Privacy Policy

Here's what we typically need from you when you come through our doors or reach out online:

• Basic contact stuff - your name, phone number, email address. Pretty standard, right? We need this to get back to you about your vehicle.
• Vehicle information - make, model, year, VIN number, service history. This is the meat and potatoes for us to work on your ride properly.
• Payment details - credit card info, billing address. We don't store this ourselves though - it goes through our secure payment processor.
• Service records - what we've done on your vehicle, parts we've ordered, diagnostic findings. This helps us track your car's history and catch potential issues down the road.
• Preferences - how you like us to reach you, what kind of updates you want. Some folks wanna know every detail, others just want the final bill.

We're not out here collecting anything we don't actually need. If we're asking for it, there's a good reason behind it.

We're gonna be real with you - we use your information to run our business and serve you better. Here's the breakdown:

• Getting the work done - scheduling your appointments, ordering parts specific to your vehicle, keeping track of what needs fixing.
• Communication - letting you know when your car's ready, sending reminders about recommended services, updating you if we find something unexpected during a job.
• Processing payments - billing you for services rendered, handling warranties, keeping financial records for tax purposes.
• Improving our services - figuring out what we're doing right and where we can do better. Sometimes we'll look at patterns to see what services folks need most.
• Legal obligations - keeping records for warranty claims, meeting regulatory requirements for certain repairs, protecting ourselves if there's ever a dispute.

Bottom line? We use your info to fix your car and keep our business running smoothly. That's it.

We're not in the business of selling your data to random companies. That said, there are a few situations where we gotta share your info:

• Parts suppliers and manufacturers - when we're ordering parts or dealing with warranty stuff, we need to share vehicle info and sometimes contact details.
• Payment processors - your credit card info goes through secure third-party systems. We don't even see the full numbers ourselves.
• Insurance companies - if you're making a claim, we'll provide repair estimates and invoices. Only what's needed for your claim though.
• Legal requirements - if the law says we gotta hand something over (like a court order or regulatory investigation), we'll comply. But we're not volunteering anything.
• Service providers - our accounting software, appointment scheduling system, that kind of thing. They're bound by their own privacy policies.

We're picky about who we work with and make sure they respect your privacy too. No sketchy third parties here.

Security's important to us. We've got measures in place to protect your data from getting into the wrong hands:

• Physical security - our office and computer systems are locked down. Only authorized staff can access customer files.
• Digital protection - we use encrypted connections, secure servers, and regularly updated security software. Nothing fancy, just solid basics.
• Staff training - everyone on our team knows the deal about keeping customer info confidential. It's part of working here.
• Limited access - not everyone needs to see everything. Staff only get access to the info they need to do their job.
• Regular backups - we back up our systems regularly so your service history doesn't disappear if something goes wrong.

Look, no system's 100% bulletproof, but we're doing everything reasonable to keep your info secure. If there's ever a breach that affects you, we'll let you know ASAP.

Our website uses cookies - those little files that get stored on your device. Here's what they're for:

• Essential cookies - these keep the site working properly. Things like remembering what's in your contact form if you navigate away.
• Analytics - we use basic analytics to see how people use our site. What pages get visited, how long folks stick around, that kind of thing. Helps us improve the website.
• Performance - these help the site load faster and work smoother on your end.

You can disable cookies in your browser settings if you want. Just know that some parts of the site might not work as well. We're not doing any creepy tracking or following you around the internet - we've got better things to do.

We don't use third-party advertising cookies. You won't see our ads following you around after visiting our site.

Under Canadian privacy laws (specifically PIPEDA), you've got some rights when it comes to your personal information:

• Access - you can ask to see what info we've got on you. We'll provide it within a reasonable timeframe.
• Correction - if something's wrong or outdated, let us know and we'll fix it.
• Withdrawal of consent - you can tell us to stop using your info for certain things (like marketing emails). Note that we still need to keep some stuff for legal and business reasons.
• Deletion - once we don't need your info anymore and there's no legal reason to keep it, we'll delete it. You can also request deletion, though we might need to keep some records.
• Opt-out of marketing - don't wanna hear from us about promotions? No problem. Every email we send has an unsubscribe link, or just tell us directly.

To exercise any of these rights, shoot us an email at service@lumarethforge.info or give us a ring. We'll sort it out.

If you're not happy with how we handle a privacy concern, you've got the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

We don't hang onto your information forever. Here's our general approach:

• Active customer records - as long as you're bringing your vehicle to us, we keep your info current and accessible.
• Service history - we typically keep this for about 7 years after your last visit. It's useful if you come back after a while, plus there are legal requirements for certain records.
• Financial records - tax laws require us to keep invoices and payment records for 7 years. After that, they get purged.
• Marketing lists - if you've opted in to our emails but haven't been a customer in years, we'll eventually remove you from the list.
• Warranty documentation - kept for the duration of any warranty period plus a bit extra, just in case.

Once we don't need something anymore, we securely delete or destroy it. No point in keeping old data lying around.

Sometimes our website might link to other sites - maybe a parts manufacturer or a payment processor. Once you click through to those sites, you're under their privacy policies, not ours.

We try to only link to reputable companies, but we can't control what they do with your data. It's worth reading their privacy policies if you're concerned about that stuff.

We're not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites, even if you got there from a link on our site.

We might update this privacy policy from time to time. Could be because of new laws, changes in how we operate, or just to make things clearer.

When we make changes, we'll update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. If it's a major change that affects how we use your data, we'll let you know directly - probably via email or a notice when you come in.

It's worth checking back here once in a while to see if anything's changed. We'll always keep this page accurate and current.