This Privacy Policy is effective from 24 January 2025.
1. Our commitment to privacy
The privacy of our customers is of utmost importance to Auto One Pty Ltd (ABN 49 003 820 291), as the franchisor of the Auto One network in Australia (collectively referred to as “Auto One”, “we”, “us”, or “our), including A1-Auto-Parts network, and to the practices of the agents and contractors engaged by Auto One to provide goods and services. It also applies to your use of the Auto One website (www.autoone.com.au) and any third-party information which may be collected by us.
Some of our stores are owned and operated by franchisees that are independent of Auto One and may have privacy policies which differ from ours.
We may update our policies and this Privacy Policy from time to time. The most current version will always be located on our website and is also available by contacting us on (02) 8845 1111 or contacting our Privacy Officer by email or at the address detailed below.
2. Types of personal information we collect and hold
The types of personal information we collect, and hold will vary depending on your account, membership, or your dealings with Auto One and the products, services and
benefits we (or our agents, contractors and third parties) provide to you, or a request or inquiry you make in relation to such products, benefits and services. This information may include any or all of the following:
- Name, address(es), telephone number(s) and other contact details;
- Electronic address(es);
- Date of birth;
- Gender;
- Business trading details;
- Delivery address or collection details
- Transaction details relating to your use of our products, services or Member benefits;
- Payment information (such as credit card, PayPal or bank details);
- Details of your membership to any loyalty or affiliate program;
- Vehicle details including registration, model and colour;
- Driver's license number and/or passport number and, upon our request, a copy of your driver's license or passport;
- Location data;
- Your social media preferences;
- Any benefits you obtain from your membership;
- Any preferences you tell us about or other information that you provide.
Please see the Direct Marketing section of this policy for more examples of the kinds of personal information we collect.
3. Website cookies and digital services
Information is also generated and collected whenever a page is accessed on our website that records information such as the time, date and specific page. We collect such information for statistical and maintenance purposes that enables us to continually evaluate our website performance. Some parts of our websites also use "cookies". A "cookie" is a small text file that is placed on your computer's hard drive by a web page server. Cookies store information about the use of our website and are used to identify
new or previous visitors to the website and what pages have been accessed. Most web browsers are set to accept cookies, but this function can usually be disabled if you wish. Please note that if you do disable this, not all functionality on our websites will be available to you.
We also use Google Analytics features (including Google Remarketing, Google Display Network Impressions Reporting, the Double Click Campaign Manager and Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting) on our website, which uses both first party and third-party cookies to record standard internet traffic information. We, and some third parties (including Google), also use the information to optimise ad selection for groups of individuals based on age, gender, interests and past visits to our site. The cookies allow us and other third parties (including Google) to evaluate your interactions with ad services on our site and serve targeted advertising on sites across the Internet. We have enabled Google Analytics for Display Advertising which allows Google and other third parties to advertise to you on our site and across the Internet.
We also use (along with third parties including Google) first party cookies (such as Google Analytics cookies) and third-party cookies (such as the DoubleClick cookie) to report how our ad impressions, other uses of ad services, and interactions with these ad impressions and ad services are related to visits to our website. In addition, we use data from Google's Interest-based advertising or third-party audience data (such as age, gender, and interests) with Google Analytics to help us understand how user activity varies based on these factors.
By using Google Ads Settings (www.google.com/settings/ads), you can opt out of these features at any time and customise your Google Display Network Ads. Alternatively, you can opt out of a third party's vendor's use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page (see http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/#completed).
Importantly, we do not combine the anonymous information collected through Google Analytics with personally identifiable information.
In addition to Google Analytics, we use a range of web analytics tools (such as web beacons) to help us understand consumer behaviour and use of our website. These tools enable us to deliver cookies, count visits and understand usage and campaign effectiveness. This data helps us to stay connected and relevant to our members and customers.
4. Why we collect and hold personal information
Generally, we collect, hold and use personal information about members and customers to provide a range of products, services and benefits to members and customers relating to their automotive aftermarket needs.
We also collect personal information to assist in identifying ways in which we can serve you better, such as providing our products and services to you more effectively, and to assist our internal administration and operations including accounting, risk management, record keeping, archiving, systems development and testing, and staff training.
Some of the information we collect is for the purpose of improving our interaction with our customers and their involvement in Auto One.
5. How we collect information
Generally, we collect personal information directly from you, such as when you apply for a trade account, membership or request a product or service, in the course of providing you with that product or service (e.g. Special Orders), or when you have other dealings with us.
We may collect and update that information over the phone, over the Internet, in person (when you visit us at an Auto One store), attend an event, when you write to us or if you participate in our marketing campaigns.
Our stores and other premises have video surveillance cameras that monitor and help to facilitate the safety and security of those premises, our team members, customers and other members of the public. We do not share these recordings with any third-party organisations except where we are required to by law. Cameras are not placed in areas of our premises that would unreasonably intrude on the privacy of individuals.
We may also collect personal information through third parties such as:
- Our related companies;
- Our business partners who provide customer benefits and services;
- Auto One Group and its related entities, including A1-Auto-Parts;
- Our service providers;
- Data washing organisations and postal service providers, including Australia Post.
