also opt back in at any time. Opting out of marketing does not stop service emails, such as security alerts, billing notices, and job notifications, which we need to send to operate your account.
Account information. You can review and update most account information in your account settings.
12. Your privacy rights
Several U.S. states, including California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Texas, and others, give residents rights over their personal information. We offer the following rights to all of our users, wherever they live in the United States:
Access. Ask whether we process your personal information and get a copy of it.
Correction. Ask us to correct inaccurate information.
Deletion. Ask us to delete your personal information, subject to legal exceptions.
Portability. Get a copy of your information in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
Opt out. Opt out of the sale of personal information, targeted advertising, and certain profiling, as provided by applicable law. See Section 7 for information about Microsoft Clarity and website tracking, and the instructions below to submit a privacy request.
How to make a request. Log in to CostMate and submit a Help Desk ticket from within the software. If you cannot log in, email us at support@costmatellc.com. We may need to verify your identity before we act on a request, and we will only use the information you provide for verification.
Authorized agents. You may have someone else make a request for you. We may ask for proof that you authorized them and ask you to verify your identity directly with us.
Our response. We will respond within 45 days. If we need more time, we will tell you why and may extend that by up to another 45 days, where the law allows.
Appeals. If we deny your request, you can appeal by replying to our decision or submitting a new Help Desk ticket marked "Privacy Appeal." We will respond to appeals within 60 days. If you are not satisfied, you may contact your state attorney general.
No discrimination. We will not deny you service, charge you a different price, or give you a lower quality of service because you exercised your privacy rights.
Employees and customers of our subscribers. If your information was entered into CostMate by a contractor you work for or hired, please send your request to that business. If you contact us instead, we will forward your request to them or help them respond.
13. Age requirements
The Service is a business tool for contractors. Users must be at least 16 years old. The Service is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16.
If we learn that we have collected personal information from a person under 16 through their own use of the Service, we will delete it. If you believe this has happened, please contact us.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date at the top.
If we make material changes, we will notify account holders by email and by a notice in the Service before the changes take effect. Continuing to use the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.
15. Contact us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, contact us:
In the Service: submit a Help Desk ticket
Email: support@costmatellc.com
CostMate LLC
www.costmateapp.com