Motorists fear they are being ripped off to the tune of millions of pounds by Britain’s garages, a new study reveals today.
Motorists fear they are being ripped off to the tune of millions of pounds by Britain’s garages, a new study reveals today.
Almost five million motorists think they’ve been overcharged or received bad service at a garage in the past 12 months.
As a nation we spend more than Ł9 billion each year on car maintenance. But independent research from Norwich Union shows that motorists fear they could be wasting as much as Ł430 million each year on unnecessary or overcharged repair and maintenance work.
Norwich Union’s ‘Fairer Deal for Drivers’ study – which included mystery shopping various garages - also reveals that three out of five drivers think women get a worse deal than men when it comes to forking out for car repairs.
Female motorists feel they are cheated by an average of Ł100 – while men claim they are Ł85 out of pocket. As a result, more than a third of all female car owners admit they get a man to take their car to the garage for them.
But garages get men stressed too. The ‘Fairer Deal for Drivers’ study reveals that a quarter of all male motorists feel anxious about a visit to the garage.
Now Norwich Union has launched a new initiative to educate and empower Britain’s motorists, with the support of the Trading Standards Institute.
The insurer has produced a free guide to arm motorists with the right information and to help them get the best deal from garages.
The guide, written in conjunction with a team of motor engineers, includes:
- straightforward tips and information about what motorists should do when dealing with a garage
- a summary of how consumers can avoid the most common pitfalls and keep up-to-date about their legal rights
- a garage jargon buster – so motorists won’t be fooled by ‘tradesman speak’
- advice on what to look out for when buying a used car
- contact details for motor trade industry bodies and consumer rights associations
Richard Alger, market development manager for Norwich Union Insurance, said: “Cars are often one of the biggest purchases people make and responsible car ownership means the vehicle needs to be regularly maintained and in safe working order. But our research shows that some motorists are getting a poor deal at garages and this not only causes unnecessary stress and anxiety, but it can be expensive.
“Mystery shopping we conducted as part of our research into this issue certainly highlights how women can get a worse deal than men. In one instance, a female driver was quoted Ł250 more than a male driver for the same work to be completed.
“The aim of this campaign is to provide consumers with information to protect themselves against rogue repairers and help them identify the many good garages and mechanics that operate in this market.”
Peter Stratton, spokesperson for the Trading Standards Institute, said: “Consumer complaints regarding current malpractice in the motor trade remain our highest single cause for concern.
“This independent study from Norwich Union provides additional evidence of the need for urgent action to protect the customer against unacceptable practices in the motor trade industry to help reduce this persistent source of consumer suffering.”
For a free copy of Norwich Union’s guide ‘Fair Deal for Drivers – a guide to getting the best out of your garage’, ring Freefone 0800 093 0303.
Norwich Union offers full insurance for motorists. For more information contact your insurance broker or call Norwich Union Direct on 0800 888 111.
For further information contact Anja Kueppers, Gabrielle Brewer or Matthew Buchanan at QBO on 020 7379 0304 or Jenny Chapman at Norwich Union press office on 08703 666 864
An image of the booklet is available upon request on 08703 66 68 68
Notes to Editors:
*Norwich Union commissioned Taylor Nelson Sofres to conduct an independent survey of 632 motorists in Britain. The survey was carried out in August 2001. Qualitative research and mystery shopping was also conducted as part of the research element.
- Norwich Union is the largest general insurer in the UK, insuring one in four motor customers
- Norwich Union Insurance Limited. Registered in England Number 99122 Registered Office 8 Surrey Street Norwich NR1 3NG
- Member of the General Insurance Standards Council
- CGU plc and Norwich Union plc merged on 30 May 2000 to create CGNU plc, the UK’s largest insurance group and one of the top-five insurers in Europe with substantial positions in other markets around the world, making it the world’s sixth largest insurer based on gross worldwide premiums.
- CGNU’s principal business activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with worldwide premium income and retail investment sales from ongoing business of over Ł27 billion and assets under management of more than Ł200 billion
- From October 2000, the combined life and pensions, general insurance and retail fund management businesses in the UK operate under the Norwich Union brand, while the institutional investment business operates under the Morley Fund Management brand.
- Norwich Union’s news releases are available on this site
- A selection of images are available from the CGNU Newscast site at www.newscast.co.uk
For life & pensions enquiries 08703 66 68 73
For all other enquiries 08703 66 68 68