Plug A Pro

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 29 May 2026

Plug A Pro operates the marketplace platform at plugapro.co.za, app.plugapro.co.za, the PWA and our WhatsApp booking and provider communication flows. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect and share personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and other applicable South African law.

This policy should be read with our Terms of Service (including the Service Provider Terms in § 28 and the Refund and Cancellation rules in § 27) and the Provider Credits Terms and Rules.

1. Responsible party and contact

Plug A Pro is the responsible party for personal information collected through the Platform. Privacy requests can be sent to privacy@plugapro.co.za.

2. Information we collect from customers

  • Identity and contact: name where provided, WhatsApp phone number, account or session identifiers.
  • Service address: street address, unit or complex details, suburb, city, province, postal code, location node and access notes.
  • Job request details: category, subcategory, title, description, urgency, preferred date or time window, budget preference, provider preference, max call-out fee, required skills or certifications and other instructions.
  • Photos and job evidence: uploaded customer photos, preview-safety choices, captions, job notes, approvals, signatures, completion records, reviews and ratings.
  • Communication records: WhatsApp messages, PWA messages, support messages, delivery status, message metadata and call or dispute notes where captured.
  • Payment records: payment references, payment status, receipts, processor responses, refunds, chargebacks and reconciliation data where Plug A Pro facilitates payment. We do not store card numbers.
  • Support and dispute records: complaints, evidence, decisions, refunds, provider responses and platform support notes.

3. Information we collect from providers

  • Identity and contact: full name, WhatsApp phone number, email address where provided, identity number or verification data where required and account identifiers.
  • Provider profile: services, skills, service areas, availability, pricing, bio, portfolio, references, work examples, vehicle or equipment details and status.
  • Licence, certification and application data: licences, certifications, insurance details, application answers, review notes, profile evidence and attachments where supplied.
  • Verification data: identity verification status, vendor session references, workflow id, verification results, liveness check outcomes, document and selfie match scores, risk flags, expiry dates and admin review outcomes where identity verification is enabled. Where the platform performs biometric checks such as liveness or facial matching, we ask for consent in the verification flow and process this information for fraud prevention, trust and safety and legal compliance purposes, subject to POPIA and any applicable special personal information rules.
  • Job and lead history: lead previews, interest, shortlist events, customer selections, acceptances, declines, expiry, job status updates, photos, notes, quotes, extras, completion records and reviews.
  • Provider credits and wallet history: paid credit balance, promotional credit balance, top-ups, vouchers, lead unlock deductions, refunds, reversals, payment intent references, audit logs and admin adjustments.
  • Settlement data: payout, fee, refund, chargeback and settlement records where Plug A Pro facilitates customer payment or provider settlement.

4. Automatically collected information

  • Device, browser, operating system and approximate network information.
  • Session cookies, authentication tokens, local storage data and security logs needed to operate the PWA.
  • API request logs, audit logs, error logs, trace IDs and fraud or abuse signals.
  • Marketing-site analytics, including Google Analytics events and page interaction data where analytics is enabled.

5. Why we use personal information

  • Platform operation: intake, matching, lead routing, quote flow, booking communication, status updates, job records, WhatsApp and PWA handoff, support and dispute handling.
  • Provider operations: onboarding, application review, identity checks where enabled, wallet and credit records, top-ups, deductions, reversals and lead eligibility controls.
  • Payments and accounting: payment references, receipts, refunds, chargebacks, settlement, reconciliation, tax and accounting records, fraud review and audit logs.
  • Safety and trust: staged contact sharing, job evidence, abuse prevention, account suspension, support review and lawful dispute cooperation.
  • Legal compliance: POPIA, tax, accounting, consumer, electronic transaction, law enforcement and court or regulator requests.
  • Marketing: sending marketing only where consent or another lawful basis applies and recording opt-in or opt-out choices.

We do not sell personal information.

