Legal
Privacy Policy
Gulf Coast Reception LLC (“Gulf Coast Reception,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates gulfcoastreception.ai (the “Site”) and provides an AI-powered phone receptionist service (the “Service”) for HVAC, plumbing, garage door, and related home-services companies. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.
By using the Site, calling our demo number, booking a discovery call, or subscribing to the Service, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site or Service.
1. Who this policy covers
This policy applies to three groups of people whose data we may handle:
- Site visitors — anyone who visits gulfcoastreception.ai.
- Prospects and customers — owners and operators of HVAC, plumbing, roofing, garage door, and similar businesses who inquire about, demo, or subscribe to the Service.
- End callers — the people who call a phone line operated by one of our customers and reach our AI receptionist. We process end-caller information on behalf of our customer (the business). The customer is the “controller” of that data; we are a service provider / processor.
2. Information we collect
2.1 Information you give us directly
- Contact details — name, business name, phone number, email address, service area, and any context you share when you call our demo line, fill out a form, book a call via Calendly, or email us.
- Account and billing details — for paying customers: legal business name, billing address, the last four digits of your payment card, and the Stripe customer / subscription identifiers. We do not see, store, or transmit your full card number. Payment details are collected and stored by Stripe, Inc.
- Configuration data — the information you provide so we can build and tune your AI assistant: company name, hours, brands serviced, service area, escalation phone numbers, calendar credentials, pricing language, and similar operational details.
- Communications — the contents of emails, SMS messages, and Slack/text exchanges you send us, including any attachments.
2.2 Information collected automatically when you visit the Site
- Device and connection data — IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages viewed, time spent, and approximate location derived from IP.
- Cookies and similar technologies — small data files stored in your browser. We use a minimal set of first-party cookies (for example, to remember a session) and the analytics cookies described in Section 5 below. You can disable cookies in your browser settings; some features may not work without them.
2.3 Information collected when you call our demo line
If you call our publicly listed demo number to test the AI receptionist, you are calling a phone line operated by Gulf Coast Reception. We collect:
- Your phone number (caller ID).
- An audio recording of the call.
- A written transcript of the call.
- Any details you share during the call (name, business, what you asked about).
Demo calls are recorded. Our greeting tells you the line is an AI assistant and that the call may be recorded for quality and training. By continuing the call after that disclosure, you consent to the recording. If you do not want to be recorded, please hang up.
2.4 Information processed on behalf of our customers (end-caller data)
When a customer subscribes to the Service, we process information about people who call their business line and reach our AI receptionist. This may include:
- Caller phone number, name, service address, and email.
- The reason for the call (e.g., AC not cooling, water heater leaking).
- Audio recordings and written transcripts of the call.
- Appointment details written to the customer’s calendar.
We process this information solely to provide the Service to our customer and as instructed by them in their service configuration. The customer is responsible for telling their callers that calls may be answered by an AI assistant and may be recorded, and for complying with any applicable two-party-consent or wiretap laws in their jurisdiction. By default, our greeting includes a recording disclosure; customers may not disable that disclosure without our written agreement.
3. How we use information
We use the information described above to:
- Provide, operate, maintain, and improve the Site and the Service.
- Respond to inquiries, schedule discovery calls, and send service-related communications (including SMS confirmations, transcripts, and onboarding messages).
- Build, tune, monitor, and troubleshoot the AI assistant configured for each customer.
- Process payments, send invoices, prevent fraud, and collect amounts owed.
- Detect, investigate, and respond to abuse, security incidents, or violations of our Terms of Service.
- Comply with legal obligations, respond to lawful requests, and enforce our agreements.
- Send occasional product updates, tips, or marketing emails to customers and people who have opted in. You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the link in the email or by emailing support@gulfcoastreception.ai.
3.1 We do not sell your personal information.
We do not sell personal information for money. We do not share personal information with third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not use end-caller voice recordings or transcripts to train general-purpose AI models.
4. How and when we share information
We share information only with the categories of recipients below, and only as needed to operate the Service.
