Privacy Policy

1. Scope

This policy covers the AE website, online forms, lead-intake tools, the warranty request form, careers application, and project communication channels operated by AE. Third-party sites we link to are governed by their own policies.

2. Information we collect

Information you give us directly

• Contact details: name, email, phone, mailing address.
• Project information: service address, project type, scope, timeline, and budget range.
• Photos, plans, surveys, and proposals you upload. These may include images of your property, structures, vehicles, people, pets, plans drawn by other professionals, prior contractor proposals, or HOA correspondence. Only upload material you have the right to share.
• Career application data: resume, work history, references, and supporting files.
• Subcontractor / trade-partner data: W-9, insurance certificates, licenses, banking (ACH) information, signed agreements, and lien waivers.
• Support and warranty submissions, including issue descriptions and uploaded photos or video.
• Any free-form notes or messages you submit through a form.

Information collected automatically

• Standard log data: IP address, browser type, device, referring URL, pages viewed, and timestamps.
• Cookies and similar technologies for site functionality, preferences, and measurement (see our Cookie Notice).

3. Purposes of processing

• Respond to your inquiry, schedule consults, prepare estimates, and deliver contracted services.
• Evaluate career applications and trade partners.
• Send transactional messages: appointment confirmations, project updates, document requests, and receipts.
• Send marketing email or SMS only with your express opt-in consent.
• Operate, secure, and improve the website.
• Comply with legal obligations (tax, lien, licensing, ROC reporting, safety).
• Detect and prevent fraud, spam, and abuse.

4. Categories of providers we use

We rely on third-party service providers to operate. The categories below describe the types of providers we use today. Provider lists change as software is updated; specific provider names available on written request to support@aeoutdoorliving.com.

• Hosting and database. A managed cloud platform stores form submissions, project records, and uploaded files used to run the site and process your inquiry.
• CRM, scheduling, and field-service tools. Customer-relationship and job-management software used to coordinate sales, scheduling, and project records.
• Online estimating and design tools. Third-party estimators and design platforms used to generate planning ranges, packages, or design visuals.
• Analytics. Web analytics used to understand site traffic and improve content.
• Advertising pixels. Pixels and tags used on our marketing pages to measure ad performance and reach prior visitors. You can manage cookies on our Cookie Preferences page.
• Email and SMS delivery. Providers that deliver transactional and (with consent) marketing email and SMS.
• Payment and financing. Payment processors and independent financing partners. When you apply for financing, your information is sent directly to the lender; AE is not the lender.
• AI processing. Hosted AI providers used for non-binding helper tools such as content generation, photo intake assistance, and routing of inbound messages.
• File storage. The same managed cloud platform stores photos and documents you upload through forms.
• Security and spam protection. Bot protection, rate limiting, and abuse-prevention services applied to public forms.

Each provider is engaged under its standard data-processing terms. Provider categories evolve; the "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent material revision.

5. AI tools & automated processing

AE uses AI to help draft content, organize photos, guide product and design choices, and route inbound messages. Specifically:

• Sophia — our on-site chat assistant. Conversations are stored so we can improve responses and follow up. Do not share sensitive personal or payment information in chat.
• Visual search & project matcher — photos you upload are processed to suggest similar projects. Images are stored in our backend and used to improve match quality.
• Design and product quizzes — answers are used to generate non-binding recommendations. Quiz results and any saved brief are stored in your account or an anonymous session record.
• Plant, turf, and diagnosis helpers — photos submitted to Outdoor Guardian tools are processed by AI models to suggest identifications, care tips, or possible issues.
• Content generation — AI helps draft blog articles, care tips, and internal summaries, always reviewed by staff before publication.

AI output is non-binding. It is not medical, legal, engineering, plumbing, electrical, or code advice, and it does not create a contract. AE does not promise that any specific AI provider declines to train on provided data, refrains from retention, or guarantees any retention window — those terms vary by provider and change over time.

No solely-automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effect. We do not use AI to approve or deny warranty coverage, financing, hiring, or contract terms. Those decisions are made by human AE staff (or, for financing, by the independent lender you apply with) based on your signed agreement, supporting documents, and applicable law.

Reach out if you do not want your inputs processed by AI tools and we will route your request manually where feasible.

