Privacy Policy

Who we are

BookByText is an AI-powered appointment scheduling assistant operated by Alexander White (sole proprietor). Customers reach the service over our phone line and web chat, to book, confirm, reschedule, or cancel appointments with a participating local business. This policy explains what information we collect and how we use it. See also our Terms & Conditions.

How you will opt in to text messages

Text message booking is not currently available. Our booking number, (925) 489-1150, does not yet accept text messages, and no text messages are sent from it. Full program disclosures are published on our SMS Program page.

Once the service is approved by mobile carriers and switched on, you will opt in to the BookByText SMS program in one of three ways: by sending the first text message to that booking number; by giving your mobile number to a business's web chat assistant and agreeing when it asks whether it may text you about your appointment; or by booking an appointment on a call to a business whose phone line our booking assistant answers, in which case we text your confirmation and any reminder to the number you called from and the assistant tells you so before the call ends. Any one of them will be your consent to receive SMS messages about your appointment. Consent is not a condition of any purchase, you can book without giving a number at all, and you will be able to opt out at any time by replying STOP.

We will never send a message to anyone who has not asked us to. We do not buy, rent, or accept phone numbers from purchased lists, third parties, or affiliates, and we do not accept consent gathered on our behalf by anyone else. A number you give to the web chat assistant is used only for the appointment you gave it for; if you give a number without agreeing to texts, the business may call you about that appointment and we send you no messages.

Information we collect

• Your phone number, when you call our booking number — or text it, once text messaging is available — or when you give it to the web chat assistant while booking. Giving it there is optional, and so is agreeing to be texted; the two are recorded separately.
• The content of your messages, so the assistant can understand and respond to booking requests.
• What you say on a call to our booking number. Calls are answered by the assistant, and your speech is converted to text (transcribed) by our telephone provider, Twilio, so the assistant can understand you. The transcript of the conversation is retained with the booking and is visible to the business you are booking with; we do not keep audio recordings of calls.
• Booking details you provide: name, requested service, and appointment time.
• Your email address, if you choose to leave one while booking. It is used to send that booking's written confirmation (with a calendar invite) and notices about that appointment — nothing else. Leaving one is optional.
• If you are a business asking about the service through the contact form on our homepage: the name, business name, contact details and message you type, used to reply to your enquiry.

How we use your information

Phone numbers and message content are used solely to operate the booking conversation — understanding your request, checking availability, and confirming, rescheduling, or cancelling appointments.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Information sharing with subcontractors in support services, such as telephone, call transcription and SMS delivery infrastructure (e.g. Twilio) and our AI language model provider (Anthropic), is permitted for the purposes of operating this service, all other use case categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

Beyond messaging and the AI model, three service providers handle specific data when the feature involved is in use: confirmation emails are delivered by Resend; when a business has connected its Google Calendar, appointment details are written to that calendar via Google; and where a business takes deposits or saves a card, payment is handled by Stripe — card details go to Stripe directly and are never seen or stored by us or by the business. Each receives only what operating its part of the service requires.

Message frequency and cost

Once text messaging is available, message frequency will vary based on your conversation with the assistant. Message and data rates may apply, per your carrier plan.

Opt-out

Once text messaging is available, you will be able to reply STOP at any time to stop receiving messages from this number, or HELP for assistance.

Data retention

Conversation history and booking records are retained only as long as needed to operate the scheduling service for the business you're booking with.

Contact

Questions about this policy or the BookByText SMS program can be directed to the business you are booking with, or to the operator, Alexander White, at support@bookbytext.co.