Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 5, 2025

Green Horizons Lawn Care ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our services. Since 1988, we've built our reputation on trust and integrity, and that extends to how we handle your personal information.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

1. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide Directly

We collect information you voluntarily provide when you interact with our website:

• Contact Forms: When you submit a contact form, we collect your name, email address, phone number, and the message or question you provide.
• Free Estimate Requests: When requesting a service estimate, we collect your name, email, phone number, property address, property size, and service preferences.
• AI Chatbot Conversations: When you use our AI-powered chatbot, we collect your questions, our responses, and conversation history to improve our service.

B. Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information:

• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device type, and screen resolution
• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, and referral source
• IP Address: Your Internet Protocol address for security and analytics purposes
• Cookies and Tracking: Small data files stored on your device to enhance functionality

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To respond to your inquiries, provide estimates, schedule services, and communicate about your lawn care needs
• Customer Support: To answer questions, resolve issues, and provide technical assistance
• Website Improvement: To analyze how visitors use our site and improve functionality, content, and user experience
• AI Chatbot Enhancement: To train and improve our AI-powered chatbot to better answer lawn care questions
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes
• Security: To prevent fraud, unauthorized access, and other security issues
• Marketing (with consent): To send you information about our services, seasonal promotions, and lawn care tips (you can opt out at any time)

3. AI Chatbot & OpenAI Integration

Our website features an AI-powered chatbot to help answer your lawn care questions. Here's what you should know:

• Data Processing: Chatbot conversations are sent to OpenAI's API for processing and generating responses
• Storage: Conversation history may be stored temporarily to provide context and improve responses during your session
• Improvement: We may review chatbot interactions to improve accuracy and train our system to better serve lawn care customers
• Third-Party Privacy: OpenAI has its own privacy policy governing how they handle data. View it at: https://openai.com/privacy
• Opt-Out: You can choose not to use the chatbot. Contact us directly via phone or contact form instead
• No Personal Details: We recommend not sharing sensitive personal information (credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc.) in chatbot conversations

4. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: We share data with trusted third-party providers who help us operate our website and deliver services (hosting providers, email services, etc.). All service providers are contractually bound to protect your information.
• AI Technology Partners: OpenAI processes chatbot conversations as described in Section 3 above
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, court order, or government request
• Business Transfers: If Green Horizons is acquired or merged with another company, your information may be transferred to the new owners
• Protection of Rights: To protect our rights, property, safety, or that of our customers and the public

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience:

• Essential Cookies: Required for basic website functionality, such as remembering your chatbot conversation during a session
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it
• Third-Party Cookies: Services like Google may set cookies for analytics or advertising purposes

Managing Cookies: You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may limit some website functionality, such as the chatbot feature.

6. Third-Party Services

Our website integrates with the following third-party services. Each has its own privacy policy:

7. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy:

• Contact Form Submissions: Kept for up to 2 years or until you request deletion
• Estimate Requests: Retained for up to 3 years for service records and potential follow-up
• Chatbot Conversations: Session data deleted after 30 days; aggregated analytics retained indefinitely
• Customer Records: Active customer data retained for the duration of the business relationship plus 7 years for tax purposes

You may request deletion of your data at any time (see Section 9 below).

8. Your Privacy Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Right to Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Right to Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing emails or opt out of certain data collection
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format

How to Exercise Your Rights: Contact us at privacy@green-horizons.com or call (952) 435-1855. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Minnesota Residents: Minnesota law may provide additional privacy rights. Contact us for more information about rights specific to Minnesota residents.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information:

• Encryption: Our website uses HTTPS/SSL encryption to protect data in transit
• Access Controls: Limited employee access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
• Regular Updates: We keep our systems and software updated with the latest security patches
• Third-Party Security: Our service providers are required to maintain appropriate security measures

Data Breach Notification: In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you and relevant authorities as required by law.

10. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@green-horizons.com, and we will delete such information from our systems.

11. 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:

• We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• For material changes, we may provide additional notice (such as an email notification or prominent website notice)
• Your continued use of our website after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us: