Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 2, 2026 · Last updated: October 6, 2026

1. Who we are

The Referral Shop (https://thereferralshop.com/) (the "Site") is a website operated by Doug Bross of the Bross Chingas Bross Team ("we," "us," or "our"), licensed real estate professionals affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty, 355 Riverside Ave., Westport, CT 06880. Broker of record: Coldwell Banker Realty, CT Real Estate Broker License No. REB.0788195, a wholly owned subsidiary of CIH LLC. "The Referral Shop" is the name of the Site (a trade name). It is not a separate company or legal entity.

Doug Bross and the Bross Chingas Bross Team are licensed real estate professionals affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty, our broker of record. Doug Bross directly places every referral made through the Site, as a referral from Coldwell Banker Realty to the receiving brokerage. Coldwell Banker Realty receives all referral fees.

For the purposes of this Policy, Doug Bross of the Bross Chingas Bross Team is the operator of the Site and the "controller" or "business" responsible for the personal information described below, except where we say another party (for example, an agent you are introduced to) handles it for its own purposes.

Contact: [email protected] · (203) 526-6537 · 355 Riverside Ave., Westport, CT 06880

2. What this Policy covers

This Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect information when you visit the Site, use the town-match quiz, browse the community guides, or ask to be introduced to a real estate agent. By using the Site you acknowledge this Policy. Our Terms of Use also apply.

3. Information we collect

When you submit an introduction request, your answers are sent over an encrypted connection to our lead database. If the online submission fails, the Site offers a prefilled email addressed to [email protected], which opens in your own email application for you to review and send. We do not send email or text messages on your behalf.

a. Information you give us

Contact information: your name and the email address or phone number you choose to give us.
Quiz and preference answers: housing, commute, budget, and lifestyle preferences you enter in the match quiz, and any notes or messages you submit.
Town and region interests: the regions, towns, and guides you select, search for, or ask about, and the timeframe or property type you tell us about.
Contact-method preference: whether you prefer to be reached by phone call, email, or text message.
Consent records: when you consent to calls or texts, we keep a record of the consent: the date and time, the phone number, the exact wording and version you agreed to, each box you checked (calls about your request, automated or prerecorded calls, texts about your request, marketing texts), your IP address, your browser's user-agent string, the page you submitted from, and your opt-out status.
Correspondence: information in emails, texts, or calls you send us.

b. Information collected automatically

Device and usage data: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, language, referring page, pages and guides viewed, links clicked, time on page, and approximate location derived from IP address. This information is processed transiently to serve and secure the Site; we do not use cookies, local storage, or analytics tools (see Section 9).
Device location: if you tap "Use my location" on the distance search, your browser asks your permission and, if you allow it, gives the page your approximate coordinates. They are used in your browser only to measure distances to towns. They are not sent to us or to any third party and are not stored.

c. Information from others. We may receive information from the agent or brokerage you are introduced to (for example, confirming that they contacted you), and from our service providers.

We do not ask for, and the match does not use, protected characteristics (such as race, religion, national origin, familial status, disability, or similar traits) or neighborhood demographics. Please do not include sensitive information (such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, health information, or government ID numbers) in free-text fields.

4. How we use information

To generate your town matches and operate the community guides.
To introduce you to a licensed real estate agent in the area you choose, when you ask for an introduction, and, through our brokerage, to send that agent's brokerage a written referral agreement before the agent speaks with you.
To contact you by the method(s) you selected, and to respond to your questions.
To send you information about your real estate inquiry and related marketing, where you have consented or where permitted by law. You can opt out at any time (Section 12).
To operate, secure, maintain, and improve the Site, understand how it is used, and troubleshoot problems.
To prevent fraud, spam, and abuse, and to enforce our Terms of Use.
To keep records and comply with legal, licensing, brokerage, and regulatory obligations (including referral-fee recordkeeping).
To protect rights, safety, and property, and to respond to lawful requests.

