Good conduct

13 July 2007  

THE FIGHT against compulsory garage licensing received a boost today when a Bosch customer care scheme became the first of its kind to get full government approval.

The news means independent garages in the Bosch Car Service network are the first to meet stringent criteria set by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

The OFT demands garages follow stringent procedures to safeguard consumers’ interests. It took Bosch more than three-and-a-half years to formulate a code of practice and prove to the OFT that it gave consumers a sufficiently high level of protection.

From now on, Bosch Car Service garages will be branded with the OFT logo to show they offer customers clear pre-contractual information, cancellation rights and guarantees along with independent arbitration and complaints procedures.

The OFT is a non-ministerial government department designed to ensure industries work in the interests of consumers. It is launching a nationwide campaign to promote its OFT Approved Code logo – showing that holders of the logo have met tough standards for customer service.

OFT approval is designed to reassure consumers across all industries, from estate agents and carpet fitters to service and repair garages.

Bosch technical manager Howard Price said the OFT approval was good news for the industry as a whole. “It’s only through initiatives such as this that the image of the car servicing sector is going to improve,” he said.