The Motor Ombudsman’s Knowledge Base clocks up one million views

• The online Knowledge Base was unveiled in January 2019 to make it quicker and easier for motorists to resolve their query or complaint in relation to buying and owning a car prior to submitting a dispute to The Motor Ombudsman
• The popular resource has since grown from five to ten categories, encompassing over 180 Q&A-style articles, which provide responses to commonly asked consumer questions, ranging from electric vehicles, to putting down a deposit and buying a new car
• The Knowledge Base can be accessed via the ‘Find an answer’ button at the top of every page of TheMotorOmbudsman.org

The Motor Ombudsman tells us…

The Motor Ombudsman’s Knowledge Base, the online resource designed to make it quicker and easier for motorists to resolve their query or complaint in relation to buying and owning a car prior to submitting a dispute, has achieved the milestone of one million views since launching in January 2019.

Accessed via the ‘Find an answer’ button at the top of every page of The Motor Ombudsman website (TheMotorOmbudsman.org), the simple-to-navigate Knowledge Base features 10 categories encompassing more than 180 short and easy-to-digest question and answer-style articles. The topics covered range from The Motor Ombudsman’s four Motor Industry Codes of Practice and dispute resolution, to car ownership, distance sales, and electric vehicles (EVs). They have been chosen in response to common queries received by the organisation’s dispute resolution team.

The reference tool has grown in popularity during the past 36 months, consistently breaking records in terms of the number of people accessing the Q&As across the Knowledge Base. The most popular subjects in the last three years relate to the return of a vehicle within 14 days of purchase, whether a consumer is entitled to a refund for a deposit paid to secure the purchase of a vehicle, and understanding the Consumer Rights Act and how it affects the car buying process.

In addition to the listed articles, around 90,000 consumers have used the dedicated search bar throughout the last three years to find answers on a specific subject. Aside from the words ‘warranty’, ‘recall’ and ‘service’ emerging as some of the most frequently entered search terms, queries have also been raised by consumers on an array of issues. These have included what action can be taken following a vehicle repossession, what to do when being charged a vehicle storage fee by a business, and how to resolve the seating in a new car being uncomfortable.

Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director of The Motor Ombudsman, said: “We are delighted to start 2022 by celebrating such a key milestone for our online Knowledge Base. It is encouraging to see first-hand how valuable this resource has proved for consumers during the past three years, and how it has become a ‘go-to destination’ for motoring-related information.”

Bill added: “In order to maintain the relevance of the Knowledge Base, we will continue to introduce new categories in line with the most frequent concerns raised by consumers. This will allow us to help even more motorists with their queries prior to submitting a dispute to The Motor Ombudsman.”