5. How we share information

a. The agent you are introduced to, and their brokerage. When you request an introduction, we share the information needed for the introduction (such as your name, email address, preferred contact method, the region or town you are interested in, and relevant quiz answers) with the agent we introduce and the agent's brokerage. We collect and share your phone number only if you chose Phone call or Text message and checked "Call me about this request" or "Text me about this request." We share it only with the agent and brokerage you are introduced to, and only for that contact. Agents we introduce are independent real estate licensees who must hold an active real estate license in the state where the property is located. Once introduced, the agent and their brokerage act on their own behalf and use your information under their own privacy practices; we encourage you to review them. We are not responsible for the agent's or brokerage's handling of your information after the introduction.

b. Referral fees. If you close a transaction with an agent we introduce, the receiving agent's brokerage may pay a referral fee, brokerage to brokerage, to our broker of record, Coldwell Banker Realty, CT Real Estate Broker License No. REB.0788195, a wholly owned subsidiary of CIH LLC. Referral fees are not paid to or by individual agents, and they come at no additional cost to you from this referral. To administer and document referral fees, we and the brokerages may share and retain information about the introduction and any resulting transaction.

c. Service providers and third-party services. We use Cloudflare Pages (website hosting and content delivery) and Cloudflare D1 (lead storage) to run the Site. Some Site features also contact third-party services directly from your browser: (1) Google Fonts (Google LLC): pages load typefaces from fonts.googleapis.com and fonts.gstatic.com, so Google receives your IP address and browser information when a page loads. (2) Zippopotam.us: when you type a ZIP code in the town match or the distance search, that ZIP code is sent to api.zippopotam.us to look up its location. (3) OpenStreetMap Nominatim (OpenStreetMap Foundation): when you type a place name in the distance search, that text is sent to nominatim.openstreetmap.org to look up its location. These services receive your IP address and the text you typed for that lookup, and handle it under their own privacy policies. We do not send them your name, email address or phone number. We do not use a vendor to send email or text messages on our behalf, and we do not use third-party analytics or advertising tools.

d. Our broker of record. Because Doug Bross places referrals through Coldwell Banker Realty, our broker of record, we share information with Coldwell Banker Realty for supervision, compliance, recordkeeping, and referral-fee administration.

e. Legal, safety, and business transfers. We may disclose information to comply with law or legal process, to protect rights and safety, or in connection with a merger, sale, or transfer of all or part of our business (in which case the successor will handle information consistent with this Policy).

f. With your direction. We share information when you ask us to.

We do not sell your personal information for money, and we do not share it with third parties for their own cross-context behavioral advertising. The only third-party disclosures are those described above, which are made to deliver the introduction you request, run the Site, and meet legal obligations.

6. Text-message (SMS) and call terms

If you choose Phone call and check "Call me about this request," Doug Bross of the Bross Chingas Bross Team, Coldwell Banker Realty, and the licensed agent and brokerage you are introduced to may call you about your inquiry. They will use automated technology or a prerecorded or artificial voice only if you also check the separate, optional automated-calls box. If you choose Text message and check "Text me about this request," the same parties may text you about your inquiry. Marketing texts are sent only by Doug Bross of the Bross Chingas Bross Team, Coldwell Banker Realty, and only if you check the separate, optional marketing-texts box. Consent is never a condition of buying any property, goods, or services, and you can choose Email instead. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel texts or HELP for help. To stop calls, tell the caller or contact [email protected] or (203) 526-6537. We honor opt-out requests promptly and no later than 10 business days after we receive them. You may also reply QUIT, CANCEL, END, or UNSUBSCRIBE. After you opt out you may receive one final message confirming your request. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Consent records. For each consent we store the date and time, the phone number, the exact wording and version you agreed to, each box you checked (calls about your request, automated or prerecorded calls, texts about your request, marketing texts), your IP address, your browser’s user-agent string, the page you submitted from, and your opt-out status. We keep consent records for at least 5 years.

No sharing of mobile opt-in data for marketing. We will not share your mobile phone number or text-messaging opt-in data and consent with third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes. Disclosure to the agent and brokerage you ask us to introduce you to, and to service providers who send messages on our behalf, is made only to carry out the contact you requested.

You may also have rights under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act and state telemarketing laws, which this Policy does not limit.

7. Retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes in this Policy, including to complete an introduction, respond to you, keep consent and opt-out records, document referral agreements and referral fees, and meet legal, licensing, tax, and recordkeeping requirements. Specifically:

Inactive leads: leads with no activity for 2 years are deleted or de-identified.
Consent records: consent records (date and time, phone number, wording version, channels, IP address, and opt-out status) are kept for at least 5 years.
Referral-fee records: records of introductions, referral agreements, and referral fees are kept for 5–7 years to meet brokerage, licensing, and tax requirements.

