Privacy notice
This notice explains what The Hobby Workshop collects, why, and what you can do about it. It covers this website and the Hobby Workshop mobile app. We are the data controller, and you can reach us at info@hobbyworkshop.my or 357D Jalan 5/57, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
We handle personal data under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA) of Malaysia.
What this website collects
The website itself sets no cookies, runs no analytics, and embeds nothing from another company. Fonts and images are served from this domain, so loading a page does not report your visit to anyone else.
If you submit the early-access form we collect the email address you type and whether you selected owner or mechanic. We use it once, to tell you when the service opens, and to reply if you write back. We do not sell it, we do not share it, and you can have it deleted at any time by emailing us.
Our hosting provider keeps standard server logs, which include IP addresses, for security and troubleshooting.
What the app collects
To run a repair job the app needs: your name, phone number and email; your vehicle's registration plate and its details; the jobs you post and the messages you exchange about them; and photographs you choose to upload. Payments are processed by Stripe, which handles your card details directly — we never see or store a full card number.
Mechanics additionally provide identity and business documents, and any trade certificates they hold, so they can be verified before bidding.
Vehicle lookups
When you add a vehicle by its registration plate, we send that plate to a third-party vehicle data service to retrieve the make, model, engine and year. That service operates outside Malaysia, so this is a cross-border transfer of the plate number. We request only the technical specification of the vehicle. Where the response contains anything about the registered keeper or their insurance, we discard it — it is never shown in the app and never stored.
Who else sees your data
- The mechanic you award a job to, so they can carry out the work.
- Stripe, to take payment and pay mechanics.
- Our hosting and database providers, who store the data on our behalf.
- The vehicle data service described above, which receives only a plate.
We do not sell personal data, and we do not use it to train machine learning models.
How long we keep it
Job records, invoices and warranty documents are kept for seven years, because tax law requires it and because a warranty claim depends on the record existing. Early-access email addresses are deleted once the service has opened and we have sent the message you signed up for, unless you have become a customer by then. Verification documents are kept while the mechanic's account is active and for one year afterwards.
Your rights
Under the PDPA you may ask for a copy of the data we hold about you, ask us to correct it, ask us to stop using it for a particular purpose, or withdraw a consent you previously gave. Email info@hobbyworkshop.my and we will respond within 21 days. If you are not satisfied you may complain to the Personal Data Protection Commissioner.
To delete your account and the data attached to it, see Delete your account.
Changes
If we change this notice we will update the date at the top. If a change materially affects how we use data you have already given us, we will email you before it takes effect.