Privacy Policy

GarageMap (https://garagemap.ca) helps drivers in the Calgary region find independent car repair shops and compare prices for repair work. To do that, we collect some personal information. This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and the choices you have. We handle personal information in line with Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

What we collect

Browsing the directory requires no account and no personal details. Like most websites, our servers and analytics record technical information automatically: your IP address, browser type, the pages you visit and how you reached them, and the cookies described below.

When you sign in, you sign in with Google. Google tells us your email address, your account's display name and profile picture, and a stable account identifier. We never see or store your Google password.

When you request quotes, you give us your postal code, your vehicle's year, make and model, the work you want done, and any notes you add. Please don't put sensitive personal information in the notes — a description of the car's problem is all a shop needs.

When you book with a shop, we ask for your first name, last name and phone number, because that is what a shop needs to hold an appointment.

How we use it

• To pass your repair request to shops and collect their prices for you.
• To email you when your quotes are ready and about the requests you have open.
• To pass your name and phone number to a shop you chose, so it can confirm your appointment.
• To keep you signed in and show you your own requests.
• To prevent abuse, such as limiting how many requests one account can have open.
• To understand how the site is used, through the analytics described below.

We do not sell personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Who we share it with

Repair shops. When we source prices for your request, shops see the work you described, your vehicle, and your general area — not your name, email or phone number. Your name and phone number go only to the one shop you decide to book with, and only when you send that booking.

Service providers. We use a small number of companies to run the site: Google (sign-in and Google Analytics), DataFast (website analytics), and Amazon Web Services (hosting and database). Each receives only what its job requires.

When the law requires it. We may disclose personal information where a law, regulation or court order in force requires us to.

Where it is stored

Our database is hosted with Amazon Web Services in the United States. That means your personal information is stored and processed outside Canada and may be accessible to authorities there under United States law. Under Alberta's PIPA you can ask us how our service providers outside Canada handle personal information — contact us at the address below and we will answer.

Cookies

• gm_session — keeps you signed in for up to 30 days. Set only when you sign in.
• gm_oauth_nonce — a short-lived security cookie (about 10 minutes) that protects the sign-in flow against forgery.
• gm_signed_in — a yes/no flag that tells the page which account link to draw in the header. It identifies nobody.
• gm_lead — set for a few minutes after you send a request, so the page you land on can count it once in our analytics. Holds the request's reference and nothing else.
• Analytics cookies — Google Analytics and DataFast set their own cookies to measure visits and page views.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser. The directory works fine without them; staying signed in doesn't.

How long we keep it

We keep your account and request history while your account is active, and quote requests for as long as we need them to run the service and answer questions about past requests. If you ask us to delete your account, we delete the personal information attached to it unless a law requires us to keep something longer.

How we protect it

The site is served over HTTPS, session cookies are cryptographically signed, database access is restricted, and the administrative panel requires its own authentication. No safeguard is perfect, but we limit both what we collect and who can see it.

Your rights

You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, withdraw your consent, or ask us to delete your account. Write to hello@garagemap.ca and we will respond within the time the law allows (normally 45 days under PIPA).

If you're not satisfied with our answer, you can complain to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (oipc.ab.ca) or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca).

Children

GarageMap is for people arranging car repairs and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle personal information, we will update this page and the date at the top before the change takes effect.

Contact

Questions, requests and complaints about privacy go to the person responsible for it here: hello@garagemap.ca.