This site has been set up to enable motorists to find decent garages in their area.
When looking through it most garages seem to have 5 stars on all aspects of customer feedbacks and I could find no negative comments on 5 garages selected at random.
I am very wary of garage listings sites which just list any garage who subscribes to them. I do not know if this website is one of these or not, but does anyone agree with comments / ratings of local garages listed on this site in their area?
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 06/06/2008 at 22:31
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(Link deleted)
If this is the site; I looked but I am not convinced - very sceptical as to why it is even there...
Why? This site is asking you to take the written word of total strangers - anonymous ones at that.
There is no verification as to who actually wrote up such as 'As usual, service, helpfulness and pricing, brilliant. 07.08.07' and any one, including the dealership could have written such as this to boost their (sagging?) trade.
My life experience of sourcing a provider of any type of labour charged related service is to work from word of mouth of other people that have used them first.
Maybe this site should also have the bad as well as the good garages listed too?
Edited by Honestjohn on 06/06/2008 at 20:39
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it's not even run by a motoring body but a lubricant manufacturer! Forte UK.
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I had my head gasket fixed by a garage that is recommended under this scheme and they are excellent, after the work was done I got an anonomous feedback form to send back to the garage scheme with feedback about my experience.
I don't suppose that it's foolproof but it's better than having no scheme at all!
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The ones I know to have a good reputation around my postcode get good feedback, the carp ones don't feature - not scientific though.
Edited by Pugugly on 01/04/2008 at 22:28
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It is interesting to note that in the About Us section of the website they state that "All registered members of the Good Garage Scheme abide by our mandatory code of conduct" part of which reads: "Include products that remove internal contamination as part of your regular service" and "Provide a contamination removal guarantee"
Now, I use Forté products, as they were recommended by my specialist, but I interpret this website as saying that garages who do not use Forté products will not be listed.
And the excellent garage my Dad uses is not listed.
I was talking to the owner about Forté recently and he told me he no longer stocks it.
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My local independent that I use for all our work is a member of this scheme - At the end of the job/service you get a feedback sheet to fill in, I have written a comment online for the garage I use.
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The garage coming up nearest to me is where I take all of my "fleet" for MOTs and I find them honest and helpful.
I've used them for diagnostics in the past and was not quite so impressed.
However, I've been down just for a chat about, eg selling a car privately, and have gleaned a load of free info.
Make of that what you will.
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Have they got a "Backroom" though ???
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Doesn't seem bad to me, the better (good) garages around here seem to be on there, and the bad ones I was looking out for were not.
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I don't think these schemes hold any water. Just as most sites don't allow posters to "name and shame" for fear of legal comebacks - hence the awful garages continue to ply their trade - positive sites are far too easy to manipulate. It didn't help that when I put my postcode into the goodgarage finder one of the highly praised garages listed has lost it's VOSA approval twice and turnover their staff every six months or so.
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Well one of the garages listed as "excellent", I have been to twice. First time, they had to replace a knackered hub/bearing. They tried replacing just the bearing but saw hub was knackered, so then got a new hub and put bearing in that, didn't look very neat and made slight squeaky noises afterwards, although ran freely. Would have been happier with a ready fitted bearing/hub.
Next time visited asked for MOT and service, but MOT repairs was so expensive cancelled the service (before any work was done). However had a heated arguement with owner as tried they tried to charge for a service anyway and mechanic was not around to confirm what was done. Repair work was OK though.
Will try other garages in the scheme and reserve judgement until then.
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Hi and sorry for dragging this topic up again, I own a garage and was part of this last year, just recently I had a heated discussion with them and said I no longer wanted to be part of it.
Yes your right they are commercially backed by forte and because I offered my customer a choice of having forte or not having it as part of there service I was really told I wasnt wanted anymore? But I still gave every customer the correct standard service, admitting that since january I have been ill and not at garage much so my partner wasnt giving out feedback forms. But that should not have been an issue.
I also know of another garage and MOT station who have left the GGS as well. Giving me similar reasons.
One of my customers wrote to them as he was astonded at what had happened he sent me a copy of what he had sent as below
Hi,
First of all, sorry for the direct approach, but here goes!
I have been made aware that *************is no longer a member of the good garage scheme. I do actually know that the 'GGS' is basically pushed by Forte additives, but I was also led to belive that it was also backed by the government to find genuinely good garages?
I actually own quite a few cars, most of them older ones - some considered as classics. As you will probably be aware, older cars need attention to keep them in top shape, that is how I came to know of *********, highly recommended by other car enthusiasts (surely thats one sign of a good garage)
My cars are always being serviced there, and every service the mechanics or ******* have always suggested your forte products to be added (fuel treatment or oil flush etc...), and every service I have declined them. Personally I do not belive in additives that will be floating around in my engine or fuel system for the next few months. I do actually know the chemical 'make-up' of most of your products, and know that they will do little/nothing and possibly damage my older vehicles.
********* and it's employees have always been very good to me and my cars, and always honest and fair on pricing. I have never had any problems whilst using their services for the past 3+ years, on almost a weekly basis sometimes!
Surely this is the true sign of a Good Garage?
I find that your basically rubbishing their company because they wont force your products upon their loyal customers if they dont want them.
Thanks for reading this, i'm not quite sure what you will make of it, I just thought i'd put my point across to yourselves.
Mr. W. Byrne
So yes I thought by being part of this it would give yet another sign that we are a respectable company, but hey who needs that when you have good customers, loyal customers and new ones all the time. The customer is whats its all about.
:)
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