Which?: Garages Still Ripping Off Consumers

The latest Which? report on garage service concludes that there are still shocking levels of incompetence in the sector despite the introduction of several new codes of conduct. The undercover investigation found that 90 per cent of the 62 garages mystery shopped by the consumer watchdog missed (or ignored) at least one potentially dangerous fault, while 39 per cent charged for a product that wasn’t supplied.

Which? introduced four simple faults – “deflated spare and nearside rear tyres, brake fluid at the minimum level and a blown bulb on the reversing light.” However, according to the report just eight of the garages tested returned the cars fault-free and five garages failed to fix any of the introduced faults.

Furthermore 48 per cent of garages didn’t spot that the brake fluid was at the minimum level. 68 per cent didn’t inflate the nearly flat spare tyre. 57 per cent missed the blown reversing light bulb. 21 per cent didn’t notice the low pressure in the nearside rear tyre.

Which? also filled up the screenwash as an honesty test to see how many garages charged for it anyway – 39 per cent did. The amounts charged were small, ranging from 68p to £2.41, but Which? commented that billing for a product that wasn’t supplied “shows inexcusable dishonesty.”

When Which? last tested garages in 2007, a mere two out of 50 cars came back with a completely clean bill of health. After the vehicle repair industry was threatened with a so-called super complaint several codes of practice that aim to raise standards and boost consumer confidence were introduced. Bosch introduced the first code of practice for garages which was granted full approval by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Several others launched similar schemes, most notably the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) with its Motor Codes initiative, and the Good Garage Scheme, which is operated by oil company Forté Lubricants. Motor Codes is awaiting full OFT approval.

Garages affiliated to the Bosch Car Service scheme scored highest in the 2010 survey, fixing 64 per cent of introduced faults. Motor Codes garages came a close second with 60 per cent of faults fixed. The apparently ironically named Good Garage Scheme; score of 39 per cent is actually worse than the 43 per cent achieved by independent (non-code) garages.

As a result Which? is calling for all codes of conduct to include robust mystery shopping, and would like to see a recognised, industry-wide qualification introduced for all mechanics.

Fifteen garages tested weren’t affiliated to any servicing code, while Bosch and the Good Garage Scheme had 15 garages each. 80 per cent of garages in the Motor Code scheme are franchised dealers, so in order to fairly compare franchises and independents, Which? looked at 17 garages in total – 15 franchises, plus two independent garages that are also part of the scheme. Which? ensured that all franchised dealers worked on their own particular brand, for example Audis at Audi dealers.

Mystery shopping catches garages out

In order to compile its data Which? asked 62 of its members with cars between three and six years old to book their cars in for a service with a selection of garages around Britain. The appointments took place between March and June 2010. Before each ‘mystery shop’, Which? inspected the cars for pre-existing problems that should be noted or fixed as part of a routine service, and introduced four deliberate, easily fixed faults. After the service Which? re-examined each car to see how many faults the garage had missed, then rectified them where appropriate. It also asked owners for their impressions of the garage and its staff, and checked the bill to see how accurate it was.

Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which? said:  “This is a worrying snapshot of an industry that desperately needs to clean up its act. Almost all the garages in our investigation failed to fix basic faults. This could have endangered the lives of drivers and other road users and is simply not acceptable. The fact that the Bosch and Motor Codes schemes have out-performed independent garages is encouraging, but there’s still a long way to go for the industry to win the confidence of car owners.”

Related News:

• Robert Halfon MP Says Garages Should Hold Kitemark Standard

• Independent Garage Association to Focus on Code of Practice

• Editorial: “Hello, I’d Like to Make a Super Complaint”