Effective July 25, 2026
1. Who this policy covers
Simplified Auto LLC, doing business as Simplified Auto (“Simplified Auto,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), provides consumer automotive education, Deal Reviews, vehicle-shopping assistance, commercial vehicle procurement, fleet-management services, and services that may in the future require an automotive license or endorsement.
This policy applies to information collected through simplified-auto.com and related interactions with people in the United States. It does not represent that every service is available in every state. Nothing in this policy states that Simplified Auto is currently subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act or that Simplified Auto presently holds a particular auto-broker license. Service availability and any licensing-dependent activity must be confirmed separately.
2. Information we may collect
The information collected depends on the request, service, and tools used. It may include:
- Name, email address, telephone number, company name, job title, and preferred contact method
- Messages, inquiry details, appointments, scheduling information, and communications with Simplified Auto
- Vehicle year, make, model, trim, VIN, license plate, mileage, condition, dealer or seller information, and uploaded documents
- Vehicle pricing, down payment, trade-in value and payoff, loan term, interest rate, estimated credit range or score, monthly payment, and fees
- Warranty, service-contract, finance-and-insurance product, maintenance, repair-estimate, and service-recommendation information
- Fleet vehicles, driver names and contact information, maintenance records, telematics, vehicle-location information, accidents, claims, and insurance information
- Website usage, IP address, browser, device, cookie, preference, attribution, and analytics information
- Payment and billing information processed by third-party payment providers
Sensitive information in documents
Documents may unintentionally contain sensitive information. Simplified Auto does not intentionally request Social Security numbers, online-banking credentials, full bank-account numbers, full payment-card numbers, complete credit applications, or full driver’s-license numbers through ordinary public website forms. Please remove information that is not necessary for the requested review.
Payments
Payment-card information will generally be entered directly into a third-party payment provider’s service. Simplified Auto does not intend to store full payment-card numbers.
3. How information may be collected
- Contact, Deal Review, vehicle-shopping, commercial, and fleet inquiry forms
- Documents a customer chooses to provide through an approved secure method
- Email, telephone calls, text messages, video consultations, and customer-service interactions
- Scheduling tools such as Google Calendar and payment providers when those tools are used
- Essential browser storage, approved analytics, cookies, and consented embedded media
- Future customer portals, live-chat tools, or chatbots if they are introduced with updated controls
- Dealers, lenders, repair facilities, transporters, inspectors, telematics providers, and other service providers when authorized by the customer or reasonably necessary for a requested service
4. How information may be used
- Respond to inquiries and provide customer support
- Provide Deal Reviews, vehicle-shopping assistance, commercial vehicle procurement, and fleet-management services
- Coordinate with dealerships, sellers, lenders, repair facilities, maintenance vendors, inspectors, transporters, registration providers, and other authorized providers
- Review pricing, financing, trade-ins, fees, warranties, service contracts, maintenance, repairs, and vehicle or fleet operating information
- Schedule appointments, process payments, and send service-related communications
- Prevent fraud, protect the website and business, maintain records, and improve services
- Create anonymized educational content only with the separate permission described below
- Send promotional email or SMS only when the applicable optional consent has been provided
- Comply with legal, tax, accounting, licensing, insurance, contractual, and regulatory obligations
5. How information may be shared
Simplified Auto does not sell personal information or customer lead lists. Information may be shared only as reasonably necessary to perform a requested service, with customer authorization, to operate and protect the business, or for legitimate legal and professional purposes.
Depending on the requested service and tools actually used, recipient categories may include:
- Dealerships, vehicle sellers, lenders, finance providers, repair and maintenance facilities, inspectors, transporters, registration services, insurers, telematics providers, and fleet-technology providers
- Payment processors, electronic-signature services, scheduling providers, CRM providers, email providers, and SMS providers
- Website and cloud providers, which may include Cloudflare, GitHub, HubSpot, Google Workspace, Google Drive, Google Calendar, or Google Forms when the applicable service is actually used
- Approved analytics providers if analytics is later enabled with the required cookie preference
- Accountants, attorneys, insurers, government agencies, and other parties when reasonably necessary for professional, legal, or regulatory purposes
- Future employees and contractors who have a legitimate business need for access and are subject to appropriate access restrictions or confidentiality obligations
Providers may operate from different geographic locations. We seek to limit access to information reasonably necessary for the provider’s role. Information may also be transferred as part of a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, or sale of some or all business assets, subject to applicable law.
6. AI-assisted and automation tools
Simplified Auto may use AI-assisted or automation tools to organize, summarize, review, or draft materials. We take reasonable steps to remove unnecessary sensitive information before submitting information to an external AI service. Customers should still avoid sending information that is not needed for the request. Simplified Auto does not use customer information to train proprietary AI models.