Aggregated or de-identified data may be kept longer. Opt-out and do-not-contact records are kept so we can honor your request.

8. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) and access limits. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your information has been compromised, contact us at [email protected]. We will notify you and regulators of a breach where required by law.

9. Cookies, analytics, Do Not Track, and Global Privacy Control

The Site does not set cookies or use local storage for tracking, and we do not use third-party analytics or advertising tools, so no cookie banner is needed. The third-party services listed in Section 5c receive your IP address when they are used, as described there.

Do Not Track. Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" signal. There is no uniform standard for these signals, so the Site does not currently respond to Do Not Track signals.

Global Privacy Control (GPC). The Site does not currently process Global Privacy Control signals. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined under applicable state privacy laws (see Section 5), so there is currently no sale or sharing for a GPC signal to opt out of.

10. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights, subject to legal exceptions:

Access / know what personal information we have collected, used, disclosed, and the categories of sources and recipients, and receive a copy (portable where required).
Correct inaccurate personal information.
Delete personal information we collected from you.
Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, targeted advertising, and certain profiling. (We do not sell personal data; see Section 5.)
Limit use of sensitive personal information, where applicable. (We do not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you.)
Withdraw consent to calls, texts, or marketing at any time (Section 6).
Not be discriminated against for exercising your rights.

California (CCPA/CPRA). California residents have the rights above, including the right to know, delete, correct, opt out of sale/sharing, and limit use of sensitive personal information. Over the past 12 months we have collected the categories described in Section 3 (identifiers, contact information, internet/network activity, approximate geolocation, and preferences/inferences you provide) and disclosed them for business purposes to the recipients described in Section 5. We have not sold or shared personal information as those terms are defined under California law. California residents may also request information about disclosures of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes ("Shine the Light," Civil Code § 1798.83).

Connecticut (CTDPA) and other states. Connecticut residents have the rights to confirm whether we process their personal data and access it, correct inaccuracies, delete, obtain a portable copy, and opt out of targeted advertising, sale of personal data, and certain profiling. This Policy describes our practices for Connecticut and the other states where we operate or send leads; residents of states with comprehensive privacy laws have similar rights under those laws.

How to make a request. Email [email protected] or call (203) 526-6537 with the subject "Privacy Request," tell us which right you want to use, and give enough information for us to verify your identity (for example, the email and phone number you gave us). You may use an authorized agent; we may require proof of authorization. We will respond within the time required by law (generally 45 days, with an extension where permitted). If we deny a request, residents of states that provide an appeal right (including Connecticut) may appeal by replying to our decision with the subject "Appeal"; we will respond within the time required by law. If the appeal is denied, you may contact your state attorney general (Connecticut residents: the Connecticut Attorney General's Office).

Agents and brokerages. If your information was already shared with an introduced agent or brokerage, we will pass on deletion or opt-out requests where required, but you may also need to contact them directly.

11. Children

The Site is intended for adults and is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or, for the sale or sharing of personal information, under 16). We do not sell or share the personal information of anyone we know to be under 16. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us at [email protected] and we will delete it.

12. Marketing choices

We do not currently send marketing emails. If you receive an email from us that you do not want, reply to it or email [email protected] and we will stop. For opting out of texts or calls, see Section 6. Opting out of marketing does not stop messages needed to complete a request you made or required legal notices.

13. Third-party links and content

The Site contains links to third-party websites and content (for example, school, government, mapping, or photography source pages, and agent or brokerage websites). We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their privacy practices or content. Please review their policies. Photographs displayed on the Site carry photographer credit and source attribution in the town guide.

14. Information in guides

Town, price, commute, and school information on the Site is a dated research snapshot for general information. It is not personal information about you and is not advice.

15. International visitors

The Site is operated from the United States and is intended for users in the United States. If you access it from elsewhere, your information will be processed in the United States.

16. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version with a new "Last updated" date, and, where required by law, notify you or obtain consent for material changes. Continued use of the Site after changes means you accept the updated Policy, to the extent permitted by law.

17. Contact us

Doug Bross of the Bross Chingas Bross Team — operator of The Referral Shop (site/trade name)
Coldwell Banker Realty, 355 Riverside Ave., Westport, CT 06880
Email: [email protected] · Phone: (203) 526-6537