Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

AutoRelated ("we," "our," or "us") operates the website at autorelated.ca and the AutoRelated platform (collectively, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service.

By accessing or using the Service, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

• Name and contact information (email address, phone number)
• Account credentials (email and password, or third-party authentication data such as Google account information)
• Vehicle information (make, model, year, condition details, and the vehicle identification number if you choose to provide it)
• Photos you upload of your vehicle
• Location data, including the address where you would like service (to match you with nearby independent professionals and workshops)
• Messages you exchange with other users through the Service, and reviews you write
• Payment information (processed securely through third-party payment processors)
• Business information (for independent professionals and workshop partners)

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Device and browser information
• IP address and general location
• Usage data
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies

2.3 Information from Third-Party Authentication

If you sign in using a third-party provider (such as Google), we may receive your name, email address, and profile picture.

2.4 Analytics Information

We use third-party product analytics services to understand how the Service is used and to improve it. These services may automatically record pages you visit, buttons and links you interact with, form submissions, your device and browser type, approximate location derived from your IP address, and a randomly generated identifier used to recognize your browser across visits. Where you are signed in, these events may be associated with your account.

Our analytics providers process this information on servers located outside Canada, including in the United States. See section 5 for more on international transfers, and section 9 for cookie controls. A current list of our analytics providers is available on request at [email protected].

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account
• Connect car owners with repair workshops
• Facilitate estimates and communications between users
• Process transactions
• Send service-related notifications
• Improve and personalize our Service
• Analyze usage patterns
• Prevent fraud
• Comply with legal obligations

4. Sharing of Your Information

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• Between Users: Vehicle and contact information is shared with independent professionals and workshops to facilitate estimates and repairs.
• Service Providers: Third-party vendors who assist with hosting, analytics, and payment processing.
• Legal Requirements: If required by law, regulation, or legal process.
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

We do not sell your personal information.

5. International Data Transfers

We are based in Edmonton, Alberta, but some of the service providers we rely on — including our hosting and analytics providers — store and process information on servers located outside Canada, primarily in the United States.

When your information is processed in another country, it is subject to the laws of that country, and may be accessible to that country's courts, law enforcement, and national security authorities. We take reasonable steps to ensure our service providers protect your information to a standard comparable to that required under Canadian law.

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our Service, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

When you delete your account (see section 8.1), we remove the personal information that is no longer needed to operate the Service and retain a limited set of records for legal, security, fraud-prevention, and dispute-resolution purposes. Specifically:

• Deleted immediately: your login credentials and sign-in methods, vehicle photos, vehicle identification numbers, street addresses and map coordinates, phone numbers, business contact details, logos and business photos, notification settings, and device push-notification identifiers.
• Retained for 7 years after deletion: your email address, your account identifier, the date you created and deleted your account, your acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (including the version accepted, the date, IP address, and browser or device information), and, for independent professionals and workshops, the verification documents and business details you submitted to be approved on the platform. This information is kept only as a record of your relationship with AutoRelated and is not used for any other purpose.
• Retained as anonymized transaction records: estimate requests (vehicle make, model, year, requested services, and city), accepted quotes, reviews, and reports. The text of your estimate request and the notes on your quotes are removed, and the messages you sent to other users are replaced with a placeholder. These records are no longer linked to your name, email, or other identifying details in the Service, and remain visible to the other party in the transaction without your identity.

At the end of the 7-year period, the retained identifying information is permanently erased. We may retain information for longer where required by law or where it is the subject of an active legal claim or investigation.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your data
• Correct inaccurate data
• Delete your account
• Object to processing
• Data portability
• Withdraw consent

Contact us at [email protected] to exercise these rights.

8.1 Account Deletion

You can delete your account at any time from Settings in the AutoRelated mobile app or from Settings in your account menu on autorelated.ca. To protect your account, we will send a confirmation code to your email address and complete the deletion once you enter it.

Deletion is immediate and cannot be undone. Because a single AutoRelated account can be used both as a car owner and as an independent professional or workshop, deleting your account removes both roles. Any open estimate requests are closed. Quotes you provided that were not accepted are removed, except quotes for which a car owner has written a review, which are kept; accepted quotes and those reviewed quotes are marked as coming from a closed account. Information is deleted or retained as described in section 7.

If you are unable to access the app or website, you can request deletion by emailing [email protected] from the email address associated with your account.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience, analyze usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. These include analytics cookies and browser storage set by our analytics providers, as described in section 2.4, which are used to recognize your browser across visits and to group your activity into sessions.

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Blocking or clearing these cookies will not prevent you from using the Service, though some preferences may not persist between visits.

10. Third-Party Links

Our Service may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

11. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

• AutoRelated
• Email: [email protected]