Help & FAQs
Common questions
Quick answers for both companies running a programme and the tradesmen / customers who refer to them. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
For businesses running a programme
What is TradeRefer?+
A subscription platform that lets your business run its own referral programme. You get a branded landing page at
traderefer.co.uk/yourcompany where tradesmen and former customers can sign up as partners, then refer customers to you. We track each referral end-to-end and tell you exactly what you owe each partner.How much does it cost?+
£99 per month, all-in. No per-partner fees, no per-referral fees, no setup. Cancel any time from your billing page. We give every new account a free 14-day trial.
Who can I invite as a partner?+
Anyone you trust to recommend you. The common picks: local tradesmen in adjacent specialisms (a roofer working with a solar installer, a plumber working with a heat-pump fitter), and your own past customers acting as ambassadors. They sign up via your landing page, and you decide what to pay each side.
When do I pay partners?+
Whenever you want — we just track what's owed. As soon as you mark an appointment booked, a payout appears for the partner. Same again when you mark the job sold. You pay by bank transfer on your own schedule (weekly, monthly, whatever works) and tick payouts off in the admin as you send them.
How do I customise my landing page?+
Head to Settings in the company admin. Upload your logo, pick your brand colours, set your payout amounts per appointment and per job sold, and choose which services you cover. Changes are live on your public page within seconds.
Can I add other admins?+
Yes — up to 4 team members per company. Settings → Team → invite by email. They get a link to set their own password and join with full admin access.
Can I cancel?+
Any time. Billing → Manage subscription → Cancel. You keep access until the end of your paid period, then the account becomes read-only — your data stays intact in case you come back.
What about GDPR / data protection?+
We require every partner to confirm — by ticking a box at submission — that they have the customer's permission to share their details with you. The confirmation is recorded with a timestamp so you can prove consent if challenged. Beyond that, you remain the data controller for the customer details that land in your account. Read our privacy policy.
How do I quietly promote the programme in every email I send?+
Settings → Signature.We generate a one-line email-signature snippet that includes your sign-up link and your current payout total. Paste it into your email signature in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail or iOS Mail (we provide click-by-click install instructions for each), and from then on every email you send — quotes, replies, replies to suppliers, replies to anyone — quietly prompts the recipient to become a referrer. It's the highest-leverage thing you can do once you've set up your programme. If you change your payout amounts later, the figure in the signature updates automatically so you never have stale numbers floating around.
Are there other low-effort ways to recruit partners?+
A few that work well:
- Add the sign-up link to your invoice template so every completed customer sees it
- Mention it on your job-completion / customer feedback emails
- Print a QR code linking to your sign-up page on van decals or business cards
- Send a direct one-liner to past customers offering them the deal — they already trust you
For partners (tradesmen & ambassadors)
How do I refer a customer?+
Log into your dashboard, click Refer a customer, and fill in their name, contact details, address and which services they're interested in. The business gets notified immediately and contacts the customer within a working day.
Do I need the customer's permission first?+
Yes — always. Under UK data protection law you need their consent before sharing their phone number, email or address with a third party. The form has a tick box where you confirm you've got it. Easiest way: ring the customer, ask if they'd be happy for the company to give them a no-obligation quote, then submit.
When do I get paid?+
That's up to the company you refer to. As soon as your customer's appointment is booked, your appointment payout moves to Pending. When the job sells, the job payout does the same. The company pays out by bank transfer on their own schedule — usually weekly or monthly.
How do they pay me?+
By UK bank transfer. Add your sort code and account number under Accountin your dashboard — they're only ever shared with the company you're partnered with, never with anyone else.
What if my referral doesn't convert?+
You won't earn a payout for that referral — no penalty either though. Status moves to Rejectedwith a reason (usually customer changed their mind, or out of area). Refer the next one when you're ready.
Is there a cap on how many people I can refer?+
No cap. Refer as many as you like.
Does it cost me anything?+
Nothing. The business you refer to pays TradeRefer a subscription; partners use the platform free.
How we keep your data safe
How are partner bank details stored?+
Sort codes and account numbers are encrypted with AES-256-GCMthe moment a partner saves them. What lives in our database is base64-encoded ciphertext, not the digits themselves. The decryption key sits in a separate environment from the database — even if someone got a copy of the database, they'd see scrambled text without the key, which they don't have access to.
Who can see partner bank details?+
Three groups, no-one else:
- The partner themselves, in their own account settings
- Authorised admins at the company the partner is partnered with — and only by explicitly clicking "Reveal" on the masked display when they're processing a payout
- TradeRefer support, only on a legitimate written request from the partner or company
What about customer referral data?+
When a partner submits a referral they tick a box confirming they have the customer's permission to share their details. We record that confirmation with a timestamp so it can be produced if a customer ever queries it. The receiving business is the data controller for those customer details — we process them on the business's behalf.
How are passwords protected?+
Passwords are hashed with bcryptbefore storage — we never store plain passwords, and we can't see what your password is even from inside the platform. Password reset tokens are also hashed (SHA-256), expire after 1 hour, and are single-use.
What's encrypted in transit?+
Everything. All traffic between your browser and TradeRefer uses TLS 1.2+, and our domain has HSTS enabled — meaning modern browsers refuse to even attempt a non-HTTPS connection. The same applies to our connections to Stripe, Resend, Neon and every other service we talk to.
Who else can touch the data?+
Our subprocessors, all listed in our privacy policy. In short:
- Vercel — hosts the app
- Neon — runs the database (EU region, encrypted at rest)
- Stripe — handles company subscription payments (Stripe is the data controller for card data, not us — we never see card numbers)
- Resend — sends transactional email
- Cloudflare — handles DNS and edge security
What if I want my data deleted?+
Email [email protected] and we'll process the request within one calendar month (UK GDPR's default). Some records have to be retained for tax / accounting purposes (HMRC requires 6 years for business records), but we'll anonymise what we can and delete what we don't need to keep.
What happens if there's a breach?+
We'll notify affected users and the UK Information Commissioner's Office within 72 hours of becoming aware, in line with UK GDPR. We'd also tell you what was affected, what we're doing about it, and what (if anything) you should do.
Account & billing
I've forgotten my password.+
On the login page click Forgot password. We'll email you a reset link valid for one hour.
My card was declined.+
Most often it's an expired card or a bank fraud check. Update your card in the Stripe Customer Portal — accessed via Billing in your admin → Manage subscription. If problems persist, email us and we'll help.
I need a VAT invoice.+
Every Stripe-issued receipt is available in the Customer Portal under Invoice history. If you need extra information on the invoice, email [email protected].
Still stuck?
Email [email protected] and we'll come back within one working day.