PRIVACY POLICY
CONSUMER PERSONAL INFORMATION 2008
WE TAKE PRIVACY SERIOUSLY
At General Motors of Canada Limited ("GM Canada") we respect your privacy and value our relationship with you. Your personal information will be protected, will never be sold, and unless we advise you in advance, will be used only by GM Canada, our affiliates, dealers/retailers, and service suppliers (only to provide services). Our goal is to enhance your product and service experience with us. By submitting this personal information to us, you are consenting to its use and disclosure for the following purposes:
- Meeting safety, security, legal and regulatory requirements;
- Providing you with general marketing, product, service and business partner information and offers;
- Conducting market analysis;
- Maintaining the accuracy of our records to respond to your inquiries and provide you with warranty or other customer service communications, and otherwise manage our or our dealers/retailers’ relationship with you; and
- Satisfying other reasonable, legitimate business interests (such as collecting outstanding debts).
If these intended uses are not reasonably obvious from the circumstances in which personal information is collected, we will provide you with an opportunity to withhold your consent to the collection, use or disclosure of the information. For example, we will give you an opportunity to tell us not to use for marketing purposes the contact information that you provide us when registering for a service. Keep in mind, however, that there are limited situations in which applicable laws require or allow us, our affiliates, suppliers, business partners and our dealers/retailers to collect, use/disclose personal information without consent. They include, for example, safety and law enforcement/compliance activities.
GM CANADA PRIVACY POLICY
CONSUMER PERSONAL INFORMATION 2008
- What information about me is collected by GM Canada and how is it used?
- Will GM Canada share my personal information with other parties?
- How is my personal information protected?
- Can I opt-out of GM Canada Marketing promotions and initiatives?
- How can I access and correct errors in my information?
- How do I contact GM Canada?
- How is privacy managed at GM Dealers/Saturn, Saab Retailers in Canada?
- Will GM Canada update its Privacy Policy?
WHAT INFORMATION ABOUT ME IS COLLECTED BY GM CANADA AND HOW IS IT USED?
A/ Personal Information that GM Canada May Collect About You:
GM Canada collects personal information about you that is reasonably necessary for the purposes described above. We may collect this information directly from you or from our GM Canada web sites, dealers/retailers, affiliates, service providers, and other sources that compile lists of potential vehicle purchasers, always with your consent when required by law.
For example, when you take a test drive, purchase or lease a vehicle, a GM Canada Dealer/Saturn, Saab Retailer, as the case may be, will collect information about you that may be shared with GM Canada for the above stated purposes. GM Canada also conducts contests, quizzes, surveys, promotions and offers several forms of personalized services such as vehicle warranty, servicing and maintenance and OnStar services, in respect of which you may be requested to provide certain contact and eligibility information such as name, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, age and other information that may be required to provide or administer these services or promotions. We may also ask you to provide additional information about your purchasing patterns and preferences, gender and other financial, insurance and demographic information such as family income. If you have a business relationship with GMAC (General Motors Acceptance Corporation) or GM Card (VISA credit card) you may have supplied your date of birth and this information is shared with GM Canada. We use this information as described in our list of uses set out above. The more information you volunteer, and the more accurate it is, the better we are able to customize and improve your experience with GM Canada
B/ Visiting The GM Canada Web Site:
(i) What Information GM Canada May Collect Through its Web Site:
During normal Web site usage, you can visit our site without communicating any personal information. However, to make use of certain features on our site, such as contests, quizzes, promotions, personalized services, or online appointments with one of our dealers/retailers, users may need to register with the GM Canada site. As part of this voluntary registration, GM Canada may request contact and eligibility information such as name, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, age and other data required for operating these services or promotions.
As described in paragraph A above, we may also ask you to provide additional personal information. We use this information as described in our list of uses set out above. Again, the more information you volunteer, and the more accurate it is, the better we are able to customize and improve your experience with GM Canada.
You should be aware that when you share personal information in public areas of our Web site, such as chat rooms or bulletin boards, this information might be seen and used by others. We urge you to exercise good judgment when sharing personal information in these forums.
(ii) GM Canada’s Web Site | Use of Cookies:
When you visit one of the GM Canada web sites, we may collect and store information about your visit on an anonymous, aggregate basis using "cookie" technology. A cookie is an element of data that a Web site can send to your browser, which may then store the cookie on your hard drive. Cookies may tell us the time and length of your visit, the pages you look at on our sites, and the site you visited just before coming to ours. We may also record the name of your Internet service provider. This information allows us to measure site activity to tailor the consumer's experience within our Web site. The goal is to save you time and provide you with a more meaningful visit. Cookies used by GM Canada on its Web sites are solely to facilitate navigation and security across the site, and are not used to capture or reveal personal information.
If you are concerned about cookies, you may modify your browser settings to notify you when you receive a cookie. If you do not know how to modify your browser settings please consult your browser documentation or the supplier web site. You may visit the GM Canada Web site with your cookies turned off. However, you may not be able to access some of the areas of our site, which require cookies for customization and personalization.
We may also use third parties to serve GM Canada advertisements on other web sites. In serving GM Canada advertisements these third parties may place cookies on your browser computer and may collect certain anonymous information about your visits to other web sites. This information includes browser type, IP address, Web activity and time of day and is used to better understand and optimize GM Canada's online advertising campaigns. To opt-out of these cookies, please review the privacy policies of that web site and follow the instructions on their site.
WILL GM CANADA SHARE MY INFORMATION WITH OTHER PARTIES?