6. Storage and protection of personal information
We store personal information in a combination of secure computer storage facilities and paper-based files and other records. In so doing, we have taken numerous steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference and loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Additionally, we take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information when we no longer need it. We impose strict requirements of security and confidentiality on all third parties as to how they store, handle and deal with your personal information.
7. How we use and disclose personal information
We may use and disclose your personal information for a variety of purposes in connection with servicing you as a trade account, a club member or customer and in relation to our business operations. These include:
- Processing and administering your account, club membership or dealings with us as a customer;
- Providing you with the products and services you have requested from us;
- Developing processes, products, services and benefits to better meet your needs;
- Disclosing your information for use by relevant parties in connection with your account or membership and services; such as to affiliated brands and suppliers.
We may also use your personal information to offer or provide you with loyalty benefits, discounts or other information about such schemes that may be operated by us or third parties. This includes:
- Obtaining details about how you acquire and use our products, services and membership benefits;
- Rewarding club members for utilising our products and services through mechanisms such as discounts, special pricing offers and prizes; and
We may provide your personal information to our agents, contractors or related companies for the purposes of, or in connection with, the supply of products and
services to you and for the same purposes above. These types of persons and entities may include (but not limited to):
- Our Franchsiees, for example, to facilitate the fulfilment of any orders you make for goods and services;
- our suppliers, contractors and other organisations that provide us with technical and support services;
- our accountants, insurers, lawyers, auditors and other professional advisers;
- any third parties to whom you have directed or permitted us to disclose your personal information (e.g. referees);
- within Auto One for purposes connected with our business and relationship with you, and where otherwise permitted by applicable laws; and
- in the event that we or our assets may be acquired or considered for acquisition by a third party, that third party and its advisors.
8. Direct marketing
We collect personal information so that we can provide our members and customers with useful and relevant information about our products and services. Generally, we collect this information directly from you. In some circumstances, however, we may collect personal information from third parties, including from our service providers and social media platforms such as Facebook. We use the information we, or our service providers, collect to assist us to determine how we can best engage with our members and customers about our products and services. To this end, we, or our service providers, may collect information about your social media preferences and activities so that we can engage with our customers on social media sites. We may also collect certain demographic information and behavioural information from social media platforms to better serve consumers with more targeted advertising.
At times, we use tools that enable us to identify the online sources of the telephone sales enquiries that we receive. The information we collect through these tools includes the time and date of the call, the geographical location of the call, the telephone number of the caller (unless withheld), and the IP address of the device the caller used to arrive at your website. The collection of this information helps us to determine the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns by identifying whether the calls we receive were generated by Google Adwords click throughs, or by Facebook ad click throughs (for example).
If we do not collect information in the ways described above, we may not be able to let you know about our products and services in the most effective way.
We may use and disclose the information we collect for the purpose of providing you with tailored marketing communications about our goods and services, or to conduct market research. Typically, we send these communications to your email address. Occasionally, we may also send marketing communications to your social media accounts, including, for example, your Facebook account.
We may also disclose your personal information to companies in the Auto One Group, to our other business partners, our service providers, our suppliers, to give you information and offers about products and services offered by us or these companies.
9. Opting out of direct marketing
If you do not wish to receive direct marketing information from Auto One, please use the unsubscribe feature on our electronic marketing communications (email & SMS) or please use the contact details below to update your preferences.Please note that if you make such a request:
- We may still need to use your personal information to provide you with the services and products you have requested as a member or customer;
- It may not be possible for us to immediately action a request to cease receiving any or all direct marketing material. We will endeavour to honour your request within 5 working days.
We will not sell or rent your personal information without your consent. We may disclose your personal information where we are required or authorised by law to disclose your personal information or for any purposes connected to a fraud, crime prevention or impropriety investigation.
10. Overseas disclosure of personal information
Auto One is likely to disclose some of your personal information, for the purposes described above, to organisations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Philippines, and the United States of America.
Personal information provided to organisations in the Philippines, Ireland and the United States of America may not have the same protection as set out in this privacy policy and the Australian Privacy Principles, and Auto One may not take any steps to ensure such protection.
11. Access to, and correction of, personal information
We will take reasonable steps to make sure that the personal information we collect, hold, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up to date. If your personal details change, such as your address or phone number, please contact us on (02) 8845 1111 to update your details.
Following a request, we will provide you with a copy of any personal information which we hold about you in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act. We may charge a fee for retrieving this information, in which case we will inform you of the fee in advance of providing the information.
In the first instance, we will ask you to provide some of identification, such as your driver's licence, to ensure that you have the right to access the information.
13. Making a complaint
If you wish to complain about our handling of your personal information, please send a written complaint to the Privacy Officer in the first instance by using the contact details below. We undertake to promptly acknowledge and investigate any complaint about the way we manage personal information. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of our investigation, you may take your privacy complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
For information in making a complaint to the OAIC, please visit the OAIC's website http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints, or phone 1300 363 992.
14. Contacting us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, if you wish to update information, we hold about you or if you wish to make a complaint, please write to:
The Privacy Officer
Auto One Pty Ltd
Unit 1, 40 Carrington Road
Castle Hill 2154
You can also phone us on (02) 8845 1111or email our Privacy Officer at privacy@autoone.com.au.
