Privacy Policy

In this policy, "personal information" means any information that identifies or can be used to identify a natural or juristic person, including but not limited to names, contact details, location data, online identifiers, and financial information. A "responsible party" is the entity that determines the purpose and means of processing personal information. An "operator" is anyone who processes personal information on behalf of a responsible party. "Processing" includes collecting, receiving, recording, organising, retrieving, using, sharing, storing, erasing, or destroying personal information.

Cooks Hired is the responsible party for the personal information processed through the Platform. Our Information Officer oversees compliance with POPIA and handles privacy related queries, complaints, and requests. You can reach our Information Officer by email at hello@cookshired.co.za or by postal request to the registered address listed on our contact page.

We collect personal information that you provide directly, that is generated when you use the Platform, and that we receive from third parties where permitted by law.

• Identity and account information: full name, email address, mobile phone number, profile photo, password, account creation date, and user role (customer, cook, or admin).
• Location and address information: your suburb, city, province, street address, GPS coordinates (where you choose to share them), and selected service area so we can match customers with nearby cooks and calculate travel requirements.
• Booking and service information: dates, times, duration, number of guests, dish selections, dietary requirements and restrictions, allergies, ingredient preferences, special instructions, booking history, cancellation reasons, and related communications.
• Cook verification information: for cooks, we collect identity documents (such as a South African ID, passport, or driver's licence), proof of address, food handling certificates, police clearance certificates where provided, banking details for payouts, and verification status.
• Payment information: transaction records, booking totals, refund history, payout records, and partial card or wallet identifiers provided by our payment partners. We do not store full credit or debit card numbers on our servers.
• Communication data: messages, reviews, ratings, support tickets, dispute records, and email or push notification delivery status.
• Device and technical information: device type, operating system, browser type, IP address, unique device identifiers, push notification tokens, app version, crash logs, and basic usage analytics.

We collect personal information in the following ways:

• Directly from you: when you register an account, complete your profile, make a booking, list dishes, verify your identity, contact support, or participate in reviews and messages.
• Automatically: through cookies, local storage, server logs, analytics tools, and mobile app telemetry when you browse or use the Platform.
• From third parties: payment processors, identity verification services, mapping providers, and other service providers who assist us in operating the Platform.

We only process personal information where we have a lawful basis under POPIA. The main purposes are set out below.

• To provide the Platform: creating and managing accounts, matching customers with cooks, displaying menus, processing bookings, and enabling communication between users.
• To process payments: collecting booking fees, distributing cook payouts, handling refunds, and maintaining financial records.
• To verify cooks and maintain trust:checking identity documents, proof of address, and food safety credentials before cooks can receive bookings.
• To communicate with you: sending booking confirmations, reminders, updates, receipts, support responses, and important service notices.
• To keep users safe: investigating disputes, preventing fraud, detecting prohibited behaviour, and enforcing our Terms and Conditions.
• To improve the Platform: analysing usage patterns, diagnosing errors, developing new features, and conducting research.
• To comply with legal obligations:responding to regulatory requests, maintaining tax and accounting records, and co-operating with law enforcement where required.
• With your consent: where required by law, for example for optional marketing communications or push notifications.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We only share personal information in the following circumstances:

• Between users: when a booking is made, the customer and cook see the minimum information needed to fulfil the service. This typically includes first names, suburbs, booking details, dietary requirements, and contact phone numbers where necessary.
• Service providers: we use trusted third-party operators for payment processing, cloud hosting, database services, mapping, analytics, email delivery, push notifications, and customer support. These providers process personal information on our behalf under written agreements that require confidentiality and appropriate security measures.
• Legal and regulatory authorities: we may disclose personal information if required by law, court order, or a valid regulatory request, or to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of others.
• Business transfers: if Cooks Hired is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to confidentiality obligations.

Some of our service providers operate outside South Africa, including cloud hosting and notification services. Where personal information is transferred across borders, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient is subject to laws providing a comparable level of protection, or that appropriate contractual safeguards are in place.

We use automated processes to match customers with cooks based on location, cuisine preferences, availability, ratings, and other relevant criteria. These matches are recommendations and do not have legal or similarly significant effects on you. You remain free to choose whether to book a particular cook.

The Platform is not intended for users under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include encryption in transit using HTTPS, access controls, role-based permissions, regular security reviews, and secure hosting environments. While we take these precautions, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, to comply with legal and tax obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. Once the retention period has expired, we securely delete or de-identify the information. Specific retention periods depend on the type of information and the applicable legal requirements.

We use essential cookies and local storage to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, and maintain basic Platform functionality. We may also use analytics cookies to understand how users interact with the Platform. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings, although disabling certain cookies may affect functionality.

With your consent, we may send push notifications to your device for booking updates, reminders, and important service messages. You can manage or disable push notifications at any time through your device or browser settings. Where permitted by law and with your consent, we may also send you promotional communications, which you can opt out of at any time.

POPIA gives you several rights in relation to your personal information. You have the right to:

• Access: request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of that information.
• Correction: request that we correct or update inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Deletion: request deletion of your personal information where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you have withdrawn consent.
• Objection: object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing or where our lawful basis is legitimate interest.
• Withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
• Complain: lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) at enquiries@inforegulator.org.za.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@cookshired.co.za. We will respond within the timeframes required by POPIA and may request proof of identity before processing your request.

You can update many account details directly through the Platform's account settings. For requests that cannot be handled in-app, such as accessing a full record of your personal information or requesting deletion, please contact our Information Officer. We may retain certain information where required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

In the unlikely event of a personal information breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected users as required by POPIA. We maintain incident response procedures to detect, assess, and respond to security incidents promptly.

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, payment gateways, or social media platforms. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party services, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the functionality of the Platform. Material changes will be communicated through the app, by email, or by posting a prominent notice on the Platform. The "last updated" date at the top of this page shows the latest version. Continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact our Information Officer at hello@cookshired.co.za. We aim to respond to all privacy-related queries within a reasonable time.