Privacy Policy

1. The personal information we collect

The types of personal information we collect depend on how you interact with us. We collect only what is reasonably necessary for our business functions.

1.1 From customers and prospective customers

• Identity information: full name, date of birth (where required for AIS records), and signature where provided;
• Contact information: phone number, email address, postal or service address;
• Booking information: vehicle details (make, model, year, VIN, registration, kilometres), inspection address, seller details where provided, service tier purchased, and add-ons selected;
• Payment information: card type and last four digits, billing address, transaction reference (full card numbers are handled by our payment processor and are not stored by us);
• Communications: phone call records, SMS, email correspondence, support tickets, and notes from inspector calls; and
• Feedback: reviews, survey responses, and complaints.

1.2 From and about vehicle sellers

When you book an inspection at a seller's address, you may provide us with the seller's name, contact details and address. We collect this information solely to arrange and conduct the inspection. We may also collect information visible at the site, such as the seller's registration document or driver licence (where shown to verify identity or vehicle ownership).

1.3 Vehicle and inspection data

• Photographs and video taken during the inspection, including the vehicle's exterior, interior, engine bay, underbody and surrounding driveway;
• Diagnostic data extracted via OBD-II, paint depth gauge readings, battery SoH readings, and other instrument outputs;
• PPSR search results, recall lookup results, and other third-party data we retrieve about the vehicle; and
• Inspector field notes, audio recordings of inspection calls (where you are notified), and the written report.

1.4 From our website

• Device and browser information: IP address, user agent, device type, operating system, referring URL and language;
• Usage information: pages visited, time on page, click events, booking funnel steps and form interactions;
• Cookie and similar technologies data (see clause 7); and
• Information you submit through forms, including booking forms, contact forms, free checklist downloads, and newsletter sign-ups.

1.5 Sensitive information

We do not actively seek sensitive information (such as health information, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs or political opinions). If you provide sensitive information voluntarily (for example, mentioning a disability when arranging access), we will use it only for the purpose for which you provided it and will not disclose it without your consent.

1.6 Children

Our services are not directed to children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you become aware that a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us and we will delete it.

2. How we collect personal information

We collect personal information in the following ways:

• Directly from you when you book a service, call us, email us, complete a form, leave a review, or otherwise interact with us;
• From your authorised representative (for example, a family member booking on your behalf);
• From sellers, dealers, auction houses or workshops at the inspection site;
• From the vehicle itself, via diagnostic tools and visual observation;
• From third-party data sources such as the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR), Transport for NSW systems, manufacturer recall databases and similar registers;
• From our service providers and subcontracted inspectors;
• From our website analytics and advertising tools (Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, and similar); and
• From publicly available sources, such as business directories and listing websites.

Where it is reasonable and practicable to do so, we collect personal information directly from you. Where we collect information from a third party, we will take reasonable steps to notify you, unless notification would be inappropriate in the circumstances.

3. Why we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide our services, including arranging inspections, attending sites, performing tests, producing reports and conducting Elite negotiation;
• To verify identity and vehicle ownership where required;
• To process payments and refunds, and to address chargebacks and disputes;
• To send your inspection report, booking confirmations, reminders, follow-ups, and service-related notifications;
• To respond to enquiries, complaints, claims under the Inspection Guarantee, and requests for re-inspection;
• To comply with our regulatory obligations under the Authorised Inspection Scheme (AIS) administered by Transport for NSW, including submitting pink slip results;
• To meet our other legal obligations, including tax, accounting, anti-money laundering, and record-keeping obligations;
• To improve our services, train our inspectors, and develop new offerings;
• To send marketing communications (where you have not opted out);
• To produce anonymised case studies and marketing material (subject to clause 5);
• To investigate and prevent fraud, misuse, breach of our Terms, and security incidents; and
• To exercise or defend our legal rights, including in connection with the Inspection Guarantee.

Where we collect information for a particular purpose, we will only use or disclose it for that purpose, a related purpose you would reasonably expect, or another purpose to which you have consented or which is permitted by law.

4. Who we disclose personal information to

We may disclose personal information to the following categories of recipients:

• Our employees, contractors and subcontracted inspectors who need the information to perform their roles;
• Transport for NSW and other government agencies, where required by law or under our AIS authorisation;
• Payment processors and merchant services (such as Stripe and similar providers) to process payments;
• Our cloud hosting, email, SMS, customer relationship management, scheduling, and document storage providers (which may include providers operating outside Australia — see clause 6);
• Diagnostic and inspection tool providers (such as AVILOO for EV battery testing) where their tools require data transmission to produce a result;
• PPSR, manufacturer recall databases, and other registers we query on your behalf;
• Sellers and their agents, but only to the extent necessary to arrange and conduct the inspection (for example, confirming the appointment);
• Approved workshops to which we direct payment of any contribution under the Inspection Guarantee;
• Independent experts appointed under clause 8.5 of our Terms and Conditions to determine guarantee claims;
• Our professional advisers, including lawyers, accountants, auditors and insurers, where reasonably required;
• Our insurer and any reinsurer in connection with our public liability cover or any claim;
• Law enforcement, regulators, courts and other bodies where required or authorised by law (including under the Privacy Act, the Australian Consumer Law, and the AIS rules); and
• A purchaser of our business, in the event of a sale, merger, restructure or insolvency event (subject to confidentiality and continued compliance with this Policy).

