Privacy notice

Who we are

InstaParts sources vehicle parts for businesses in Southern Africa. For the information described here, InstaParts is the responsible party under POPIA. This notice covers this website, instaparts.online, and the messages you send us through it. The Merlin portal at app.instaparts.online is a separate service and is not covered here.

POPIA protects the personal information of people and of businesses (juristic persons), so this notice applies whether you contact us for yourself or for your company.

What we collect

When you use the request form on this site, we collect what you choose to give us:

• your name and phone number
• your company name and email address, if you add them
• the type of request: a part, a general enquiry or joining as a supplier
• vehicle details, such as a VIN, and a photo of the licence disc, if you add one
• the parts you need and any message you write

A licence disc shows details such as the registration number and VIN. Please do not send photos of ID documents, driving licences or anything else we have not asked for.

To protect the form from abuse, our hosting provider records your IP address when you send it. We hold it in memory for up to 10 minutes to limit repeat requests, and do not store it with your request.

If you contact us on WhatsApp or by phone, we receive your number, your name as it appears in WhatsApp, and what you send us.

Why we use it

We use your information to:

• identify the right parts for your vehicle and source them
• send you a quote and keep you updated on your request
• answer your questions
• assess and onboard businesses that ask to join our supply network
• keep records our business needs and the law requires

We process it because you asked us to act on your request, or to take steps towards an agreement with you, and because we have a legitimate interest in running our business. We do not use it for marketing unless you agree to that separately, and we never sell it.

Who we share it with

We share only what is needed to do what you asked:

• Parts suppliers receive the vehicle and part details needed to quote. We do not pass on your contact details unless a supplier needs them to deliver your order.
• Service providers that run this website and our email: Netlify hosts the site and the form, and Resend delivers form submissions to our inbox.
• Authorities, when the law requires it.

Information sent outside South Africa

Netlify and Resend run their services from outside South Africa, mainly in the United States. We use them because they are bound by agreements and laws that give your information protection comparable to POPIA, as section 72 of POPIA requires. Sourcing a part from an overseas supplier can also mean sending its vehicle and part details abroad.

How long we keep it

We keep request details for as long as we need them to deal with your request and any order that follows, and to meet tax and accounting rules, which can require records to be kept for five years. After that we delete them or remove anything that identifies you. If a request does not lead to an order, we delete it within 12 months.

How we protect it

The form is sent over an encrypted connection (HTTPS). Photos you upload are attached to the email we receive and are not stored on the website. Access to our inbox and records is limited to the people who need it to handle your request. If we believe your information has been accessed without permission, we will tell you and the Information Regulator, as POPIA requires.

Cookies and browser storage

This website does not use cookies, analytics or advertising trackers. If you switch between the light and dark theme, your browser remembers that choice on your own device. It is never sent to us.

Links to WhatsApp and to the Merlin portal take you to services with their own privacy terms.

Your rights

Under POPIA you can ask us to:

• confirm whether we hold information about you, and give you a copy
• correct information that is wrong or out of date
• delete information we no longer have a reason to keep
• stop using your information, where you object on reasonable grounds

Message us on WhatsApp at 082 568 1970 or call 082 568 1970. We may need to confirm who you are before acting on your request, and we will respond within 30 days.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handled your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You can also complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) at inforegulator.org.za.

Changes to this notice

We will update this page when the way we handle information changes. The date at the top shows when it last changed.