The Garage 303

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opinion 16View from the topAt the beginningof November, wecelebrated threeyears as the Ombudsmanfor thecar industry. With moreand more people becomingaware of us during this period,our alternative disputeresolution (ADR) service hascontinued to see an increasinglevel of demand, particularlyamongst consumers. Infact, by the end of September2019, we had already takenclose to 44,000 calls and receivedover 26,000 e-mailssolely in relation to our fourCodes of Practice. This is notforgetting the several thousandrequests for informationfrom both motorists andbusinesses that we have alsoanswered since January.As we have seen in previousyears, the large majorityof complaints that we haveadjudicated on, come fromvehicle sales and servicingand repair. In terms ofimportant sales issues, thequality of the car at and afterhandover has once againproved to be a major bugbearfor motorists. This isfollowed by issues with theaftersales service, with disputesranging from a lackof contact from garages, tono assistance being offeredwhen something went wrong.The biggest proportion ofbreaches to our Serviceand Repair Codeso far in 2019, haverelated to the qualityof the work providedduring eitherad hoc or routinemaintenance, theoverall booking inprocess and damageto a car whilstin the care of agarage.Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsmanand Managing Director at The MotorOmbudsman, the automotive disputeresolution provider, looks back at some ofthe key highlights of the year so far, andwhat we might expect in 2020To ensure we continue toprovide a fast and efficientservice to the garages thatare accredited to The MotorOmbudsman, and delivercase outcomes that are fair,independent and impartialto consumers as quickly aspossible, we have investedheavily in both our workforceand I.T. infrastructurein 2019. The Motor Ombudsman’sheadcount hasmore than doubled in ourCustomer Service department,we have introduceda new department of CaseInvestigators, and increasedthe size of our initial ContactHandling and Adjudicationteams. We have alsoadopted new back office andtelephony systems, and haveapproved expenditure foradditional system upgradesin 2020.The wider industry inwhich we operate has alsochanged significantly thisyear, with motorists nowconsidering more ecofriendlymodels when choosingwhat to have for theirnext car. This is particularlyvisible in the new car marketwith electric vehicle (EV)sales being on a real chargein 2019, as the environmentalagenda gains increasingpublicity. In just the firstnine months of this year,over 25,000 new EVs wereregistered, a 122% increasecompared to 2018. Havingmore EVs on UK roads maywell bring new types of casesto The Motor Ombudsman.For example, it has alreadybeen reported in the mediathat some of the very earliestelectric cars are now losingtheir ability to fully chargethe battery packs. Therefore,we may see this creating anew source of complaints aswe go forward, and we havealready had cases whereEVs has been bought, butthe range has proved unsuitablefor the needs of thecustomers once they had hitthe road.Also, the rise in EV salesis now, more than ever, placingeven greater pressure ongarages to be able to handlezero emission models intheir workshops. From thebusinesses that we havebeen speaking to during thepast few months, as part ofour online “TMO Talks To”series, technicians are nowgoing on specialist trainingcourses to learn the necessaryskills. Similarly, moneyis also being spent on diagnosticequipment to stayahead of the competitionand to be prepared for theadded volume of batterypoweredcars coming for aservice or MOT.Last but not least, 2020will be significant, as thestart of a new decade willsee the five-year anniversaryof the arrival of the ConsumerRights Act 2015 andAlternative Dispute Resolutionfor Consumer Disputes2015 Regulations. These lieat the very heart of what wedo and are currently underreview by the Departmentfor Business, Energy andIndustrial Strategy (BEIS),with recommendations goingforward to Governmentat some point in 2020.Just as we forecast thistime last year, 2019 hasproved to be yet anotherimportant period for our organisation,and the next onewill no doubt bring another12 months of change and excitingdevelopments in whatremains a fast-paced automotivesector.16 Opinion.indd 1 18/11/2019 09:55
Your business, your team,your opportunity.Drive your ambition with Quick Lane.Join the Quick Lane franchise on our mission to change the perception of the fast-fitindustry. We aim to provide ‘Convenience with Confidence’ by creating and maintaining atransparent and consultative relationship that keeps our customers coming back.By being ‘Brilliant at the Basics’ combined with our technical expertise, technologies andstate-of-the-art facilities we can offer quality services, resulting in our customer knowingthat their time and money is well spent with Quick Lane.You’ll be supported throughout your business:• You will be provided with guidance on selecting and securing the appropriatepremises.• We will help you achieve the maximum potential in your area.• We will help you become ‘Brilliant at the Basics’ from operations through tomarketing.• You will be supported by the Quick Lane Code of Practice, promoting the higheststandards of service.Time for you, time for your business, time for leading the industry.Find out more at quicklane.co.uk/franchiseor call on 0800 302 9437Palmer Hargreaves.indd 1 28/08/2019 15:04
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The Garage 303

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