Privacy Policy

BamChi Pty Ltd (ABN 54 689 357 917), a company registered in Victoria, Australia ("BamChi", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect personal information through the BamChi mobile application (iOS and Android), the BamChi website (bamchi.com), the BamChi Provider Portal, and any related services, features, or content we offer (collectively, the "Platform").

We are bound by the Australian Privacy Principles ("APPs") contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) ("Privacy Act"), as well as applicable state and territory legislation. Where we operate in or offer services to individuals in other jurisdictions, we also comply with applicable local privacy laws.

1. Information We Collect

We collect various types of personal information depending on how you interact with the Platform. The categories of information we collect include:

1.1 Account Information

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number (optional)
• Suburb and postcode
• Profile photo (optional)
• Authentication credentials (magic link tokens, social sign-in identifiers from Google or Apple)

1.2 Pet Information

• Pet name, species, breed, age, gender, and weight
• Pet profile photos
• Temperament and personality tags (e.g., "playful," "shy," "good with small dogs")
• Medical and health information (vaccination records, allergies, medications, special care instructions)
• Veterinary history and vet contact details
• Spay/neuter status
• Microchip number

1.3 Booking and Transaction Information

• Service bookings and appointment history
• Provider preferences and saved favourites
• Reviews and ratings you submit
• Booking notes and special instructions
• Cancellation and refund history
• Transaction amounts, dates, and payment method identifiers (last 4 digits of card)

1.4 Communications

• Messages sent through the in-app chat between you and service providers or other pet owners
• Support requests, feedback, and correspondence with BamChi
• Reports submitted about other users, reviews, or content

1.5 Device and Technical Information

• Device type, operating system, and version
• App version
• Unique device identifiers (IDFV, Android ID)
• IP address
• Browser type and version (for web access)
• Push notification tokens
• Crash logs and performance data (via Sentry)

1.6 Usage Information

• Features accessed and actions taken within the Platform
• Search queries
• Time spent on screens
• Interaction patterns (taps, scrolls, navigation paths)
• Referral source (how you found BamChi)

2. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information through the following means:

• Directly from you: When you create an account, complete your profile, add pet information, make a booking, send messages, submit reviews, contact support, or otherwise interact with the Platform.
• From third-party sign-in services: If you sign in using Google or Apple, we receive your name and email address from those services. We do not receive or store your Google or Apple password.
• Automatically: When you use the Platform, we automatically collect device information, usage data, and technical information through standard technologies such as analytics tools and error tracking.
• From service providers: Providers on our Platform may provide information related to completed bookings, including service notes and status updates.
• From payment processors: Our payment partner, Stripe, processes your payment information. We receive confirmation of payment and limited card details (last 4 digits, card brand, expiry) but never your full card number, CVV, or bank account details.
• From public sources: We may collect information from publicly available sources for provider verification purposes (e.g., ABN lookup, business registration databases).

3. Why We Collect Information (Purposes)

We collect, hold, use, and disclose personal information for the following purposes:

We will not use your personal information for a purpose other than those listed above unless we first obtain your consent, or the new purpose is related to an original purpose and you would reasonably expect us to use it for that purpose.

4. Pet Information

BamChi collects detailed information about your pets to provide personalised services, match you with appropriate providers, and enable the social and community features of the Platform.

Pet information is shared in the following ways:

• With service providers: When you book a service, the provider receives relevant pet information (name, breed, weight, medical notes, special instructions) necessary to deliver the service safely.
• With other pet owners: If you participate in playdate matching or community features, your pet's public profile (name, breed, photo, temperament tags) may be visible to other verified users in your area.
• With event organisers: If you RSVP to an event, the organiser may see your pet's name and basic profile.

Sensitive pet medical information (allergies, medications, veterinary records) is only shared with service providers who have an active booking with you, and is not displayed publicly.

You control what pet information you provide. Only pet name and species are required; all other fields are optional.

5. Location Data

BamChi uses location information to provide location-based features:

• Suburb-level location: During onboarding, you provide your suburb. This is used to show nearby providers, events, and pets. This is stored as part of your profile.
• Precise location (optional): If you grant location permission on your device, we may use precise GPS coordinates to show you the nearest services, dog parks, and playdate matches. You can revoke this permission at any time through your device settings.
• Provider location: Service providers' general service area (suburb level) is displayed to help pet owners find nearby providers. Precise provider addresses are not revealed until a booking is confirmed.