7. Calls, meetings, and recordings
Calls, meetings, video consultations, and screen-sharing sessions will not be recorded unless participants are notified and consent before recording begins. When a recording is authorized, the notice will identify its purpose and intended use.
8. Deal Review videos and educational content
A customer may submit a deal for private review. Public use requires a separate choice that is not preselected. The available choices are “Private review only,” “Anonymous public video review,” and “Public video review using first name only.” An approved public review may appear on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Simplified Auto website articles, or other Simplified Auto social channels.
Simplified Auto will not publicly show a customer’s full name, email, phone number, home address, signature, account number, Social Security number, full driver’s-license number, or other sensitive information without separate express permission. Selecting a public option does not eliminate Simplified Auto’s obligation to review and redact the material before publication.
9. Service communications and optional marketing
Submitting a form allows Simplified Auto to respond about that inquiry and send communications reasonably necessary to manage a requested or active service. Promotional email and promotional SMS choices are separate, optional, and unchecked by default. Email recipients may use the unsubscribe instruction in a message. SMS recipients may reply STOP to opt out or HELP for help. Marketing consent is not a condition of purchase.
10. Fleet information
Fleet customers may provide company contacts, vehicle lists, VINs, license plates, driver names and contact information, maintenance and accident records, insurance information, telematics information, and vehicle-location data. This information is used to provide fleet management, procurement, reporting, maintenance coordination, replacement planning, and related services.
Simplified Auto does not currently state that it collects driver motor-vehicle records. If that feature is implemented later, the applicable authorization, provider, security, and disclosure requirements will be addressed before collection begins.
11. Cookies, browser storage, and tracking
The website uses essential browser storage to support core operation, security, attribution related to a submitted request, and storage of privacy choices. Analytics, advertising, and nonessential embedded media remain disabled until the visitor allows the applicable category where technically feasible.
The preference tool is designed to support future services such as Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Ads, Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel, Microsoft Clarity, Yelp tracking, call tracking, embedded YouTube or Google Maps, and social-media widgets. Listing a service here does not mean it is currently active. The controls and this policy will be updated when material practices change.
The website may not respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals because there is no universally accepted standard. Visitors may use and their browser settings. When a browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, nonessential categories remain off by default unless the visitor makes another choice.
12. Retention
Our default retention schedules are:
- General inquiries that do not become customers: up to 24 months
- Deal Review and vehicle-shopping files: up to 4 years
- Fleet-management and transaction records: up to 7 years
- Marketing contact information: until the person unsubscribes or the information is no longer reasonably needed
- Recordings, when separately authorized: only as long as reasonably necessary for the stated purpose
Information may be retained longer when reasonably necessary for legal, tax, accounting, licensing, insurance, fraud-prevention, dispute, contractual, enforcement, or legal-rights purposes. Backup systems may temporarily retain deleted information until ordinary backup cycles expire.
13. Data security
Simplified Auto uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the information and current operations. Depending on the system, safeguards may include password management, multi-factor authentication, access controls, restricted folders, encrypted cloud services, vetted service providers, separately assigned user accounts, confidentiality obligations, and periodic access review.
No online system can guarantee absolute security. Do not send sensitive information that is not reasonably necessary. If a separate secure credit or financing form is introduced, it will be treated as a separate security, consent, and legal-review project.
14. Privacy requests and choices
You may ask to access information, correct information, delete information, withdraw marketing consent, or learn more about how your information is used. Rights vary by location, and this policy does not limit rights provided by applicable law.
Submit a request to shawn@simplified-auto.com or call (949) 885-8052. We may need to verify your identity before providing, correcting, or deleting information. Some records may be retained when required or reasonably necessary for legal, tax, accounting, licensing, insurance, fraud-prevention, dispute, or contractual reasons. We will respond within a reasonable period after verifying the request.
Additional instructions are available on Your Privacy Choices.
15. Children
The website and services are intended for adults and are not directed to children under 13. Simplified Auto does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Anyone under 18 should use the services only with the involvement of a parent or legal guardian. A parent or guardian may contact Simplified Auto to request deletion of information submitted by a child.
16. Third-party links and embedded content
The website may contain links to or consent-controlled embedded content from dealerships, lenders, repair providers, Google, YouTube, Instagram, Yelp, social platforms, and other third parties. Those parties have their own privacy practices. Simplified Auto is not responsible for their privacy policies or independent practices.
17. Policy changes and contact
This policy may be updated as the company, services, tools, and legal obligations change. Material changes will be shown by updating the effective date. When appropriate, active customers may also receive direct notice.
Privacy questions may be sent to Simplified Auto LLC, doing business as Simplified Auto, at shawn@simplified-auto.com or (949) 885-8052. Simplified Auto publishes a service area rather than a residential address.