Legal
Privacy Policy
1. Overview & scope
This Privacy Policy explains how The Auto Lab (also referred to as “Auto Lab,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you visit theautolabphilly.com (the “Site”), contact us, schedule an appointment, receive automotive services, or otherwise interact with our business. It also describes your privacy rights and how to exercise them.
By using the Site or providing information to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site or provide information to us.
2. Information we collect
We collect information in three general ways: what you give us, what we collect automatically, and what we receive from third parties.
2.1 Information you give us
- Contact & identity information: name, email address, phone number, and mailing or service address when you submit a form, schedule an appointment, request a callback, or request a quick estimate.
- Vehicle information: year, make, model, VIN, mileage, license plate, and the condition/damage description you provide.
- Photos: images of your vehicle you upload for estimate or intake purposes.
- Service records: estimates, invoices, parts, labor, insurance claim references, and notes from your visit.
- Communications: the content of any messages, emails, voicemails, or SMS you send us.
- Payment information: processed by our third-party payment processor. We do not store your full card number on our systems.
2.2 Information collected automatically
- Device & log data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, time on page, and timestamps.
- Cookies & similar technologies: small data files placed on your device to remember preferences, recognize return visitors, and measure site performance. See Section 5.
- Approximate location: inferred from IP address for service-area relevance. We do not collect precise GPS location from the Site.
2.3 Information from third parties
- Insurance carriers & adjusters: claim numbers, coverage terms, and photos/documentation shared with your authorization.
- Referral partners: dealerships, fleet managers, or body-shop referrers who send you to us.
- Service providers: form-processing, analytics, hosting, and messaging vendors listed in Section 6.
3. How we use your information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes, each with a lawful basis:
- To provide services — schedule intake, perform estimates, complete repair and detailing work, order parts, coordinate with insurance, and deliver your vehicle.
- To communicate with you — confirm appointments, send status updates, respond to inquiries, request reviews, share invoices, and provide service reminders.
- To improve our service — analyze site traffic, measure conversion, and refine our workflow and AI-assisted damage scans.
- To protect our business — prevent fraud, secure our systems, enforce our Terms & Conditions, and comply with law.
- To meet legal obligations — retain records for tax, warranty, regulatory, and insurance-compliance purposes.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
4. SMS / text messaging & A2P 10DLC consent
By providing your mobile number and checking the consent box on any form on this Site, you expressly consent to receive text messages (SMS/MMS) from The Auto Lab. This section summarizes the material terms of our messaging program and constitutes our A2P 10DLC-compliant disclosure.
4.1 Program description
The Auto Lab sends transactional and customer-service text messages, including: appointment confirmations and reminders, status updates on your vehicle, estimate notifications, photo request prompts, delivery notifications, invoice-ready alerts, and occasional service reminders or satisfaction follow-ups.
4.2 Message frequency
Message frequency varies based on your interaction with us. Expect approximately 2–10 messages per service event and occasional periodic updates.
4.3 Carrier fees
Message and data rates may apply. Messages are sent via your mobile carrier; we are not responsible for any fees your carrier charges you for sending or receiving SMS/MMS messages.
4.4 Opt-in
You opt in by (a) checking the SMS consent box on any form on this Site, (b) texting us first, or (c) providing your mobile number in person and confirming opt-in at that time. A copy of the consent language you agreed to is retained with your record.
4.5 How to stop messages (opt-out)
You can opt out at any time. Reply STOP to any message you receive from us. After sending STOP, you will receive one confirmation message and then no further messages. You may also opt out by contacting us at the details in Section 14.
4.6 Getting help
For help, reply HELP to any message from us, or contact us at info@theautolabphilly.com or 1-800-288-6522 (1-800-AUTOLAB).
4.7 Supported carriers
Supported in the U.S. on major carriers including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, Boost, U.S. Cellular, Metro PCS, Virgin Mobile, Cricket, Alltel, and most MVNOs. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
4.8 Privacy of SMS data
We do not share your mobile opt-in data or phone number with any third party or affiliate for marketing or promotional purposes. Information you share in SMS conversations is treated under this Privacy Policy. The only third parties that process your phone number are our messaging infrastructure providers (e.g., Twilio), solely to deliver messages on our behalf.
4.9 Updates to the SMS program
If we materially change our SMS program (type, frequency, or content of messages), we will notify you and require fresh consent where required by law.
7. Data retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, plus reasonable archival and legal-hold periods. Typical retention windows:
- Service records (repair history, invoices, estimates): 7 years to meet warranty, tax, and insurance obligations.
- Vehicle photos: up to 3 years unless a claim remains open.
- Marketing communications: until you unsubscribe.
- SMS opt-in records: for the duration of your consent plus a reasonable audit period.
- Website analytics: aggregated, typically up to 26 months.
8. Security
We implement administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the information we hold, including HTTPS in transit, access controls on internal systems, limited personnel access, and prompt patching of critical vulnerabilities. No system is perfectly secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.
9. Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct inaccurate information.
- Delete information we no longer need.
- Portability — receive a copy in a portable format.
- Opt out of marketing communications or SMS messages.
- Non-discrimination for exercising your rights.
- Appeal a denied request where required by state law.
To exercise any right, email us at info@theautolabphilly.com with the subject line “Privacy Request.” We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law (generally 30–45 days).
10. California residents (CCPA/CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act:
- Right to know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and (we do not sell) share.
- Right to delete personal information, subject to exceptions.
- Right to correct inaccurate personal information.
- Right to limit use of sensitive personal information.
- Right to opt out of sale or sharing (we do not sell or share for cross-context behavioral advertising).
- Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights.
Categories of personal information collected in the last 12 months: identifiers; customer records; commercial information (service history); internet/network activity (Site usage); geolocation (approximate); inferences; and (with your permission) vehicle photographs. Sources and purposes are described in Sections 2–3.
Do Not Sell or Share / Limit Use of Sensitive Information: We do not sell your personal information and do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes beyond those permitted by the CCPA (e.g., to provide goods or services requested).
To exercise CCPA rights, email info@theautolabphilly.com with “CCPA Request.” We will verify your identity reasonably before responding. Authorized agents may act on your behalf with signed permission.
11. Other U.S. state rights
If you reside in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa, Delaware, New Jersey, New Hampshire, or another state with a comprehensive consumer privacy law, you may have rights substantially similar to those described in Section 9 (access, correct, delete, portability, opt-out of sale/targeted advertising). Exercise them by emailing info@theautolabphilly.com. We will respond within the window required by your state’s law and, where applicable, honor your right to appeal a denied request.
12. Children
The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it promptly.
13. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top. For material changes affecting how we process your information, we will provide prominent notice (e.g., via email or an on-Site banner) and obtain fresh consent where required.
14. Contact us
Questions, requests, or complaints? Reach us:
- Email: info@theautolabphilly.com
- Phone (toll-free): 1-800-288-6522 (1-800-AUTOLAB)
- Mail: The Auto Lab — Privacy Requests, 120 E Baltimore Ave, Lansdowne, PA 19050
Please see also our Terms & Conditions.