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Privacy Policy
Effective: 11/19/2004
AutoNation.com is committed to respecting the privacy rights of our customers and all visitors to our web site. We take this matter very seriously, and have instituted many policies and procedures to insure that your privacy rights are safeguarded. The following outlines AutoNation.com's privacy policies and details the measures we have taken to protect your privacy, while providing you with a unique and rewarding online shopping experience.
Our Promise
AutoNation.com provides you with a safe, no-hassle method of
researching, shopping, and purchasing a vehicle. In this regard, we
address the issues of security, full-disclosure, fair and honest
pricing, and provide a thorough and specific Privacy Policy.
AutoNationDirect.com, Inc. is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. TRUSTe is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to build users' trust and confidence in the Internet by promoting the use of fair information practices. This privacy statement covers the site www.autonation.com and subdirectories. Because this web site wants to demonstrate its commitment to your privacy, it has agreed to disclose its information practices and have its privacy practices reviewed for compliance by TRUSTe.
If you have questions or concerns regarding this statement, you should first contact Guillermo Pernas,Privacy Officer by email at PernasG@autonation.com, by phone at (954)769-2347 or by writing him at Guillermo Pernas, Privacy Officer, AutoNation, Inc. 200 SW 1st Ave, Suite 1600, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33301. If you do not receive acknowledgment of your inquiry or your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, you should then contact TRUSTe at www.truste.org/consumers/watchdog_complaint.php. TRUSTe will then serve as a liaison with the Web site to resolve your concerns.
What information does AutoNation.com collect?
As part of the vehicle research and purchase process, information such
as your e-mail address, name, and contact telephone numbers will be
requested. This information will be used solely as described below.
When entering information on this web site, it is transferred automatically to AutoNation.com's lead management system called Compass. The Compass system will automatically record the information and send it to an Internet Sales Guide (ISG) so that your inquiry may be answered promptly by a qualified representative near you.
AutoNation.com provides for limited employee access to the Compass system. Compass is a secured application that can only be accessed by entering a valid user name and password. Once you have expressed interest in being contacted, the ISG will respond through a personalized email or phone call.
After the initial email contact, there may be several points of communication between you and the ISG by either telephone or email. At any point in the relationship you have the option of indicating by either telephone or email that you no longer wish to be contacted by the ISG. In this event, the ISG will access the Compass system and mark your customer record as ''closed'', at which time, you are removed from ''active'' status.
If you express interest in financing a vehicle, additional information related to creditworthiness will be requested by AutoNation.com. This credit information will only be used in compliance with applicable federal and state law.
Does AutoNation.com use cookies?
AutoNation.com does, in a limited manner, use a technology called
"cookies". A cookie is a small piece of text that you can
agree to place on your computer's hard drive. In most cases, you can
set your web browser to prompt you when a cookie request is being made
from a web page, such as the AutoNation.com web page, and you have the
option to accept or not. If you accept or do not reject the cookie,
then your browser adds the text in a small file, which will expire in
90-days. Accepting cookies in no way gives us access to your computer
or any personal information about you. It is merely a method of
storing information to improve your online experience. It will assist
us in making your site visit easier and more productive. Technically,
cookies are harmless, occupying just a few bytes on your hard drive.
Note that personal information is often contained in or linked to a
cookie (such as email address, zip code, etc.). The only time that
AutoNation.com receives such information is if you volunteer it by
typing in the information. The use of the personal information is
limited to being contacted by the ISG as described above, or, for
obtaining financing if you request.
The following describes how our website uses cookies and how we provide you with a more personalized experience:
Marketing:
We publish special promotions, pricing promises, brand name and
various other messages on the internet to help consumers find
AutoNation.com. In order to determine which method is most effective,
a cookie is used to capture which method was used to find our web
site. The information included in the cookie is limited to only the
message identifier.
Does AutoNation.com track my visits?
At AutoNation.com, our site may also gather information about which
areas of our site receive the most visits and user visit history. This
is done by the placement of a cookie on your computer. Additionally,
we send site metrics information to a third-party service provider by
the use of cookies and web beacons, who then aggregates the captured
data. The type of data captured includes; search engine referral,
traffic driven by ad banners or other online promotions, how visitors
navigate around the site, and the most popular pages. We also track
technical information, such as the browser version and operating
system of visitors, to deliver a better site design for our visitors.
The data is analyzed, generating several different types of reports
showing different views on the data collected. We do not capture any
information about any individual's use of the site - rather only
aggregate data is captured. Our third-party metrics provider is
obligated to strict confidentiality restrictions and is not permitted
to sell or use AutoNation's aggregate site data for any purpose other
than for providing AutoNation with the metrics information.
AutoNation, does not share, sell or provide any of this aggregate data
with outside companies, with the exception noted above. Furthermore,
AutoNation.com does not track where you go on the World Wide Web.
How is email used on AutoNation.com?
A customer provides an email address to AutoNation.com in two
instances:
1. Price Quote - if a customer clicks on ''price quote'', an email address is requested. In accordance with various state laws, a specific price quote can only be offered to a unique individual - not to the public at large. In order to provide you with a price quote on the site, you must first identify yourself as an individual by entering your email address.
2. Contact Form - if a customer wishes to be contacted by an ISG, the customer completes a form that includes a request for their email address.
In both cases where an email address is requested, the customer voluntarily submits their email address in order to receive follow up information, a specific price quote, or establish a relationship with an ISG. Each email you receive from us will contain an opt-out link which can be used in the event that you no longer wish to receive communications from us.
Additionally, you can email or call the ISG using the information provided in their first email contact to you.
There are opt-in links on our websites should you wish to receive promotional communications from us in the future. All email communications contain a link that can be used to opt-out from further email communication.
Does AutoNation.com share any information it
collects with outside parties?
