Tag Archives: ATA

female friendly

About FOXY Lady Approved© garages and repairers

FOXY Choice is using a new badge in 2013 to indicate that a business is FOXY Lady Approved© as female friendly.

So far this applies to GARAGES and REPAIRERS who sign the FOXY Promise to ‘never overcharge, patronise or sell women anything they don’t need’ and where you see our Female Friendly Standards Certificate displayed (see below) you know they meet this too.

Very soon it’ll be available for insurance advisers too, subject to a FOXY Lady Insurance Promise that addresses the needs of women after the Gender Directive 2012 – more about this very soon.

It’s a shame that some businesses, usually ones whose staff are paid hefty commission bonuses to sell the likes of tyres and fast fit repairs, can’t sign the FOXY Promise but it’s good to know which ones ie those that have joined our FOXY Lady Approved© scheme as listed at FOXY Lady Drivers Club, won’t (and don’t) do this.

Signs Of Garage/Repairer Quality

We also look for measurable quality indicators such as ATA (this is the motor industry’s accreditation scheme which needs topping up every 3 years), the BSI Kitemark in vehicle body repairs, OFT Code of Approval schemes (run by Bosch Car Service, VBRA and Motor Codes), manufacturer approval and Trading Standards schemes including Motor Trade Partnerships and Buy With Confidence.

We’d prefer the industry to be regulated so there was only one standard to amalgamate the best features from them all, but we have to accept that we are where we are and do our best to ease the confusion in the minds of motorists!

When a small business isn’t a member of any of these schemes (they’re optional indicators remember because UK garages don’t have to be licensed or mechanics accredited to repair our cars) but it’s still obvious they’re going the extra mile for females, we ask for independent female feedback, make our minds up on that basis and monitor all performance levels through ongoing feedback in any case.

There are other considerations for us. We also award brownie points for quality awards, female staff in customer roles and businesses that organise ladies evenings but by and large we let the female customer decide what type of garage or repairer she prefers.

Providing the business signs the FOXY Promise as a minimum we’re happy to approve good independents alongside good franchised dealerships alongside good fast fits, bodyshops and/or mobile repairers. Subject to female feedback of course.

FOXY

garage services

Yet another ‘rip-off garage’ survey; this time in West Sussex

How much did you say?My blood boils when I read about bad garage surveys. The latest states that only one out of eight garages tested by West Sussex Trading Standards carried out all the required work on a test car with known problems.

Imagine the safety implications here. Not just the vulnerability of many female motorists but the accidents that badly repaired or inadequately serviced cars can cause for us all.

We can’t prove it for obvious reasons but we suspect that many women on their own don’t complain because they don’t realise they’ve been ripped off or, even worse, despatched with a car that’s unsafe.

Why am I surprised by rip-off garages?

No-one should be surprised that garage surveys like this produce these such shameful results across the UK. This is an unregulated industry where
+ anyone can open a garage
+ mechanics don’t have to be qualified
+ the industry’s Motor Codes scheme covers dealerships/garages that opt-in (and bad garages don’t for obvious reasons); an added complication is that HM Government runs this ‘OFT approved code’ scheme and is reliant on the subscriptions from it
+ the Trading Standards recommended scheme ‘Buy With Confidence’ merely covers customer service issues (not any measurable quality workmanship that should underpins the business).

Even worse, few motorists realise this or the risk they run when choosing any garage.

FOXY would like all car mechanics to be accredited

Why is it that gas fitters, plumbers and electricians need to be qualified to practise their trade but mechanics don’t? Yet they can repair safety issues such as the brakes on our cars.

The perfect solution is the Institute of the Motor Industry’s ATA accreditation scheme where mechanics are assessed, sign an ethical commitment and have to do it all over again three years later. Regardless of whether they are dealership or garage employees, all mechanics should be required to take this test before working on our cars.

And what a shame WSTS is unable to publish the names of the offending garages here. When we’ve asked about this in the past Trading Standards have said ‘we can’t tell you for legal reasons…’ which is a cop out we feel – knowing how many vulnerable women are prey to the unscrupulous and/or incompetent garage staff out there.

West Sussex garage survey details

West Sussex County Council’s Press Release PR4996 confirms that a selection of garages were targeted on this occasion following complaints from members of the public. This is worrying in itself because it indicates a history of shoddy workmanship rather than a one-off mistake which can be forgiven. A test car was prepared beforehand by Trading Standards and then taken to each garage for a service and pre MOT check.

Examples of rip-off garage behaviour this time include
+ an oil filter which was charged for but not changed
+ a tyre was said to be damaged when it wasn’t
+ a part of an exhaust was said to need replacing when it wasn’t faulty
+ an engine was overfilled with oil (which can be as costly as too little oil)
+ extra work was done and charged for without permission
+ low tyre pressures were not checked/topped up (with potential safety implications here).

Formal action is now being considered by Trading Standards against four of the garages.

Christine Field, County Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: “Motorists need to be able to trust their garages won’t exploit them, as most people are unlikely to be able to check the claims for themselves. In the present economic climate, people are feeling the pinch, and need to be able to rely on work being done competently.”

