Privacy Policy

EFFECTIVE DATE: FEBRUARY 5, 2019

PURPOSE OF NOTICE:

This Privacy Notice (“Notice”) describes the personal data collected or processed when you use the websites (“Sites”), mobile applications (“Apps”), and retail stores in Canada (“Stores”) of Great Canadian Oil Change and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“GCOC”). It also explains how your personal data is used, shared and protected, what choices you have relating to your personal data, and how you can contact us.

1. WHAT PERSONAL DATA DOES GCOC COLLECT AND WHEN?

Information You Give Us. We may collect, process and retain any personal data provided by you or your devices in connection with our Sites, Apps and Stores. For example, we collect personal data you give us when you:

visit or use our Sites, Apps and Stores;
purchase products or services, download coupons or respond to other incentives or offers, or otherwise engage in transactions with us or others;
contact our customer service;
post content, photos or other material to social media operated by GCOC or a third party;
register for or manage an account with us; or
request to receive communications, such as subscribe to newsletters, email lists or other content we provide.

We may collect personal data such as your name, address, email address, telephone number, date of birth, vehicle information and other information. We may collect information about your interactions with us or other third parties. You may choose not to provide certain information to us but doing so may restrict your ability to use our Sites and Apps.

Social Media. We may collect information through your presence on social media and networking platforms. We may collect your personal data from third parties from your use of social networks or other online services used to access our Sites and Apps. By associating a social network account with our Sites and Apps, we may access and retain information relating to that account. The access and retention will be in accordance with the policies of the applicable social network or other online service along with this Notice. For example, we may be able to access account or profile information that you have provided to the social network or even information about your interactions with the social network.

Device and Web Browsing Information. We may collect information from your devices and about your web browsing when you visit or use our Sites and Apps. We may collect information such as your:

IP addresses;
Type of web browser, devices and operating systems;
Internet service provider; and
Cookies, clear GIFs or web beacons, local shared objects or Flash cookies, or other identifiers or technologies, including similar technologies as they may evolve over time (“Data Technologies”).

We may allow third parties to use Data Technologies on our Sites, Apps and in our Stores. The information collected by Data Technologies may be shared with and used by us, by others acting on our behalf, or by third parties subject to their own privacy policies and in compliance with this Notice. Information collected by Data Technologies may be used on this or on other websites or services, including those that may not be operated by us.

Email. We may collect information regarding the effectiveness of our email and other communications with you. For example, we may track whether you follow a link in an email we send to you.

Geolocation. We may collect information from your device that precisely identifies your device’s physical location. This information may include GPS-based, WiFi-based or cell-based location information.

Vehicle Data. We may learn information about your vehicles, including odometer readings, VIN, vehicle make and model, service history, and other vehicle information when you bring your vehicle in for service at GCOC Stores or our franchised locations.

By providing your vehicle information to GCOC Stores or our franchised locations, you agree that GCOC and its franchised locations may share information about your service history with one another in order to better service your vehicle.

Information from Other Sources. We may obtain information about you from other third parties to whom you have provided your consent. This information may include information about your use of our Sites, Apps, and Stores, your use of other websites, your interests and preferences and other information about you or your household. We and others may combine information about you or your household that we have gathered from various sources.

2. HOW DOES GCOC USE INFORMATION IT GATHERS?

We and others acting on our behalf use your personal data in the following ways:

Operate and Support our Services. We use the information that we gather in order to perform our services. For example, we may use the information that we collect or receive from you or third parties to provide support and assistance that you request or to diagnose or address technical problems in the operation of our Sites and Apps or other services. We may also use information we collect about you and your vehicle in order to provide you the best possible services in the Stores. If you establish an account with us, we may use information about you to manage or support your account. We may identify your use of our Sites and Apps from different devices, and we may use information we collect from you and receive from others to optimize your use of the Sites and Apps and our services as you use different devices.

Improve and Evolve our Services. We evaluate and improve our services, including developing new products or services by using the information we gather to do so. For example, we may analyze customer interest in our Sites, Apps and Stores and perform other market research activities, such as surveying browsing habits on our sites. We may also monitor traffic to our web sites.

Advertise and Promote Products and Services. We may use the information we gather to send you marketing and promotional materials, and to offer, provide, or personalize products and services from us to you. For example, we may customize content, advertising, communications and promotions to reflect your preferences, interests, activities, or prior interactions with us and others. We and others may use information we gather to deliver you content when you visit other online services, including to encourage you to revisit our Sites, Apps and Stores.

