2021 Garage Stars Awards from The Motor Ombudsman start now…
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London, 07 September 2021: The Motor Ombudsman, the Ombudsman dedicated to the automotive sector, tells us that it is pleased to announce the launch of its 2021 Garage Star Awards. It follows the success of the inaugural recognition programme last year, which saw over 800 online customer nominations for Motor Ombudsman-accredited garages and dealerships across the UK, and Cornwall-based Dukes AutoTech crowned the first national winner. During the next six weeks, consumers can put forward an individual or accredited business via the nomination form on The Motor Ombudsman website (TheMotorOmbudsman.org/Awards) to win one of the eight regional trophies on offer. As part of this, customers will be asked to write a short account of how a person or organisation, such as an independent garage or car dealership, went the extra mile to assist them on one or more occasion during the past 12 months, and why they think their chosen nominee should be considered for a prize. To encompass the broad range of businesses accredited to The Motor Ombudsman’s long-standing Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)-approved Motor Industry Codes of Practice, the 2021 Garage Star Awards sees the addition of two new Customer Service Star Awards. This will allow motorists to also nominate one of the 40 vehicle manufacturers accredited to The Motor Ombudsman’s New Car Code, and one of the 13 businesses that are part of the Vehicle Warranty Products Code, in recognition of outstanding customer service. The four-strong judging panel, which counts two new members for the 2021 contest, will have the task of jointly selecting a total of 11 winners in this year’s competition from a shortlist of three entries per award compiled by The Motor Ombudsman according to pre-defined criteria. For the Garage Star Award categories, the panel will select eight regional winners and the highly commended honours in each of these geographical areas. The national Garage Star Award trophy recipient, which can be a business or individual, will then be chosen from this pool of eight regional winners, and they will also receive a £500 voucher in recognition of their achievement. |
Similarly, judges will pick the very first Customer Service Star Award winners and highly commended entries for the vehicle manufacturer and warranty provider categories from a shortlist of three nominations compiled by The Motor Ombudsman for each of these awards. Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director of The Motor Ombudsman, said: “Following the popularity and high level of engagement with our inaugural awards in 2020, we are growing the competition to allow every one of our accredited businesses to be nominated across our four Codes of Practice. Therefore, as we cast the net wider in terms of eligible entries, it will be exciting to see what this year’s submissions bring in terms of the exceptional work and service delivered to customers by our accredited businesses and individuals up and down the country. We look forward to announcing the winners in a couple of months’ time, and we expect it to be a very close contest.” |
Customer nominations can be submitted until 15 October 2021, and the winners of the 2021 Garage Star Awards will be announced in November.
For more information on The Motor Ombudsman’s 2021 Garage Star Awards, visit TheMotorOmbudsman.org/Awards.
About The Motor Ombudsman
The Motor Ombudsman is the fully impartial Ombudsman dedicated solely to the automotive sector, and self-regulates the UK’s motor industry through its comprehensive Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)-approved Codes of Practice. Thousands of businesses, including vehicle manufacturers, warranty product providers, franchised dealers and independent garages, are accredited to one or more of the Codes, which drive even higher standards of work and service, and give consumers added protection, peace of mind and trust during the vehicle purchase and ownership experience.
For more information on The Motor Ombudsman, visit www.TheMotorOmbudsman.org.
The 2020 national and regional Garage Star Award winners
National: Dukes AutoTech in Cornwall
North: Simon Graeme Auto Service Centre in Harrogate
South: Randeep Reehal, Operations Director at Courtwood Car Services in Uxbridge East: Cambridge Performance Tyres – Team Protyre
West: Dukes AutoTech in Cornwall
Midlands: Chemix Autocentre Halesowen – Team Protyre
Wales: Avia Autos in Bridgend
Scotland: The Garage Whitburn in West Lothian
Northern Ireland: Louise Harte, Service Advisor at Agnew Belfast Audi