We wholeheartedly agree Christine but the only way we’ll ever see this is through industry regulation. In the meantime, the best solution is for female motorists to join FOXY Lady Drivers Club so we can identify, monitor and share the details of the best garages together. In this way women drivers can steer clear of the rest (and tell their menfolk of course).

To find out more about this subject read FOXY’s Good Garage Guide.

To find out which garages have signed the FOXY Promise ‘to never overcharge, patronise or sell women services they don’t need’ in West Sussex please visit the FOXY Choice website and its female friendly garage network.

To tell us about good, bad or indifferent garages/dealerships in West Sussex please leave your female garage feedback here.

If you have a problem with a garage, you can contact the marvellous Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 08454 040506. But even they won’t know the inside story here and what the many logos and competing quality schemes actually need. For informed advice, information, assistance and support female motorists can also contact FOXY Lady Drivers Club (FOXY as in shrewd, canny and discerning which is what women need to be when choosing a garage)…

We’re also a not for profit and 100% independent company which means we really are doing it all for the motorist. If you’d like to know more, read what the Daily Telegraph said about us (and Mandy, a Scottish widow in particular) and this very issue.

FOXY

women

Put ATA at the top of your shopping list

Women shopping for good garages to carry out MOT’s, servicing and repair work for family cars should put ATA at the top of their ideal shopping list. But what does it mean I can hear you ask?

ATA stands for Automotive Technician Accreditation and is a voluntary scheme to test the practical skills and supporting theory of individuals working in the motor industry.

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is the governing body responsible for maintaining the ATA register of individuals and issuing their photo ID cards.

I am often told by old hands in the industry that they have a previous qualification (going back a bit perhaps…)  but that they know what they are dong because of their daily experience repairing and servicing cars. Yes, a qualification is a proof of learning but ATA is about PROVING CURRENT COMPETENCE at a given time and then keeping up to date in the fast moving motor industry. ATA cardholders are also required to renew this accreditation every five years.

Not only is this a badge to illustrate fitness to repair and service ALL makes of cars but he/she has also signed up to the following ethical Code of Conduct; which is what FOXY likes most about ATA, truth be told.

  • Uphold the standing of the profession and conduct themselves in such a manner as not to bring the profession into disrepute
  • At all times be strictly professional in their approach to the public, business colleagues and all those whom they meet in their day to day business activities
  • Maintain professional competence and skills in respect of all developments and legislation applicable to this profession (CPD)
  • Perform their duties and observe their responsibilities to their employers, staff and the public with integrity, courtesy and consideration
  • Take all reasonable steps to ensure that work undertaken by staff under their control is performed with integrity, courtesy and consideration
  • Not incur personal gain through abuse of their professional position
  • Work within the framework of the law at all times, particularly relating to the operation of the organisation with which they are connected
  • Respect the confidentiality of any information given by customers, employers, staff and suppliers
  • Not directly, indirectly or unfairly injure the reputation of another accredited technician
  • Encourage staff under their control to raise their educational standards and skill through training and development (CPD)

If any ATA technician behaves badly after signing up to this standard they will be reprimanded and may even lose their ATA status depending on the circumstances and remedy.

This commitment makes a real difference for me in an industry with so many complaints ranging from cutting costs to the extent of charging for services they don’t deliver and patronising behaviour towards women. Were ATA a compulsory accreditation scheme before garages were licensed to trade, then we’d have an industry to be proud of!

But in the meantime, FOXY Choice’s advice for wary women keen to favour one of the best good garages near them is to ask for evidence of ATA in the garage and/or dealership. Alternatively look for the ATA logo at the FOXY Choice female friendly garage website and you can also check that ATA claims or logo use are up to date at the ATA register.

Finally, if you get the same answer as I often do – ‘we are qualified (going back a while…) and have loads of experience’ please suggest to the business in question that it makes good sense for them to become ATA registered to prove their competence to do the job.  And make your own mind up whether to favour ATA technicians in future.

FOXY

garage services

Top Technician 2011

Well turned out, confident and clearly professional car mechanicsFOXY Choice welcomes any evidence of quality standards in garages that benefit motorists. Car mechanics who are prepared to enter rigorous trade awards like this one clearly see themselves as good enough to win. We think this should be celebrated in an industry where mechanics don’t have to be qualified to repair our cars or accredited as fit for purpose.

How else can women check that their local garage is one of the best when it comes to trusting them with their car’s safety?

As things stand complaint levels are too high and all motorists find it nigh on impossible to single out the measurably best garages from a sea of confusing acronyms. Trade associations have a vested interest in their trade members goodwill and other garage schemes are merely there to sell their sponsors goods and services. There is no one independent body to help motorists understand their choices –  although there wouldn’t need to be one if the industry was regulated…

Congratulations are therefore due to the following car mechanics who have gone that extra mile and passed the online test before having to prove their technical skills in rigorous practical tests; en route to deciding who is to be Top Technician 2011.

