Privacy Policy

1.1 Information you provide

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when interacting with our website or services. Examples include:

Rental requests and account registration. When you submit a rental request or create an account, we may collect your name, billing and delivery addresses, job-site details and delivery instructions, phone number, email address, the business you rent for, and your rental history. We use this information to process requests, fulfill rentals, and communicate with you. We do not collect payment card numbers through our website.

Comments and reviews. If you post a comment or review on our website, 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. We also display public reviews from Google on our website.

Contact forms and inquiries. When you contact us through the website, by phone, by text, 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 described in this Policy (for example, with the service providers that operate our phone, email, and messaging systems).

SMS opt-in. If you opt in to receive text messages, we collect your mobile phone number, any other data you provide (such as name or email), and a record of your consent. We never pre-check opt-in boxes or bundle consent with other terms; we require an explicit action—such as checking an unchecked box, signing, or replying “YES”—to document your consent, in accordance with TCPA requirements. Promotional texts require your separate consent.

1.2 Identification and payment at rental

When you rent equipment, we collect your driver’s license (including its number), a major credit or debit card in your name, and, for new customers, your vehicle registration and a thumbprint. We use this information only to verify your identity, prevent fraud and theft, and recover equipment or charges under your Rental Agreement. Card details are processed by our payment processor and stored only in secure, tokenized form. Identification records are kept in our rental records with limited staff access, are never sold, and are shared only with our service providers or with law enforcement when equipment is stolen or not returned.

1.3 Phone calls, recordings and AI

When you call or text us, or we call you, we collect your phone number, the date, time and length of the call, and the content of the conversation. Calls may be recorded and transcribed, and recordings, transcripts and messages may be analyzed with artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Some calls we place may use an AI-generated or prerecorded voice. See section 4 for details.

1.4 Information collected automatically

We may automatically collect certain information when you visit our website:

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 measure site traffic. You can opt out of analytics cookies by adjusting your browser settings or using the Google Analytics opt-out tool.

Advertising tags. We also use advertising and measurement tools, such as the Google Ads tag and the Meta (Facebook) Pixel, to measure the results of our ads and show our ads to people who have visited our website. See section 6.

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.

1.5 Information from third parties

We may receive information about you from service providers that help us process payments, manage SMS messaging or provide analytics, as well as from mapping services (for example, to estimate delivery drive time from an address), review platforms, and advertising platforms. These providers are required to protect your information and may only use it for the services they perform on our behalf.

1.6 Equipment location and usage data

Some of our equipment carries GPS or telematics devices that record information such as location, engine or meter hours, operating status, and alerts. We may monitor this information at any time, including while equipment is rented to you. We use it to locate and recover equipment, schedule service, verify use and hours for billing, respond to accidents, and prevent theft and misuse. Because the data comes from our equipment, it can show where the equipment is and how it is used during your rental. This data belongs to Ward’s and is handled under this policy.

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To provide and improve our services. We use your information to process rentals, verify identity, manage your account, schedule deliveries and pickups, respond to inquiries, and deliver customer service. We also use it to improve our website, products and services.

Marketing communications. With your consent, we may send you information about specials, new equipment or services, or changes to our policies by email, by text message, or by phone (including calls that use an AI-generated or prerecorded voice). Marketing texts and automated marketing calls are sent only with your prior express written consent. You can opt out at any time.

SMS messaging. If you opt in to receive text messages, we will send you rental confirmations, delivery and pickup updates, service and account messages, and—if you separately agree—promotional offers. 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. Message and data rates may apply. For help, text “HELP”; to stop receiving messages, text “STOP”. We process opt-out requests promptly, and in all cases within the time required by law.

Quality, training and AI. We use call recordings, transcripts and messages to train staff, review service quality, resolve disputes, and operate and improve our own AI-assisted tools that answer and place calls, take requests, and help our team respond.

Analytics and research. We analyze rental, website, call and customer data—often in aggregated or de-identified form—to understand demand, plan inventory and staffing, measure advertising, and improve our business.

Safety and security. We use information to verify renters, prevent fraud, theft and misuse of equipment, and protect our customers, staff and property.

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, our rental system, 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.

These service providers may include our rental and point-of-sale system, website hosting and e-commerce platform, phone, call-recording and AI service providers, email and SMS platforms, customer-relationship tools, analytics and advertising platforms, mapping services, and our accountants and attorneys.

We may also disclose information when required by law or legal process; to protect the rights, property or safety of Ward’s, our customers or others (for example, to report stolen equipment); with your consent; or as part of a merger, sale or transfer of our business, in which case this Policy will continue to apply to your information.

