Privacy Policy

At Jefferson Ford we are committed to providing you with our highest level of customer service, we understand the importance of safeguarding the privacy of our customers and visitors to our website.

Jefferson Ford is bound by the National Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988.

The Privacy Act 1988 regulates the way in which personal information about customers can be used by businesses, from initial collection to use and disclosure, data quality & security, accessibility and disposal. Wherever practical, an individual has the right to interact with Jefferson Ford and its staff without providing personal information.

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide an overview of our policies and our commitment to you in respect of the handling of your personal information. Personal information as defined by the Privacy Act 1988 is any information or opinion about you that is capable of identifying you.

How your personal information may be collected

Jefferson Ford will endeavor to collect your personal information directly from you whenever possible, and will limit the personal information we collect to that which is necessary for our functions or activities. We may also acquire lists from other sources, both from other companies and from other public documents.

We may collect personal information from you in a variety of ways including, without limitation:

• Through the completion of vehicle purchase contracts;
• Through questionnaires;
• Through the Jefferson Ford website via vehicle enquiry forms, finance enquiry forms, parts and service forms;
• Over the telephone;
• During person-to-person contact.

There may be some instances where we collect personal information about you from other sources. Some examples include, but are not limited to:

• A referral from an existing customer;
• Confirmation of your details of employment, income, and other financial details from your employer or other third party when assessing applications for finance; and
• Credit reference checks when assessing applications for finance.

The collection of personal information will only:

• Be collected by lawful and fair means and not in an unreasonably intrusive way;
• Be used for a lawful purpose; and
• Be collected with your consent.

We will generally only use or disclose your personal information for the primary purpose of collection, for a secondary purpose which is related to the primary purpose and which we consider will be within your reasonable expectations or where we are required or permitted to do so by law. Otherwise, we will seek your consent prior to using or disclosing your personal information for another purpose, unless we are required or permitted by law to do so without seeking your permission. We will not seek a broader consent than is necessary for the circumstances.

Information will only be disclosed for a secondary purpose where the secondary purpose is related to the primary purpose and the individual would reasonably expect the organisation to use or disclose the information for the secondary purpose.

We will not provide your personal information to any other organisation for marketing purposes without your consent and will not sell or trade your personal information to non-related companies or persons.

Further information about our use and disclosure of personal information is set out below.

How your personal information may be used

Your personal information may be used to:

• Consider an application or proposal made by you to us;
• Process a sales contract or any other transaction between you and us;
• Evaluate and monitor credit worthiness;
• Process receipts and payments and send invoices;
• Respond to enquiries about applications, accounts or services;
• Complete an application for the provision of Financing facilities relating to the purchase of a New or Used motor vehicle. The information requested is the minimum required by the finance providers;
• Complete an application for the provision of Insurance cover;
• Provide after-sales service for your vehicle;
• Perform our internal administration and operations including: accounting, risk management, record keeping, archiving, systems development and testing;
• Conduct credit scoring;
• Offer you new products and services that we believe may interest you;
• Conduct market research in relation to the products and services referred to in the preceding paragraphs;
• Consider information concerning prospective employees and make offers of employment; and
• Meet legal and regulatory requirements.

Disclosure of your personal information

For the purposes set out above we may disclose your personal information to organisations outside Jefferson Ford. The organisations to which we disclose information include:

• Outsourced service providers who manage the services we provide to you including:
     - Mailing systems;
     - Debt recovery functions; or
     - Information technology services.
• Your representatives (eg: your authorised representatives or legal advisors);
• Insurance companies, their subsidiaries or agents for the purpose of processing   insurance applications;
• Finance providers in connection with an application for finance for the purchase of a new   or used motor vehicle;
• Credit-reporting and fraud checking agencies;
• Credit providers for credit related purposes such as credit-worthiness, credit rating, credit provision and financing;
• Our professional advisors, including our accountants, auditors and lawyers;
• Government and regulatory authorities and other organisations, as required or authorised by law;
• Organisations involved in:
     - A transfer / sale of all or part of our assets or business (including accounts and trade receivables); and
     - Managing our corporate risk and funding functions (eg: securitisation).
• Car manufacturers, retailers, dealers and insurers for purposes of maintaining your car, customer satisfaction measurement, marketing, product development and warranty maintenance;
• Third parties who provide services relevant to our customers such as:
     - Mechanics;
     - Insurers;
     - Financiers; and
     - Other third parties.
• Potential investors, joint venturers or acquirers, and
• Other companies within the Jefferson Automotive Group

We enter into contractual agreements with these organisations to ensure that information we disclose is used only for the limited purposes for which we have provided it.

Storage of your Information

We store your personal information securely and take all reasonable precautions to ensure that the personal information we collect, use and disclose is accurate, complete and up-to-date. However, the accuracy of the information depends to a large extent on the information you provide. That’s why we recommend that you:

• Let us know if there are any errors in your personal information; and
• Keep us up-to-date with changes to personal information such as your name and address.

We will retain information for as long as it is necessary to service your account or to continue to provide products and services you have requested or purchased from us. We will retain information for a reasonable period if you cease to be our customer unless the law requires us to keep it for longer.

Marketing

From time to time we may send marketing materials to our customers and other people who have provided us with personal information about the products and services we provide.

You have the right to request that we do not provide you with such material or information, and should you not wish to receive it, simply by contacting Jefferson Ford Reception and advise us accordingly. Once we have been informed that you no longer wish to receive information about or products and services, you will not be sent anything further. You may, at any stage, opt to change your mind about receiving such information.

SMS Alerts

Jefferson Ford may send you an SMS (short message service) to act as a service reminder if you have booked a service in advance with us. 

Information Access

You may contact us to request access to the personal information about you that we hold.

Complaints and Disputes

If you have reason to believe that Jefferson Ford has breached the Privacy Policies outlined in this document, we urge you to raise this with the Dealer Principal. We will investigate all complaints and respond to you within 14 days. If we find a complaint justified, we will promptly resolve it. If necessary, we will change policies and procedures to maintain our high standards of performance, service and customer care.

How to contact us

If you have any questions in relation to your privacy, or if you wish to exercise your rights of access and correction, please contact us via any of the following:

Phone: (03) 9581 2525 between 9:00am and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday

Or Write to: The Dealer Principal, Jefferson Ford, P.O Box 206, Mentone, VIC 3194