1. Privacy Policy
DMWD Hosting (operated by Digital Marketing With Dave, a sole proprietorship owned by Dave Alden, located at 135401 13th Line, Thamesford, Ontario, N0M 2M0) takes your privacy seriously. This section explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, and how we protect it.
What information we collect
When you visit dmwdhosting.ca or become a client, we may collect:
- Contact information you voluntarily provide through our forms (name, business name, email, phone number, situation/needs description)
- Payment information processed through Stripe (we do not store your credit card number — only Stripe sees it)
- Business information you provide during onboarding (services, hours, photos, brand assets, customer testimonials)
- Technical information automatically collected when you visit our site (IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent, referring website) — this is standard analytics data, not personally identifiable
Why we collect it
- To respond to your inquiries and provide quotes
- To deliver and maintain the services you've signed up for
- To process payments
- To send you account-related communications (invoices, service updates, password resets)
- To send you marketing communications IF you've explicitly consented (see Section 3)
- To improve our website and services through anonymous analytics
- To comply with legal obligations (tax records, CASL compliance)
How we protect it
We use reasonable safeguards to protect personal information including:
- SSL encryption on all DMWD Hosting websites and forms
- Secure Canadian hosting infrastructure (Advantage Hosting, London, ON)
- Limited access — only Dave Alden has access to client data
- Industry-standard security practices for any third-party tools we use
While we take precautions, no system is 100% secure. We will notify you promptly of any data breach affecting your information.
How long we keep it
We retain client information for as long as necessary to provide services, comply with legal obligations (typically 7 years for Canadian tax records), resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. If you cancel and request data deletion, we'll remove your information from active systems within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
2. Cookies & Tracking
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help websites remember your preferences and analyze how their site is used.
What cookies we use
dmwdhosting.ca uses cookies for:
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Anonymous usage statistics — pages visited, time spent, traffic sources. Helps us understand which content is useful and improve the site.
- Noupe AI Chatbot: Session cookies that remember your conversation if you reload the page.
We do not use advertising cookies or sell tracking data to advertisers.
How to control cookies
Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Note that disabling cookies may impact some site functionality. For Google Analytics specifically, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on to opt out of analytics tracking across all sites.
3. CASL & Email Compliance
What CASL means for you
Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) is one of the strictest email laws in the world. We comply fully with CASL by:
- Express consent: We only send marketing emails to people who explicitly opt in through our forms or directly request to receive them.
- Double opt-in: When you subscribe, you receive a confirmation email and must click a verification link before being added to our list. This protects you from accidental subscriptions and confirms your consent.
- Clear sender identification: Every email we send identifies us clearly with our business name and contact information.
- One-click unsubscribe: Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Clicking it removes you from our list within 10 business days, as CASL requires.
- No third-party sharing: We never sell, rent, or share your email address with any third party for their marketing purposes.
Transactional vs. marketing emails
We may send you certain emails even if you've unsubscribed from marketing — these are "transactional emails" required to deliver our service:
- Service confirmations (e.g., "Your site is now live")
- Invoices and payment receipts
- Account or password security notifications
- Important service announcements (outages, policy changes)
If you no longer want any communication from us, please cancel your service and request full data deletion.
4. Third-Party Services
To deliver our services, DMWD Hosting works with these trusted third parties. Each has its own privacy policy:
- Advantage Hosting (London, Ontario, Canada) — Hosts your website files and email. advantagehosting.ca
- EmailOctopus (London, UK — GDPR-compliant) — Manages email contact lists and marketing emails. Privacy policy
- Stripe (Toronto, ON / global) — Processes credit card payments. We never see your card number. Privacy policy
- Google Analytics 4 & Google Forms — Anonymous usage analytics + client intake form. Privacy policy
- Google Search Console — Tracks how Google indexes our site. No personal data collected.
- Noupe (Germany — GDPR-compliant) — AI chatbot. Privacy policy
We use these services solely to provide our website and client services. None of them have permission to use your data for their own marketing.
5. Your Privacy Rights
Under PIPEDA (Canada's federal privacy law) and GDPR (where applicable), you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Correct any inaccurate or incomplete information
- Delete your information (subject to legal retention requirements)
- Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time
- Object to certain types of processing
- Receive a portable copy of your data in a standard format
- Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca)
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@dmwdhosting.ca. We will respond within 30 days.
6. Terms of Service
By using DMWD Hosting services, you agree to the following terms. These are written in plain English — if anything is unclear, just ask.
Our service to you
- We will build your website according to the agreed scope (typically 12 pages for the Local Business Starter package)
- We will deliver your site within 14 days of receiving your completed intake form and payment
- We will provide hosting, SSL, daily backups, and email continuity for as long as you remain a paying client
- We will respond to support requests within 24 hours during normal business days
- We will give you 30 days' notice of any price changes or material service modifications
Your responsibilities as a client
- Provide accurate business information during onboarding
- Provide content (text, photos) that is truthful and that you have the legal right to use
- Keep your contact information up to date so we can reach you
- Pay invoices on time
- Use your website and email accounts for lawful purposes only
What you cannot do
You agree NOT to use DMWD Hosting services for:
- Spam, phishing, malware, or any malicious activity
- Content that is illegal in Canada
- Content that infringes anyone else's intellectual property
- Adult content, gambling sites, or other content categories that violate Advantage Hosting's acceptable use policy
- Resellling your hosting space to others
If you violate these terms, we may suspend or terminate your service. We will give you reasonable notice and an opportunity to fix the issue except in cases of obvious abuse.
Ownership
You own:
- Your domain name (registered in your name)
- Your business content (text, photos, branding) that you provided
- Your customer data and email lists
- The final website code as delivered to you
DMWD Hosting retains ownership of:
- The master template architecture (you have a license to use it as part of your site)
- The DMWD Hosting brand, processes, and proprietary tools
No long-term contracts
Service is month-to-month. Either party may cancel at any time with 30 days' notice for monthly services. There are no termination fees, no minimum commitment, and no penalty for leaving.
Limitation of liability
Our liability is limited to the amount you have paid us in the 12 months before any claim. We are not liable for indirect, consequential, or special damages — for example, loss of business revenue or reputation. We do our best to keep your site running, but we cannot guarantee 100% uptime, no security incidents, or specific search engine rankings.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada. Any disputes will be resolved in Ontario courts.
7. Refund Policy
30-Day Setup Fee Guarantee
If within 30 days of your website going live you are not satisfied with the work delivered, we will refund the $200 setup fee in full. No conditions, no fine print, no debate.
Monthly hosting fees
Monthly hosting fees ($40/month + HST) are paid for the upcoming month and are non-refundable once paid. If you cancel mid-month, your service continues to the end of the paid period and we will not bill you the following month. There is no proration.
Add-on services
Refund eligibility for add-on services (chatbot upgrades, blog posts, GBP optimization, voice agents, etc.) varies depending on the service. We will discuss specific refund terms when you sign up for any add-on. Generally, work already completed is non-refundable.
How to request a refund
Email info@dmwdhosting.ca with the reason for your refund request. We will respond within 24 hours. Approved refunds are processed within 5 business days through your original payment method.
