Privacy Policy

1. About this Policy

Meckly Pty Ltd ("Meckly", "we", "us", "our") is committed to handling your information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles ("APPs"). This Policy applies to all information we collect through the Meckly mobile app, the Meckly website at meckly.com (and its subdomains), our customer support channels, and any other Meckly product or service.

By using Meckly, you agree to the practices described in this Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this Policy, do not use Meckly.

This Policy is written in plain English wherever possible. Where defined terms are used, they have the meaning given in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

2. Who we are

Meckly is operated by Meckly Pty Ltd, an Australian company. Meckly provides a digital platform that connects motor vehicle owners with mechanics and workshops, and offers tools for managing vehicle servicing, records, payments, and (under our paid Meckly Fleet tier) registration tracking, insurance tracking, and reporting.

For the purposes of the Privacy Act, Meckly is an "APP entity" and acts as the controller of personal information collected through our services, except where we act as a processor on behalf of mechanics or workshops using the Meckly platform.

3. What information we collect

The categories of information we collect depend on how you interact with Meckly. We collect only what we reasonably need to provide our services and operate our business.

3.1 Information about you (the account holder)

• Identity information: your name, mobile number, email address, and (optionally) suburb and state
• Account credentials: phone number used for verification, sign-in tokens, login activity, and authentication metadata
• Payment information: we use Stripe and similar payment processors to handle card details. We do not store full card numbers on Meckly's systems. We retain transaction history, tokenised references, billing addresses, and the last four digits of cards used
• Subscription information: Meckly Fleet plan tier, billing cycle, payment status, and renewal information
• Communications: messages you send us, support tickets, feedback, and call recordings (where you have been notified)

3.2 Information about your vehicle(s)

• Vehicle make, model, year, registration number, state of registration, VIN, odometer readings, and colour
• Service history, parts fitted, photos of work performed, mechanic notes, warranty information, and roadworthy records
• Receipts, invoices, and quotes (including photos you upload)
• Registration and insurance renewal dates (Meckly Fleet)
• Spending and expense data per vehicle (Meckly Fleet)

3.3 Information about your interactions with mechanics

• Bookings made, mechanics contacted, quotes received, approvals given, and invoices paid through Meckly
• Messages exchanged with mechanics through the platform
• Star ratings and reviews you provide

3.4 Technical and device information

• Device type, operating system, app version, mobile network operator, and unique device identifiers
• IP address, approximate location (derived from IP), and timezone
• Crash logs, error reports, and performance data
• Pages viewed, features used, and time spent on the app or website

3.5 Sensitive information

We do not generally collect sensitive information (as defined in the Privacy Act) such as health, racial, political, religious, or biometric information. If you choose to upload such information (for example, in a free-text note or attached document), you consent to us handling it for the purposes described in this Policy.

4. How we collect information

We collect information:

• Directly from you: when you sign up, add a vehicle, book a service, message a mechanic, send us feedback, or use any feature of the Meckly app or website
• Automatically: through the operation of our app and website, including via cookies, analytics tools, crash reporting, and device APIs you have authorised
• From mechanics and workshops: when a mechanic adds service records, photos, parts lists, or invoices linked to a vehicle on your account
• From third-party services you connect: for example, payment providers, calendar integrations, single-sign-on providers (such as Apple ID or Google), or accounting platforms (Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks)
• From publicly available sources: for example, vehicle registration databases (where lawfully accessible)
• From referrals: when another Meckly user invites you, transfers a vehicle history to you, or names you as an authorised driver

Where reasonable and practical, we collect personal information directly from you. If we collect information about you from a third party, we will take reasonable steps to ensure you are made aware of the collection.

5. How we use information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

5.1 Providing the service

• Creating and managing your account
• Connecting you with mechanics, processing bookings, transmitting quotes and invoices, and processing payments
• Sending you transactional messages, reminders, and notifications related to your bookings, payments, vehicle records, and (Meckly Fleet) renewal due dates
• Providing customer support and responding to your questions
• Maintaining records of your service history, including receipts and uploaded documents

5.2 Operating and improving Meckly

• Monitoring service performance, diagnosing issues, and preventing fraud or abuse
• Analysing usage patterns to improve features, fix bugs, and design new functionality
• Training and improving algorithms used in Meckly, including (where applicable) optical character recognition for receipts and parts auto-fill suggestions
• Conducting research and producing aggregated, de-identified analytics

5.3 Commercial and business purposes

• Verifying your identity and validating payment information
• Operating our Meckly Fleet subscription, including billing, renewal, and cancellation
• Producing aggregated and de-identified market insights, statistics, and benchmarks (see Section 7)
• Marketing Meckly's own products and services to you (subject to your preferences — see Section 15)

