Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Scope

Top Spec Auto Haus ("we", "our", "us") respects the privacy of its customers, prospects, and website visitors ("you", "your"). This Privacy Policy describes the personal information we collect, the purposes for which we use it, and the measures we take to protect it. It applies to all interactions with our website, mobile applications, social media channels, and any other digital or physical points of contact.

2. Definitions

• Personal Information: Any information about an identifiable individual, including but not limited to name, contact details, financial information, and vehicle preferences.
• Processing: Any operation performed on personal information, such as collection, storage, use, disclosure, or destruction.
• Third‑Party Service Provider: An external entity that performs services on our behalf, such as CRM, email, SMS, or analytics.
• Consent: A clear, informed, and voluntary indication of willingness to allow processing of personal information.

3. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

• Contact information: name, phone number, email address.
• Financial data: credit score range, credit age, trade‑in vehicle information.
• Vehicle interest data: makes, models, trim levels, purchase timelines.
• Interaction data: IP address, browser user‑agent, device type, and website usage analytics.
• Communication data: SMS messages, email correspondence, and chatbot logs.

Data is collected via website forms, Instagram Lead Forms, SMS conversations (Twilio), email (Resend), and our internal CRM (HubSpot).

4. Legal Basis for Collection (PIPEDA)

Under Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Consent: When you voluntarily submit a form or engage in a conversation, you provide explicit consent for the purposes described.
• Contractual Necessity: Processing is required to negotiate or fulfill a financing or vehicle purchase agreement.
• Legitimate Business Interests: For marketing, analytics, and continuous improvement of our services, subject to your right to opt‑out.

5. How We Use Your Information

• To respond to inquiries about vehicles, financing, and trade‑ins.
• To send promotional offers, service reminders, and newsletters (CASL‑compliant; you may unsubscribe at any time).
• To conduct credit checks and pre‑approval processes.
• To improve our website, advertising, and conversion analytics.
• To comply with legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations.

6. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We may disclose personal information to the following categories of third parties:

• Twilio: For SMS delivery and receipt tracking.
• Resend: For email campaign delivery.
• HubSpot: For lead management, sales pipeline tracking, and CRM analytics.
• Meta (Facebook/Instagram): When you engage with lead ads.
• Financial Institutions: To verify creditworthiness and process financing.
• Legal Authorities: When required by law, subpoena, or regulatory request.

We do not sell, rent, or otherwise market your personal information to unrelated third parties.

7. Retention Periods

Personal information is retained for the duration necessary to fulfill the purposes identified herein, typically:

• Active leads and customers: 7 years after the last interaction.
• Marketing opt‑out records: 5 years.
• Transactional records (financing, purchase): 10 years, in accordance with the FTC Safeguards Rule and BC statutes.

8. Your Rights

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Request amendment of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: Request erasure of your data where no longer required.
• Objection: Object to processing for direct marketing purposes.
• Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@topspecautohaus.com.

9. Security Measures (FTC Safeguards Rule & Red Flags Rule)

We implement administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES‑256).
• Multi‑factor authentication for all personnel accessing sensitive systems.
• Regular vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and patch management.
• Employee training on data protection, phishing awareness, and the Red Flags Rule for identity theft prevention.
• Incident response plan with defined escalation procedures.

10. Cross‑Border Transfers

Some service providers operate outside Canada (e.g., cloud hosting). We ensure that any cross‑border transfer complies with PIPEDA’s contractual or binding‑order‑by‑law requirements and that the recipient provides comparable privacy protections.

11. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses essential cookies for session management and analytics cookies (Google Analytics) to understand usage patterns. You may manage cookie preferences via your browser settings. Our Meta Pixel script, added in the site header, is used for advertising attribution and complies with Meta’s data use policy.

12. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last Updated" date at the top of the page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Information

Top Spec Auto Haus
1234 Main St, Surrey, BC V3Z 1A1
Phone: 778‑779‑7900
Email: privacy@topspecautohaus.com