How to protect yourself from unscrupulous service providers in the motor industry
“I know I don’t know too much about cars in general, never mind how they actually work. I’m sure that when some of these service providers see me coming they are already rubbing their hands. Often I pay so much and I am wondering if I’m not getting ripped off.”
Many of us can perhaps relate to the story mentioned above. We all, at some time or another, have had to have our cars serviced. It’s all very well when the car is still under warranty, because it will be serviced by the particular dealership. It’s when the warranty has expired that we need to look for a good service provider.
WHAT ABOUT FINDING THE GOOD DEALERS FIRST?
Before we go into how to be protected from some unscrupulous service providers in the motor industry, let us first examine how to follow the old saying of “prevention is better than cure.” It is much more advantageous to deal with the right car dealers in the first place. The chances that a serious complaint will arise out of such an interaction would be minimised.
THE AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION’S QUALITY ASSURED (AAQA) ACCREDITATION PROGRAMME
For this very reason the AA has in place an accreditation programme which consists of a network of service providers who have been certified to do auto body repair, car maintenance and repair, auto electric work, and so on.1 Accreditation gives the motorist the assurance that at least he or she is dealing with a service provider who has had to have passed a certain criteria before being allowed to be registered with AAQA. And of course the motorist has recourse as well, should there be a dispute. The service provider, on the other hand, does not want to be struck off the accreditation programme. So this is clearly a win-win situation.
WHO ARE SAMBRA-APPROVED PANEL BEATERS?
Similar to the AA’s accreditation programme, SAMBRA (the South African Motor Body Repair Association) is a national organisation that caters for the requirements of close to 1000 auto body repair businesses situated all over South Africa.2 This national association maintains a high standard of services provided. The fact that their members deal with over 80% of all insured repair claims is concrete evidence of the excellent reputation of this association.
Members are restricted by the Association in what they may repair and what not. SAMBRA members are also exposed to ongoing training programmes.
THE MOTOR INDUSTRY WORKSHOP ASSOCIATION (MIWA)
MIWA members strive for credibility and professionalism.3 MIWA members include those from general garages to those centres that specialise and are considered to be properly trained and competent. Dealing with accredited MIWA Independent Aftermarket Workshops will give the motorist the much sought-after peace of mind when handing a car for a service. In addition, disputes can be dealt with professionally at specific MIWA centres countrywide.
Now we need to consider those not-so-client-friendly service providers in the motor industry and find out how we can safeguard our interests as consumers.
HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SHODDY WORK DONE ON YOUR CAR?
How do we protect ourselves from shoddy work done on our cars by dodgy service providers?1 The first thing we as motorists can do is to get to know the Consumer Protection Act, but also, we can contact an organisation that can settle disputes.
THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT (CPA)
South Africans are very quick to complain amongst our friends about that terrible garage down the road that ripped us off, but we don’t want to go to the trouble of submitting in a formal complaint. Perhaps, for many it’s too much of a hassle, unless it’s a big claim like the replacement of a new R60 000 gear box. Unlike their European and American colleagues, South African motorists don’t know their rights as consumers. The Consumer Protection Act is there for the specific purpose to empower the “helpless.”
The Act does deal with specific issues such as that the service provider must provide an estimate of the repair / maintenance costs that the motorist must agree upon. What garages usually do is: as they progress with the service and discover something, they will phone the client for permission to replace or repair the part. The Act also stipulates that all replaced parts must be returned to the client.
THE OMBUDSMAN OF THE MOTOR INDUSTRY CAN ASSIST
The CPA states that any business in the motor industry has to register with the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa (MIOSA). All that the Ombudsman will do is to exercise legal judgement when a complaint by a motorist has been submitted.
A Motor Industry Ombudsman has advised frustrated motorists – not to over-react when they are facing a problem with a garage for instance. An over-emotional, aggressive approach is a lose-lose situation. The correct attitude to have is one that is assertive. Only when things remain unresolved can the motorist submit the complaint to the Ombudsman.
WHAT CAN THE AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (AA) PROVIDE?
The AA is equipped to provide assistance to its members when they have a serious complaint about a service provider. They can assist in solving the dispute process. An additional benefit is that members can obtain advice over the telephone concerning warranties, guarantees and other motor issues.
LOOK OUT FOR THOSE PROVIDERS WHO SWITCH YOUR CAR PARTS
The practice of switching car parts during a service is quite prevalent in South Africa. 4 What typically happens is that you book your car in for a service, not realising that during the service the battery for instance was swapped for an older one. If the battery packs-up a few weeks later, most motorists most likely won’t remember when the battery was bought. In South Africa, batteries can last about 3 – 7 years. Obviously, if the battery was bought about 6 months ago then the motorist is likely to investigate further.
Now, here’s the problem. Even if you are absolutely sure that that battery in your car is not the battery you had before the service, what evidence is there to prove that the switch actually took place? In any case, we are just talking here about the battery. We will never know if that “other engine part” was swapped. MIWA sadly agrees that this practice does occur but its chairman cautions people not to be too panicky about this. Workshops also realise that if they want the customer to come back again for the next service, they have to minimise serious customer complaints. It would pay workshop managers to be vigilant against this kind of practice, as it is also a criminal act.
SO HOW CAN WE PROTECT OURSELVES FROM THIS KIND OF THEFT?
Marking obvious car parts such as the battery, tools and spare tyre are just a few of the parts that you can mark. Here again, that saying that “prevention is better than cure” is key. If you have connected with a garage where you have established a great relationship with the mechanic and trust has been built over several years, the chances of this sort of thing happening should be close to zero. It’s perhaps that opportunistic mechanic in that little garage that you suddenly had to visit in some little town on the way to Cape Town that you need to watch out for.
Sources:
1 https://www.aa.co.za/blog/tips/dealing-with-bad-service.html
2 http://sambra.biz/who-we-are/
3 http://www.miwasa.com/forum/content.php?117-Why-consumers-prefer-MIWA-workshops
Disclaimer:
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views and opinions of Prime Meridian Direct (Pty) Ltd, FSP41040.The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.
