Privacy policy

Introduction

Welcome to Total Loss Toolkit. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains our practices regarding data collection and your rights as a user.

Our service helps vehicle owners obtain independent valuation reports for insurance negotiations. We take the sensitivity of vehicle-related data seriously and have implemented measures to protect your information.

Information We Collect

When You Request a Report

You don't need an account to request a report. When you start one, we collect:

• Email address - to send your report and related emails
• Vehicle details - your VIN and mileage
• ZIP code - to find comparable vehicles near you

Account Information

If you create an account with us, we also collect:

• Name (first and last)
• Email address
• Password (stored securely using industry-standard encryption)

Vehicle Information

To provide valuation reports, we collect:

• Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) - We recognize that VINs are sensitive data as they can be linked to personal vehicle ownership records and may reveal information about your vehicle and insurance claims
• Vehicle Mileage - This data is not considered sensitive or private but is handled in the same manner as VIN data

Technical Information

We automatically collect certain information when you use our service:

• IP addresses - Used for security, fraud prevention, and general analytics
• Usage data and analytics - We use an analytics tool to collect information about how you interact with our website, including pages visited, features used, and time spent on our platform
• Session recordings - Our analytics tool may record how you move through our pages (clicks, scrolling and the page content you see, which can include your report) so we can find and fix problems. Anything you type into a form field is hidden from these recordings

Payment Information

We do not directly collect or store payment information. All payment processing is handled securely by:

• Our payment processor - a third-party payment company that collects and processes payment card information under its own privacy policy and PCI-DSS compliance standards

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To Provide Our Services

• Generate independent vehicle valuation reports using VIN data
• Access premium vehicle data through our third-party API providers
• Maintain and manage your user account
• Process your payments through our payment processors

To Improve Our Services

• Analyze usage patterns to enhance user experience
• Monitor and improve platform performance
• Develop new features and services

To Communicate With You

• Send service-related notifications (report delivery, account updates)
• Respond to your inquiries and support requests
• Provide customer service

Reminder and Marketing Emails

• When you start a report or request one of our free resources, we tell you on that form that we will email you related resources and occasional offers
• This can include reminders if you start a report and don't finish it, and guides related to your total loss claim
• Every one of these emails has an unsubscribe link, and you can unsubscribe at any time

How We Protect Your Information

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement multiple layers of protection:

Data Storage

• All user data is stored with a secure cloud database provider
• Data is transmitted using industry-standard SSL/TLS encryption

Access Controls

• Our database uses access rules so that customers can only reach their own reports
• Only authorized personnel have access to user information on a need-to-know basis
• Report links we email you contain a private code and stop working after 7 days

Security Measures

• Security reviews of our code, with issues fixed as they are found
• Password protection using secure hashing algorithms
• Payment notifications are verified before a report is released

VIN Data Protection

Because VINs are considered sensitive personal identifiers that can be linked to vehicle ownership:

• VINs are shared with the vehicle data providers needed to generate your report, and are recorded by our analytics provider as part of how we measure and fix the report process
• We do not sell or share VIN data with third parties for marketing purposes

Please note: While we implement robust security measures, no method of electronic storage or internet transmission is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but continuously work to protect your information.

Data Sharing and Third Parties

Third-Party Service Providers

We share information with the service providers who help us run the site. Each receives only what it needs for its job and operates under its own privacy policy:

• Database and file storage - stores your account, report details and report files
• Website hosting - runs our website and processes requests to it, including technical logs
• Vehicle data providers - receive your VIN, mileage and ZIP code to build your report
• Payment processor - handles all payment transactions. We do not have access to your full payment card details, and our payment processor maintains PCI-DSS compliance
• Email service - receives your email address, your vehicle's year, make and model, your state, and links to your report, to send report and reminder emails
• Analytics and session recordings - receives usage data, the addresses of pages you visit (which can include report links), and for customers your email address and VIN
• File scanning and AI services - only if you upload an insurer report for a free check; see Insurer Report Checks below

To see the names of the companies we use for each of these, email support@totallosstoolkit.com and we will send you the current list.

What We Don't Do

• We do not sell your personal information to third parties
• We do not share your VIN data for marketing purposes
• We do not provide your information to data brokers

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, such as:

• In response to valid legal processes (subpoenas, court orders)
• To protect our rights, property, or safety
• To prevent fraud or security threats

Data Retention

Today, we keep your report details, account information and payment records until you ask us to delete them. We do not yet delete these automatically on a schedule.

Asking Us to Delete Your Data

• Email support@totallosstoolkit.com and we will delete your account, reports and related personal information within 30 days
• We will also remove you from our email lists and delete your data held by our analytics provider
• Some records may be kept where the law requires it (e.g., transaction records for tax compliance)
• Backups may retain data for up to 90 days before permanent deletion

Uploaded Insurer Reports

• Uploaded documents follow a shorter, fixed schedule: see Insurer Report Checks below

Insurer Report Checks

If you upload your insurer's total-loss valuation report for a free check, we handle it as follows:

• What we collect: the document you upload, your email address, and any note you add.
• Security scan: before we open it, the uploaded file is scanned for malware by a third-party scanning service.
• Removing personal details: before the document is processed by any artificial intelligence (AI) tool, our software is designed to remove personal identifying information, including names, street addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, policy numbers and claim numbers. Automated removal may not catch every detail in every document layout. Vehicle information, including the vehicle identification number (VIN), is kept for the review.
• AI processing: the redacted document is read by an AI tool from a third-party AI provider to extract the insurer's figures. The checks themselves are carried out by our own software, and our team reviews each report before it is sent to you.
• Storage: the document is stored privately and is never made public.
• Deletion: the uploaded document and our copy of the report are deleted within 90 days of submission, or sooner if you email support@totallosstoolkit.com. We keep a de-identified record of the checks performed, which cannot be linked to you.
• We do not use your document for marketing, and we do not sell it.

Your Privacy Rights

You have important rights regarding your personal information:

Right to Access

• You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Contact us through our website contact form to request your data

Right to Correction

• Contact us and we will correct any information that is wrong

Right to Deletion

• You can request deletion of your personal information
• To delete your account and data, email support@totallosstoolkit.com (there is no self-service deletion in your account yet)
• Note: Some information may be retained for legal compliance purposes

Right to Opt-Out

• You can opt-out of marketing communications at any time
• You can request that we stop processing your data for certain purposes

California Residents (CCPA Rights)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to know whether personal information is sold or disclosed
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (note: we do not sell personal information)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights

To Exercise Your Rights: Submit a request through our contact form on the website. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Children's Privacy

Our service is designed for vehicle owners and insurance claimants. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 16. By using our service, you confirm that you are at least 16 years of age.

If we discover that we have inadvertently collected information from someone under 16, we will promptly delete that information. If you believe we may have collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately through our contact form.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors.

When We Make Changes:

• We will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this policy
• We will update the version number
• For significant changes, we will notify you via email or through a prominent notice on our website
• Your continued use of our service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Contact: Contact Us

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 5-7 business days.