Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 17, 2026

The Car Department ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website www.thecardepartment.com and its associated online store, educational content, courses, features, and services (collectively, the "Services").

Our online store is powered by Shopify, which enables us to offer and process purchases of our digital educational products.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and disclose your personal information when you visit our website, purchase or access our online courses, create an account, or otherwise interact with our Services.

If there is a conflict between our Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy regarding the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information, this Privacy Policy will control.

Please review this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our privacy practices.

1. Personal Information We Collect

"Personal information" refers to information that identifies you or can reasonably be associated with you. It does not include information that has been anonymized or de-identified so that it can no longer reasonably identify you.

Depending on how you interact with our Services, we may collect or process the following categories of information:

• Contact Information: Your name, email address, phone number, billing address, and other contact details you provide.

• Account Information: Your account credentials, account identifiers, preferences, and settings associated with your account.

• Purchase and Transaction Information: Courses purchased, order history, purchase dates, transaction amounts, payment confirmations, and refund information.

• Payment Information: Billing details and payment-related information necessary to process transactions. Payment card information may be collected and processed by Shopify and our authorized payment service providers.

• Course Enrollment and Learning Activity: Information associated with your course enrollments, course access, lesson progress, course completion, quiz results, and other educational activity, where these features are supported by our learning platform.

• Communications: Information you provide when contacting us, submitting inquiries, requesting support, or communicating with our team.

• Device and Technical Information: Your IP address, browser type, device information, operating system, network connection, and similar technical identifiers.

• Website Usage Information: Information about how you interact with our website and Services, including pages visited, courses viewed, navigation activity, and interactions with our content.

The information collected may vary depending on the features and third-party services used to operate our website and educational platform.

2. How We Collect Personal Information

We may collect personal information from the following sources:

• Directly from You: When you create an account, purchase a course, enroll in training, contact customer support, or voluntarily provide information.

• Automatically: Through cookies, analytics tools, and similar technologies when you browse our website or interact with our Services.

• Service Providers: Including Shopify, payment processors, course-hosting platforms, and technology providers that support our operations.

• Business Partners and Other Third Parties: When necessary to provide our Services or support authorized business activities.

3. How We Use Your Personal Information

We use personal information for legitimate business purposes, including:

Providing and Managing Our Services

We use your information to:

• Process purchases and payments.

• Create and maintain student accounts.

• Provide access to purchased courses and educational materials.

• Track enrollment, learning progress, and course completion where applicable.

• Deliver order confirmations and account notifications.

• Process refund requests and resolve billing issues.

• Maintain and improve the functionality of our educational platform.

• Personalize your experience and recommend relevant educational content.

Customer Support and Communication

We may use your information to respond to questions, provide technical assistance, resolve account issues, and communicate important information regarding your purchases or access to our Services.

Marketing and Advertising

We may use personal information to communicate information about new courses, educational resources, promotions, and other offerings from The Car Department.

Marketing communications may be delivered through email or other communication methods where permitted by applicable law and your communication preferences.

We may also use website activity and related information to display personalized advertisements through Shopify and supported advertising services.

You may unsubscribe from promotional emails at any time using the unsubscribe link included in those communications.

Security and Fraud Prevention

We use personal information to protect our website, accounts, transactions, and Services against fraud, unauthorized access, misuse, and other potentially harmful activity.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and should not share your login information with unauthorized individuals.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

We may use or disclose personal information when necessary to comply with applicable laws, respond to valid legal requests, resolve disputes, investigate potential violations of our policies, or protect our legal rights.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website may use cookies, pixels, analytics tools, and similar technologies to operate our Services and improve the browsing experience.

These technologies may help us:

• Maintain website functionality and security.

• Remember account and browsing preferences.

• Understand website traffic and visitor interactions.

• Analyze the effectiveness of our courses, content, and marketing.

• Deliver relevant advertising, where permitted.

Some cookies are essential to website functionality, while others may be used for analytics, personalization, or advertising.

Depending on your location, you may have options to accept, reject, or manage certain cookies through our website's privacy controls or your browser settings.

5. How We Disclose Personal Information

We may disclose personal information to third parties when reasonably necessary to operate our business, provide our Services, or fulfill legal obligations.

These parties may include:

• Shopify: Our ecommerce platform provider, which supports our online store, checkout, transactions, and related services.

• Payment Service Providers: Companies that securely process payments, refunds, and related transactions.

• Course Delivery and Hosting Providers: Third-party platforms that may host educational content, manage student accounts, or track learning activity.

• Technology and Analytics Providers: Companies that support website hosting, performance monitoring, security, analytics, and other operational functions.