Phone calls with Ward’s may be recorded and/or transcribed for quality assurance, training, dispute resolution, customer service improvement, and training and improving our own AI systems. We announce recording at the start of our calls.

We use AI tools, including tools provided by third-party service providers, to answer, route and place calls and messages, take rental requests, transcribe and summarize conversations, and score call quality. Some calls we place may use an AI-generated or prerecorded voice; these calls identify Ward’s Equipment Rental, give our phone number, and offer a way to opt out. Recordings, transcripts and messages may be processed by these providers on our behalf, subject to confidentiality and security obligations, and not for their own purposes. We do not sell recordings or transcripts.

If you prefer not to be recorded or to speak with an automated assistant, tell us at the start of the call and ask for a team member, or contact us by email. See our Terms of Service for more.

Ward’s Equipment Rental Text Messages. By opting in, you agree to receive text messages from Ward’s Equipment Rental about your rentals, deliveries, pickups, service, and account. Messages may be sent using automated technology. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out at any time or HELP for help, or call (810) 231-7368. Consent is not a condition of purchase. We do not sell or share mobile information with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.

Promotional messages. We send promotional texts only to people who have given separate prior express written consent—for example, by checking a separate, unchecked promotions box, or by replying YES to a text from us that asks whether you want promotions. Promotional texts are sent between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. local time.

Consent records. We keep a record of each consent we receive, including the phone number, the date and time, and the wording you agreed to.

Opting out. Every program supports STOP and HELP. You may also opt out by any reasonable means, such as telling our staff. We process opt-out requests promptly, and in all cases within the time required by law, and may send one message confirming your request.

Non-sharing and security. No mobile information will be sold or shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties, except our SMS service provider, which uses it only to deliver our messages. Your data is protected through encryption, secure storage and access controls.

Registered program. Our text messaging program is registered with U.S. wireless carriers, and we do not send messages containing restricted content (such as sex, hate, alcohol, firearms or tobacco).

See our Text Message Updates page and Terms of Service for full program terms.

As described above, we use cookies to remember your preferences, keep items in your request cart, and 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.

We use Google Analytics and Google Ads to understand site traffic and measure our advertising, and the Meta Pixel to measure and deliver our ads on Facebook and Instagram. These partners may use cookies or similar technologies to collect information about your visits to our website and other sites over time. You can learn more and limit ad personalization through Google Ad Settings and your Facebook ad preferences, or opt out of interest-based ads from participating companies at optout.aboutads.info.

Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control. Our website does not currently respond to “Do Not Track” browser signals. Where required by applicable law, we will honor recognized opt-out signals such as Global Privacy Control.

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.

Deletion. You can request that we delete personal information we hold about you, subject to legal retention requirements.

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.

Opt-out of analytics. You can opt-out of Google Analytics by using a browser add-on or disabling cookies.

State privacy rights. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under state privacy laws, such as the right to know, access, correct, delete, or opt out of targeted advertising. We will honor these requests as required by applicable law and will not discriminate against you for exercising them.

Please contact us using the information provided below to exercise any of these rights. We may need to verify your identity for your protection.

Make a privacy request →

We take reasonable administrative, technical and physical measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, misuse or alteration. These measures include:

Encryption. Our website uses TLS (HTTPS) encryption, and payment cards are stored only in tokenized form by our payment processor.

Access controls. Only employees who need your information to perform a specific job (such as rentals, billing or customer service) are granted access, and identification records are limited to the staff who need them.

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. If a security breach affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by Michigan’s Identity Theft Protection Act and other applicable law.

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:

Identification records: Driver’s license information, vehicle registration, and thumbprints collected at rental are kept for ten (10) years after your last rental, unless the law requires longer, and then securely deleted.

Comments and user-generated content: Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely to recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically.

Account and rental information: We retain your account data and rental records for as long as your account is active and as long as needed for tax, accounting, insurance, and legal obligations or to resolve disputes.

Call recordings and transcripts: We keep these as long as needed for quality, training, and dispute resolution, and then delete or de-identify them.

SMS data: We retain your phone number and consent records while you are subscribed to our messaging program and afterward as needed to prove consent and honor opt-outs, unless we are legally required to retain them longer.

Our website and services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Our website may contain links to other websites or embed content (such as videos, maps 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.

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.

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 LLC d/b/a Ward’s Rental Center
Address: 6472 East M-36, Hamburg, MI 48139
Phone: (810) 231-7368
Email: [email protected] or our contact form

We will respond to your inquiry promptly and in accordance with applicable law.