Tag Archives: OFT

female friendly, garage services

Are more measurably good garages on the horizon?

I was interested to read in Motor Trader that the Motor Codes Scheme is close to second stage OFT full approval for their service and repair code.

But is this in all motorists best interests? I have my doubts unless they can magically recruit many more independent garages.

I had my doubts because before a radio interview for BBC Scotland yesterday I checked to see how many subscribers Motor Codes have in Glasgow and Edinburgh, for example. They have 97 in Glasgow of which only 5 are independent garages and in Edinburgh there are only 4 independents listed out of 38 subscribers. The balance are franchised car dealerships where motorists will pay considerably more for car servicing or repairs. This suggests that independent garages in Scotland are shunning Motor Codes for some reason because they’d probably do quite well as a cheaper choice? And with Scottish blood running in my veins I’d say that’s an important consideration ;-).

BUT in case any car manufacturer is reading this, Ford ideally, having insisted that their dealership network sign up to the Motor Codes scheme, could they PLEASE tell me what it is of Motor Codes service and repair code that their dealers weren’t doing beforehand? I cannot believe that their dealer services were worse than this, surely? And just to remind you, in brief, subscribers are required to provide…

  • honest and fair services
  • open and transparent pricing
  • work completed as agreed
  • invoices that match prices
  • competent and conscientious staff…

oh yes and a swift complaint service which is a bit like admitting defeat before you start ;-).

Is that all? Surely the UK’s main car dealerships must be doing this as a bare minimum? So why sign up to such a low standard?  Certainly my business would fail if I didn’t do a lot more than this and I don’t have the power to despatch dangerous cars onto our roads…

I am also amazed that so few motorists have been told that garages aren’t licensed or regulated and that mechanics don’t have to be qualified. Having said that FOXY does recognise and support the sterling work re ATA at the Institute of the Motor Industry (of which I am a member) and the growing number of mechanics that have been trained and qualified recently so things are on the up.

But Motor Codes doesn’t explain the garage choice to motorists. Some want dealership standards and others are more driven by cost, especially if they drive an older car. I think this is something that the motor industry needs to do or, even better, an independent motoring voice, as a matter of urgency and to include the new EU rules which need to be understood by all.

Nor does it address the perception of many that they’ll be sold services they don’t need or want. And from a female point of view, the tendency of this male dominated industry to patronise us…

My advice to garages considering subscribing? Read the Motor Code and question why you need it. Are you not better than that already?

Will the Motor Codes code do anything to prevent the bad garages letting the industry down in future? No it won’t because their subscribers aren’t to be monitored for c24 months and it’s just cheap (and could be misleading) publicity at £75 a year until they are.

Instead of all this and the c13 previous garage quality schemes that have failed in some 60 years… what the UK motorist needs is ONE garage standard to put all businesses on a level playing field when it comes to quality workmanship. Not ATA plus OFT plus BSI plus TSI motor trade partnerships et al… it’s far too confusing for most motorists.

FOXY

Find out about measurable signs of garage quality in FOXY Good Garage Guide.

See where the best and female friendly garages are near you.

garage services, women drivers

Electrician in York sees the light…

It’s good to see that Yorkshire Trading Standards has fined a tradesman nearly £2000 as a result of his passing himself off as a member of a trade association, implying professional conduct that wasn’t the case.

I’d like to see more of these checks and fines in the motor industry so that women drivers could be 100% confident that they are dealing with one of the best and honourable businesses. FOXY Choice’s terms and conditions require female friendly garages to self certify their business credentials including current membership of trade associations; there could easily be a degree of sloppiness here because it isn’t always possible for us to check that all trade memberships, for example, are correct or up to date.

Because we favour, promote and reward garage businesses with OFT (schemes operating to a fully approved code and those that have yet to get there), ATA and BSI Kitemark credentials in particular, I’d hate to think we might be misrepresenting this important sign of quality to women drivers in any of our female friendly garage listings… or that businesses might be passing off trade memberships at any stage.