• Marketing and Advertising Partners: Companies that assist with advertising, promotional communications, and marketing performance measurement.

• Professional Service Providers: Including legal, accounting, and other authorized business service providers when necessary.

• Legal Authorities: When disclosure is required or permitted by applicable law.

We may also disclose information when you request or authorize us to do so, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or other business transaction.

Third-party providers may process personal information according to their applicable agreements and privacy practices.

6. Our Relationship with Shopify

The Car Department uses Shopify to operate its online store.

Shopify collects and processes certain personal information related to your access to and use of our Services to provide, maintain, and improve its platform.

Information submitted through our store may be processed by Shopify and its authorized service providers, including providers located in countries other than your country of residence.

We also use certain Shopify enhanced features that may incorporate information from your interactions with our store, other merchants, and Shopify to support business improvement, personalization, and advertising.

When Shopify independently processes information for these enhanced features, Shopify is responsible for that processing and for responding to applicable privacy rights requests relating to those activities.

For more information, please review the Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy.

You may also learn about your privacy rights and available choices through the Shopify Privacy Portal.

7. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to external websites, applications, educational resources, or platforms operated by third parties.

These services may have separate privacy policies and terms governing how they collect and process your information.

We encourage you to review the privacy practices of any third-party website or service before providing personal information.

The Car Department is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of websites and services that we do not own or control, except as required by applicable law.

8. Children's Privacy

Our Services are intended primarily for individuals seeking professional development, automotive industry training, and related educational resources.

Our Services are not directed toward children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of majority in their jurisdiction.

If you are a parent or legal guardian and believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can review the situation and take appropriate action.

As of the effective date of this Privacy Policy, we do not have actual knowledge that we sell or share, as those terms are defined under applicable law, the personal information of individuals under 16 years of age.

9. Information Security and Retention

We take reasonable measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or misuse.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Maintain student accounts and provide access to purchased courses.

• Support educational progress and account functionality.

• Fulfill purchases and maintain transaction records.

• Comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.

• Resolve disputes and enforce our policies.

• Protect our Services against fraud and misuse.

Retention periods may vary based on the type of information, its purpose, and applicable legal requirements.

When information is no longer required, we may delete or de-identify it in accordance with applicable law and our operational practices.

10. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

Depending on your location and applicable privacy laws, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information.

These rights may include:

• Access: Request information about the personal information we maintain about you.

• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate personal information.

• Deletion: Request deletion of personal information, subject to applicable exceptions.

• Data Portability: Request a copy of certain personal information in an available and legally required format.

• Marketing Preferences: Opt out of promotional communications.

• Advertising and Data Sharing: Opt out of certain uses or disclosures of personal information for targeted advertising, where applicable.

You may submit applicable data-sharing opt-out requests through our Data Sharing Opt-Out Page.

Depending on your jurisdiction, we may also recognize Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as requests to opt out of certain data-sharing activities.

When applicable, Shopify may associate these requests with your browser, device, or Shopify account.

Other browser-based "Do Not Track" signals may not be recognized.

You can learn more about Global Privacy Control at https://globalprivacycontrol.org/.

To exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at info@thecardepartment.com.

We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests and may decline requests where permitted by applicable law.

Where required, you may authorize another person to submit a privacy request on your behalf, subject to appropriate verification.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising your applicable privacy rights.

11. Marketing Communication Preferences

If you receive promotional emails from The Car Department, you may unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link provided in those messages.

Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not prevent us from sending necessary transactional or administrative communications, including purchase confirmations, account notifications, course-access information, and important service updates.

12. International Data Transfers

Personal information may be transferred to, stored in, or processed in countries other than the country where you reside.

These countries may have privacy and data protection laws that differ from those in your jurisdiction.

Where required by applicable law, international transfers will be subject to recognized data protection mechanisms, such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses, applicable United Kingdom transfer mechanisms, or other legally recognized safeguards.

13. Privacy Complaints and Requests

If you have concerns about how your personal information is collected, used, or processed, please contact us.

We will review privacy-related inquiries and respond in accordance with applicable law.

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may also have the right to appeal certain privacy-related decisions or submit a complaint to an appropriate data protection authority.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes to our Services, technology providers, business practices, or applicable legal requirements.

When changes are made, we will update the "Last updated" date at the beginning of this policy.

We may also provide additional notice when required by applicable law.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

15. Contact Information

For questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or requests concerning your personal information, please contact:

The Car Department

Website: www.thecardepartment.com

Email: info@thecardepartment.com