Ward’s Equipment Rental (“we,” “our” or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting any personal information that we collect through our website, services and communications. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have about your personal information. It also outlines our practices for SMS (text messaging) communications, which are subject to U.S. federal and state laws, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and CTIA Messaging Principles.
If you have questions about this Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at (810) 231‑7368 or through our contact form.
1 Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide
We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when interacting with our website or services. Examples include:
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Orders and account registration. When you place an order or create an account, we may collect your name, billing and shipping addresses, phone number, email address and payment information. We use this information to process payments, fulfill orders and communicate with you about your rentals.
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Comments and reviews. If you post a comment or review, we collect the information you submit, along with your IP address and browser user‑agent string to help prevent spam. An anonymized string created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to display an avatar; please see the Gravatar privacy policy for details.
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Contact forms and inquiries. When you contact us through the website, by phone or by email, we collect the information you provide so we can respond to your request and provide customer service. We do not share this information outside our organization except as necessary to respond to your request.
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SMS opt‑in. If you opt‑in to receive text messages, we collect your mobile phone number and any other data you provide (such as name or email). We will never pre‑check opt‑in boxes or bundle consent with other terms; instead, we require an explicit action (such as checking a box or replying “YES”) to document your consent, in accordance with TCPA requirements.
1.2 Information Collected Automatically
We may automatically collect certain information when you visit our website:
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Cookies and analytics. Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to understand how visitors use our site and to improve your experience. For example, we use Google Analytics to collect aggregated traffic data. Google Analytics does not identify individual users or associate your IP address with other data. You can opt‑out of analytics cookies by adjusting your browser settings or using the Google Analytics opt‑out tool.
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Log information. Our servers automatically record information such as your IP address, browser type, device identifiers, pages viewed and the date/time of your visit. We use this data to administer our website, monitor performance, and improve the services we provide.
1.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information about you from service providers that help us process payments, manage SMS messaging or provide analytics. These providers are required to protect your information and may only use it for the services they perform on our behalf.
2 How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
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To provide and improve our services. We use your information to process rentals, manage your account, respond to inquiries, and deliver customer service. We also use it to improve our website, products and services.
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Marketing communications. We may send you information about specials, new products or services, or changes to our policies, by email or SMS if you have given us consent. You can opt‑out at any time.
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SMS messaging. If you opt‑in to receive text messages, we will send you updates (such as reservation reminders, promotional offers and service alerts) via SMS. Our opt‑in messaging clearly identifies who we are, what types of messages you will receive, how often messages may be sent (“message frequency varies”), and how to unsubscribe. Standard message and data rates may apply. For help, text “HELP”; to stop receiving messages, text “STOP”. We will process your opt‑out promptly.
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Legal and compliance purposes. We may use your information to comply with laws and regulations, enforce our agreements, resolve disputes, protect our rights or the rights of others, and respond to lawful requests by public authorities.
We will not sell or rent your personal information to anyone. We may share information only with service providers (such as payment processors, shipping companies and SMS messaging platforms) to the extent necessary to perform services on our behalf. We require these third parties to protect your information and use it only for the purpose of providing services to us.
3 SMS (10DLC) Messaging Compliance
We utilize a 10‑digit long code (10DLC) number to send Application‑to‑Person (A2P) text messages. To ensure compliance with U.S. law and carrier guidelines, we follow these practices:
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Express written consent. Before sending any marketing or promotional texts, we obtain your express written consent. Consent must be unambiguous and cannot be obtained through pre‑checked boxes. Records of consent (e.g., timestamps, opt‑in logs) are maintained for compliance audits.
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Clear disclosures. Our opt‑in forms explain who we are, what you are signing up for, how often we plan to send messages, and how to unsubscribe. This transparency is required under TCPA and CTIA guidelines.
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Opt‑out instructions. Every SMS message includes instructions on how to opt‑out (for example, “Reply STOP to unsubscribe”). We honor opt‑out requests immediately and confirm your removal from our list.
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Non‑sharing and security. We do not share your phone number with third parties for their marketing purposes. We share it only with our SMS provider to deliver messages. Your data is protected through encryption, secure storage and access controls.
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Data retention. We retain your phone number and related SMS consent records only as long as necessary to provide messaging services or as required by law. Upon opt‑out or request, we remove your number from our messaging lists within a reasonable period.
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Carrier compliance and content restrictions. We comply with U.S. carrier requirements, including registering our brand and campaigns with The Campaign Registry (TCR). We do not send messages containing restricted content (sex, hate, alcohol, firearms or tobacco), and we respect timing and frequency rules (e.g., we do not send marketing texts before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time).
Failure to comply with TCPA, CTIA or state‑specific SMS laws can result in penalties. We update our practices as regulations evolve and will post revised policies on our website.
4 Cookies and Tracking Technologies
As described above, we use cookies to remember your preferences and to analyze how our website is used. You can control cookies through your browser settings. If you choose to disable cookies, some features of our site may not function properly.
5 Your Choices and Rights
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Access and correction. If you have an account with us or have left comments, you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and request corrections.
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Deletion. You can request that we delete personal information we hold about you, subject to legal retention requirements.
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Withdrawal of consent. You may withdraw consent for marketing emails or texts at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in an email or replying STOP to a text. You may also contact us to withdraw your consent.
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Opt‑out of analytics. You can opt‑out of Google Analytics by using a browser add‑on or disabling cookies.
Please contact us using the information provided below to exercise any of these rights. We may need to verify your identity for your protection.
6 How We Protect Your Information
We take reasonable administrative, technical and physical measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, misuse or alteration. These measures include:
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Encryption. When we collect sensitive information (such as payment details), it is transmitted using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.
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Access controls. Only employees who need your information to perform a specific job (such as billing or customer service) are granted access.
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Secure environment. Our servers and systems are maintained in a secure environment to prevent unauthorized access and ensure data integrity.
While we use commercially acceptable means to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100 % secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we strive to follow best practices and promptly address any issues that arise.
7 Retention of Personal Data
We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, including providing services, complying with legal obligations, resolving disputes and enforcing our agreements. For example:
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Comments and user‑generated content: Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely to recognize and approve follow‑up comments automatically.
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Account information: We retain your account data for as long as your account is active and as long as needed to comply with legal obligations or resolve disputes.
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SMS data: We retain your phone number and consent records only as long as you are subscribed to our messaging program. We delete or anonymize these records after you opt‑out or after a set period, unless we are legally required to retain them.
8 Third‑Party Links and Content
Our website may contain links to other websites or embed content (such as videos or social media posts). These third‑party sites may collect data about you, use cookies or track your interaction with the embedded content. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of such sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of every website you visit.
9 Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices or for other operational, legal or regulatory reasons. We will post the updated policy on our website and indicate the date of revision. If changes are material, we will provide a prominent notice or seek your consent as required by law. Your continued use of our website or services after we post changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
10 Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our practices, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us at:
Ward’s Equipment Rental
Address: 6472 East M‑36, Hamburg, MI 48139
Phone: (810) 231‑7368
Email: Contact us via form
We will respond to your inquiry promptly and in accordance with applicable law.