Halfords promises to tell it like it is

Halfords Autocentres has pledged to make customers' lives easier by championing the use of 'plain English' in its garages, following a poll of 2,000 motorists carried out for Halfords which revealed a high level of confusion around mechanical jargon and the need for simple and un-patronising language when dealing with motorists.

Over nine out of ten car owners (91 per cent) say they are left bewildered by terminology used by mechanics and almost half of motorists (48 per cent) admit paying for a service or repair without understanding what it was for.

When asked specific technical questions about their cars relating to the clutch, ‘big end’ and alternator, a third were baffled with ‘no idea’ what the correct answer might be. When asked how a garage should rectify a slipping clutch, 6 in 10 gave the wrong answer; 61 per cent identified the meaning of ‘big end’ incorrectly while 43 per cent incorrectly identified the role of an alternator.

40 per cent have pretended to understand something the garage has told them so they don’t show their lack of knowledge and risk a bigger bill and 8 out of 10 say they ‘always’ or ‘sometimes’ feel out of depth.
Halfords Autocentres has joined with the Plain English Campaign to draw up an easy to understand guide of motoring industry terms. This avoids technical terms and jargon and commits to the use of simple and unambiguous language in its garages.

Halfords Autocentres chief executive Duncan Wilkes said: “This is about creating an atmosphere where men and women alike feel comfortable with helpful, honest and reliable customer service.
“We know that for motorists, a trip to the garage can be confusing.
Modern cars are complicated and it can be hard to understand what’s happened when things go wrong.

“All our staff are dedicated to helping customers and their vehicles. Our new Plain English guide to “garage speak” is part of that service.
Transparent pricing and language is at the heart of our business, we are there to be the motorists’ friend, helping to keep them on the road and get the best deal.”

The guide, believed to be an industry first, has been awarded the “Crystal Mark” by the Plain English Campaign, which praised Halfords Autocentres for the initiative.
Tony Maher, general manager of Plain English Campaign commented: “It is obviously important that customers leaving a car at a garage are happy that they understand what work is being carried out and they know what the mechanic is going to do and what that work will cost them. We welcome the publication of this glossary and think it will be an invaluable guide for any motorist.”

The study discovered a disturbing level of fear among motorists looking for a garage to carry out MOTs, services or repairs, which meant they were not always seeking out the best deal.

Very few (17 per cent) of motorists feel comfortable when talking about the mechanical or technical elements of our cars. Unexpected bills are the biggest cause of anxiety (59 per cent), while over half of motorists (51 per cent) fear being overcharged.

21 per cent say that ignorance about what they’re paying for is a cause of anxiety and nine out of ten feel some form of anxiety. Less than a third of us always question something we don’t understand; one in five say they fear being ripped off if they speak up, while six per cent say they are too embarrassed to ask for clarification.

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