Privacy Policy

At Advantage Ford, Ltd. we and each of our affiliates and partnerships (collectively or individually, as the case may be, “Advantage Ford”) are committed to maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality and security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy describes the personal information that the Advantage Ford collects from or about you, how we use, and to whom we disclose that information.

Advantage Ford has adopted two different Privacy Policies. This particular Privacy Policy applies to how we collect, use and disclose the personal information of our customers, suppliers and other parties with whom we may interact. We have developed another document that describes our privacy policies and practices with respect to our employees (i.e. our “Employee Privacy Policy”). If you are unsure of which of our privacy policies applies to you, please contact our Privacy Officer for more information.

Privacy Policy Effective for Canada

It is Advantage Ford’s policy to comply with the privacy legislation within each jurisdiction in which we operate. Sometimes the privacy legislation and / or an individual’s right to privacy are different from one jurisdiction to another. This Privacy Policy covers only those activities that are subject to the provisions of Canada’s federal and provincial privacy laws, as applicable.

This Privacy Policy has a limited scope and application. Consequently, the rights and obligations contained in this Privacy Policy may not be available to all individuals or in all jurisdictions.

What Is Personal Information?

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, personal information is any information about an identifiable individual, other than an individual’s business contact information when collected, used or disclosed for the purposes of enabling the individual to be contacted in relation to their business responsibilities.

What Personal Information Do We Collect?

Advantage Ford’s operations include activities related to the purchase, sell, lease and maintenance of vehicles. As such, Advantage Ford may collect personal information from individuals participating in, associated with, and/or impacted by those activities. Such information includes for example:

  • contact and identification information, such as your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address; and
  • product and service-related information concerning the products and services that we provide to, or receive from, you.

We may also collect market-related information, which may include personal information, concerning market trends and activities impacting our business. This information may include contract terms, financial information and other information for the purpose of market analysis and strategic planning. We may also collect information related to our media, investor and public relations activities and information related to our interactions with financial and other analysts and advisors.

Our web server(s) may collect information related to your visit to our website, including the IP address and domain used to access our website, your service provider, the type and version of your browser, the website you came from to access our website, the page you entered and exited at, any website page within our website that is viewed by that IP address and what country you are from. We use this information to help diagnose problems with our server, administer the Web site, and compile broad statistical data and monitor our website’s performance (such as number of visits, average time spent, page views), certain navigational information about where you go on the web site and for our business purposes such as working to continually upgrade our website.

The personal data record created through your registration with the web site can only be accessed with the unique password associated with that record. To protect the integrity of the personal information contained in the record, you should not disclose or otherwise reveal your password to third parties. The web site may make chat rooms, forums, message boards, and/or news groups available to its users at various times. Please remember that, unless otherwise stated, any information that is disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information in these areas.

As a general rule, Advantage Ford collects personal information directly from you and from public information that you share about yourself. In most circumstances where the personal information that we collect about you is held by a third party, except where the information is public information that you share about yourself, we will obtain your permission before we seek out this information from such sources (such permission may be given directly by you, or implied from your actions).

From time to time, we may utilize the services of third parties and may also receive personal information collected by those third parties in the course of the performance of their services for us or otherwise. Where this is the case, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that such third parties have represented to us that they have the right to disclose your personal information to us.

How Do We Use Cookies?

When you visit the website, we may place a “cookie” on the hard drive of your computer to track your visit. A cookie is a small data file that is transferred to your hard drive through your web browser that can only be read by the website that placed the cookie on your hard drive. The cookie acts as an identification card and allows our website to identify you and to record your passwords and preferences. The cookie allows us to track your visit to the website so that we can better understand your use of our website so that we can customize and tailor the website to better meet your needs.

Most web browsers are set to accept cookies. However, on most web browsers you may change this setting to have your web browser either: (i) notify you prior to a website placing a cookie on your hard drive so that you can decide whether or not to accept the cookie; or (ii) automatically prevent the placing of a cookie on your hard drive. It should be noted that if cookies are not accepted, you may not be able to access a number of web pages found on the website.

What about Links to other Websites?

Our website may contain links to other websites that may be subject to less stringent privacy standards. We cannot assume any responsibility for the privacy practices, policies or actions of the third parties that operate these websites. Advantage Ford is not responsible for how such third parties collect, use or disclose your personal information. You should review the privacy policies of these websites before providing them with personal information.

Why Do We Collect Personal Information?

Advantage Ford collects personal information to enable us to manage, maintain, and develop our operations, including for example:

  • to establish, maintain and manage our relationship with you so that we may provide you with, or receive from you, the products and services that have been requested;
  • to be able to review the products and services that we provide to you so that we may understand your requirements for our products and services and so that we may work to improve our products and services;
  • to be able to review the products and services that we obtain from you so that we may work with you and so that you may understand our requirements for such products and services;
  • to be able to comply with your requests (for example, if you prefer to be contacted at a business or residential telephone number and advise us of your preference, we will use this information to contact you at that number);
  • to protect us against error, fraud, theft and damage to our goods and property;
  • to enable us to comply with applicable law or regulatory process; and
  • any other reasonable purpose to which you consent.

How Do We Use and Disclose Your Personal Information?

