A customer in Portland asked me to delete all his data from our work app and I actually agreed with him

Last week, I was finishing a kitchen remodel and the homeowner brought up the scheduling app we use. He said he'd read the terms and didn't like how the company kept his job site photos and notes forever. He asked me to delete his whole project file from my account after we were done. At first I thought it was a hassle, but then I realized he's right. That's his house, his project details. Why should some software company keep that data to train their stuff? I told him I'd do it and even showed him the confirmation screen. Has anyone else had a client make a request like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

pat_stone1mo ago

Good on you for actually doing it. Most guys would just say yes and forget. Had a client ask me the same thing last year. Now I bring it up at the end of every job. I tell them the app saves everything and ask if they want their project wiped. About half say yes. It takes two minutes and they really appreciate it. Shows you respect their privacy more than the software company does.

susansingh1mo ago

Ever wonder if those apps keep our old house layouts forever?

roberts.leo1mo ago

Honestly that seems like a huge overreaction lol. That data helps make the apps better for everyone. Like if the software learns from old kitchen layouts, maybe the next guy's cabinet quote tool gets more accurate. @pat_stone telling everyone just makes clients paranoid about nothing. It's not like some person is looking at their photos, it's just bits in a server helping improve the service we all use. Deleting it just hurts future updates.