Privacy policy

Section 1 – Who we are and scope

Japan Motor Import is an importer and retailer of used JDM engines, transmissions, and auto parts based in Montréal-Nord, Quebec, in business since 1998. We sell to customers across Canada and offer local pickup and local installation from our Montréal warehouse.

This policy covers personal information we collect when you:

• Visit or browse japanmotorimport.ca
• Create or use a customer account, including your orders and invoices
• Place an order online, by phone, or in person
• Book a local installation or pick up an order from our warehouse
• Contact us by phone, text message, email, or our contact form
• Agree to receive news or offers from us

Section 2 – Person in charge of personal information

The person in charge of the protection of personal information at Japan Motor Import is responsible for how we handle your information and for answering your questions and requests.

Section 3 – Information we collect

We collect only the information we need for the purposes described in this policy.

• Account and contact information: your name, email address, phone number, and account password. Passwords are stored in hashed form, and we cannot see them.
• Order information: billing and delivery addresses, items purchased, amounts paid and owing, order numbers, invoices, pickup or delivery details, and records of returns, cancellations, and warranty claims.
• Payment information: payments are handled by Stripe. We receive limited details such as the card brand, the last four digits of the card, the payment method, and a transaction ID. We never receive or store your full card number or security code.
• Vehicle and support information: the year, make, model, engine code, or VIN you share to check fitment; messages you send us; notes from phone calls; and photos or documents you provide for warranty or damage claims.
• Technical information: your IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, and cookie identifiers, collected through server logs and cookies.
• Marketing preferences: whether you agreed to receive news or offers, and records of that consent.

Section 4 – How we collect it

• Directly from you: when you fill in our checkout, account, or contact forms, call or text us, email us, or visit our warehouse.
• Automatically: through server logs and cookies when you use our website (see Section 9).
• From service providers: payment confirmations from our payment processors and delivery updates from shipping carriers.

Section 5 – Why we use it

We use personal information only for the purposes below. If we want to use it for a new purpose, we will ask for your consent first, unless the law allows otherwise.

• Processing and delivering orders: confirming your order, arranging parcel or freight shipping, scheduling pickup or installation, and sending tracking updates.
• Payments and refunds: processing payments and deposits, issuing refunds, and keeping financial records.
• Customer service: answering questions, checking part compatibility, and handling warranty claims, returns, and cancellations.
• Your account: letting you sign in and view your orders, invoices, and settings.
• Running the website: keeping the site secure, fixing errors, and understanding which pages and parts customers look for.
• Fraud prevention and legal obligations: preventing fraudulent orders, calculating and remitting sales taxes, and complying with the law.
• News and offers (with consent only): telling you about new inventory and promotions.

Section 6 – Your consent

By placing an order or creating an account, you consent to the uses needed to provide that service. For optional uses, such as marketing messages or analytics and advertising technologies, we ask for your consent separately, and you can say no without affecting your purchase.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting the person in charge of personal information (Section 2), subject to legal or contractual restrictions. Withdrawing consent to information we need to complete an order may mean we cannot complete it.

Section 7 – Who we share it with

• Shipping and freight carriers: your name, delivery address, and phone number, so they can deliver your order.
• Payment processors: Stripe (cards and Apple Pay) receive the payment details you enter directly into their secure checkout.
• Technology providers: companies that host our website, store our data, send our email, and provide similar services. They may use your information only to provide services to us.
• Professional advisers: accountants and lawyers, where needed for our business and legal obligations.
• Authorities: government bodies, courts, or police when required or permitted by law.
• Business transfers: if our business is sold or merged, personal information may be transferred to the new owner under an agreement that protects it, as the law permits.

Section 8 – Information stored outside Quebec

Some of our service providers, including our payment processors and some technology providers, store or process information outside Quebec, in other Canadian provinces or in the United States. Before communicating personal information outside Quebec, we assess whether it will receive adequate protection and put written agreements in place.

Information stored outside Canada is subject to the laws of the country where it is held and may be accessible to that country’s authorities.

Section 9 – Cookies and tracking technologies

We use cookies to keep you signed in, protect our forms, remember your preferences such as your language, and process payments securely. Technologies that could identify, locate, or profile you, such as analytics or advertising tools, are turned off by default and are only activated if you agree.

Our Cookie Policy lists the cookies we use and explains how to control them.

Section 10 – How long we keep it

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.

When information is no longer needed, we destroy it or anonymize it so it can no longer identify you.

Section 11 – Security and confidentiality incidents

We protect personal information with safeguards appropriate to its sensitivity, including:

• Encrypted connections (HTTPS) on every page
• Payment card details entered directly into PCI-compliant payment processors, never stored on our servers
• Hashed account passwords
• Access limited to staff who need the information to do their job

No system is perfectly secure. If a confidentiality incident presents a risk of serious injury, we will notify you and the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec, and, where required, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. We keep a register of all confidentiality incidents, as the law requires.

Section 12 – Your privacy rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you and know how it is used and who it has been shared with
• Correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date
• Withdraw your consent to the use or sharing of your information, subject to legal or contractual restrictions
• Data portability: receive computerized personal information you gave us in a structured, commonly used format, or have it sent to another organization
• Ask us to stop disseminating your information, or to de-index a link to it, where the conditions set out in Quebec law are met
• Be informed if a decision about you is made exclusively by automated processing. We do not make such decisions ourselves; our payment processors may automatically decline payments their fraud systems flag, and we will review any declined order with you on request.

How to make a request: email japanmotorimport@gmail.com or write to the person in charge of personal information (Section 2). We may ask you to confirm your identity. We respond in writing within 30 days. Access is free; we may charge a reasonable fee only for transcribing, reproducing, or transmitting information, and we will tell you the amount first.

If we refuse a request, we will explain why and tell you how to contest the decision.

Section 13 – Complaints

If you are not satisfied with how we handled your information or a request, please contact the person in charge of personal information first. We will review your complaint and reply in writing.

• In Quebec: you may contact the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec.
• Elsewhere in Canada: you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Section 14 – Minors

Our products are sold to adults, and our website is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 14 without the consent of a person with parental authority. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us at japanmotorimport@gmail.com and we will delete it.

Section 15 – Email and text messages

We send commercial emails and text messages only in line with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL): with your consent, identifying Japan Motor Import, and with a working way to unsubscribe. Reply “STOP” to any text message or use the unsubscribe link in any email. We process unsubscribe requests within 10 business days.

Messages about your orders, such as confirmations, invoices, shipping updates, and warranty information, are not marketing and will still be sent.

Section 16 – Payment information

Your full card number and security code go directly to our payment processor’s secure checkout; we never see or store them. We keep only the card brand, last four digits, payment method, and transaction ID, for refunds and record-keeping. See our Payment Policy.

These providers handle your information under their own privacy policies: Stripe.