6. How information is shared

  • Customers and providers: information is shared as needed for the request, quote, booking, service performance, support and dispute process. Exact address and phone details are shared only after the customer selects a provider and that provider accepts the job, unless another lawful workflow is expressly shown.
  • Meta / WhatsApp: WhatsApp messages and message metadata are processed through Meta's WhatsApp Business services.
  • Supabase: database, authentication, storage and operational data infrastructure where used.
  • Vercel and Vercel Blob: hosting, application delivery, logs and file/object storage where used.
  • Payment providers: PayFast, Pay@ / PayAt, PayAt Go and any payment processor or payment reference provider shown in the payment flow, where used.
  • Identity verification providers: Didit (https://didit.me), Smile ID and any other identity verification vendor named on the consent screen at the time you complete the verification flow. These vendors may receive identity document data, selfie images, liveness frames, vendor references and related metadata for identity verification. We use contractual, security and access controls intended to meet POPIA requirements for third-party processing.
  • Google services: Google Analytics on the marketing site.
  • Location and map services: static location data, OpenStreetMap / Nominatim geocoding and any external map link you choose to open from the platform, where used.
  • Sentry or logging providers: error, performance and diagnostic logs where enabled.
  • Regulators, courts and law enforcement: where required or permitted by South African law.

7. POPIA rights

Subject to lawful limits and retention duties, you may request:

  • access to personal information we hold about you;
  • correction of inaccurate, incomplete or outdated information;
  • deletion or restriction of information where legally available;
  • objection to processing, including direct marketing;
  • confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you;
  • complaint handling by Plug A Pro or the Information Regulator.

To exercise these rights, email privacy@plugapro.co.za. We may need to verify your identity before acting on the request.

8. WhatsApp, service messages and marketing

Transactional WhatsApp messages are used for account access, request updates, matching, quotes, bookings, status updates, payment information, credit actions, support and dispute handling. These messages are part of the Platform operation.

Marketing messages are sent only where you have opted in or where another lawful basis applies. You can opt out of marketing by replying STOP to a marketing message or emailing support@plugapro.co.za. We do not share your contact details with third parties for their own marketing.

9. Cookies and analytics

The PWA uses necessary cookies, session storage or local storage for authentication, security, saved drafts and platform functionality. The marketing site uses Google Analytics to understand page traffic and campaign performance. Browser or device settings may let you restrict some cookies or analytics, but the Platform may not function properly without necessary session technology.

10. Retention

  • Active accounts: retained while the account is active.
  • Job, booking, quote, payment, credit and audit records: retained for accounting, dispute, fraud, tax and legal purposes, typically up to 5 years or longer where law requires.
  • WhatsApp and support records: retained while needed for Platform operation, support, fraud prevention, disputes and lawful audit purposes.
  • Provider application and verification records: retained while the provider account is active and for a lawful period afterward for compliance, audit, dispute and fraud purposes.
  • Marketing leads: retained until no longer needed for the purpose collected or until opt-out/deletion where legally available.

Retention periods are operational policy targets and may need adjustment after attorney, tax, accounting and POPIA review.

11. Security and breach notification

We use access controls, authentication, role-based permissions, transport security, audit logs and operational monitoring to protect personal information. No system is completely secure. If we become aware of a security compromise that requires notification under POPIA, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected data subjects as soon as reasonably possible, subject to lawful investigation needs.

12. Cross-border processing

Some of the operators named in section 6 may process information outside South Africa, including in the United States, the European Union, Africa or other regions disclosed by the relevant provider or at the point of use.

Where cross-border processing applies, we rely on safeguards required by POPIA, such as appropriate laws in the recipient country, contractual safeguards, security measures or consent where applicable. You can ask us for a summary of the safeguards applicable to a specific processor by emailing privacy@plugapro.co.za.

13. Children

The Platform is for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has supplied personal information, contact us so we can review and delete it where required.

14. Changes

We may update this policy to reflect product, legal, security or operational changes. Material changes will be communicated through the Platform, WhatsApp or the website where appropriate.

15. Contact

Privacy: privacy@plugapro.co.za
Support: support@plugapro.co.za
Legal: legal@plugapro.co.za

Information Regulator (South Africa): inforegulator.org.za