Privacy Policy

01Who we are and what this policy covers

Downtown Transmissions is a family-owned transmission shop at 631 S State Rd 7, Plantation, FL 33317. In this policy, "we," "us," and "our" mean Downtown Transmissions. "You" means anyone who visits downtowntrans.com or contacts us through it.

This policy explains what information our website collects, why we collect it, who helps us handle it, how long we keep it, and the choices you have. It does not cover websites run by other companies, even when we link to them.

02Information you give us

Most of what we know about you comes straight from you. Here is what each part of the site asks for:

• Contact and booking form: your name, phone number, vehicle, and message. Your email address is optional. Each form is emailed to the shop and saved so we can follow up with you.
• Online transmission preorders: your name, email, phone number, the vehicle's VIN, year, make, model, and engine, the drive type, any notes you add, and either a shipping address or your choice to pick up at the shop.
• Unfinished preorders: once you type your email into the preorder form, we save what you have entered so far (your name, email, phone, the units in your cart, and any VIN or vehicle details) even if you do not send it. That lets you finish later from a link in a reminder email, and lets the shop call you if you asked about a unit.
• Chat assistant: anything you type into the chat. If you give the assistant your name and phone number, it saves them as a request for us to call you back. The next section explains how the chat works.
• Emails and phone calls: if you email or call us, we receive whatever you decide to share, such as your contact details, your vehicle, and the problem you are having.

Please do not send card numbers, Social Security numbers, or passwords through our forms, the chat, or email. We never need them there.

03The AI chat assistant

Every page has a chat assistant that answers common transmission questions. It runs on Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic. When you send a message, the conversation is sent to Anthropic so it can write a reply for us. Anthropic handles those messages as our service provider.

We store a copy of each chat and email the transcript to the shop, so a real person can read it and follow up when needed. If you give the assistant your name and phone number, it saves them as a callback request.

While your browser tab stays open, the chat window keeps the current conversation in your browser's session storage, so it does not vanish when you move between pages. Closing the tab clears it from your browser.

The assistant can make mistakes. What it tells you is general information. It is not a diagnosis and it is not a price quote. Please keep sensitive personal details out of the chat.

04Technical information, cookies, and browser storage

Like every website, ours receives some technical details each time your browser loads a page: your IP address, your browser and device type, the page requested, and the time. Our hosting provider, Netlify, uses these to deliver the site and may keep them in short-term server logs for security and troubleshooting.

Our servers also check IP addresses for a short time to slow down spam and abuse on the contact form, the chat, and the order form. We do not use them to build a profile of you.

Some pages, like our home page and contact page, show a map from OpenStreetMap. The map loads from openstreetmap.org, so OpenStreetMap receives your IP address and browser details when you view it, the same as any website you visit.

Here is everything the site stores in your browser:

• Shopping cart: the units you add are saved only in your own browser, using local storage. Nothing in the cart reaches us until you submit a preorder. Emptying the cart or clearing your browser data removes it.
• Chat window: the open conversation is kept in session storage, as explained above.
• Staff login: shop staff use one cookie to stay signed in to the shop's private admin area. Regular visitors never get this cookie.

We do not use advertising cookies, cross-site tracking, analytics services, or tracking pixels today. If we ever add analytics, we will update this policy first. Stripe and Snap Finance may use their own cookies on their own pages, for security and fraud prevention, when you visit them.

05How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Answer your questions and get back to you the way you asked.
• Schedule visits and look into the problem with your vehicle.
• Check your VIN, confirm the right transmission and price, and send your quote.
• Take payment, build your unit, arrange pickup or freight, and send order updates and tracking.
• Refund your core deposit after your old transmission comes back to us.
• Handle warranty claims and keep the records a warranty depends on.
• Keep the tax, accounting, and business records the law requires.
• Protect the site, our customers, and the shop from spam, fraud, and misuse.
• Improve our website and the chat assistant's answers, based on the questions people ask.

We will not use your information for a purpose unrelated to these without asking you first.

06Payments and financing

Online payments are handled by Stripe. Once we confirm your price, we email you a secure Stripe payment link. You enter your card on Stripe's own checkout page, so your card details go to Stripe and never to us. We never see or store your full card number.

Stripe tells us whether your payment went through and gives us a payment reference, which we keep with your order. We can also see basic details of the payment, such as the amount and date, in our Stripe account. Core deposit refunds are sent back through Stripe to the card you paid with. Stripe's privacy policy explains how Stripe handles payment data.

Financing is offered through Snap Finance, a separate company. If you apply, you give your application details to Snap Finance directly, and Snap Finance's own terms and privacy policy apply. Snap Finance may let us know whether you were approved and for how much, so we can complete your purchase. We do not make credit decisions.

07Who we share information with

We share information only with companies that help us run the site and the shop, and only what each one needs to do its job:

• Netlify hosts the website and stores form submissions, chat records, and orders.
• Anthropic processes chat messages so the assistant can reply.
• Resend delivers the emails the site sends, such as quotes, order updates, and notices to the shop.
• Stripe processes payments and refunds.
• Snap Finance receives information only if you choose to apply for financing.
• Freight carriers receive your name, phone number, and delivery address if we ship your unit, so they can schedule and complete the delivery.

We may also share information when the law requires it, such as for a valid subpoena or court order, when it is needed to protect someone's safety, or to prevent fraud, enforce our terms, or collect a debt. If the shop is ever sold or reorganized, customer records would go to the new owner, who would have to honor this policy for information collected under it.

Our website and service providers operate mainly in the United States. If you visit from another country, your information will be handled in the United States.

08We do not sell your information

We do not sell your personal information. We do not rent it, trade it, or share it for targeted advertising. We do not hand it to other businesses for their own marketing.

09Emails, calls, and texts

The site sends emails only about things you started: quotes, payment links, order and build updates, freight quotes, shipping and tracking details, and core deposit refunds. It also sends a few automatic reminders: up to 2 if you start a preorder and do not send it, up to 2 if a quote is not paid, 1 if a freight quote is not paid, up to 2 if your core deposit is still waiting on your old transmission, and 1 request for a review after your order is done. The preorder reminders include a link to stop them. We do not send a marketing newsletter today. If we ever start one, we will update this policy first, and you will be able to unsubscribe at any time.

The site does not send marketing text messages. If you give us your phone number, we use it to reach you about your vehicle, your question, or your order.

10How long we keep information

• Contact form messages, callback requests, and chat transcripts: as long as we need them to follow up and for our business records, up to 3 years, unless the law requires us to keep them longer.
• Orders, invoices, payment records, and warranty records: 7 years, for tax, accounting, and warranty purposes.
• Server logs kept by our hosting provider: a short period set by that provider.
• Unfinished preorders saved on our side: deleted when you place the order, when you stop the reminders, or after 14 days, whichever comes first.
• Cart and chat data in your browser: until you clear the cart or your browser data, or, for the chat, until you close the tab.

When we no longer need information, we delete it or strip out the details that identify you.

11Your privacy rights

Some privacy laws protect only people in certain states. We give the same rights to everyone, wherever you live. You can ask us to:

• Tell you what personal information we have about you, and give you a copy.
• Correct information that is wrong or incomplete.
• Delete your information.
• Stop contacting you.

To make a request, email Contact@downtowntrans.com or call (954) 764-5060 during business hours. To protect you, we will confirm your identity in a reasonable way before we act. Usually that means matching the email address or phone number we have on file, or asking for something only you would know, such as your order number. Someone else can make a request for you if you give them written permission.

We will respond within 30 days.

Sometimes we have to keep certain records after a deletion request, such as records of a paid order that tax law requires, information needed for an open warranty, or records needed to settle a dispute or prevent fraud. If that happens, we will tell you what we kept and why, and we will use it only for that reason.

We will never charge you or treat you differently for using these rights. If you are unhappy with how we handled a request, tell us and we will take another look. You can also contact your state attorney general or consumer protection office.

12How we protect your information

We use reasonable safeguards to protect your information. Every page of the site is served over HTTPS, which encrypts data between your browser and our servers. Customer records sit behind a password-protected staff area, and only shop staff who need them can see them. Card numbers never touch our systems because Stripe handles them.

Emails about your order include a private link to your order status page. Anyone who has that link can view the order, so please do not share it.

No website or computer system is perfectly secure, and we cannot promise that information will never be accessed without permission. If a breach affects your personal information, we will notify you as Florida law requires.

13Children

This website is not meant for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you think a child under 13 has sent us information, contact us and we will delete it. You must be at least 18 to place an order or apply for financing.

14Links to other websites

Our site links to other websites, such as Stripe's checkout pages, Snap Finance, map directions, and our social media pages. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and we do not control how they handle your information. Please read their policies before you share information with them.

15Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the site or the law changes. The date at the top shows the latest version. If we make a meaningful change, such as adding analytics or a new kind of service provider, we will post the updated policy here before the change takes effect.

16Contact us

Questions or requests about your privacy? Reach us any of these ways:

• Email: Contact@downtowntrans.com
• Phone: (954) 764-5060, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM
• Mail or visit: Downtown Transmissions, 631 S State Rd 7, Plantation, FL 33317