5.4 Legal and safety purposes

• Complying with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, and lawful requests from authorities
• Detecting, investigating, and preventing illegal activity, fraud, or violations of our Terms of Use
• Establishing, exercising, or defending legal claims
• Protecting the rights, property, or safety of Meckly, our users, mechanics, or others

6. When we share information

We share personal information only as described in this Policy. We disclose personal information to the following categories of recipients:

6.1 Mechanics and workshops

When you make a booking, send a quote request, or interact with a mechanic through Meckly, we share with that mechanic the information they reasonably need to provide the service to you — typically your name, contact details, vehicle details, and the nature of the work requested. Mechanics on our platform are bound by our terms to handle this information appropriately, but their handling of your information is also governed by their own privacy practices.

6.2 Service providers and third-party processors

We use trusted third parties to help us operate Meckly, including cloud hosting, payment processing, identity verification, communications (SMS and email), customer support tools, analytics providers, and crash reporting. These providers are contractually required to use your information only as directed by us and to maintain appropriate security. See Section 9 for more detail.

6.3 Insurers, financiers, and commercial partners

We may share aggregated and de-identified data (data that has been processed so it can no longer reasonably be linked back to you) with insurers, financiers, automotive industry researchers, fleet operators, market research firms, and other commercial partners. This may include statistics about service patterns, repair costs, vehicle reliability, and broader trends in the automotive servicing market.

We do not share information about you that identifies you, or that could reasonably be re-identified, with insurers or other commercial third parties except (a) with your express consent, (b) where you have authorised it (for example, by sharing a verified service record with a buyer or insurer), or (c) where required or permitted by law.

6.4 Other Meckly users

If you choose to share a verified service record (for example, with a vehicle buyer via QR code or PDF), the recipient of that record will see the information you have chosen to share. If you transfer ownership of a vehicle through Meckly, the new owner will gain access to the vehicle's service history but not to your personal account information (see Section 8).

6.5 Legal and safety disclosures

• To comply with a court order, subpoena, or other legal process
• To respond to lawful requests from law enforcement or government authorities
• To enforce our Terms of Use or investigate suspected violations
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of Meckly, our users, or others

6.6 Business transfers

If Meckly is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, sale of assets, restructuring, or insolvency event, your information may be transferred or disclosed to a third party as part of that transaction. We will use reasonable efforts to ensure the recipient continues to handle your information consistently with this Policy.

7. Aggregated and de-identified data

Meckly produces, uses, and shares aggregated and de-identified data derived from information collected through our platform. Aggregated data combines information from multiple users so that no individual user can be identified. De-identified data has had personal identifiers removed and is processed using techniques designed to prevent re-identification.

Examples of aggregated and de-identified data include:

• Average service costs by vehicle make and model
• Common repair patterns by vehicle age or kilometres travelled
• Regional service demand statistics
• Industry-wide benchmarks for parts costs and labour

This data does not constitute personal information under the Privacy Act, and we may use, share, sell, license, or commercialise it without restriction. We may share or sell this data to insurers, financiers, automotive manufacturers, industry researchers, and other commercial partners.

8. Vehicle records and account separation

Meckly's platform is designed so that records about a vehicle (the "Vehicle Record") are stored separately from records about you (the "Account Record"), and are linked only by an internal reference while you actively own the vehicle.

This means:

• Vehicle Records contain details about the vehicle itself — make, model, registration, service history, parts fitted, photos, mechanic notes — but not your personal contact details or payment information
• Account Records contain your personal contact and payment details, but not the operational vehicle data
• The link between the two is internal to Meckly and is removed when you sell the vehicle or close your account

When you sell a vehicle through Meckly: the link between your Account Record and the Vehicle Record is removed. The Vehicle Record continues to exist and travels with the vehicle to the next owner (if they use Meckly) or remains as an unowned record. The new owner does not gain access to your Account Record, your personal details, or any other vehicle on your account.

When you close your Meckly account: your Account Record is permanently deleted (subject to legal retention obligations, see Section 12). Vehicle Records you created may continue to exist in de-identified form to support the historical service record of those vehicles for future owners and for aggregated analytics.

9. Third-party service providers

Meckly relies on the following categories of third-party service providers. The list of specific providers may change from time to time.

