We store your email address, the centres you watch and your alert settings, so we can email you when a seat opens. We don’t sell or share your data, we don’t show ads and we don’t use tracking cookies. You can unsubscribe in one click, and delete your account yourself at any time.
On this page
Who we are
#French Exam Alert (frenchexamalert.com) is a paid alert service that tells you by email, WhatsApp or SMS when TEF Canada or TCF Canada exam seats open (more about us). In this policy, “we” means French Exam Alert. You can reach us about privacy through our contact form or at privacy@frenchexamalert.com.
What we collect
#| Data | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Your email address | To send you sign-in codes and the alerts you asked for. |
| Your mobile number (optional, only if you add one) | To send the WhatsApp or SMS alerts you switch on, through our messaging provider Twilio. We confirm it with a one-time code first. |
| The centres you picked before paying | To start your alerts the moment your payment goes through. Deleted after 24 hours if you don’t complete it. |
| Your plan and payment records (plan, amount, dates, the provider’s order and customer IDs) | To know whether your alerts are on, handle cancellations and refunds, and keep the accounting records the law requires. |
| Your watchlist: centres and exams | To know which changes to email you about. |
| Alert settings: alert types, time zone, country | To send only the alert types you want, and show opening times in your time zone. |
| A record of alerts sent | To avoid sending the same alert twice, and to fix delivery problems. |
| Sign-in sessions, including IP address and browser type | To keep you signed in securely and spot misuse. |
| Short-lived request counters (IP address or email) | To stop spam sign-ups. These are deleted after about two days. |
| Site usage: pages viewed, sign-up steps reached, rough location (country), device and browser type, and the site that sent you | To see which pages help people and where the sign-up form trips them up. It is tied to a random ID saved in your browser, and to your email only once you type it into the sign-up form. |
| Error reports and session recordings | To find and fix bugs. Recordings show how pages behaved, with everything you type (emails, codes, phone numbers) masked out. |
We never see or store your card or bank details. Payments are handled by our payment provider (Dodo Payments or Creem), who act as merchant of record and send you the receipt. We never ask for your passport number or date of birth: exam booking happens on the test centre’s own website, not with us.
The free tools run in your browser. Scores and dates you type into them aren’t sent to us.
How sign-in works
#There are no passwords. To sign in, you type your email and we send a one-time 6-digit code (and a button that enters it for you). It expires after 20 minutes. If you don’t have an account yet, the same step creates one.
When you sign up, you confirm your email with the code first; only then do you choose a plan and pay.
Cookies and browser storage
#We use a small number of essential cookies to keep you signed in. They last up to 60 days. Without them, you’d have to sign in every time you open My alerts.
We also save a few things in your own browser, such as a half-finished alert setup or ticked checklist items, so you don’t lose them. This stays on your device.
We measure site usage ourselves, without cookies: a random ID in your browser’s local storage lets us count visits and see where the sign-up form loses people. The sign-up form is saved as you fill it in, so the centres you pick and your email (once you’ve typed a valid one) reach us even if you don’t press the button; we use that only to see where sign-ups stop. Usage data, error reports and session recordings are kept on our own monitoring server (OpenObserve), not sent to an analytics company.
We don’t use advertising cookies, tracking pixels or third-party analytics services.
How we send email
#Emails are sent from alerts@mail.frenchexamalert.com through an email delivery provider, which handles your address only to deliver our messages. Every alert includes a one-click unsubscribe link.
WhatsApp and SMS alerts
#Adding a mobile number is optional. We only message it after you confirm it with a code, and only with the seat alerts you switched on. Messages are sent through Twilio, which handles your number only to deliver them. Reply STOP at any time to stop them, or remove your number in My alerts.
Who we share data with
#We don’t sell, rent or share your data for marketing. We only use service providers we need to run the site: hosting, our self-hosted monitoring server, our database, payments (Dodo Payments or Creem, as merchant of record), email delivery and (if you add a number) WhatsApp/SMS delivery through Twilio. They process data on our behalf.
We’d only disclose data beyond that if the law required it.
How long we keep it
#- Your account, watchlist and settings: until you delete your account.
- Sign-in sessions: up to 60 days, or until you sign out.
- Sign-in codes: 20 minutes.
- Unconfirmed sign-ups: 24 hours.
- Your alert history: 180 days.
- Anti-spam counters: about two days.
- Site usage records: 13 months. Session recordings and error reports: 30 days.
- Payment records: as long as tax and accounting law requires (usually several years), even after you delete your account.
Your choices and rights
#- Unsubscribe in one click from the link in any alert. No sign-in needed. This stops all alerts; your account stays so you can turn them back on, until you delete it.
- Change or remove watches and switch alert types on or off in My alerts.
- Delete your account yourself in My alerts: it removes your email, watchlist, settings and alert history at once. To see a copy of your data, contact us from the address you signed up with.
Depending on where you live, you may have extra rights, like correcting your data or complaining to your local data protection authority. Email us and we’ll help.
Security
#The site uses HTTPS, sign-in codes are single-use, expire quickly and lock after a few wrong tries, and we store the minimum we need. No system is perfectly secure, but keeping so little data means there’s little to lose.
Children
#French Exam Alert is meant for adults preparing for Canadian immigration. It isn’t aimed at children.
Changes to this policy
#If we change how we use your data, we’ll update this page and the date at the top. For significant changes, we’ll also let you know by email.