We do not continuously track your location in the background. Location data is only accessed when you actively use location-dependent features within the app.

In future versions, BamChi may offer GPS tracking for dog walks. If implemented, this feature will require explicit opt-in consent and a separate privacy notice will be provided.

6. Payment Information

BamChi uses Stripe as our payment processor. When you make a payment:

• Your full card number, CVV, and billing details are collected and processed directly by Stripe. BamChi never receives, stores, or has access to your full card number or CVV.
• We receive from Stripe: a confirmation of payment, the last 4 digits of your card, card brand (Visa, Mastercard, etc.), expiry date, and transaction amount.
• Stripe is PCI DSS Level 1 certified — the highest level of payment security certification.
• If you use Apple Pay or Google Pay, your actual card number is not shared with either BamChi or Stripe — a tokenised device account number is used instead.

Provider Payouts

Service providers who receive payments through BamChi are onboarded via Stripe Connect (Express accounts). Stripe collects their identity and banking information directly. BamChi does not collect or store provider bank account numbers, tax file numbers, or identity documents — these are held securely by Stripe.

BamChi retains a platform fee of 10% on each transaction. The remaining 90% is paid to the provider by Stripe according to the provider's payout schedule.

For more information, please review Stripe's Privacy Policy.

7. Service Providers, Disclosure & Sharing

We do not sell your personal information. We never have and never will.

We may share personal information with the following categories of recipients, only to the extent necessary for the stated purposes:

7.1 Service Providers and Partners

7.2 Pet Service Providers on the Platform

When you book a service through BamChi, relevant information is shared with the service provider to fulfil the booking. This includes your name, pet details, booking date/time, special instructions, and messaging. Providers are bound by our Terms of Service to use this information solely for service delivery and are prohibited from using it for marketing or other purposes.

7.3 Other Users

Certain information is visible to other BamChi users as part of the Platform's social and community features. Your public profile may include your first name, suburb, pet profiles (name, breed, photo, temperament), and reviews you have written. You can control visibility of optional profile elements in your settings.

7.4 Legal and Safety

We may disclose personal information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or where we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of any person, investigate fraud, or enforce our Terms of Service.

7.5 Business Transfers

If BamChi is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on the Platform before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

8. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

8.1 Website (bamchi.com)

Our website may use the following technologies:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function (e.g., session management, security tokens). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics: We may use privacy-focused analytics to understand how visitors use our website (pages visited, time spent, referral source). This data is aggregated and does not identify individual users.
• Cloudflare: Our website is served through Cloudflare, which may set security cookies to protect against malicious traffic.

8.2 Mobile App

The BamChi mobile app does not use cookies. We collect usage analytics and crash reports as described in Sections 1.5 and 1.6. The app may use the following device features, with your permission:

• Camera: To take pet profile photos and upload images
• Photo Library: To select existing photos for upload
• Location: To show nearby services, events, and pets
• Notifications: To send push notifications about bookings, messages, and events

Each permission is requested at the point of use and can be revoked at any time through your device settings.

8.3 App Tracking Transparency (iOS)

BamChi complies with Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. We will request your permission before tracking your activity across other companies' apps and websites. If you decline, we will not track you. This does not affect the functionality of the BamChi app.

9. Data Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our security measures include:

• Encryption in transit: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS 1.2 or higher (HTTPS).
• Encryption at rest: Personal data stored in our database is encrypted at rest using Google Cloud SQL's built-in encryption (AES-256).
• Authentication security: We use passwordless authentication (magic links and social sign-in), eliminating the risk of password breaches.
• Infrastructure security: Our servers are hosted on Google Cloud Platform in the Australia (Sydney) region, with private networking, firewall rules, and restricted access.
• Payment security: Payment information is handled entirely by Stripe (PCI DSS Level 1 certified). We never store full card numbers.
• Access controls: Access to personal data is restricted to authorised BamChi personnel on a need-to-know basis.
• Error monitoring: We use Sentry for real-time error tracking, which helps us identify and resolve security issues quickly.
• Content moderation: User-submitted content (reviews, messages, photos) is moderated to prevent abuse and protect user safety.

While we take commercially reasonable measures to protect your data, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your personal information.

If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under Part IIIC of the Privacy Act.

10. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law.

