- Number of garages subscribing to code of practice continues to increase
- More than a thousand calls to Consumer Advice Line as awareness grows
- 91% of conciliation cases satisfactorily resolved without need for arbitration
The Motor Codes Ltd Independent Compliance Assessment Panel (ICAP) met last month to carry out its second quarterly review of the performance of the Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair and the compliance of its subscribers. As previously, a copy of the ICAP meeting report has been published and made freely available to all – honouring the Motor Codes commitment of transparency in the monitoring of industry codes of practice and their operation.
Notably, just over 95% of the calls taken by the Motor Codes team were from motorists wanting expert advice with only 5% making complaints about their recent garage experience. Twenty five complaints were satisfactorily dealt with through the free fast-track system and only two out of the 22 conciliation cases opened have been escalated to arbitration, with the outcome to be reported at the next ICAP meeting.
“We are very encouraged by the findings of this latest ICAP report which clearly demonstrates the excellent progress being made in the self regulation of the garage sector through the Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair,” said Chris Mason, director of Motor Codes Ltd. “There is positive evidence that after just a few months of operation, the Code is being used by responsible businesses to deliver consistently high levels of customer service.”
ICAP was established to assist in the process of satisfying consumer bodies and government that the sector is capable of managing its own affairs and the panel meets to carry out reviews, make recommendations accordingly and supply evidence to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and Trading Standards for monitoring purposes. By doing so it will contribute to the successful progress in automotive self-regulation and to ensure a balanced view, each group is formed with at least one representative from the consumer lobby, another from the automotive industry and one from the wider business community.
“The decisions made by the panel demonstrate that this Code operates to the standards expected by Motor Codes and, importantly, the OFT,” said Alec Murray, ICAP chairman. “The key plus points to take from this latest review is the growing number of subscribing garages and the success of the assistance delivered by the consumer advice line, fast track and conciliation service. This demonstrates the willingness and ability of the sector to manage its own affairs to the mutual benefit of consumers and businesses alike.”
Any UK garage can sign up to the voluntary code, which has already completed stage one of the OFT Consumer Codes Approval Scheme. To comply with the code, a garage needs to commit to meet the requirements for completing service and repair work whilst doing business with its customers.
Media Contact
Motor Codes Ltd John Procter 020 7344 9263 jprocter@motorcodes.co.uk
