8:10 am, November 26, 2012
SURVEY data from industry body Motor Codes reveals that motorists rate garages very highly on the whole.
Quashing the old ‘rip-off’ reputation that many garages battle against, the data – from 25,000 consumers – related to the quality of service they received, either when buying a new car or having it serviced.
Servicing – making up the majority of the ratings at 20,500 of the 25,000 – received surprisingly positive feedback from customers.
‘Consigning the archetypal ‘suck through teeth, that’ll cost you’ view of garages to a stereotyped past, the Motor Codes Report shows that trust in its garages has risen to an incredible 98 per cent since its inception in 2008,’ said the body.
‘The survey also shows that, where the dreaded phone call comes and the garage has found that extra work is needed on top of a routine service, again, 98 per cent of Motor Codes garage customers were happy that they were being charged fairly and only for work they were happy to have carried out.’
Only two per cent of customers wouldn’t recommend a particular garage to their friends or relatives, according to the data – a promising figure.
Chris Mason of Motor Codes commented on the results. ‘When the government first tasked us with reducing the number of complaints in the car service sector, we knew we had to get to the heart of the problem. That meant talking directly to garage customers and asking their opinion.
‘To see that trust in Motor Codes garages has risen to such a high level is phenomenal. This upward trend suggests growing consumer confidence in the professional standards of garages in the Motor Codes network.’
Ratings for car sales have also been good – on a scale of one to five, scores for sales and aftersales were 4.4 per cent and 4.29 per cent respectively. ‘What’s encouraging here is that dealers are demonstrating strong levels of customer care throughout car ownership,’ commented Mason, ‘even where there may have been a warranty fix required.
‘People can be sure that their relationship with a dealer doesn’t end when they’ve paid for and collected their new car.’
