Three-quarters (75%) of service and repair businesses polled foresee rising operational costs, taxes and energy bills to be the most significant operational challenges in 2024, followed by paying more for spare parts (58%), and recruiting qualified technicians to meet workload demands (58%).
The Motor Ombudsman has worked with Autotech Training to equip its case handlers with a foundation of automotive technical knowledge. In the first technical training of its kind for the automotive dispute resolution body, the ‘Tech for Non Tech’ course was exclusively created by Autotech Training for The Motor Ombudsman.
Tyre specialists may not have been named as outright winners this year, but there was at least one tyre retailer named in most of the Motor Ombudsman’s regional Garage Star awards categories. Nearly 1,100 customers submitted a nomination for an individual team member or business accredited to one or more of The Motor Ombudsman’s four Motor Industry Codes of Practice, who they felt had gone above and beyond to assist them during the last 12 months.
The Motor Ombudsman has launched its 2021 Garage Star Awards. The awards follow a successful inaugural 2020 recognition programme, which attracted more than 800 online customer nominations for Motor Ombudsman-accredited garages and dealerships across the UK. Cornwall-based Dukes AutoTech was crowned the first national winner. Two new awards have been added to the scheme for 2021, with 40 vehicle manufacturers accredited to The Motor Ombudsman’s New Car Code and 13 businesses that are part of the Vehicle Warranty Products Code eligible for two separate Customer Service Star Awards.
The majority of car owners have taken advantage of the six-month extension announced by the government in March to delay getting an MOT, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by The Motor Ombudsman. The study of 765 individuals in Great Britain, who have a car of three or more years of age, and that had an existing MOT certificate expiring between 30 March and 31 July 2020, revealed that 56 per cent had exercised their right to prolong taking their vehicle to a garage for the compulsory annual test.
The Motor Ombudsman has upgraded its online Knowledge Base with the introduction of a new category on the Coronavirus (COVID-19). It has been designed to help consumers answer frequently asked queries on car ownership, vehicle maintenance and dispute resolution, following the latest government measures which have recently been implemented in the UK.
The Motor Ombudsman has added a new module on distance sales to its Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)-approved online training portfolio. Tailored to the needs of businesses operating in the motor industry, it joins the existing suite of web-based courses on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The Motor Ombudsman won the 2019 TyreSafe Online and Social Media award. The tyre safety charity’s annual prize giving ceremony, which was recently held at Staffordshire’s St George’s Park, the home of the National Football Centre, acknowledges businesses and individuals, across eleven different categories, who have made a significant contribution to raising awareness about tyre safety-related issues during the past 12 mo
At a time when many motorists look to make plans to drive abroad for the Christmas break and the start of the ski season, a YouGov survey commissioned by The Motor Ombudsman suggests that 87 per cent of car owners in Great Britain are unaware which countries across the Channel have laws pertaining to winter tyre use.
Automechanika Birmingham’s seminar programme looks set to be the most comprehensive yet with a number of wide ranging topics discussed and technical advice available to visitors.
Online search and booking platform, AA Garage Guide has unveiled its partnership with the Motor Ombudsman – formerly known as Motor Codes. As part of the new link, the Motor Ombudsman will advocate the AA Garage Guide platform to all of its accredited garages with immediate effect.
Servicesure Autocentres, the garage network run by The Parts Alliance, has welcomed the launch of The Motor Ombudsman. Paul Dineen, the network’s Head of Garage Programmes, said drivers would be given extra confidence knowing the service was there to offer help if things went wrong.
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