Oakmain ‘struck off’ from GEA membership

Following the news that Wales-based garage equipment firm Oakmain Ltd’s sales manager was prosecuted for providing fraudulent solicitors letters to some garages applying to become MOT test centres, it has emerged that the historically “long-time” Garage Equipment Association (GEA) member company have been “struck off” from membership.

In light of the news of the prosecution, GEA told Tyres & Accessories that the trade association cannot confirm any details of the case since it was not involved in any way. However, a spokesperson did explain both that Oakmain had been a member and that the business has since been removed from membership:

“Oakmain were members of the association but since the conviction have now been removed from membership as it has [become] apparent that they are not…working to our strict guidelines/code of conduct.”

However, at the time of going to press both Oakmain’s website and LinkedIn page suggest the company “are long-time members of the Garage Equipment Association and are part of the GEA Lift Accreditation scheme.”

It appears Oakmain’s continuing online suggestions of membership are simply an oversight following on from the company’s recent prosecution and removal from GEA membership. T&A understands that the association has formally requested that all links to the association are removed from their website and marketing material. Of course, that takes time, but GEA are “monitoring the situation going forward”.

Meanwhile, the association re-iterated its commitment to high standards: “At the GEA we do not accept any such actions from any of our members”.

Indeed, the GEA spokesperson told T&A: “…if any other member is found to be doing anything against our code of conduct/articles of association or fraudulently in any way [they] would also be struck off from membership.”

Oakmain’s website reports that the company was established in 1993. It is not immediately clear when the company became full members of the GEA, but Oakmain’s claim that it has been “long-time” members, plus a reference to them in a November 2009 analysis of the UK lift market produced in conjunction with the GEA suggests the firm were GEA members for between 10 and 15 years.

Oakmain has not replied to Tyres & Accessories’s request for comment.