• Cloud hosting and infrastructure: for hosting our app, website, databases, and backups
• Payment processing: Stripe and similar regulated payment service providers (we do not handle full card details ourselves)
• Communications: SMS, email, and push notification providers
• Identity and authentication: SSO providers (Apple, Google), and identity verification services where relevant
• Analytics and product insights: usage analytics, crash reporting, and performance monitoring
• Customer support: ticketing systems, chat tools, and help-desk software
• AI and machine learning services: for features such as receipt OCR, parts identification, and search
• Accounting integrations: Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, and similar (where you choose to connect them)

We require these providers to handle your information only as directed by us, to keep it secure, and to comply with applicable law. We review the security and privacy practices of our material providers periodically.

10. Overseas disclosures

Some of our service providers operate or store data outside Australia. The countries this is most likely to include are the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, depending on the provider. By using Meckly, you consent to your information being disclosed to overseas recipients for the purposes described in this Policy.

Where personal information is sent overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure the overseas recipient does not breach the Australian Privacy Principles in relation to your information. However, you acknowledge that overseas recipients may not be subject to privacy laws equivalent to those in Australia, and that we may not be able to enforce a foreign provider's compliance with Australian law.

11. Storage and security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These steps include:

• Encryption of data in transit (TLS) and at rest where appropriate
• Access controls limiting employee access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
• Logical separation of Account Records and Vehicle Records (see Section 8)
• Periodic security reviews, vulnerability scanning, and software updates
• Backup and disaster recovery procedures
• Confidentiality and security obligations on our staff and third-party providers

No system is perfectly secure. While we work hard to protect your information, we cannot guarantee that unauthorised parties will never gain access to it. You are responsible for protecting the credentials you use to access Meckly (for example, your phone, email account, and any one-time codes we send you).

12. Retention periods

We retain personal information for as long as we need it for the purposes described in this Policy, and for any longer period required by law. In general:

• Account Records: retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after closure (typically up to 7 years) to comply with tax, accounting, and dispute resolution obligations
• Payment records: retained for at least 7 years to comply with Australian financial recordkeeping requirements
• Vehicle Records: may be retained indefinitely to support the historical service record of the vehicle, in de-identified form after you close your account or sell the vehicle
• Communications: retained for as long as needed to resolve any matter raised, and for a reasonable period afterwards
• Aggregated and de-identified data: retained indefinitely

When we no longer need personal information, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

13. Your rights and choices

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Withdraw your consent to certain uses of your information (where consent is the basis on which we use it)
• Opt out of direct marketing communications at any time
• Close your Meckly account and request deletion of your Account Record
• Make a complaint about our handling of your personal information

Some of these rights are not absolute. For example, we may need to retain certain information to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.

14. Accessing and correcting your information

To request access to or correction of your personal information, contact us at privacy@meckly.com. We will respond within a reasonable period (generally within 30 days) and will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before providing access.

We do not generally charge a fee for access requests. If a request is particularly extensive, we may charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of retrieving and providing the information, and we will tell you in advance.

If we refuse to provide access or refuse to correct your information, we will explain our reasons in writing and tell you how to complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

15. Direct marketing

We may send you marketing communications about Meckly products and features by email, SMS, push notification, or in-app message. You can opt out at any time by:

• Clicking the unsubscribe link in any email
• Replying STOP to any SMS
• Adjusting your notification preferences in the app
• Contacting us at privacy@meckly.com

Some communications are transactional (for example, booking confirmations, payment receipts, security notices). You cannot opt out of these while you are using Meckly.

We do not sell or rent personal information to third parties for those third parties' direct marketing purposes.

16. Cookies and tracking

The Meckly website uses cookies, local storage, and similar technologies to operate the site, remember your preferences, analyse usage, and (where applicable) deliver marketing content. Categories of technology we use include:

• Essential cookies: required for core site functionality (login, security, navigation)
• Functional cookies: remember your preferences and settings
• Analytics cookies: measure how visitors use our site, so we can improve it
• Marketing cookies: may be used by advertising or attribution providers

You can disable cookies in your browser, but parts of the site may not work properly. The Meckly app uses similar device-level identifiers and storage; you can manage these in your device settings.

17. Children

Meckly is intended for use by individuals aged 16 or older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 16, please contact us at privacy@meckly.com and we will delete it.

18. Data breach response

Meckly maintains a data breach response plan in line with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act. If we experience a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to any individual whose personal information is involved, we will notify the affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as soon as practicable.

19. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Post the revised Policy on our website
• If the change is material, notify you by email, in-app message, or other reasonable means at least 14 days before it takes effect

Your continued use of Meckly after a change to this Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy. If you do not agree with the changes, you should stop using Meckly and may close your account.

20. Complaints and contact

If you have a question, concern, or complaint about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first:

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:

• Website: www.oaic.gov.au
• Phone: 1300 363 992
• Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au