Who we are
CallOut is operated by CallOut Labs ("CallOut", "we", "us"). We are the controller of the personal information described in this notice, unless we say otherwise.
Questions about privacy go to privacy@calloutlabs.com.
This notice covers our website, the CallOut app for homes, the CallOut app for engineers, the partner dashboard and our other services. It applies to customers, engineers, partners and anyone who contacts us.
The short version
- We collect what we need to send a verified engineer, keep everyone safe, take payment and keep a record of the job.
- We never sell your personal information.
- Your phone number is never shown to the engineer, and the engineer's is never shown to you.
- Engineers' identity and face checks are there to protect the people whose homes they enter.
- You can ask for a copy of your information, ask us to correct it or delete it, and complain to the ICO.
What we collect
Information you give us. Your name, email address, phone number, address and postcode; what is wrong and photos you choose to send; your messages to engineers and to us; your answers to safety questions, such as whether you can smell gas; and your ratings and feedback.
If you are an engineer, we also collect: your identity document and a live selfie; your address; your trade registrations, qualifications and insurance documents; your business and payout details; your work history; your interview; your vehicle; your prices; and the areas you cover.
If you are a partner, we collect your contact and organisation details, the homes and jobs you send us, the limits you set, and the notes you leave for engineers.
Information created when you use CallOut. Bookings, quotes, approvals, payments, receipts and invoices; job records, including the readings, photos and safety checks an engineer adds; certificates; the times an engineer was on the way, arrived and finished; and support conversations.
Location. For customers, the address of the job. For engineers, their location while they are online or on a job, so that offers come from nearby and customers can see them arrive.
The face check at the door. Before each visit, the engineer takes a live face check that is compared with the face they enrolled when they signed up. This is biometric information about the engineer, not the customer.
The copilot. While an engineer is on a job, the copilot listens for what they say about the work, such as readings, faults, parts and safety checks, so that it can write the job record. What it picks up becomes part of the job record; the engineer can correct it.
Device and usage information. Your device type, operating system, app version, IP address, the pages and screens you use, and crash reports.
Information from others. From identity and register checks (for example, confirmation of an engineer's Gas Safe registration or insurance), from payment providers, from a partner who sends us a job for you, and from the sign-in service you choose.
Signing in with Google, Apple or Facebook
If you choose to sign in with Google, Apple or Facebook, we receive your name, email address and, if you have one, your profile picture. We use them only to create and sign in to your account and to contact you about it. We do not post anything on your behalf and we do not read your contacts, email, files or calendar.
CallOut's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
You can disconnect CallOut from your Google, Apple or Facebook account at any time in that account's settings.
How we use it, and why we are allowed to
To provide CallOut (the contract between us): matching a job with a verified engineer; showing who is coming and when; letting you message and call through CallOut; quotes, approvals and payments; job records and certificates; and support.
To keep people safe and prevent fraud (our legitimate interests, and legal obligations): checking engineers before their first job and at every door; asking about gas and carbon monoxide; reviewing jobs that look unusual; investigating reports; and protecting accounts.
Biometric information: we process engineers' face checks to make sure the person at the door is the person we verified. We rely on the conditions in Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 for preventing or detecting unlawful acts and for safeguarding, and we tell engineers about the check before they sign up.
To meet legal obligations: tax and accounting records, gas safety and other certificates, responding to lawful requests, and consumer law.
To improve CallOut (our legitimate interests): understanding which features work, fixing problems and developing new features, using information that is aggregated or de-identified where possible.
To tell you about CallOut (your consent, or our legitimate interests for existing customers): you can stop marketing at any time from the message itself or in the app.
We do not make decisions about engineers that have legal or similarly significant effects on them by automated means alone. A person at CallOut decides whether an engineer is approved, and reviews any check that does not pass.
Who we share it with
Between customers and engineers: the engineer sees what they need to do the job, such as your first name, the address, the problem, your photos and safety answers. You see the engineer's first name, photo, vehicle, rating, prices and live location while they are on the way. Phone numbers are never shared; calls and texts go through CallOut.
Partners: if an insurer, housing association, landlord or another partner arranged the job, they see its progress, costs and record.
Service providers who work for us under contract and only on our instructions: hosting and databases; identity verification; face liveness checks; payments; calls and texts; maps and navigation; email; customer support; and booking calls with partners.
Authorities: the police, regulators or courts, when the law requires it or when it is needed to protect someone's safety. In an emergency we may share information with the emergency services.
Business changes: if CallOut is involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, under the same protections as this notice.
We never sell your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers.
International transfers
Some of our service providers process information outside the UK. When they do, we use the protections UK law requires, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
How long we keep it
We keep information for as long as we need it for the purposes in this notice, then delete or anonymise it. In general:
- Account information: while your account is open, and for a short period afterwards to deal with questions.
- Job records, payments and invoices: for up to six years after the job, for tax, accounting and legal claims.
- Certificates: for as long as the law requires them to be available for the property.
- Engineer identity verification: for up to two years after an engineer's account closes, to prevent fraud and to deal with claims.
- Door face checks: the result is kept with the job record; the comparison image is deleted soon after the check.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you can ask us to:
- give you a copy of your personal information;
- correct it if it is wrong;
- delete it, where we no longer need it;
- restrict or object to how we use it, including for direct marketing;
- give you the information you provided in a portable format.
Write to privacy@calloutlabs.com. We will reply within one month, and we may need to check your identity first. Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk. We would like the chance to put it right first.
Security
We protect information with encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and logging of who looks at sensitive records. Engineers' identity and biometric information is held separately and seen only by the people who need it. No system is perfectly secure; if something goes wrong that affects you, we will tell you as the law requires.
Children
CallOut is for adults. You must be 18 or over to have an account. We do not knowingly collect information from children.
Changes to this notice
We will update this notice when how we use information changes. If the changes are significant, we will tell you in the app or by email before they take effect.