Privacy Policy

1. Who this policy covers

This policy describes how Guthrie Highland Pipes (“we,” “us,” or “our”), based in Round Rock / Austin, Texas, handles personal information from website visitors, prospective and current clients, event contacts, performers, vendors, referral partners, and business-outreach contacts. It applies to our website, booking and client portals, email and text communications, contracts, payments, and admin system.

2. Information we collect

• Contact data: name, email, phone, mailing or event address, organization, role, and preferred contact method.
• Event data: event type, date, time, venue, ceremony contacts, requested music, accessibility or sensory needs, parking and access notes, and other details you choose to share.
• Booking records: quotes, contracts, signatures, signer IP address and browser information, consent evidence, payments, receipts, status, and communications.
• Payment data: payment status, amount, method summary, and processor identifiers. Stripe receives complete card details; we do not.
• Website and advertising data: IP address, device and browser information, pages viewed, referral URL, campaign parameters, and inquiry-conversion events.
• Business relationship data: public business contact information, outreach history, replies, opt-outs, referrals, and follow-up notes.
• Media and feedback: reviews, testimonials, photos, audio, or video only when publicly available or provided or authorized for the relevant use.

Funeral and memorial details can be deeply personal. Please share only what we need for the service; do not send medical records, Social Security numbers, complete payment-card details, or other unnecessary sensitive information.

3. Where information comes from

We receive information:

• directly from you, your family, planner, funeral home, venue, organization, or other authorized event contact;
• from booking marketplaces or referral partners you use to contact or book us;
• automatically from our website, cookies, analytics, advertising measurement, and security tools;
• from public business directories, organization websites, professional profiles, and prior business interactions for limited business-to-business outreach; and
• from payment, email, hosting, authentication, and other service providers supporting the transaction.

4. How we use information

• answer inquiries, prepare quotes, confirm availability, and coordinate the event;
• create, send, sign, preserve, and enforce agreements;
• process and reconcile payments, issue receipts, and maintain tax and accounting records;
• communicate by the method you request about a lead, booking, schedule, payment, or follow-up;
• provide a client portal and protect accounts, forms, payment links, and admin tools;
• measure website and advertising performance, prevent duplicate leads, improve services, and diagnose technical problems;
• request honest feedback and, with a valid publication basis, display reviews or testimonials accurately;
• conduct respectful business outreach and maintain opt-out and suppression records; and
• protect people, property, our rights, and legal compliance.

5. When we disclose information

We disclose information only as reasonably needed to:

• Perform the booking: a substitute performer, venue, planner, funeral home, officiant, honor guard, or other event partner may receive the minimum useful contact and logistics details.
• Operate the service: providers supporting payment processing, hosting, databases, email delivery and inbound replies, authentication, analytics, advertising measurement, maps, storage, security, and professional advice may process data for us.
• Follow your direction: for example, when you ask us to coordinate directly with a named event contact.
• Comply and protect: when reasonably necessary for law, legal process, fraud prevention, safety, insurance, accounting, a business transfer, or enforcement of an agreement.

Key providers currently include Stripe for payments, Clerk for client and admin authentication, Vercel for hosting, email providers for delivery and replies, database and storage providers, and Google services for analytics, advertising measurement, maps, and business visibility. Their own privacy notices govern their independent processing.

We do not sell personal information for money. We do not sell sensitive data. Website analytics and advertising measurement may disclose online identifiers and activity to providers such as Google; you can limit those technologies through browser controls and provider ad settings.

6. Email, calls, and texts

• When you submit an inquiry, we may respond using the contact method you provide or select.
• Booking-related messages are used for the requested transaction, including quotes, contracts, payment, logistics, receipts, and service follow-up.
• If you choose text, message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to stop texts and HELP for help, or contact us directly.
• Marketing and business-outreach email includes an opt-out method. We keep a limited suppression record so we do not contact an opted-out address again for that purpose.
• Email may use a small tracking image and tracked links to estimate delivery, opens, and clicks so we can assess whether messages arrived and whether follow-up is useful. Open data is approximate because email apps and privacy tools may block, cache, or preload images.
• Opting out of marketing does not prevent necessary messages about a booking you requested or purchased.

7. Cookies and measurement

The site uses necessary technologies for security, forms, authentication, and preferences. It may also use analytics and advertising-measurement technologies to understand traffic, referral sources, and whether an ad led to an inquiry. These tools may use cookies, local storage, pixels, or similar identifiers.

Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Blocking necessary storage may affect forms or portal access. Browser privacy signals are not interpreted as a universal legal request where no standard applies, but you may contact us using the method below.

8. Retention

We keep records only as long as reasonably needed for the purpose, including:

• Inquiry and communication records: generally up to 3 years after the last activity, unless a booking, dispute, opt-out, or legal need requires longer.
• Contracts, signature evidence, payments, expenses, and tax records: generally up to 7 years after the relevant transaction or tax period.
• Active client and partner records: while the relationship continues and for a reasonable period afterward.
• Outreach opt-outs: a minimal suppression record may be kept indefinitely so the request remains effective.
• Public reviews or authorized testimonials: until removed, corrected, permission is withdrawn where applicable, or the use is no longer appropriate.

We may retain records longer when reasonably necessary for insurance, security, litigation hold, law, or enforcement of an agreement.

9. Security

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards appropriate to a small service business, including encrypted transmission, access controls, authenticated admin areas, limited public tokens, payment processing through Stripe, and audit records for sensitive admin actions. No system is perfectly secure. Please protect booking links and account credentials and notify us promptly about suspected misuse.

10. Children and school programs

This website is not directed to children under 13, and children should not submit personal information. A parent, guardian, educator, or authorized organization representative should make school or youth-program inquiries. Please do not send student names, photos, disability records, or other child-specific data unless it is necessary, authorized, and requested for safe coordination.

11. Your choices and requests

Depending on where you live and applicable law, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, or a copy of personal information, or to opt out of certain processing. Even when a law does not require a particular response, we will consider reasonable requests and explain any record we must keep.

Email bookings@guthriehighlandpipes.com with “Privacy Request” in the subject. We may need to verify your identity and authority. You may also unsubscribe from marketing email through its link or stop text messages by replying STOP.

12. Updates and other sites

Links to marketplaces, payment pages, review platforms, and other sites are governed by those sites' policies. We may update this policy as our practices or legal obligations change. The effective date at the top shows the current version; material changes will be presented reasonably before they apply where required.

This policy describes our practices; it is not a contract that overrides rights or duties created by applicable law or a signed booking agreement.