Privacy notice

1. Who we are

Zhai Auto (Pty) Ltd (registration number 2018/385923/07), trading as Zhai Auto, is the responsible party for the personal information described in this notice.

Address

78 York Street, George Central, George, 6530

Phone

044 873 2583

Information Officer

Hilton Cook, Dealer Principal and Director

Email

[email protected]

2. What this notice covers

This notice applies to personal information you give us through this website, including our enquiry, test drive, finance, trade-in, service, parts and contact forms, and through the WhatsApp, phone and email links on the site. It also covers information collected automatically when you use the website.

3. The information we collect

• Contact details: your name, surname, email address and mobile number.
• Enquiry details: the vehicle you are interested in, preferred dates and times, and any message you send us.
• Trade-in details: the make, model, year, mileage, finance status and photos of the vehicle you want to trade in.
• Service and parts details: your vehicle's registration number, VIN, mileage and the work or parts you need.
• Finance details: information you give us for a finance application, such as your employment status and planned deposit. If you go ahead, the bank or finance house will ask you for further information and documents.
• Website usage information: your device and browser type, the pages you visit, how you arrived at the site and, where cookies are used, identifiers set by analytics and advertising tools (see section 9).

We do not ask for special personal information (such as health, religion or biometric information) through this website. Please do not include it in your messages.

4. Why we use your information

• To respond to your enquiry, and to arrange test drives, viewings, valuations, service bookings and parts orders.
• To prepare and submit a vehicle finance application to banks or finance houses, when you ask us to.
• To send you offers and news about our vehicles and services, but only if you have ticked the marketing box (see section 8).
• To understand how the website is used, keep it secure and measure the performance of our advertising.
• To meet our legal and regulatory obligations.

We process your information because you have given consent, because it is needed to take steps you have asked for before entering into a contract (for example, a vehicle purchase or service), because we have a legitimate interest in responding to and following up on enquiries, or because the law requires it.

5. Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal information. We only share it where needed for the purposes above:

• Zhai Auto staff in sales, finance, service and parts who handle your request.
• Banks and finance houses, when you ask us to submit a finance application.
• Vehicle manufacturers and importers, where needed for warranty, service plans, roadside assistance or customer care.
• Service providers who act on our behalf (operators under POPIA), including our digital marketing agency (Conversion Advantage), website hosting, form processing and email providers, and analytics and advertising platforms such as Google and Meta. They may only use your information on our instructions and must keep it secure and confidential.
• Authorities, where the law requires us to.

6. Information sent outside South Africa

Some of our service providers, such as our website hosting, form processing and analytics providers, store or process information outside South Africa, including in the United States and the European Union. We only use providers that are subject to laws, binding corporate rules or agreements that give your information a level of protection similar to POPIA, as section 72 of POPIA requires.

7. How we protect and keep your information

This website uses an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. Access to your information is limited to the people who need it, and our service providers must apply appropriate security measures.

We keep enquiry information for as long as we need it to deal with your request and follow up with you, and for no longer than 24 months after our last contact, unless you buy a vehicle or use our services, in which case we keep the records the law requires (for example, for tax purposes). We then delete or de-identify it.

8. Marketing

We only send you marketing by email, SMS or WhatsApp if you tick the marketing box on our forms or otherwise agree to it. You can opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe link, replying STOP, or contacting us. Opting out does not affect replies to enquiries you have made.

9. Cookies, analytics and advertising

We use tools such as Google Analytics, Google Ads and the Meta Pixel to understand how visitors use the website and to measure and improve our advertising. These tools may set cookies or similar identifiers on your device and receive information about your visit. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, and manage ad personalisation in your Google and Meta account settings. The website will still work if you block cookies.

10. Your rights

Under POPIA you have the right to:

• ask whether we hold personal information about you, and request a copy of it;
• ask us to correct, update or delete your information;
• object to us processing your information, including for direct marketing;
• withdraw your consent at any time (this does not affect processing already done);
• lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

To make a request, contact our Information Officer using the details in section 1. We may need to confirm your identity first. Requests for access to records are handled in line with the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA).

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your information, you may complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa): inforegulator.org.za.

11. Children

This website is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.

12. Changes to this notice

We may update this notice from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated.