Privacy Policy

BLOSSOM will post online any changes to the Website Customer Information Privacy Policy and the Consumer Information Privacy Principles on or before the effective date of such changes. You will be able to determine the date of the last change by noting the effective date of the policies.

Website Customer Information Privacy Policy

We respect the privacy of our customers and are committed to protecting their information on our Web sites with the same care we utilize for all BLOSSOM transactions.

BLOSSOM does not automatically collect personal information from visitors to its Web sites. BLOSSOM does use tools, such as cookies or click stream auditing, for our own internal uses, such as recommending products and services and gathering Web analytics. Cookies are small pieces of information that a Web site stores on a visitor's Web browser to remind the site about the visitor the next time they visit the site. BLOSSOM does not store confidential or sensitive information in cookies. BLOSSOM uses cookies to enhance our customers' online sessions by making navigation easier and providing important security features. For certain applications, such as Online Credit Applications, cookies are sometimes a requirement because they help protect the privacy of a customer's transactions by, for example, automatically terminating the online session if the customer forgets to log out.

Cookies cannot be used to capture your e-mail address, obtain data from your hard drive or gain confidential or sensitive information about you. Additionally, cookies cannot be read by a Web site other than the one that set the cookie. Some Web sites, however, use cookies to obtain information from your browser. You can set your browser to notify you before accepting a cookie, so that you can control whether you accept or reject a cookie. Please look below for Controlling Cookies for more information.

Click stream auditing includes information such as a web surfer's IP address, web pages which have been viewed or acted upon by a web surfer, date and time, domain type, and when a web surfer has responded to an advertisement. We may occasionally combine this information with individual information on an aggregate level to determine the effectiveness of our advertising.

THE BLOSSOM CHEVROLET, INC. AND DBA’S CONSUMER INFORMATION PRIVACY PRINCIPLES

Introduction

The BLOSSOM Chevrolet, Inc. ("BLOSSOM") family of companies is committed to treating and using personal financial information about you responsibly. These Privacy Principles explain what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and how and why in certain cases we may share it among BLOSSOM companies or with select other parties. We also tell you how to exercise your personal Information Sharing and Use Choices. If you have already notified us of your Information Sharing or Use Choices, you do not need to notify us again. These principles are effective 10/29/2010 and may be amended from time to time.

Our Consumer Information Privacy Principles apply to personal information collected or used when BLOSSOM companies offer financial services, products or product offerings to you for personal, family or household purposes. The services may include lending, automobile services, new and used automobiles, GM parts, auto body collision services, and special discounts for any or all mentioned. This disclosure is made on behalf of all BLOSSOM companies including: BLOSSOM Chevrolet, BLOSSOM Collision Center, and our BLOSSOM Parts Department or any other BLOSSOM Department we may add in the future.

We Collect Information as Needed to Identify You and Serve You as a Customer
We collect information from and about you in order to identify you as our customer, establish and manage customer accounts, complete customer transactions, understand customer needs through market research, market products and services we believe meet customer needs, and comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

Examples of the types of information we collect are:

  • Information we receive from you, such as:

    1. Contact Information (such as name, address, eMail address and telephone number). We use contact information, for example, to identify you, send you information about our products and services, and call or write you about your accounts.

    2. Identification Information (such as a social security number). We may need your social security number, for example, to obtain a credit report when you apply for credit with us, report to insurance companies, state Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMV’s) or financial transaction payments to the IRS, or comply with other legal requirements.

    3. Financial Profile Information (such as income, assets, and liabilities). We use this information, for example, to process applications and make appropriate product and service recommendations to help you get the most from your relationship with BLOSSOM.

  • Information about your transactions and experiences with BLOSSOM companies. This information, such as your account balances, payment history, parties to transactions and account usage, permits us, for example, to process your requests quickly, recommend appropriate products, and price products and services competitively on the basis of your entire relationship with us.

  • Information we receive from third parties, such as:

    1. Information about your transactions with other companies. We may use this information, for example, when you apply for credit or to verify information you have provided to us.

    2. Information about you from consumer reporting agencies (such as your credit history and credit worthiness). We use this information when, for example, we process applications, monitor and collect existing accounts, make "pre-approved" offers and as otherwise permitted by law.

    3. Information from market research companies (such as purchasing patterns). We use market research information, for example, to develop or promote products and/or services we believe our customers will find most useful.

Policies and Procedures

BLOSSOM companies and departments use advanced technology and information management techniques to implement security, audit and control programs designed to protect the confidentiality and security of the information we collect.

BLOSSOM limits employee access to customer information to those employees we believe have a legitimate business need for the information. We have adopted policies, procedures, employee orientation, training and education programs, and communication programs designed for the protection of customer information. It is the responsibility of each BLOSSOM company employee and outside contractors to comply with our Consumer Information Privacy Principles.

We May Share Information within the BLOSSOM Family of Companies or Departments to Improve Our Services.

BLOSSOM offers various products and services to consumers through its family of affiliated companies that provide, for example, auto services, auto parts, auto body collision repair, lending, financial advice as it relates to best methods and practices for obtaining an automobile loan, insurance, and related products and services. By sharing information about you and your accounts, we are able to offer you the convenience of round-the-clock customer service, combined offerings, simple application procedures for a variety of services, and special discounts or other benefits.

Within the family of BLOSSOM companies or departments, we share all of the information we collect as described above.

You may request that we do not share within or outside the family of BLOSSOM companies or departments information other than contact, identification, and transactions and experience information, described above, and that any information we collect not be used by any other BLOSSOM companies or departments for marketing purposes Please see "It’s Your Choice" (further below) to find out how to make this request.1

1 Vermont residents only: BLOSSOM will not share financial profile or credit report information among the BLOSSOM family of companies without your consent.

We May Share Information Outside the BLOSSOM Family of Companies in Certain CasesIt is our policy not to sell, rent or otherwise provide customer information to outside companies so they can market their non-financial products or services. From time to time, we may offer our customers the opportunity to purchase non-financial products and services offered by outside third parties, but we will not disclose customer information to these third parties unless our customers authorize us to do so.

The sections below describe the types of companies and third parties with whom, and the situations when, we may share customer information outside the BLOSSOM family of companies.

Service Providers and Suppliers
From time to time, BLOSSOM companies may use outside companies or suppliers to perform services for BLOSSOM, such as sending pre-approved offers for our customers, sending sales or service related offerings, etc. BLOSSOM may also use them in preparing and mailing customer account statements, appraising property offered as collateral or as a down payment, verifying insurance coverage, verifying property ownership and processing customer transactions and assisting us in providing account benefit programs.

We may also use outside companies to perform market research and analysis for us by contacting our customers, as well as non-customers, to ask their opinions about our current or proposed products and services. Generally, we provide market researchers only with customer contact information, such as name, address, and telephone number. Occasionally, we provide them with customer account information, such as type of account, balance, and whether a customer utilizes our various departments, or online.

Sometimes we use outside companies to assist us in marketing our own BLOSSOM products and services or products and services, such as automobiles, insurance and extended warranties, that we offer jointly with other companies and/or financial institutions. Generally, we provide our marketing service providers only with customer contact information, such as name, address and telephone number.

Before we disclose customer information to any of our service providers or suppliers, we require them to agree to keep our customer information confidential and secure and to use it only as authorized by us.

Select Financial and Auto Dealer Related Institutions
In order to offer our customers certain financial and auto dealer related products, such as automobile loans, insurance or extended warranties, we may enter into joint marketing agreements with select companies and/or financial institutions outside the family of BLOSSOM companies that specialize in providing these products.

Generally, we provide these companies and/or financial institutions only with customer contact information, such as name, address, and telephone number. When we offer certain insurance products, such as credit insurance, or extended warranties, we may provide account information, such as the amount of the loan, maturity date, and monthly payment amount. We do not give these companies and/or financial institutions customer account numbers as part of a joint marketing agreement or program.2

We select financial institutions and outside marketing companies we work with under joint marketing agreements very carefully and require them to agree to keep our customer information confidential and use it only as authorized by us.