4.1 Service providers / sub-processors
We use a small set of vendors to run the Service. Each is bound by a contract to use information only for the purposes we direct. The current list:
| Vendor | Purpose | Data shared |
|---|---|---|
| Vapi (Vapi AI, Inc.) | Voice AI orchestration platform that runs the AI assistant. | Call audio, transcripts, configuration, phone numbers. |
| Twilio (Twilio Inc.) | Telephony and SMS infrastructure used by Vapi and our notification flows. | Phone numbers, call metadata, SMS contents. |
| OpenAI and/or Anthropic | Large language models that power the assistant’s responses. API requests are not used by these providers to train their public models. | Text of the conversation, system prompt context. |
| ElevenLabs (and/or comparable speech provider) | Text-to-speech voice synthesis. | Text of the assistant’s spoken response. |
| Deepgram (and/or comparable transcription provider) | Speech-to-text transcription of the caller’s side. | Audio of the caller’s voice. |
| Stripe (Stripe, Inc.) | Payment processing for setup fees and subscriptions. | Name, email, billing address, payment card data (handled directly by Stripe). |
| Calendly (Calendly LLC) | Discovery-call scheduling. | Name, email, phone, scheduling preferences. |
| Google Workspace (Google LLC) | Business email (adam@, support@, billing@) and calendar. | Email contents, calendar events. |
| Google Analytics 4 (Google LLC) | Aggregate website analytics. IP anonymization is enabled. Advertising features are disabled. | Pseudonymous device identifier, page views, referrer, approximate location from IP. |
| Vercel (Vercel Inc.) | Hosting and CDN for the Site. | IP address, request metadata, server logs. |
| Cloudflare (Cloudflare, Inc.) | DNS and edge security (where used). | IP address, request metadata. |
| Notion (Notion Labs, Inc.) | Internal CRM for prospect and customer notes. | Contact details, notes about your business and conversations with us. |
| OpenPhone (OpenPhone Technologies, Inc.) | Business SMS / voice for our team-facing communications. | Phone numbers, message contents. |
This list may change as we adjust our infrastructure. The current list is the authoritative one and supersedes any earlier version.
4.2 Customers
If you are an end caller who reaches our AI receptionist on a customer’s line, the customer (the business) receives the call recording, transcript, structured summary, and any appointment details, and is responsible for how they use that information.
4.3 Legal, safety, and business transfers
We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that doing so is required to (a) comply with a subpoena, court order, or other lawful request; (b) protect the rights, property, or safety of Gulf Coast Reception, our customers, or others; (c) detect or respond to fraud, abuse, or security issues; or (d) carry out a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, in which case we will require the recipient to honor this Privacy Policy.
5. Cookies and analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how the Site is used in aggregate (which pages get traffic, where visitors come from, how marketing is performing). Analytics data does not include your name, email, or phone number. We have configured Google Analytics with IP anonymization on and Google’s advertising features off.
You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on, or by enabling “Do Not Track” or comparable settings in your browser. We honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals where they are present.
6. SMS and text messaging
If you provide your mobile number to us — by booking a call on our Site, replying to one of our forms, speaking with our AI receptionist, or signing up as a customer — we may send you SMS messages related to the Service.
A full, public description of our SMS opt-in flow and disclosures is available on our SMS Messaging Program & Opt-In page.
6.1 Types of SMS messages we send
- Transactional messages — appointment confirmations, callback notifications, dispatch alerts, and other operational messages tied to a phone call you placed or an event you initiated.
- Account messages — onboarding instructions, billing reminders, and security notices to our paying customers.
- Service updates — occasional product updates or status notices to people who have opted in.
We do not send unsolicited marketing SMS to people who have not opted in.
6.2 How you opt in
Opting in to SMS is optional and is never required to use the Service, create an account, book or complete an appointment, or make a purchase. You receive the same service whether or not you opt in, and we never bundle SMS consent with our Terms of Service. You opt in only by a separate, affirmative action: (a) providing your mobile number on a Site form or to a member of our team and continuing the interaction after we have indicated SMS may be used to follow up; (b) verbally agreeing when our AI receptionist asks, near the end of a call, whether you would like a text — you can decline and still be booked and served, and the call recording captures your consent if you say yes; or (c) replying YES or START to a message from us. You may reply STOP at any time to opt back out.
6.3 Message frequency
Message frequency varies based on your interaction with the Service. Most recipients receive fewer than ten (10) messages per month. Transactional messages (for example, an appointment confirmation) are sent only when triggered by an event you initiated.