At AutoNation.com, we consider the information you choose to share
with us personal and confidential. We will not rent or sell your name,
address, e-mail address, credit card information or personal
information to any third party without your permission, except as may
be required by law. There are several points within our site that link
to third party sites (such as Kelley Blue Book, Progressive Insurance,
Experian, Edmunds, ADP, etc.) that may require various pieces of
personal information. Each of these sites has their own Privacy Policy
governing use on their sites.
Does AutoNation.com provide a way to update or
remove personal information?
A customer wishing to change, update, or remove personal information
may do so by contacting the ISG either by email or telephone and
stating their wishes at any time. The ISG contact information can be
found in the initial email response you received from our dealership.
Why are we telling you all this?
Because AutoNation is a firm believer and active participant in
consumer privacy, we maintain these policies that give our visitors
full disclosure. AutoNation believes in improving the customer's
online shopping experience through the responsible and secure
collection and usage of customer data.
Your Consent
As a condition to using the AutoNation.com site, we require your
approval to collect this data. By visiting AutoNation.com you agree
that we may collect and use this information as stated in our privacy
policy. If we change our privacy policy, we will post the changes on
this page so you are always informed about what information we
collect, how we use, and under what circumstances we disclose it.
Changes in this Privacy Statement
If we decide to materially change our privacy policy, we will post
those changes to this privacy statement, the homepage, and other
places we deem appropriate so that you are aware of what information
we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we
disclose it.
AutoNation.com Security Statement
At AutoNation.com, we've taken important measures to keep the
information you share with us safe and secure.
Secure Technology
AutoNation.com uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption technology
to protect your personal information provided on credit applications
and where credit card information is required. SSL encrypts or codes
this information as it travels over the Internet, and is then decoded
by AutoNation.com and its business partners who facilitate your
transactions on this web site.
We do not read personal communications. We do not give out your
telephone number, credit card information, or screen names, unless
authorized to do so or as required by law.
How do I know when my information is
protected?
You can tell if you are using a Web browser that supports SSL if a
"key" or "padlock" icon appears in one of the
lower corners of your screen (For example, when using Netscape you
will see a key; when using Internet Explorer you will see a padlock).
When you enter a secure page, the key is "un-broken" or the
lock is closed. This means that your communications are now secure,
encrypted, and cannot be read by non-authorized sources.
Another sign that you are in a secure transaction mode is a URL that
begins with "https:". When you see any of these symbols on
your browser, you know that your information is protected and you can
interact with the website with confidence.
Security and Applying for a Loan
When applying for an auto loan on the AutoNation.com web site, your
credit application is sent directly to the dealership that you have
chosen. The credit application is securely collected and transmitted
using SSL technology that encrypts your personal information as it
travels over the Internet. (Please see our security statement above
for further details.)
Privacy and Applying for a Loan
At AutoNation.com, we take your privacy very seriously. We know that
information about you and your finances are sensitive. As we point out
in the Consent Statement you must read before submitting a credit
application, your credit application is submitted to the certified
AutoNation.com dealership of your choice. Only duly authorized and
qualified personnel at the dealership have access to your credit
application. We will ask you for your contact information, such as
name, address, phone, and email address; your financial information,
such as monthly income, amount of debt, monthly rent or housing
payment; and sensitive information such as date of birth and social
security number.
By submitting your credit application, you are giving consent to the authorized AutoNation.com dealership selected at the beginning of the application process to investigate your credit and employment history. A credit report may be obtained, in connection with this application, for a renewal or extension of credit for which application was made. Upon request, you will be told if a credit report(s) was/were obtained, and given the name and address of the credit reporting agency(ies) providing the report(s). Your credit information may be shared with third party lending institutions, which have a business relationship with the dealership that you have chosen for the purpose of providing auto loans.
Once you have completed and submitted the credit application, you will be presented with a "Thank You" page, which discloses the address and phone number of the dealership that you have chosen. It is suggested that you print this page by pressing the print button on your browser. In the event that you have any questions or concerns regarding your credit application, please contact the dealership and ask for the Internet Sales Manager.
Information We Collect
We collect nonpublic personally identifiable information about you and
other applicants for many reasons, including to help identify you,
evaluate your application, service and manage your Lease or Loan
(''Account'') and broaden our relationship with you (such as by
offering you products or services that you may find valuable). We
collect this information from a number of sources, including the
following:
Information We Share With Others
We may use and share all of the information described above, subject
to applicable law, with the following (these examples are not intended
to be all-inclusive):
Legal Disclaimer
We reserve the right to disclose your personally identifiable
information as required by law and when we believe that disclosure is
necessary to protect our rights and/or to comply with a judicial
proceeding, court order, or legal process served on our Web site.
Our Security Procedures
The security of customer information is very important to us and we
take a number of steps to safeguard it. We maintain physical,
electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal
standards to guard non-public personal information about you. We limit
access to personal and account information to those employees and
agents who assist us in providing products and services to you.
Employees who fail to follow our established standards are subject to
disciplinary action. We also require third parties to whom we disclose
nonpublic personal information to adhere to this Privacy Policy and to
establish information security procedures.
How This Policy Applies to You
This policy applies only to consumers and/or customers who apply for
and/or receive financing for personal, family or household purposes.
The examples contained in this Privacy Policy are illustrations only,
and are not intended to be all-inclusive. If you become an inactive
customer, or if we close or suspend your Account, we will continue to
adhere to the privacy policies and practices described in this notice
to the extent we retain information about you. We may amend this
Privacy Policy at any time, and we will inform you of changes as
required by law. You may have other privacy protections under state
laws and we will comply with applicable state laws when we disclose
information about you. This Privacy Policy replaces our previous
disclosures to you about our information practices.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding our privacy policy,
please contact: