Privacy policy

What we collect

• Account info. Name and phone number for customers; owner name, business name, phone, and location for businesses.
• Booking and queue data. Appointments, queue tickets, service and staff selections, and timestamps, so the app can show live wait times and booking history.
• Reviews you choose to leave, shown with your first name and last initial.
• Telegram chat link (optional). If you connect Telegram for booking reminders, we store your chat ID to send those messages. We don't message you on Telegram for anything else.
• Photos. Business logos, cover photos, and service images that a business chooses to upload.
• Payment proof screenshots. If a business accepts bank transfer or Telebirr and you choose to pay that way, you upload a screenshot of your transfer so they can confirm it. These images often contain more than the amount: your bank account name and number, your phone number, a transaction reference, and sometimes your balance. Only upload what you are willing to share with that business.
• Location. If you allow it, your phone's location is used in your browser to sort nearby businesses. We don't save it. A business's own location is stored so customers can find it.
• Device storage. Some app state (like your current queue ticket, draft booking, or language) is kept in your browser's local storage so the app works smoothly.

Text messages (SMS)

We send three kinds of text, and nothing else:

• a one-time code when you sign in with your phone,
• a confirmation once a business confirms your booking,
• a reminder about two hours before your appointment.

They go to the number you signed in with, the one you enter when booking as a guest, or one a business enters when it books you in. No marketing texts. To check a text was delivered, we keep a log of each one: the booking, the type of message, whether it was sent, and the last four digits of the number. Not the full number or what the message said.

Guest bookings and your account

If you book as a guest and later sign up with the same phone number, your earlier guest bookings are added to your account so you can see and manage them in one place.

Businesses and your data

When you book with a business, it sees your name, phone number, and the booking, and keeps a record of your visits with them. Each business is responsible for how it uses its own customer records. Sa'at is responsible for how those records are stored and protected. Businesses agree in the business terms not to send you marketing texts through Sa'at without your agreement.

New business review

When a business signs up, we check the business name and address are real before it appears in customer search. This is a manual check against public listings (like Google Maps) and, where needed, a phone call to confirm the signer owns the business. A business can use its own dashboard immediately after signing up. It just won't show up to customers until that check is done.

How payment proofs are handled

Sa'at does not process payments and never collects card numbers, digital-wallet details, or bank logins. Money moves directly between you and the business through cash, their own bank account, or Telebirr. What we may hold is only a screenshot you upload as proof of a transfer.

• It is stored in a private bucket, not on a public link. The business you booked with can view it from their dashboard through a link that expires after five minutes.
• We delete it 14 days after the booking is finished, cancelled, or marked a no-show. If the payment was disputed, we keep it for 90 days instead, so both sides still have the evidence while the disagreement is live.
• The booking keeps a record that a payment was made and verified. The image itself does not come back once deleted.

What we don't collect

No card numbers, no digital wallets, no bank logins, and no payment credentials of any kind. Sa'at has no payment processor for charging customers or businesses. Where the app records a deposit preference or pay-at-store choice, that is a note on the booking — not a charge through Sa'at.

Who we share it with

A customer's booking details are shared with the business they booked with. That's the point of the app, and it includes any payment proof you upload for that booking. We don't sell data to advertisers or third parties. We use these services to run Sa'at, and they only get what they need for their job:

• Supabase stores the database and files.
• Vercel hosts the app.
• SMS Ethiopia sends our text messages.
• Telegram delivers reminders if you've connected it.
• Google Maps turns a business's map pin into an address.
• Your browser's push service delivers notifications if you turn them on.

Where your data is stored

Your data is stored outside Ethiopia. The database is in the European Union (Ireland), and some of the services above run in other countries, including the United States. Data is encrypted in transit, and access is limited to the services that need it.

Who at Sa'at can see it

A small Sa'at team can see account and booking data. We only look at it to review new businesses, answer support requests, fix problems, or investigate misuse.

Your choices and rights

Turn off booking reminders (SMS, and Telegram if connected) any time in Settings. Confirmations still send. Booked as a guest? Sign up with the same number to turn reminders off.

Ask us for a copy of your data, or to correct anything that's wrong. We'll reply within 30 days.

Sign out to clear your session from a shared device.

Delete your account any time from Settings. This is immediate and permanent: your profile, reviews, and saved details are erased right away. Bookings stay on the business's records for their own operating history, with your name and contact info removed from them.

If you're not happy with how we handled a request, you can raise it with the relevant Ethiopian authority.

Retention

• We keep booking and queue history for as long as your account is active, so businesses can see visit history and you can see your past bookings. Payment proof screenshots are the exception and are deleted on the schedule above, whether or not your account is still open. When you delete your account, your profile and personal details are erased immediately. Past bookings stay in a business's records with your identity removed, so their revenue and visit history stays accurate. When a business asks us to close its account, its data is deleted 90 days later.

Children

You need to be 18 or older to create a Sa'at account. Younger customers can be booked with a parent's or guardian's permission.

Changes to this policy

We'll tell you in the app before an important change takes effect, and update the date at the top.

Contact

Questions, a copy of your data, or a deletion request:

contactsaatet@gmail.com or @Saat_help_bot on Telegram. Mavericks Technologies PLC, Bole Bulbula, Kidus Apartment Bldg, 2nd floor, Addis Ababa.