Privacy Policy
Free Instrument Repair Directory — United States
Plain-English Summary
"We collect only the basic information needed to run a directory. We do not sell your data. We do not share it for advertising. We are a startup — we keep our data practices simple and will always tell you when something changes."
Effective Date: April 5, 2026
1. Who We Are
Instrufix is a free online directory helping musicians across the United States find instrument repair shops. Our listings currently focus on the San Francisco Bay Area, where Instrufix was founded, but the Platform is accessible and open to users and Repair Shops nationwide. We are an early-stage startup.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights. If you have any questions, email us at support@instrufix.com — we are a small team and we actually read these.
2. What We Collect and Why
2.1 Information You Give Us Directly
When you create an account, submit content, or contact us, you may provide:
- Your name and email address
- Profile information you choose to add to your account
- Reviews you write about Repair Shops
- Photos you upload in connection with a repair experience
- Business listing information you submit (for Customers adding unlisted shops, or businesses managing their own listing)
- Business name, address, phone, services, and hours (for Repair Shops creating or managing a listing)
- The content of messages you send to Repair Shops through the messaging feature
- Businesses you save to your personal list
- Feedback or support messages you send to us
Note: We use this information only to operate the Platform, provide its features, respond to you, and improve the service. Do not include sensitive personal or financial information in messages — the messaging feature is for instrument repair inquiries only.
2.2 Email Verification Data
When you register any type of account — Customer or business — we collect your email address and use it to send a verification link or code. We record whether verification was completed and when. This data is used solely to confirm account authenticity, maintain directory integrity, and communicate important account-related notices. We do not use your email address for marketing without your separate opt-in consent.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
Like most websites, when you visit Instrufix our servers and basic analytics may automatically record:
- Your IP address and approximate location (city or region level — not precise GPS)
- Your browser type and operating system
- Pages you visited and when
- How you arrived at the site (e.g., from a search engine)
We use this to understand how the Platform is used and to fix technical problems. We do not use this data to build advertising profiles or track you across other websites.
2.3 Cookies
We may use basic, functional cookies to keep the site working properly — for example, to remember your language preference. We do not use advertising cookies or behavioral tracking cookies. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some features may not work as expected.
2.4 What We Do Not Collect
- Payment information (we have no payment system)
- Sensitive personal information such as government IDs, financial records, or health data
- Precise GPS location
- Personal data from children under 13
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect only to:
- Operate and improve the Instrufix directory and all its features
- Display your reviews, photos, and listing submissions on the Platform
- Enable your saved businesses list and sharing features
- Deliver messages between Customers and Repair Shops
- Verify accounts and maintain Platform integrity
- Respond to your support requests or reports
- Understand how the Platform is used so we can improve it
- Send you account-related notices and, if you opt in, Platform updates
- Enforce our Terms and respond to misconduct
- Comply with legal obligations when required
We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not build profiles for marketing purposes.
4. We Do Not Sell Your Data
We do not sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal information to any third party — for any reason, at any price. This is a firm commitment, not a policy subject to change as our business grows.
5. How We Share Information
We do not share your personal information with third parties except in the narrow circumstances below.
5.1 Service Providers: We use a small number of trusted third-party tools to run the Platform — such as web hosting, basic analytics, and email. These providers act on our instructions only and are contractually prohibited from using your data for their own purposes.
5.2 Legal Requirements: If we receive a valid legal obligation — such as a court order or government request — we may be required to disclose information. We will notify you if we are legally permitted to do so before complying.
5.3 Business Transfers: If Instrufix is ever acquired, merged, or its assets transferred, your information may be part of that transition. We will notify you and provide choices where possible. Any successor will be bound by this Privacy Policy or will give you notice of changes before they apply.
5.4 With Your Consent: We may share your information in other ways if you give us explicit permission.
6. Data Retention
We keep your information only as long as needed to operate the Platform and fulfill the purposes described here. Message history is retained to provide conversation continuity for both Customers and Repair Shops. If you ask us to delete your data, we will do so promptly unless we are legally required to keep it.
As a startup, we aim to keep our data footprint minimal. We do not hold on to information we do not need.
7. The Messaging Feature — Privacy Details
Our messaging feature allows Customers to contact Repair Shops that have a verified business account on the Platform. Here is how we handle the data involved:
7.1 What We Store: We store the content of messages exchanged between Customers and Repair Shops, along with metadata such as timestamps and which parties are involved in the conversation. This is necessary to deliver the feature and provide message history to both parties.
7.2 Who Can See Your Messages: Messages are visible to the Customer who sent them and to the Repair Shop that received them. Instrufix team members may access message content only when investigating a reported abuse or policy violation, or when required by law. We do not read messages routinely.
7.3 What Not to Include in Messages: Please do not send the following through the messaging feature:
- Payment card numbers, bank details, or financial information
- Government-issued ID numbers or social security numbers
- Passwords or account credentials
- Any information you would not want stored on a third-party server
The messaging feature is intended for instrument repair inquiries. Keep conversations relevant to your service needs.
7.4 Retention of Messages: Message history is retained as long as both parties have active accounts on the Platform, or as required for legal or safety reasons. You may request deletion of your message history by contacting support@instrufix.com, subject to any legal retention obligations.
8. Your Privacy Rights
8.1 For All Users
Regardless of where you live, you can contact us to:
- Find out what personal information we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate information
- Request deletion of your information
- Opt out of any marketing emails from us
Email us at support@instrufix.com. We will respond within 30 days.
8.2 California Residents — CCPA / CPRA Rights
If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):
- Right to Know: Request the categories and specific pieces of personal information we hold about you, including how we collect, use, and share it
- Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to limited legal exceptions
- Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing: We do not sell or share your data for advertising — this right is honored by default
- Right to Limit Sensitive Data Use: We do not collect sensitive personal information as defined by CPRA
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will never treat you differently for exercising your privacy rights
To submit a California privacy request, email us at support@instrufix.com. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days as required by law. You may designate an authorized agent with written permission.
8.3 CCPA Categories of Personal Information Collected
In the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information as defined under California law:
- Identifiers: name, email address, IP address
- Internet or network activity: pages visited on Instrufix, browser and device type
- Geolocation data: city or region-level location derived from IP address (not precise GPS)
- Professional information: business name, address, and service details (for Repair Shops)
- User-generated content: reviews, photos, and business listing submissions
- Communications: message content exchanged between Customers and Repair Shops via the Platform
- Preference data: businesses saved to a user's personal list
- Verification data: email verification status and timestamp
We have not sold or shared any of these categories with third parties for commercial or advertising purposes.
9. Children's Privacy
Instrufix is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact support@instrufix.com and we will delete it promptly.
10. Security
We take reasonable steps to protect your information, including using HTTPS for all connections and limiting internal access to personal data. However, no internet transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required under California law (California Civil Code Section 1798.82).
11. Links to Third-Party Sites
The Platform may link to Repair Shop websites and other external sites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites. Please review their own privacy policies before sharing information with them.
12. Changes to This Policy
We will update this Privacy Policy as Instrufix evolves. When we make meaningful changes — such as introducing new data practices — we will update the Effective Date and notify you directly where appropriate.
We will never change this Policy in a way that weakens your rights without providing advance notice and, where required by law, obtaining your consent.