How VARS handles your information

Our approach

VARS is a Lagos home service beauty platform for stylists, barbers, hairstylists, makeup artists, and the customers who book them. We collect only the information we need to run the platform, support bookings, verify stylists, process payments, and keep people safer.

Everything we collect has a specific purpose. Nothing is collected to be sold. Where we share your information with third parties, we name them in this policy.

Information we collect

We may collect your name, email address, phone number, service category, operating area, profile details, portfolio information, booking details, device information, and messages or support requests you send to us.

For bookings, we collect the service location including the full address and structured access details — building name, floor, flat number, and access code. These are stored on the booking record and shared with the assigned stylist so they can reach you. Access details are visible only to the matched stylist and VARS admin.

For stylists, VARS requires identity and liveness verification during onboarding, handled through Youverify. VARS does not store raw government ID documents. The liveness photo captured during verification becomes the stylist's locked profile picture — the face on a VARS profile is the face that passed the check.

How you sign in

VARS supports three sign-in methods: Google, Facebook, and email. When you sign in with Google or Facebook, those providers authenticate your identity and share your name and email address with VARS. Your phone number is collected separately as a plain text field after login.

Payment and verification partners

Payments are processed through Paystack. VARS does not store raw card details. Paystack receives the payment information needed to process transactions and protect against fraud.

Stylist identity checks are handled through Youverify. Youverify receives the information needed to confirm identity and eligibility.

Push notifications are delivered via Expo. We store one push token per device to send booking updates and alerts. Expo receives that token to route notifications to your device.

WhatsApp and SMS messages are sent through Termii. Termii receives your phone number to deliver those messages.

Transactional emails — booking confirmations, settlement receipts, and similar — are sent through Resend. Resend receives your email address to deliver those messages.

Analytics and error monitoring

We use PostHog to understand how the app is used — which screens are visited, where sessions drop off, and how features perform. We use Sentry to capture crash and error reports so we can identify and fix problems quickly. Both providers may receive device information, app version, and anonymised usage data. Neither receives payment card details or identity documents.

Location data

VARS uses location to connect customers with stylists nearby, calculate any applicable transport surcharge, and support the safety of home service bookings.

Stylists choose and confirm their operating zone. During an active booking — once the stylist taps “On My Way” — their live GPS position is shared with the customer in real time until the service is complete. This is how customers know their stylist is on the way and when to expect them. The stylist's live position is not stored beyond what is needed to display it.

Customers set their booking location before confirming a service. The exact coordinates and address are stored on the booking record and used to calculate any transport surcharge and to guide the stylist to the right place.

Portfolio photos

After a completed service, a stylist may upload a photo and request the customer's consent to include it in their VARS portfolio. If the customer declines, the photo is not published and is removed. Approved photos are displayed on the stylist's public VARS profile.

How we use information

We use information to create and manage accounts, verify stylists, process bookings, hold and release payments, calculate pricing including transport surcharges, deliver notifications, show profiles and ratings, prevent misuse, answer support requests, and improve VARS.

Who we share information with

We share information only where needed to operate VARS. This includes the payment, verification, notification, and analytics providers named in this policy, as well as our hosting providers (Supabase, Vercel) and legal or safety authorities where required by law.

Your choices

You can ask us to update, correct, or delete your information where the law allows. Some information may need to be kept for security, payment, dispute, legal, or fraud-prevention reasons.

Contact

For privacy questions, email support@bookwithvars.com.