In this instance, David Pearce who is an electrician from York, pleaded guilty to four charges of displaying a trade association logo he was not entitled to and one of displaying a ‘trust mark’ he wasn’t entitled to use.

York Trading Standards claimed that Pearce’s firm used quotation forms bearing the logo of the National Association of Professional Inspectors And Testers (NAPIT) and used a trust mark linked to the same organisation. Pearce also displayed the logo ‘inappropriately’ on his firm’s website.

In his defence, Pearce claimed he had not run a business before and obtained help from a friend in the same occupation. This third party had given him quotation and invoice forms he had copied and he hadn’t realised that his website could be accessed by the public…

Nice try David…

I got this story from the helpful Professional Associations website and am as surprised as they are to not find this as a news story at the NAPIT website yet. I imagine that any professional business association would wish to discourage trade cowboys from making false claims about their membership. After all, this might then flush a few lapsed members out of their cubby holes to conveniently remember to pay a recently lapsed sub!

FOXY

Find out about the lading trade associations that female friendly garages can join in FOXY’s Good Garage Guide.

buying a new car, car dealerships, women drivers

Which car dealers are ripping off women drivers?

According to Which? Car, franchised car dealers are taking male and female customers to the cleaners by not being clear about how much interest they’ll pay when they arrange car finance.

One assumes these dealerships aren’t FOXY Choice subscribers who have signed the female friendly FOXY Promise to ‘never overcharge, patronise or sell women services they don’t need or want?’.

But who are they Which?

We look forward to reading which Audi, Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot and Vauxhall dealerships failed the Which? Car undercover investigation in January… and I predict that women fared worse than men, given a fair gender comparison.

Overall, the details of car finance deals weren’t properly explained to the potential buyers and on some occasions interest rates weren’t even mentioned!

Not one of the sales staff at the 15 dealerships verbally told researchers ie potential customers the total cost of the interest on a finance agreement. Two thirds failed to mention the APR and a third didn’t include it on their written quote, which contravenes the Consumer Credit Act, by the way.

How else can you work out how much interest you’ll be paying on a finance deal?

One salesman even refused to give a written quote at all, wrongly claiming that to do so would break the law. Was his name Tim I wonder?

On a typical car such as a £13k Fiat Bravo hatchback 1.4T Jet 120 Active 5 dr the quote was for a £300-£350 monthly repayment, and an initial deposit of £1,000. At that time a bank loan would cost a customer £15,319 whereas hire purchase with payment protection insurance would cost them £18,433 – a staggering difference of more than £3,000.

Peter Vicary-Smith, Chief Executive, Which?, says:
“When you take out a mortgage, the bank or building society has to clearly state APR rates up front, and explain terms and conditions fully. We think car finance deals should be conducted in the same way. We urge car buyers to avoid showroom finance deals if they think dealers haven’t given them all the necessary information.”

FOXY wholeheartedly agrees but wishes we could name and shame in these situations – even if only within FOXY Lady Drivers Club.

Having reported its findings to the OFT, the response was that ‘it was disappointed some dealers didn’t appear to be aware of their obligations, or are simply refusing to comply’. However the OFT promised to take enforcement action where necessary.

Yes, it’s necessary.

Members of FOXY Lady Drivers Club can ask us for a second opinion when shopping for car finance deals – here’s a simple bit of foxy advice for all women drivers for starters; don’t imagine that the car salesman has quoted the best car finance deal out there. Sad but true.

FOXY

For advice about buying and negotiating a new car deal, including car finance, women drivers can read FOXY’s Top Ten Tips about buying a new car…

BE ON YOUR GUARD.

garage services

Is the industry motor code working?

Within the Club and on some trade websites we still hear of and read about stories where MOT centres are selling top of the range servicing packages and ‘strongly recommending’ the likes of new tyres, when neither may be needed to pass the test.

Which is presumably why chains like Just MOTs reassure motorists that MOTs are all they’ll be sold because MOTs are all they do; so they can’t have a vested interest in selling other services.