When you provide GM Canada with personally identifiable information, GM Canada may share that information with our dealer/retailer network and our affiliates. GM Canada also may share your personal information with GM business partners solely for use in promoting joint marketing programs. Before we share your information with any of these or other organizations we will ensure we have the consent required under applicable law. For further information about those with whom we may share your information, please contact us. GM Canada may also share your personal information with our suppliers for the exclusive purpose of providing services for us (e.g. mailings to you in response to your request for information, or to fulfill your request to enter a GM sweepstakes or promotional activity).
We may disclose your personal information as required by law, in conjunction with a government inquiry or in litigation or dispute resolution. In addition, if a GM Canada service provider is located outside of Canada, your personal information may be processed and stored in a country where the laws are different from those in Canada, and where the government (eg. the United States) may be able to obtain disclosure of your personal information under their local laws.
As GM Canada continues to develop and grow, there may be instances where we may buy or sell business operations. To the extent that the business operation that is sold relates to the management of our warranty, service or other relationship with you, we may transfer personal customer information as part of the transferred business assets to ensure a seamless continuation of your vehicle and vehicle related services and product experience.
Finally, our Web site, www.truenorthchev.com , does contain links to sites outside of and not controlled by GM Canada such as those belonging to GM dealers, GM licensees, or independent product review sites. GM Canada is not responsible for these sites, their omissions or for the policies or content of their Web sites. We recommend that you read the privacy policies of these sites before making a decision to provide your personal information to the site operators.
HOW IS MY PERSONAL INFORMATION PROTECTED?
GM Canada is committed to protecting your personal information in full compliance with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws. GM Canada understands your concerns about online security and about the security of your information otherwise collected by us and we take reasonable precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of information under our control. Your personal information may be stored and/or processed or otherwise used by or on behalf of GM Canada both inside and outside of Canada. In addition, we employ generally accepted information security policies, procedures and techniques.
We encourage you, the user, to observe the security features built into your browser. Upgrading to the latest version of an Internet browser will often provide increased security.
CAN I OPT-OUT OF GM CANADA MARKETING PROMOTIONS AND INITIATIVES?
If you do not want to be contacted for product, service or marketing initiatives, or if you would like to be removed from any direct marketing initiatives, corporate surveys, telemarketing or direct mail or e-mail lists, or if you would otherwise like to limit our use or disclosure of your personal information, please contact us as indicated below.
Except as required or permitted by applicable law, we will respect your wishes relating to the use of your personal information and we will ensure that your file reflects the limitations that you have requested. Unless they are obvious, we will advise you of the consequences of withdrawing your consent. For example, if you withdraw your consent, GM Canada may not be able to provide you or continue to provide you with the services or information about products or services or related promotions that may be of value to you.
HOW CAN I ACCESS AND CORRECT ERRORS IN MY INFORMATION?
You can access and correct errors in your personally identifiable information by contacting us as indicated below. Note: If a correction involves your GM vehicle or service, you will be asked for your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), name, address and additional contact information.
While GM Canada uses reasonable efforts to ensure that the information we hold about you is accurate, complete and current, we often rely on you to inform us about changes to your contact or other relevant information (e.g., name, address, telephone number, etc.).
HOW DO I CONTACT GM CANADA?
GM Canada is committed to continuous improvement, and values your input. We welcome your comments and/or suggestions on improving our Web site and policies. If you have any comments or concerns, or wish to limit the use of any of your personal information that we may have, you may contact GM Canada at:
True North Chevrolet
1370 Seymour Street
North Bay, Ontario P1B 8G4
(705) 472-1210
Or you may contact us by clicking on the "CONTACT" icon found on the True North Chevrolet. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information please do not hesitate to contact us.
You may also contact The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at Place de Ville, 112 Kent Street, 3rd Floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1H3, or call toll-free at 1-800-282-1376.
HOW IS PRIVACY MANAGED AS GM DEALERS/SATURN, SAAB RETAILERS IN CANADA?
While GM Canada encourages its Dealers and Retailers to ensure full compliance with all applicable Privacy legislation and has provided information to our Dealers and Retailers relating to privacy obligations, each dealership retailer operation operates as a separate legal entity, independent from GM Canada. As such, GM Canada is not responsible for their compliance with applicable law. We recommend that you review the privacy practices of the GM Canada Dealer or Retailer with whom you are dealing to ensure that you understand their privacy practices and procedures. Additionally, because the GM Dealer or Retailer often is the first contact with you, the customer, the Dealer or Retailer can answer any questions you may have about its privacy practices. When completing a purchase or lease agreement or signing a Service Repair Order with the GM Dealer or Retailer you should be provided with information describing the Dealership's or Retailer's privacy practices and related statements that explain that certain personal information that you provide to the Dealer or Retailer may be shared with GM Canada and its affiliates for some or all of the purposes described in this policy such as financing, service and warranty administration, customer communication and marketing purposes.
WILL GM CANADA UPDATE ITS PRIVACY POLICY?
We are always looking for ways to improve and update our web site to further enhance its effectiveness. Consequently our policies including this privacy policy will continue to evolve and GM Canada reserves the right to alter this privacy policy from time to time and such changes will be effective ten days following the date on which this privacy policy is revised and posted to our GM Canada web site. We encourage you to visit our Privacy page from time to time to view our most current privacy policy.
This statement will be posted on or about January 7, 2008 and will be effective as of January 31, 2008.