You may request that we do not share your information with other auto dealer related institutions for joint marketing purposes. Please see: It’s Your Choice? (further below) to find out how to make this request.

2 Vermont Residents only: BLOSSOM will share only contact information with financial institutions with which we have joint marketing agreements.

Other Circumstances
We may share customer information with unaffiliated third parties when our customers request or give us permission to do so or when we are permitted or required to do so by law.

Some examples are:

  1. When we complete your transactions, such as accepting your checks, following your service requests or directions, purchasing automobiles, parts or services for your account, or processing insurance or warranty applications;
  2. When we respond to your service requests;
  3. When we share information with consumer reporting agencies;
  4. When we verify account status for lenders or BLOSSOM departments you want to pay by check;
  5. When we offer account benefits, such as credit card and other reward programs;
  6. When we transfer information in connection with a proposed or actual sale of accounts, or a proposed or actual sale of all or part of a business unit;
  7. When we suspect fraud or for risk management purposes;
  8. When we are required by a federal, state, or local law or regulation to do so;
  9. When we receive a subpoena or are ordered by a court to do so.

Former Customers
We do not disclose information about former customers to outside companies except as may be permitted or required by law. Examples of when we may share information about former customers are listed above.

State Privacy Laws
We will also comply with state privacy laws to the extent they apply.

Online Information Policies
We respect the privacy of our customers and are committed to protecting their information on our websites with the same care we utilize for all BLOSSOM company or departmental transactions. To view our current online privacy notice, visit us at BlossomChevy.com.

It's Your Choice

Option 1 - Limit Sharing and Use of Information within BLOSSOM Family
Request this Information Sharing and Use Choice option if you do not want:

  • us to share information other than contact, identification, and transaction and experience information, described above, among our family of BLOSSOM companies or department (except where one BLOSSOM company performs services for another) and
  • any other BLOSSOM company or department that does not have a preexisting business relationship with you to use any information for marketing purposes.

We will continue to share among our family of BLOSSOM companies or departments contact, identification, and transaction and experience information, as described above, and such information may be used by any other BLOSSOM company that does not have a pre-existing business relationship with you for marketing purposes. We may, however, market the products and services of other BLOSSOM companies or departments pursuant to joint marketing agreements.

Option 2 - Limit Sharing of Information with Other Institutions or Divisions for Marketing Purposes
Request this Information Sharing and Use Choice option if you do not want us to share any information with other auto dealer related institutions for the purpose of joint marketing of their various services.

To exercise your choice options:

  • Write to us at: BLOSSOM Information Sharing Options, 1800 N Shadeland Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46219, or
  • Call us any time TOLL-FREE at 1-888-233-9603 (some area codes not included), or Local: 317-357-1121 or
  • Stop by any BLOSSOM CHEVROLET or BLOSSOM RELATED BUSINESS.

When writing, please indicate which option or options you are requesting and include your name, address and phone number. Providing an account number or social security number would be helpful but is optional.

BLOSSOM will process your request as soon as possible. However, you may receive communications for a short time based on information we shared prior to processing your request.

If you have joint customer accounts, we will treat a request by one party to the account as applying to both parties to the account. The option or options you request will apply to accounts that each joint account holder has in his or her own name and any accounts the joint customer account holders have with each other.

Controlling Cookies

The following is how to set cookie choices for selected browsers:

Netscape Navigator 4.0 or above

  • Select the Edit menu
  • Select Preferences
  • Select Advanced
  • You will now have choices from the following options:
    • Accept all cookies
    • Accept only cookies that get sent back to the originating server
    • Disable cookies
    • Warn me before accepting a cookie

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or above

  • Select the View menu
  • Select Options
  • Select Advanced tab
  • Scroll to icon labeled Cookies (A yellow triangle icon with an exclamation point)
  • You will now have choices from the following options:
    • Always accept cookies
    • Prompt before accepting cookies
    • Disable all cookie use

* For information about other browsers, contact the manufacturer of the browser.

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