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SMS Opt-In Documentation

This page documents how Bam Good Time obtains, records, and honors SMS consent from end users. All SMS messages are strictly transactional — no marketing or promotional messages are sent.

Last updated: February 13, 2026

Reviewer: Where Consent Is Collected

Every surface that collects SMS consent renders the same sentence from a single source file, so the wording shown below is the wording a member sees — on every club site, with no per-club and no per-page variation.

  • Creating an account — the checkbox appears beneath the Phone field, once a phone number has been entered. This is the primary point of collection.
  • Accepting a club invitation
  • Joining a club from a share link
  • Account settings — where a member turns texts on or off at any time. This is the surface pictured below.

All four sit behind sign-in, because each one is attached to a specific person’s account and phone number. There is therefore no anonymous URL that displays the opt-in, and we would rather say so than publish a walkthrough that cannot be completed. The screenshot below is the live form, and the sentence beside it is reproduced verbatim from the code that renders it. If you need a guided walkthrough on a live account, contact us at the address at the foot of this page and we will arrange one.

Live screenshot — SMS consent in account settings

Screenshot of the Bam Good Time account settings screen showing the unchecked Text messages consent checkbox with its full disclosure text beneath it

One checkbox, for SMS consent — unchecked by default and optional. It reads, verbatim: "By checking, you are allowing to receive SMS communications from Bam Good Time. Frequency may vary. Message and data rates may apply, reply HELP for help or STOP to opt-out." Nothing is gated on it — registration completes whether or not it is ticked, so consent is never a condition of creating an account.

1. Consent Mechanism: Registration Form

Every end user must complete a registration form before any SMS messages are sent. The form contains two separate checkboxes: an optional SMS consent checkbox (unchecked by default) and a required Terms/Privacy acceptance checkbox. Users may submit the form without opting into SMS. Below is the exact registration form as it appears to users:

Create Your Account

Columbus Mahjong Club

What should we call you? (Leave blank to use first name)

jane@example.com

Required for verification

At least 8 characters

UNCHECKED BY DEFAULTOPTIONAL — NOT REQUIRED
Continue

Key Compliance Details

  • ✓Two separate checkboxes: SMS consent (optional) and Terms/Privacy acceptance (required)
  • ✓SMS consent checkbox is unchecked by default and optional — not required to submit the form
  • ✓SMS opt-in text includes: brand name, frequency, data rates, HELP and STOP keywords
  • ✓Links to Terms of Service and Privacy Policy with dedicated SMS sections
  • ✓Consent timestamp recorded in database (sms_consent_at)

2. Opt-In Flows

Flow A: Website Registration (Self-Signup)

1

User Visits Club Website

End user navigates to a club subdomain (e.g., https://columbus.bamgoodtime.com) and clicks "Sign Up."
2

Completes Registration Form

User fills in name, email, phone number, and password. The SMS consent checkbox (shown above) is unchecked by default.
3

Optional SMS Consent

User may optionally check the SMS consent checkbox to receive text messages. The SMS checkbox is not required to submit the form. A separate Terms/Privacy checkbox is required.
4

Phone Verification

After submitting, a one-time verification code is sent to the phone number provided. This is consumer-initiated (the user clicked "Continue").
5

Account Created

Once verified, the account is created with sms_consent: true and sms_consent_at: [timestamp] recorded. Only then are transactional messages enabled.

Flow B: Club Invitation

1

Admin Sends Invitation

A club administrator adds contacts and sends a one-time SMS invitation. This is the only unsolicited message — it includes the brand name, a signup link, and opt-out instructions.
2

User Receives Invitation SMS

Invitation message
Bam Good Time: Columbus Mahjong Club invited you to join! Sign up for Mahjong games: https://columbus.bamgoodtime.com/invite/abc123 Reply STOP to opt out.
3

User Clicks Link & Registers

The user clicks the link and is taken to the registration form. They must complete the same SMS consent checkbox described in Flow A before any further messages are sent.
4

Same Consent Flow

Phone verification and consent recording are identical to Flow A above. No further SMS messages are sent until the user completes registration with the consent checkbox checked.

Flow C: Bring-a-Friend Registration

1

Existing Member Registers a Friend

An existing club member registers a friend for an event using their phone number.
2

Friend Receives Notification

Friend registered message
Bam Good Time: Jane Doe signed you up for Tuesday Night Mahjong! Set up your account: https://columbus.bamgoodtime.com/claim/xyz789 Reply STOP to opt out.
3

Friend Completes Registration

The friend clicks the link and completes the same registration form with SMS consent checkbox before any further messages are sent.

3. Sample Messages

All messages are transactional only. Every message includes the "Bam Good Time" brand name and "Reply STOP to opt out" instructions.

Club invitation
Bam Good Time: Columbus Mahjong Club invited you to join! Sign up for Mahjong games: https://columbus.bamgoodtime.com/invite/abc123 Reply STOP to opt out.
Invitation reminder
Bam Good Time: Reminder from Columbus Mahjong Club - complete your signup: https://columbus.bamgoodtime.com/invite/abc123 Reply STOP to opt out.
Friend registration
Bam Good Time: Jane Doe signed you up for Tuesday Night Mahjong! Set up your account: https://columbus.bamgoodtime.com/claim/xyz789 Reply STOP to opt out.
Opt-in confirmation
Bam Good Time: You are now opted in to receive transactional SMS messages about your Mahjong club events. Msg frequency varies (1-5 per event). Msg and data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to opt out. Terms: https://bamgoodtime.com/terms Privacy: https://bamgoodtime.com/privacy

4. Opt-Out Mechanism

Standard opt-out keywords are supported and honored immediately:

STOP

Immediately opts the user out of all SMS messages. A confirmation is sent.

START

Re-subscribes the user to transactional messages after a previous opt-out.

HELP

Returns support information including the brand name and contact details.

5. Compliance Documentation

Full SMS disclosures are included in both our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy:

Terms of Service

Includes dedicated "SMS/Text Messaging Terms" section covering consent, message types, frequency, costs, opting out, and privacy.

View Terms →

Privacy Policy

Includes dedicated "SMS/Text Messaging" section covering consent, message types, frequency, costs, opting out, and data sharing.

View Privacy Policy →

6. Technical Implementation

SMS consent is tracked programmatically in our database:

FieldTypeDescription
sms_consentBooleanWhether the user has explicitly opted in via the consent checkbox
sms_consent_atTimestampExact date and time consent was recorded

No SMS messages (beyond a single opt-in-bearing invitation) are sent to any user where sms_consent is not true.

Questions?

For any questions about our SMS practices, contact us at info@bamgoodtime.com or visit our Contact page.