We may use or disclose your personal information:

  • for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy; and
  • for any additional purposes for which we have obtained your consent to the use or disclosure of your personal information.
  • We may use or disclose your personal information without your knowledge or consent where we are permitted or required by applicable law or regulatory requirements to do so.

When do we Disclose Your Personal Information?

We may share your personal information with our employees, contractors, consultants, affiliates and other parties who require such information to assist us with managing our relationship with you, including third parties that provide services to us or on our behalf.

For example, Reynolds & Reynolds Canada may provide certain information technology and data processing services to us from time to time so that we may operate our business, and as result, your personal information may be collected, used, processed, stored or disclosed in Canada and the United States of America, which may be accessible to U.S. law enforcement and national security authorities.

In addition, personal information may be disclosed or transferred to another party during the course of, or completion of, a change in ownership of or the grant of a security interest in, all or a part of Advantage Ford through, for example, an asset or share sale, or some other form of business combination, merger or joint venture, provided that such party is bound by appropriate agreements or obligations and required to use or disclose your personal information in a manner consistent with the use and disclosure provisions of this Privacy Policy, unless you consent otherwise.

Further, your personal information may be disclosed:

  • as permitted or required by applicable law or regulatory requirements;
  • to comply with valid legal processes such as search warrants, subpoenas or court orders;
  • as part of Advantage Ford’s regular reporting activities, for example, under securities laws;
  • to protect the rights and property of Advantage Ford;
  • during emergency situations or where necessary to protect the safety of a person or group of persons;
  • where the personal information is publicly available; and with your consent.

Your Consent is Important to Us

It is important to us that we collect, use or disclose your personal information where we have your consent to do so. Depending on the sensitivity of the personal information, your consent may be implied, deemed (using an opt-out mechanism) or express. Express consent can be given orally, electronically or in writing. Implied consent is consent that can reasonably be inferred from your action or inaction. For example, when you enter into an agreement with us, we will assume your consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information for purposes related to the performance of that agreement and for any other purposes identified to you at the relevant time.

Typically, we will seek your consent at the time that we collect your personal information. In certain circumstances, your consent may be obtained after collection but prior to our use or disclosure of your personal information. If we plan to use or disclose your personal information for a purpose not previously identified (either in this Privacy Policy or separately), we will endeavor to advise you of that purpose before such use or disclosure.

We may collect, use or disclose your personal information without your knowledge or consent where we are permitted or required to do so by applicable law or regulatory requirements.

You may change or withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual obligations and reasonable notice, by contacting our Privacy Officer using the contact information set out below. All communications with respect to such withdrawal or variation of consent should be in writing and addressed to our Privacy Officer.

We assume that, unless you advise us otherwise, you have consented to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as explained in this Privacy Policy.

How is Your Personal Information Protected?

Advantage Ford will endeavor to maintain physical, technical and procedural safeguards that are appropriate to the sensitivity of the personal information in question. These safeguards are designed to prevent your personal information from loss and unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or destruction.

The security of your personal information is important to us, please advise our Privacy Officer immediately of any incident involving the loss of or unauthorized access to or disclosure of personal information that is in our custody or control.

Updating Your Personal Information

It is important that the information contained in our records is both accurate and current. If your personal information happens to change during the course of our relationship, please keep us informed of such changes.

In some circumstances we may not agree with your request to change your personal information and will instead append an alternative text to the record in question.

Access to Your Personal Information

You can ask to see your personal information. If you want to review, verify or correct your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer. 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 and 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. If you require assistance in preparing your request, please contact our Privacy Officer.

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 endeavor to inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions.

Inquiries or Concerns?

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or concerns about how we manage your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer by telephone, in writing or by e-mail. We will endeavor to answer your questions and advise you of any steps taken to address the issues raised by you. If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may be entitled to make a written submission to the Privacy Commissioner in your jurisdiction.

Privacy Officer

We have appointed a Privacy Officer to oversee compliance with this Privacy Policy. The contact information for our Privacy Officer is as follows:

Privacy Officer
Advantage Ford
12800 Macleod Trail SE,

Calgary, Alberta
T2J 7E5, Canada

Telephone: (403) 451-6204
privacy@advantageford.ca

Revisions to this Privacy Policy

Advantage Ford from time to time, may make changes to this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in its legal or regulatory obligations or in the manner in which we deal with your personal information. We will post any revised version of this Privacy Policy on our website at www.advantageford.ca/privacy-policy, and we encourage you to refer back to it on a regular basis. This Privacy Policy was last updated on April 26, 2016.

Interpretation of this Privacy Policy

Any interpretation associated with this Privacy Policy will be made by our Privacy Officer. This Privacy Policy includes examples but is not intended to be restricted in its application to such examples; therefore where the word “including” is used, it shall mean “including without limitation”.

This Privacy Policy does not create or confer upon any individual any rights, or impose upon Advantage Ford any rights or obligations outside of, or in addition to, any rights or obligations imposed by Canada’s federal and provincial privacy laws, as applicable. Should there be, in a specific case, any inconsistency between this Privacy Policy and Canada’s federal and provincial privacy laws, as applicable, this Privacy Policy shall be interpreted, in respect of that case, to give effect to, and comply with, such privacy laws.