Standards
How we comply with New Zealand law
Most car cleaning websites don't mention any of this. We'd rather write it down: what we have to do, what we choose to do, and where the rules come from.
This page is a plain-English summary of our obligations, not legal advice. Sources are linked so you can check them yourself.
| Rule | What it means for us | Where it shows up |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Trading Act 1986 — pricing and claims | Displayed prices must be genuine and complete, with no hidden extras, and we must not make claims we can't back up | Prices include GST; no invented reviews; no "best in Wellington" claims |
| Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 — services | Detailing must be carried out with reasonable care and skill; if it isn't, you get a remedy, and we can't contract out of that | Terms of service; the promise on About us |
| Privacy Act 2020 | We must tell you what personal information we collect, why, and how to access or correct it | Privacy statement; the consent checkbox on the booking form |
| Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 | We can only send marketing texts or emails with consent, and every one must have an unsubscribe route | Optional marketing checkbox, unticked by default, on the booking form |
| Companies Act 1993 — s217 | The company's name must identify it in its publications, including its website | Full company name and trading name in the footer of every page |
| Wellington water restrictions | Councils set restriction levels by bylaw and we must work within the level in force | Water use below; low-flow methods in our services |
| Stormwater rules (Resource Management Act, regional plans) | Only rainwater belongs in the stormwater network — wash water must not enter it | Water use below; questions on FAQs |
| Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 | We manage risk while working at your property — hoses across paths, machinery, chemicals | Noted in terms; flagged on site before we set up |
Fair Trading Act
Why our prices look different from everyone else's
Look around Wellington detailing sites and you'll see prices written as "$230 + GST", "from $80 +GST". For a consumer, that's a price that isn't the price.
Under the Fair Trading Act, a price you advertise to consumers has to be clear and accurate, and there must not be extra costs you weren't told about. So every price at Crystal Car Valet is the full number, GST included, and pick-up and return is built in rather than added at the end.
We also don't do fake urgency. No "was $X, now $Y" unless $X was genuinely charged, no countdown timers, no invented scarcity. And no invented reviews: there's a real gap on our homepage where our real Google reviews will go, because writing our own would be a breach, not a marketing tactic.
Sources: Consumer Protection NZ — misleading prices and advertising, Fair Trading Act.
Environmental claims
Businesses making claims about sustainability, recycling, energy efficiency or "natural" products must be able to back them with solid evidence. That's why we describe specific practices — low-flow washing, water-based products, no runoff to stormwater — instead of claiming to be "100% eco-friendly".
Consumer Guarantees Act and "no refunds" signs
You can't sign away your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act as a consumer, so we don't ask you to. Our terms explain remedies rather than trying to exclude them.
Business-to-business customers
Where a vehicle is used for business, the Consumer Guarantees Act can be contracted out of in writing. If you're a fleet customer and want that, we'll put it in the quote — otherwise the Act applies as normal.
Water & environment
Wellington's two rules that matter to a car cleaner
One is about how much water we use. The other is about where the dirty water goes. We have to get both right, and the second one is the one people get wrong at home.
1. Water restrictions
For Wellington City, Porirua and Lower Hutt, Level 1 water restrictions start every year at the beginning of daylight saving — tied to the season, not the weather — and Upper Hutt and South Wairarapa sit at Level 1 year-round. Levels can tighten to 2, 3 or 4 over summer depending on how much water the region is using and how low the storage lakes are.
At Level 2, residential car washing by hand is still allowed with a bucket and a trigger nozzle. At Levels 3 and 4, all outdoor domestic water use stops. Businesses can continue to operate but are asked to be responsible, following Wellington Water's guidance for non-residential users.
What this means for your booking: we use low-flow hand washing, buckets and controlled rinse, and we don't leave a hose running. If the restriction level would change what we can do for your car, we'll tell you before the appointment, not on the day.
2. Stormwater — where the runoff goes
In Wellington, stormwater isn't treated. Water that goes into a sump or gutter runs to the streams, the harbour and the coast. Only rainwater belongs in that network, which is why it's illegal to let anything else into it.
Wash water carries detergent, oil, brake dust and heavy metals. So our rules of operation are:
- Wash on grass or gravel, or over containment, so runoff soaks into the ground rather than running off
- Never wash on a hardstand where the water drains to a gutter, sump or the road
- Empty wash buckets into a wastewater connection, not a stormwater drain
- Capture and dispose of degreasers, tar removers and engine bay runoff properly
This is also why our workshop-based model exists: doing the work at a site with the right drainage is better for the harbour than a driveway wash, and it's why we ask questions about drainage before setting up at your place.
Sources: Wellington City Council — water restrictions FAQs, Tiaki Wai (Wellington Water) — stormwater, Wellington Water — current restriction level.
Current restriction level
Restriction levels change through summer. Before a booking, check the current level on Wellington Water's site — we work to whatever is in force.
Our own risk check
Working at your place means hoses across footpaths, machinery, water and chemicals. We set up so that nothing is left unsafe for you, your family or anyone walking past — the Health and Safety at Work Act applies to us wherever we work.
Information & disclosure
Your details, your call
Privacy Act 2020
We collect only what we need to collect your car and do the work: name, contact details, address, vehicle and job notes. No third-party trackers, no advertising pixels, no cookies on this site. We work in Wellington only, and the site is published through Cloudflare's network; the privacy statement says exactly what Cloudflare handles and what it doesn't.
Marketing consent
Texts and emails that promote our services go only to people who opted in, and every message includes a way to stop them. That's the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act, in practice.
Who we are
Crystal Car Service Limited, trading as Crystal Car Valet. Our company name appears on every page, which is what the Companies Act 1993 asks of a company's publications. We don't publish our registered office on this site: it is already on the public Companies Register, and it is the address for legal notices rather than somewhere cars are collected.
If something goes wrong
Talk to us first — most things are a phone call. If we can't sort it out:
- Consumer guarantees: Consumer Protection NZ and the Commerce Commission explain your rights and take complaints.
- Disputes: the Disputes Tribunal handles claims up to $30,000 and is designed to be used without a lawyer.
- Privacy: if you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Something we've missed?
If you think our content, pricing or practices fall short of what NZ law or good practice requires, tell us — info@crystalcarvalet.co.nz. We'd rather fix it than argue about it.