Kitemark garages have 'increased trust'

Friday, April 20, 2007

Survey shows customers trust Kitemark garages
Still very few garages bear kitemark, though
Kitemark scheme aims to have 500 garages soon

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Garages bearing the Kitemark quality standard are gaining the trust of motorists, according to a new survey.

The report for Automotive Advantage, a firm that helps businesses improve their aftersales service, has shown that 60% of garages which have gained the Kitemark for Garage Services have reported increased trust from customers. Nine out of 10 garages have received positive feedback about the kitemark.

The Kitemark scheme is run by the British Standards Institution (BSI), and is intended to restore failing trust in the UK garage service industry.

The problem is that only a handful of garages - less than 50 - have opted into the scheme, which costs £1500 for a garage to join. The garage has to pass mystery shop tests, an annual audit of its business and pay £750 per year to retain membership.

It has been estimated that the scheme needs 2000-3000 garages to join to put a kitemarked garage within reasonable reach of most people. At the moment, the BSI has 500 applications pending, and hopes more will join.

The scheme is widely seen as the motor service industry's last chance to put its own house in order before legislation is introduced to force it to do so.