ENGLAND

Essex
Matthew Eeles of Saffron Autos
John Tinham of John Tinham Motor Engineers
Steve Smith of Hills Toyota

Lancashire
Lee Collins of the Kwik Fit Group, Manchester
Rafal Rosielewski at Crewe Volkswagen

Norfolk
Glyn Morgan of Breckland Auto Services
Clive Atthowe of Clive Atthowe Tuning

West Sussex
Paul Gutsell of Guy Salmon Jaguar
David Harney at Queensway Garage

Yorkshire
Keith Windle of Skipton Ford and Mazda
Sean Wright at Benfield Ford, Leeds

Other areas…
John French of Grovebury Cars, Bedfordshire
Jamie Virdee at FIAT UK, Berkshire
Peter Jones at Pete Jones Auto, Chester, Cheshire
Matthew Booth at the Village Garage, Hampshire
Jason Evans at Cotswold BMW, Herefordshire
Andrew Gilbrook at Jemca Toyota, Kent
Mark Waby of MWT Automotive Services, Lincoln
Stuart White at Complete Car Maintenance, Surrey
Simon Harris of Pebley Beach Hyundai, Wiltshire

SCOTLAND
Conrad Omand at CS Omand Garage, Orkney
Duncan Ronaldson of Western Saab, Perth

WALES
Gareth Edwards at Gwyndaf Evans Motors, Gwynedd
Craig Stephens at Kwik Fit, Rhondda

Oh that all mechanics were required to go through this process and/or be ATA accredited with the ethical commitment we like so much…

We tell women drivers to look for garages that are ATA employers, hold a BSI Kitemark and/or operate to an OFT fully approved code. This is a clear sign they are better than most of the competition. We also like garages that employ females – that’s a great start towards showing they understand our needs.

Well done chaps.

FOXY

Find out which garages are FOXY approved ie have signed up to our female friendly FOXY Promise AND have measurable quality schemes for service and repair work.

Swot up here about the confusion of  good garage quality signs motorists are expected to get their heads round before making their choice.

garage services

Which? garages vs car dealerships

The recent Which? undercover garage investigation turned up a few surprises for me, mainly to do with the cost of servicing cars.

Not the findings that some 90% of garages missed at least one of the potentially dangerous faults on the cars submitted, or that nearly 40% charged for something they didn’t provide – we talk to women and garages everyday and the stories we hear confirm this sort of thing is happening everyday.

But I was surprised to see the prices charged by the different categories of garages.

Most expensive in the performance league was OFT fully approved network Bosch Car Service whose average servicing price came in at £218.56.

Next came subscribers of the recent Motor Codes scheme (88% dealerships; yet to gain full OFT approval) where the average charge was £217.11.

Members of the Good Garage Scheme came in at £177.72 but no measurable signs of quality promoted here – the business simply pays £23.50 a month to be listed as a good garage ;-).

And least expensive of all were garages that aren’t members of any association and didn’t seem to have any notable attributes according to Which? – they charged £148.20.

So arguably you get what you pay for. A cheap price with no frills or safety guarantee, up to the Bosch garages and Motor Codes dealerships where you pay more but have the reassurance of varying stages of OFT approval.

But what I thought was interesting is the much publicised statistic that independent garages are some 30% (sometimes the percentage quoted is more) more expensive than dealerships. Not so in this case where the dealerships in the Motor Codes average were actually cheaper than the Bosch franchised garages.

Forget competing with garages that can’t demonstrate measurable quality like ATA technician accreditation, they will be cheaper because that’s their competitive advantage in the absence of quality. The point I am making is that measurably good garages like Bosch and measurably good dealerships like Motor Codes and ATA employers seem to be charging much the same for car servicing.

So how do some of the increasing number of garage brokers justify their sales claims that they work with qualified garages (they often say Bosch) and that their prices are c35% cheaper than dealers? I’d like to see the evidence.

But the dealerships need to be totally honest at all times and remember their ATA ethical Code of Conduct. In the Which? investigation 11 out of 17 Motor Codes subscribers (ie mostly dealerships) charged for screenwash when the wash bottle was full and didn’t need topping up.

Not a lot of money but it’s the principle that we women remember and dislike.  If they can do it to overcharge us a couple of quid, what else are they charging us for and not doing…

Mind you Bosch also charged 5 times out of 14, whereas members of the Good Garage Scheme and individual garages (only?) did it in 3 out of 13 cases.

None of this is good enough remember. It’s still a quality lottery for confused motorists to find a measurably good UK garage. The industry isn’t doing its bit to explain this to motorists and the whole thing is far too confusing.

To have safe cars on our roads we need ONE SCHEME CALLED REGULATION and all mechanics to be qualified to ATA standards. Never mind the bureaucracy the industry dreads, regulation could save lives.

That will fix it for once and for all. Nothing more and nothing less will do. Then the businesses can all compete for customer share on an equal footing by differentiating themselves by price and service levels.

In the meantime, I think it makes sense to choose an ATA employer whether an independent garage or dealership.

FOXY