I now read that VOSA centres are to be asked/required to sign the Motor Industry  Service and Repair code  but I can’t see how this will outlaw this predatory practice or where this says that the business shouldn’t sell something the motorist doesn’t need or want to buy?

Just to remind us, this is the relevant bits of the Code and what subscribers agree to provide…

  • honest and fair services
  • open and transparent pricing
  • invoices that match quoted prices

Pardon me but aren’t these requirements the bare and ethical minimum for ALL businesses regardless of industry.  And shouldn’t standards be SMART ones in an unregulated industry with a bad image and where bad garage work can mean unsafe cars and motorists being overcharged and sold services they don’t need?

I just don’t get it.

To begin with we were told that this Code was to encourage the cowboys to sign up.  But aren’t they likely to be the last ones to sign up when they don’t have to (unless it’s for a cheap £75 blast of publicity without any pre-inspection and with no intention of paying for  the later compliance visit?).

And surely by far the majority of Code subscribers operate to higher standards already (many much, much higher) so what’s the point of all this?

Is it just me questioning the wisdom here? I sometimes think that the likes of dealers have signed up without reading the code simply because they have been told to by their manufacturer. How does that raise garage standards for all motorists?

It doesn’t of course but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts…

FOXY

NB: Relevant FOXY plug follows –  Wary women drivers can at least search for a female friendly garage that has signed the FOXY Promise to ‘never overcharge, patronise or sell them services they don’t need or want’ at FOXY Choice. We also show businesses that subscribe to a fully OFT approved code, are ATA employers or hold a BSI Kitemark in automotive services because we believe these are the main signs of tangible quality.
We also like Trading Standards’ Motor Trade Partnership schemes where they exist, but they are rare, fragmented and may not all be the same – which is a shame because the Trading Standards Institute SHOULD wield the power here on behalf of motorists.

buying a new car, car dealerships, women drivers

One in 5 car dealers unhelpful

I’ve just heard a spokesman for the OFT on the Radio 4 Today programme telling us that one in 5 used car sales result in a complaint (plus the ones that are browbeaten into submission) and how many of the complaints are about ‘unhelpful’ dealers when things go wrong. You bet!

I find that few women drivers realise that they have a period of six months in law to take a car back when it has developed an ‘unreasonable’ fault. ‘Unreasonable’ in terms of the price paid, the age and mileage and, of course, the sales proposition (and often the make of car itself…).

Few women drivers are as fussy as they should be and too many trust that the person, usually a man, who sells them a car that looks good on the forecourt is telling them all they need to know. And they don’t always tell the truth of course.

Very often the car was bought at an auction elsewhere in the country (usually where the prices are cheaper), transported (usually where the prices are higher ie the South of England) to be sold at a higher price and far from the original owner.

My industry experience makes me cynical here. If a car is not as good as it should be then the customer should know her rights. The dealer should be required to sell a car with a finance and a prescriptive pre-sale car fitness check. This is not the case unless you buy from a main dealer Approved Car scheme which I prefer to recommend. Where there are potential problems, these should either be rectified and declared or be documented on a caveat emptor basis and the price adjusted accordingly. Simple. And if an unexpected falut occurs the dealer should see this as an opportunity to demonstrate his superior customer care so she is so delighted she tells her friends…

That’s the theory at least!

Instead, the situation remains much the same over many years… there are too many modern day Arthur Daley’s and Swiss Toni’s out there who see a customer with a car fault as an opportunity to sell her repairs, claiming that a one or three month warranty was all she was entitled to. They have no scruples and tell a mosy convincing tale to the gullible.

I hope the OFT tightens this up and deals with unscrupulous dealers accordingly…

At present the law is too lightweight in this area which I would describe as car fraud or the auto-equivalent of passing off.

FOXY

Women drivers can search for good and female friendly car dealers at FOXY Choice.

All FOXY Choice garages, fastfits and dealers sign the female friendly FOXY Promise to ‘never knowingly overcharge, patronise or sell women services they don’t need or want.’