6.4 Message and data rates
Message and data rates may apply. Standard message and data rates set by your wireless carrier may apply to any SMS you receive from us. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
6.5 How to opt out, and get help
Reply STOP to any SMS from us at any time to opt out of further messages. Reply HELP for assistance, or email support@gulfcoastreception.ai. Opting out of one program (for example, appointment reminders) opts you out of all SMS programs from the same number.
6.6 Mobile information is never shared for marketing
No mobile information — including phone numbers and SMS opt-in data — is shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Mobile numbers and SMS opt-in data are shared only with the sub-processors listed in Section 4.1 (for example, Twilio for telephony delivery), strictly to deliver SMS on our behalf and operate the Service. This restriction on sharing does not extend to other categories of personal information, which are governed by the rest of this Privacy Policy.
7. Call recording and consent
Mississippi, where Gulf Coast Reception is operated, is a one-party-consent state for call recording. However, our customers operate in many states, and end callers may be located in two-party-consent states (for example, California, Florida, Pennsylvania).
- For our demo line: the AI greeting includes a notice that the call is with an AI assistant and may be recorded. Continuing past that notice is your consent.
- For customer lines: we configure the assistant to include a recording disclosure in its greeting by default. Customers may not remove that disclosure without our written agreement and are responsible for ensuring their use of the Service complies with applicable law.
- If you object to a recording, hang up before continuing the call. You may also email support@gulfcoastreception.ai to request deletion of any recording you appear in (see Section 9).
8. How long we keep information
- Call recordings and transcripts: retained for the lesser of (a) the period requested by the customer or (b) twenty-four (24) months from the call, after which they are deleted unless preserved for a legal hold or active dispute. Demo-line recordings are retained for ninety (90) days.
- Account, billing, and tax records: retained for at least seven (7) years to meet U.S. tax and accounting obligations.
- Marketing leads (people who inquired but did not buy): retained for up to twenty-four (24) months from the last interaction, then deleted or de-identified.
- Server and security logs: retained for up to twelve (12) months.
If you are a customer and you cancel the Service, we will delete or de-identify end-caller recordings, transcripts, and structured call data within ninety (90) days of cancellation, except where we are required to retain it for legal, tax, or fraud-prevention reasons, or where you direct us in writing to retain it longer.
9. Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- Know what personal information we hold about you.
- Request a copy of that information in a portable format.
- Correct information that is inaccurate.
- Delete information we no longer need a lawful reason to keep.
- Opt out of marketing emails (use the unsubscribe link, or email us).
- Opt out of “sales” or “sharing” of personal information for advertising purposes — we do not engage in either.
- Be free from retaliation for exercising any of these rights.
To exercise a right, email support@gulfcoastreception.ai from the address on file (or include enough information for us to verify your identity). We respond within forty-five (45) days; if we need more time, we will tell you within that window.
If you are an end caller and want to exercise a right with respect to a recording from a customer’s line, you may contact us and we will route the request to the customer (who is the controller of that data) and assist as needed.
10. Security
We use commercially reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information, including TLS in transit, encrypted storage at our cloud providers, access controls, and audit logging on administrative actions. No method of transmission or storage is one hundred percent secure. If we learn of a security incident affecting your information, we will notify you and applicable regulators in accordance with applicable law.
11. Children
The Site and Service are intended for businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under thirteen (13). If you believe we have, please contact us and we will delete it.
12. International users
The Site and Service are operated from the United States. If you access them from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to, processed in, and stored in the United States, where data-protection laws may differ from those of your country.
13. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” (DNT) or Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal. We treat a GPC signal as a request to opt out of any “sale” or “sharing” of personal information — though, as noted, we do not sell or share personal information for advertising purposes.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top and, where appropriate, notify customers by email. Continued use of the Site or Service after the change becomes effective means you accept the updated policy.
15. Contact us
Questions, requests, or complaints? Reach us at:
Gulf Coast Reception LLC
Email: support@gulfcoastreception.ai
Privacy contact: adam@gulfcoastreception.ai
If you are a California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Virginia, or other U.S. state-law resident with specific privacy rights, mention that in your message and we will route accordingly.