Privacy Policy

Who we are

bestcarshippingcanada.com (the “Site”) is operated by Best Car Shipping Companies (“we”, “us”, “our”), which also operates bestcarshippingcompanies.org. We are an online directory and information service about car shipping in Canada. We are not a car carrier or broker, and we do not move vehicles.

We are accountable for the personal information we control. Our Privacy Officer is the person in charge of the protection of personal information, including for the purposes of Quebec law. You can reach the Privacy Officer at info@bestcarshippingcompanies.org with the subject line “Privacy”.

Laws this policy follows

We handle personal information in line with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where they apply, Quebec’s Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector, Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act and British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act. Where these laws give you more protection than this policy describes, the law applies.

What we collect

When you browse the Site

• Our web server automatically records technical information with each request: IP address, browser and device type, the page requested, the referring page and the date and time. We use it to run, secure and fix the Site, and we keep these logs only for a limited period.
• We do not use advertising cookies, third-party analytics or tracking pixels, and we do not build profiles of visitors.

When you use the cost calculator

• The cities, vehicle and options you choose in the car shipping cost calculator are processed in your browser. They are not sent to us or to any company.

When you request a quote

• Through a quote form we collect what you enter: your name, email address, phone number (if given), pickup and delivery locations, vehicle details, preferred dates and your message.
• We store the request in our system and use it only to get it to the company you chose and to keep a record of it. See “Who we share information with” below.

When you create an account, list or claim a company

• Your name, email address and password (stored only in encrypted, hashed form), and the company details you submit: business name, address, phone, email, website, registration numbers (such as an NSC number, CVOR certificate or USDOT number), services, provinces served and logo.
• Information you give us to show that you are authorised to manage a listing.
• If paid plans become available, payments will be processed by PayPal. We would receive only the payment status, amount, date and a transaction reference — never your full card number.

Business information in the directory

• Company listings are built from information that businesses publish themselves (for example on their websites), from public registries such as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FMCSA records, and from what companies submit to us. This is business contact information about companies, used to describe and contact them in their business capacity.
• If a listing is for a sole proprietor and you would like personal details removed or corrected, contact us and we will act on your request as the law requires.

When you contact us

• Your email address and whatever you include in your message.

How we use information

• To run the Site and its directory, and to show accurate company listings.
• To deliver quote requests and messages to the company you chose.
• To create and manage accounts, verify listing claims and check companies before they are listed.
• To answer your questions and send service messages about your account, listing or request.
• To keep the Site secure, prevent fraud and abuse, and meet our legal obligations.

We use personal information only for the purposes we describe here or that are obvious from the context in which you gave it, and we ask for your consent before using it for any new purpose, except where the law allows otherwise. We do not use your information to make decisions about you based solely on automated processing.

Consent

By submitting a form, creating an account or contacting us, you consent to our using your information as described in this policy for that purpose. You can withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions; we will explain the consequences — for example, that we can no longer deliver a quote request or keep an account open.

Who we share information with

We do not sell, rent or trade personal information.

• The company you contact. When you send a quote request, its contents go to the company you chose so it can reply to you. If that company has not yet claimed its listing, the request comes to us first and we decide whether to pass it on to the company by hand. Once a company receives your request, it handles your information under its own privacy practices.
• Service providers who help us run the Site, under contracts that limit their use of the information to the services they provide to us: Hetzner Online GmbH (hosting, Germany), Postale (email delivery, European Union) and, when paid plans are offered, PayPal (payments).
• Legal reasons. When the law requires or permits it — for example, to comply with a court order, to investigate fraud or to protect the rights, property or safety of our users or others.
• Business transfer. If the Site is sold or reorganised, information may pass to the new operator, who must keep using it in line with this policy.

Storage outside Canada

We operate the Site from outside Canada, and our servers and email provider are located in the European Union. Your information is therefore stored and processed outside Canada (and outside Quebec) and may be accessible to courts, law enforcement and national security authorities in those countries under their laws. Before information is communicated outside Quebec, we take into account its sensitivity, the purpose for which it is used, the protection it will receive and the laws that apply where it goes, as Quebec law requires. Our service providers are bound by contract to protect it.

Cookies and browser storage

• We use only cookies that the Site needs to work: to keep you signed in, protect forms against misuse and remember a preview or session setting.
• Some tools save your entries in your browser’s local storage so you can come back to them. This data stays on your device; you can clear it with your browser settings.
• You can block cookies in your browser, but signing in and some features will then stop working.

Emails we send

• Most emails we send are service messages: replies to you, account and security notices, and confirmations about your listing or request.
• We may email a car shipping company at a business address it has published, about its listing in our directory. We do this only for messages relevant to the company’s business, as Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) allows.
• Every commercial email from us identifies us and includes a working way to unsubscribe. We act on unsubscribe requests within 10 business days.

How long we keep information

• Quote requests: up to 24 months after they are sent, then deleted, unless we need them longer for a dispute or legal obligation.
• Accounts and listings: while the account or listing is active, and for a reasonable period afterwards to deal with questions, disputes and legal obligations.
• Messages to us: as long as needed to deal with your request.
• Server logs: for a limited period for security and troubleshooting.

When information is no longer needed, we delete it or make it anonymous.

How we protect information

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords and access limited to those who need it. No system is completely secure, so please do not send us sensitive information that the Site does not ask for.

If a breach of security safeguards involving your personal information creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify you and report it to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and, where applicable, to the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec or another provincial commissioner, and keep a record of it, as the law requires.

Your rights

Subject to the exceptions in the law, you can:

• ask whether we hold personal information about you, and get access to it;
• ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date;
• withdraw your consent to our use of your information;
• ask how your information is used and who it has been shared with;
• if you are in Quebec, also ask that your information be provided to you or to another organisation in a structured, commonly used technological format, and ask us to stop disseminating your information or to de-index a link to it where the law allows.

Send requests to info@bestcarshippingcompanies.org. We may ask you to confirm your identity before we act. We will reply within 30 days, or tell you within that time if we need longer and why. Access is free, except that we may charge a reasonable fee for copies if we tell you in advance.

Children

The Site is meant for adults arranging vehicle transport and for businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Complaints

If you have a concern, please contact our Privacy Officer first — we will look into it and reply. If you are not satisfied, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca) or, depending on where you live, to the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec (cai.gouv.qc.ca), the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (oipc.ab.ca) or the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (oipc.bc.ca).

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the Site or the law changes. We will post the new version on this page with a new “Last updated” date and, if a change is significant, we will give notice on the Site or by email before it takes effect. We will not use information already collected for a new purpose without your consent where the law requires it.

Contact

Privacy Officer, Best Car Shipping Companies — info@bestcarshippingcompanies.org (subject line “Privacy”).