Privacy Policy

When you bring your ride to our shop or reach out through the website, we're gonna need some basics to actually help you out. We're talking about stuff like:

• Personal details: Your name, phone number, email - y'know, so we can actually get in touch when your car's ready or if we find something that needs attention.
• Vehicle information: Make, model, VIN, year, mileage. Can't really work on your European beauty without knowing what we're dealing with, right?
• Service history: What we've done before, what parts we've used, when you last came in. Helps us track patterns and catch issues before they become expensive headaches.
• Payment info: Credit card details, billing address - though our payment processor handles most of this securely, not us directly.
• Website data: IP address, browser type, pages you visit. Pretty standard internet stuff that helps us keep the site running smoothly.

We're not in the business of selling your data or spamming you with junk. Everything we collect has a purpose:

• Service delivery: The main reason - scheduling appointments, performing the work you've authorized, ordering parts specific to your vehicle, and letting you know when things are done.
• Communication: Sending appointment reminders, following up on completed work, reaching out about recalls or important maintenance intervals. We might also send occasional updates about our services, but you can opt out anytime.
• Record keeping: Maintaining service history so we know what's been done to your car. Super helpful when diagnosing issues or planning future work.
• Billing and payments: Pretty self-explanatory - gotta process payments and keep records for accounting purposes.
• Improving our service: Understanding what's working and what isn't, so we can get better at what we do.

Now, we do have to share some info in specific situations - but only when it's actually necessary:

• Parts suppliers: Sometimes we need to give them your vehicle details to order the right parts. They don't get your personal contact info unless it's for warranty purposes.
• Payment processors: When you pay by card, that goes through a secure payment gateway. They handle the sensitive financial stuff, not us.
• Service providers: Our website hosting company, email service, booking system - the folks who help us run the business. They're all bound by confidentiality agreements.
• Legal requirements: If the law requires it or if we need to protect our rights, we might have to disclose information. But that's pretty rare and we'd only do it when legally necessary.
• Insurance companies: If you're making a claim and authorize us to communicate with your insurer, we'll share relevant service details.

We take security seriously, even though we're not a huge corporation with unlimited IT budgets. Here's what we do:

• All customer records are stored on password-protected systems with limited access.
• Our website uses SSL encryption - that's the little padlock you see in your browser.
• Payment information is handled through PCI-compliant processors, not stored on our systems.
• Physical documents are kept in locked filing cabinets, because old-school security still matters.
• We regularly update our software and systems to patch security vulnerabilities.
• Staff only have access to the information they need to do their jobs - not everything.

That said, no system is 100% foolproof. We do our best, but we can't guarantee absolute security - nobody can, honestly.

Yeah, we use cookies. Not the chocolate chip kind, unfortunately. These are small files that help our website work better:

• Essential cookies: Make the site actually function - like remembering you're logged in or keeping items in your quote request.
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand which pages people visit, how long they stay, what they're looking for. We use this to improve the site.
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences so you don't have to re-enter stuff every time.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some parts of the site might not work properly if you do. Your call though.

This is your data we're talking about. Here's what you can do with it:

• Access: You can ask to see what information we have about you. We'll provide it within a reasonable timeframe.
• Correction: If something's wrong or outdated, let us know and we'll fix it.
• Deletion: Want us to delete your data? We can do that, though we might need to keep some records for legal or accounting purposes.
• Opt-out: Don't want marketing emails? No problem - there's an unsubscribe link in every message, or just tell us.
• Data portability: Need your service records for another shop? We can provide them in a usable format.

To exercise any of these rights, just give us a call at (416) 555-0147 or email info@quintharforgeborn.info. We'll get it sorted.

We don't keep stuff forever just for the sake of it. Here's the general breakdown:

• Service records: We typically keep these for 7 years - it's useful for tracking your vehicle's history and it's also what our accountant tells us to do for tax purposes.
• Marketing data: Until you tell us to stop or if you haven't interacted with us in a few years.
• Website data: Analytics info is usually kept for about 2 years, then it's automatically purged.
• Financial records: Gotta keep these for 7 years per Canadian tax law requirements.

If you ask us to delete your data, we'll do it promptly - except for stuff we legally have to keep.

Quick heads up - we've got security cameras in our shop and parking area. They're there to protect your vehicle and our equipment, not to spy on anyone. Footage is kept for about 30 days unless there's an incident that requires us to keep it longer. The cameras are clearly marked, and the footage is only accessed when there's a legitimate security reason.

Sometimes we link to other websites - maybe a parts manufacturer's site or a helpful article about car maintenance. Once you click those links, you're on their turf and their privacy policies apply, not ours. We try to only link to reputable sites, but we can't control what they do with your data.

We're based in Ontario, Canada, so we follow Canadian privacy laws - specifically PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act). It's actually got some pretty solid protections for your privacy, and we take it seriously. If you've got concerns about how we're handling your information, you can always file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

We might update this privacy policy from time to time - like if we add new services or if privacy laws change. When we do, we'll update the "Last Updated" date at the top and post the new version here. For major changes, we'll try to let you know directly via email. But it's worth checking back occasionally to see if anything's changed.

If you've got questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, don't hesitate to reach out. We're not some faceless corporation - you'll talk to actual people who work here and care about doing right by our customers.