Make Other Contacts. We may contact you through telephone, text, email, chat or other means as permitted by law based on the information you provide.

This Notice only addresses our own information practices. This Notice does not apply to information you share with third parties even if we link to those third parties from a Site, App or Stores. These third parties may have their own privacy policies governing their use of information that you can access from their websites.

Please note that other parties may collect personal information about your online activities over time and across different websites when you use our Sites, Apps and Stores.

3. WHEN DOES GCOC SHARE INFORMATION?

We may share the information we gather with the following:

Service Providers. We may share information with third party service providers and others who help us operate our business or provide services on our behalf, for example to handle your account, provide customer service, respond to consumer requests, complete orders, conduct training, support our franchisees or franchising efforts, distribute e-mails, conduct research and analysis, advertising, analytics, manage brand and product promotions as well as administering certain services and features.

Corporate Affiliates and Other Ventures. We may share information with corporate affiliates, franchisees, and other ventures for the purposes outlined above in Section 2.

Promotional. We may share information with third parties who help us develop and promote products and services, including joint marketing, or to help us customize advertisements, offers, or other communications to you.

Referrals. Occasionally, visitors will have the opportunity to forward information to others through our Sites and Apps (or interactive advertisements). The personal referral information you provide to facilitate this communication is used on a one-time basis and is not further used by us to re-contact referred individuals, except in circumstances where we obtain consent from the people you have referred to receive communications from us. We may also retain such information for other purposes, such as for analysis to better serve our customers.

Business Transfer. We may share information we have gathered about you in the event we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business or assets.

Protection of Ourselves and Others. We may use and share the information we gather to the extent necessary to protect our own and others’ rights and property. We may use and share the information we gather to comply with a government request, a court order or applicable law, to prevent illegal uses of our Sites and Apps’ Terms of Use and our policies, to defend ourselves against third parties’ claims, and to prevent fraud, theft, and injury to you, us or others.

4. WHAT CHOICES DO I HAVE REGARDING MY INFORMATION?

You may limit and control the information provided to us in a number of ways. You may not be able to use all features or receive all the benefits of our Sites, Apps and Stores if you limit the information you share with us.

If you have registered for an account, you may update information provided in your online account by logging on to your account and editing that information.

You can opt-out of receiving communications from GCOC by following the opt-out or unsubscribe instructions in the message or by contacting us at the address listed in Section 7 below.

Your browser and your device may provide you the option to manage cookies. You should consult documentation for your browser or device for more information.

Your device may have settings that allow you to prevent sharing geolocation information with us. You should consult your device’s settings or help documentation for more information about exercising these options.

We may use analytics technology such as Google Analytics, including for remarketing purposes. You may be able to opt-out of this use of information about you by Google by clicking https://adssettings.google.com/ to manage Google ad settings and https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/ to manage the data that can be collected in Google Analytics.

5. ACCESS TO YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

You may have the right to request access to your personal data. If you want to review, verify or correct your personal information, please contact us at the address listed in Section 7. Please note that any such communication must be in writing.

When requesting access to your personal information, please note that we may request specific information from you to enable us to confirm your identity thereby giving you the right to access, as well as to search for and provide you with the personal information that we hold about you. We may charge you a fee to access your personal information; however, we will advise you of any fee in advance.

Your right to access the personal information that we hold about you is not absolute. There are instances where applicable law or regulatory requirements allow or require us to refuse to provide some or all of the personal information that we hold about you. In addition, the personal information may have been destroyed, erased or made anonymous in accordance with our record retention obligations and practices. In the event that we cannot provide you with access to your personal information, we will inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions.

6. HOW DOES GCOC PROVIDE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?

Applicable law and our practices change over time. If we update our privacy policy, we will post the most current version on our Sites and Apps. When we make material changes to this Notice, we will update the Effective Date above.

7. HOW CAN GCOC BE CONTACTED REGARDING PRIVACY ISSUES?

If you would like more information about our policies or if you have other questions or comments about our privacy practices or this Notice, or you wish to exercise your rights related to your personal data including the right to opt-out, you may contact us at:

GCOC
Attn: Legal Department/Privacy
100 Valvoline Way
Lexington, KY 40509 USA
privacy@gcocltd.ca

or click here to opt out of communication.

8. HOW DOES GCOC ADDRESS INFORMATION SECURITY?

We maintain administrative, technical and physical safeguards designed to protect the personal information you provide us through our Sites, Apps and Stores. Despite our best efforts, no website, mobile application, database or system is completely secure or “hacker proof.” Please advise us immediately of any incident involving the unauthorized access or disclosure of personal information.