6. Marketing email and SMS

With your opt-in, we may send marketing email or SMS. Unsubscribe links in email work at any time. For SMS, reply STOP to opt out or HELP for help. Message and data rates may apply. See our SMS Terms.

7. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share data with:

• Service providers in the categories listed in Section 4.
• Trade partners and subcontractors assigned to your project, limited to what they need to perform their scope.
• Independent lenders if you apply for financing through them.
• Government and regulators when required (permits, ROC, tax, lien filings, lawful requests).
• Acquirers in the event of a merger, sale, or asset transfer, subject to this policy.

8. Sale, sharing, and targeted advertising

AE does not sell personal information for money. AE uses advertising pixels on marketing pages that may qualify as "sharing" or targeted advertising under some state laws. You can manage these on the Cookie Preferences page or by sending an opt-out request to support@aeoutdoorliving.com.

9. Retention

We retain data as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose collected, to perform a contract, or to comply with a legal obligation (typically seven years for project, tax, and warranty records). Specific retention and deletion windows for individual providers depend on those providers and are not promised here. You can request deletion as described below.

10. Security

AE uses commercially reasonable safeguards, including encrypted transit for the website, access controls on internal systems, and role-based admin permissions. No system is fully secure. AE cannot guarantee absolute security and does not promise specific encryption-at-rest, IP-hashing, or retention behavior unless that behavior is technically verified for the relevant system at the time of writing.

11. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or export your personal data, to restrict or object to certain uses, to appeal a denied privacy request, and to opt out of marketing, the sale or sharing of personal information, and targeted advertising. Exercising a privacy right will never trigger retaliation, price discrimination, or reduced service quality.

California residents (CCPA / CPRA)

In addition to the general rights above, California residents have the right to:

• Know the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected, the sources, the business purposes, and the categories of third parties that receive it.
• Delete personal information, subject to legal, tax, warranty, and safety recordkeeping exceptions.
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
• Limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information.
• Not be retaliated against for exercising a CCPA right.
• Designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf.
• Appeal any refusal to act on a verified request.

Do Not Sell or Share / Global Privacy Control. AE does not sell personal information for money. Some advertising pixels may qualify as "sharing" under CCPA. To opt out, use the Cookie Preferences page or email us. AE honors the browser-level Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as an opt-out of sale/share for that browser.

Arizona residents

Arizona does not currently have a comprehensive consumer-data privacy statute equivalent to California's CCPA/CPRA. AE nonetheless extends access, correction, and deletion rights to Arizona residents on request. Arizona's data-breach notification statute (A.R.S. §18-552) governs how we notify Arizona residents in the event of a qualifying security incident affecting their personal information, and we comply with A.R.S. §44-7601 regarding secure disposal of records containing personal identifying information.

Other US states

Residents of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia (and other states as their laws take effect) have similar rights under their state privacy statutes, including access, deletion, correction, portability, opt-out of targeted advertising and profiling with legal effect, and (in most states) the right to appeal a denied request.

How to submit a request

Email support@aeoutdoorliving.com with the subject "Privacy Request" and describe what you want us to do (access, correct, delete, port, opt out, or appeal). We will acknowledge receipt promptly and respond within the timeframe required by applicable law for verified requests (generally 45 days, extendable once by 45 days where permitted). We may need to verify your identity or your authority to act on someone else's behalf before completing the request. If we deny a request, our response will explain how to appeal.

12. Applicants & employment data

If you apply for a job, we collect the application data you submit and use it solely to evaluate your candidacy, contact you about the role, verify references, and meet recordkeeping obligations. AE is an Equal Opportunity Employer and an E-Verify participant; if hired, we verify identity and work authorization through Form I-9 and E-Verify as required by A.R.S. §23-214. Any background check, motor-vehicle record, or drug screen will be preceded by separate written disclosure and authorization as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

13. Children's privacy

Our services are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted information, contact us and we will delete it.

14. Third-party links

Our site links to third-party tools (financing partners, social platforms, supplier sites, scheduling tools). We are not responsible for their privacy practices. Review their policies before submitting information.

15. Changes

We may update this policy. The "Last updated" date reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be highlighted on the homepage or sent via email if you have opted in.