Last updated: 23 April 2026

German Service Shop respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information in a transparent and secure way. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It applies to personal information collected through our workshop, over the phone, by email, and through the website germanserviceshop.com.au.

We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), as well as any other applicable privacy laws.

1. Who We Are

In this policy, "we", "us", and "our" refer to German Service Shop, a vehicle servicing business based in North Melbourne, Victoria.

Address: 109–111 Dryburgh Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051
Phone: (03) 9328 8458
Email: service@germanserviceshop.com.au

2. What Personal Information We Collect

The types of information we collect depend on how you interact with us. These typically include:

Category	Examples of information
Contact information	Name, phone number, email address, and postal address
Vehicle information	Make, model, year, VIN, registration number, odometer reading, service history, and diagnostic data
Service records	Records of bookings, work performed, parts supplied, quotes, invoices, and related correspondence
Payment information	Payment method and transaction records. Full card details are handled by our payment provider and are not stored by us
Loan vehicle details	Driver's licence details (where you use a loan vehicle), signed loan agreement, and any incident records
Workshop imagery	Photographs or video of your vehicle taken for diagnostic, record-keeping, or quality assurance purposes
Website data	IP address, device and browser information, pages viewed, referral source, and interactions with our online booking form
Marketing preferences	Subscription status for service reminders, newsletters, or promotional communications, and your opt-in or opt-out history

We do not generally collect sensitive information. If we need to collect sensitive information for a specific purpose, we will explain why and seek your consent at that time.

3. How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information in the following ways:

Directly from you, when you book a service, speak with us at the workshop, call us, email us, or submit a form on our website
Automatically, through our website and the technology we use to operate it (for example, cookies and analytics tools)
From third parties, such as your referrer, insurer, previous service provider, or parts supplier, where this is relevant to the work we are carrying out

Where it is reasonable and practicable, we will collect information directly from you.

4. Why We Collect and Use Your Information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

To schedule, perform, and invoice servicing and repair work on your vehicle
To communicate with you about your booking, including quotes, approvals, updates, and collection
To maintain accurate service history for your vehicle and for our workshop records
To comply with legal, regulatory, and manufacturer warranty obligations
To process payments and manage accounts
To send service reminders and, where you have opted in, promotional communications
To improve our services and the performance of our website
To handle enquiries, feedback, and complaints
To exercise and defend our legal rights, including in the event of a dispute

5. Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell your personal information. We may share limited personal information with the following types of recipients, only where it is necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

Parts suppliers and manufacturers, where required to source parts or manage a warranty claim
Our payment and accounting providers, for processing transactions and maintaining financial records
Our IT, hosting, and booking system providers, who help us run our business operations
Insurers and towing providers, where relevant to your vehicle
Professional advisers such as accountants and legal advisers
Law enforcement, regulators, and courts, where required or authorised by law

We require our service providers to handle your personal information in a manner consistent with this policy and applicable privacy laws.

6. Overseas Disclosure

Some of the software and cloud service providers we use may store or process data outside Australia. Where this is the case, we take reasonable steps to ensure those providers handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles or equivalent protections.

7. Direct Marketing

From time to time, we may contact you with service reminders, news, or promotional offers relevant to your vehicle. We will only do so where we have your consent or where it is otherwise permitted by law, including the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by:

Clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send
Replying "STOP" to any SMS we send
Contacting us directly using the details in section 12

Opting out of marketing does not affect essential communications about a booking or service you have with us.

8. Cookies, Tracking, and Website Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to help the site function correctly, understand how visitors use it, and improve the user experience. Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website.

We may use:

Essential cookies, which are required for core site features such as the online booking form
Analytics cookies, such as those provided by Google Analytics, which help us understand site usage on an aggregated basis
Advertising and remarketing cookies, which may be used to show relevant ads to people who have previously visited our website

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling some cookies may affect how the website works for you.

Our site may also contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to read their privacy policies.

9. Storage and Security

We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, and disclosure. These steps include:

Access controls on our workshop management and booking systems
Secure, password-protected storage for electronic records
Physical security of our premises and paper records
Use of reputable third-party providers for payment processing, hosting, and IT services

We retain personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law (for example, to meet taxation record-keeping obligations). When we no longer need your personal information, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.

10. Accessing and Correcting Your Information

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to ask us to correct it if you believe it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, or misleading.

To make a request, please contact us using the details in section 12. We may ask you to verify your identity before providing access. Where we are entitled to charge a reasonable fee for providing access (for example, for compiling a large volume of records), we will let you know in advance.

If we decline a request, we will explain our reasons and the steps you can take if you disagree with our decision.

11. Complaints

If you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or mishandled your personal information, please contact us first using the details in section 12. We take privacy concerns seriously and will respond to your complaint within a reasonable time, typically within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992
Post: GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this policy, or about how we handle your personal information, please contact us:

German Service Shop
109–111 Dryburgh Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051
Phone: (03) 9328 8458
Email: service@germanserviceshop.com.au

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. The current version will always be available on our website, with the "Last updated" date at the top. We encourage you to review it periodically.