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

5. Direct marketing and case studies

5.1 Marketing communications

We may use your contact details to send you marketing communications about our services, offers, articles, recalls, and industry news. We send marketing only where the law permits us to do so, and you can opt out at any time using the unsubscribe link in our emails, replying STOP to our SMS, or contacting us at admin@aussieautocare.com.au. Opting out of marketing does not affect service-related communications about your bookings, reports or guarantee claims.

5.2 Anonymised case studies

We may publish case studies, photographs and inspection findings as marketing material. We remove your name, the registration number, identifying VIN segments, and other personal identifiers before publication. If you do not want your inspection used in this way, please notify us in writing at or before the inspection.

5.3 Reviews

If you submit a review on Google, Product Review, our website or another platform, that content is governed by the privacy terms of the platform you use. We may republish reviews with attribution as displayed by the platform.

6. Overseas disclosures and storage

Some of our service providers store or process data outside Australia. These currently include providers in the United States and the European Union (for example, cloud hosting, email, customer relationship management, and analytics providers). Where personal information is disclosed to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles it in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles, including through contractual safeguards.

By providing your information to us, you acknowledge that overseas recipients may be required to disclose information in response to a lawful request from their local authorities, and that Australian law (including the APPs) may not apply to those recipients in the same way.

7. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website uses cookies, pixels, local storage and similar technologies for the following purposes:

• Essential: to enable the website and booking flow to function;
• Analytics: to measure traffic, behaviour and performance (for example, Google Analytics);
• Advertising and remarketing: to deliver and measure advertising on third-party platforms (for example, Meta Pixel, Google Ads); and
• Functional: to remember preferences and improve your experience.

You can control cookies through your browser settings or, where displayed, through our cookie banner. Blocking essential cookies may prevent parts of the website from working.

8. How we store and secure personal information

We hold personal information in electronic form in our cloud-based booking, customer relationship management, document storage and email systems, and (where required) in paper form for AIS records.

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure, including:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS) and at rest where supported;
• Access controls, role-based permissions and multi-factor authentication for staff and contractors;
• Confidentiality obligations in our contracts with employees, contractors and service providers;
• Regular review of our security practices and software updates; and
• Secure disposal of physical and electronic records once no longer required.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we take security seriously, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you become aware of any security issue affecting your information, contact us immediately at admin@aussieautocare.com.au.

9. How long we keep personal information

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes set out in this Policy or as required by law. Typical retention periods include:

• Inspection reports, photographs, diagnostic data and booking records: at least 7 years from the date of inspection (to support our Inspection Guarantee, dispute resolution, insurance, and statutory record-keeping);
• Pink slip inspection records: as required by Transport for NSW under the AIS rules;
• Tax, accounting and financial records: at least 5 years (as required by the Australian Taxation Office);
• Marketing contact lists: until you opt out or your information becomes inactive;
• Website analytics and cookie data: in accordance with the retention settings of our analytics providers; and
• Communications and correspondence: for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to and resolve enquiries, complaints and claims.

When personal information is no longer required and we are not legally required to retain it, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

10. Your rights — access, correction and complaints

10.1 Access

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. We will respond to a valid request within a reasonable time (usually within 30 days). We may require identification before releasing information and may charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of providing access where the request is extensive. In limited circumstances permitted by law, we may refuse access — in which case we will explain why in writing.

10.2 Correction

You may ask us to correct personal information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. We will correct the information or, if we disagree, give you a written reason and (on request) attach a statement that you consider the information to be incorrect.

10.3 Complaints

If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or mishandled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details in clause 12. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days, investigate, and respond in writing within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

• Website: oaic.gov.au
• Phone: 1300 363 992
• Mail: GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001.

11. Data breaches

We have processes in place to detect, contain, assess and respond to suspected data breaches. If a data breach affecting your personal information is likely to result in serious harm to you, we will notify you and the OAIC as soon as practicable, in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under Part IIIC of the Privacy Act.

12. Contact us

13. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements or other factors. The current version is always available at aussieautocare.com.au. The version in force at the time you provide information to us governs how we handle that information, unless a later version applies a higher standard of protection — in which case the later version applies.

Where changes are significant, we will provide reasonable notice through our website or by email to customers on our active list.