Account Deletion

You can delete your account at any time through the app (Settings → Delete Account). When you delete your account:

• Your profile, pet profiles, and photos are permanently deleted within 30 days.
• Your messages are deleted, though the other party may retain their own copy of the conversation.
• Your reviews are anonymised (author shown as "Deleted User") but the review text may be retained to maintain the integrity of provider ratings.
• Transaction and booking records are retained for 7 years as required by law, but are disassociated from your identity where possible.
• This process is irreversible. You will need to create a new account if you wish to use BamChi again.

11. Your Rights

Under the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles, you have the following rights:

11.1 Access

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. We will respond to access requests within 30 days. We may charge a reasonable fee for providing access if the request requires significant effort to fulfil.

11.2 Correction

You have the right to request correction of any personal information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading. You can update most of your information directly through the app (profile, pet details, notification preferences). For other corrections, contact us.

11.3 Deletion

You can delete your account and associated data at any time through the app. You can also request deletion of specific data by contacting us. Some data may be retained as described in Section 10.

11.4 Withdraw Consent

Where we process your data based on consent (e.g., marketing emails, push notifications, location access), you can withdraw consent at any time by:

• Unsubscribing from marketing emails via the link in any email
• Disabling push notifications in your device settings or the app's notification preferences
• Revoking location permission in your device settings
• Contacting us to withdraw any other consent

11.5 Opt Out of Marketing

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time. Transactional communications (booking confirmations, security alerts, service updates) are not considered marketing and may still be sent as they are necessary for the operation of the Platform.

11.6 Data Portability

Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format (JSON or CSV).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected].

12. Children's Privacy

BamChi is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you are under 16, you may only use BamChi with the involvement and consent of a parent or guardian.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 16 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe a child under 16 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected].

13. Provider-Specific Information

If you register as a service provider on BamChi, we collect additional information to verify your identity, ensure the safety of our community, and facilitate payments:

13.1 Additional Provider Data

• Business name and ABN (Australian Business Number)
• Business address and service area
• Professional qualifications and certifications
• Insurance details (public liability insurance)
• Profile description, service listings, pricing, and availability
• Portfolio photos of your work
• Ratings and reviews received from pet owners

13.2 Verification

Provider applications are reviewed by BamChi administrators. We may verify your ABN against the Australian Business Register. Identity verification for payment purposes is handled by Stripe (Stripe Identity or Stripe Connect onboarding). BamChi does not store identity documents (passport, driver's licence) — these are processed and stored by Stripe.

13.3 Provider Public Profile

Your provider profile (business name, description, services, pricing, photos, ratings, reviews, and general service area) is publicly visible to all BamChi users. Your personal email, phone number, and precise address are never shown publicly.

13.4 Earnings and Tax

We maintain records of provider earnings for our own accounting and to meet our obligations. Providers are responsible for their own tax reporting. BamChi may be required to report payment information to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) under the Taxable Payments Annual Report (TPAR) regime, as applicable.

14. International Data Transfers

BamChi's primary infrastructure is hosted in Australia (Google Cloud Platform, Sydney region). However, some of our third-party service providers are based overseas:

• Stripe (United States) — payment processing
• Mailgun (United States) — email delivery
• Sentry (United States) — error tracking
• Expo (United States) — push notification delivery

Where personal information is transferred overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles the information in accordance with the APPs. Our contracts with these providers include data protection obligations. These providers are subject to privacy regulations in their respective jurisdictions (including GDPR compliance where applicable).

By using the Platform, you acknowledge and consent to the transfer of personal information to these overseas providers as described above.

15. Third-Party Links and Services

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications that are not operated by BamChi. These include:

• Payment processing pages (Stripe)
• Social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook)
• External event pages
• Provider websites

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services before providing them with personal information.

16. 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 changes:

• Minor changes: We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy.
• Material changes: We will notify you via email and/or an in-app notification at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Material changes include new categories of data collection, new purposes for data use, new third-party sharing, or changes to your rights.

Your continued use of the Platform after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. If you do not agree with any changes, you should discontinue use of the Platform and delete your account.

Previous versions of this Privacy Policy are available upon request.

17. Complaints

If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or mishandled your personal information, you have the right to lodge a complaint.

Step 1: Contact Us

Please contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern. We aim to respond to complaints within 14 business days.

Step 2: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

If you are not satisfied with our response, or if you wish to make a complaint directly, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

• Online: www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints
• Phone: 1300 363 992
• Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001

18. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Postal Address: BamChi Pty Ltd, Niddrie VIC 3042, Australia

We aim to respond to all privacy enquiries within 7 business days.