40/06    1 March 2006

Robert Bosch Ltd's Bosch Car Service (BCS) code of practice has completed Stage One of the OFT Consumer Codes Approval Scheme, which aims to promote and safeguard consumer interests. The code's membership consists of independent garages providing car repairs.
 
By completing Stage One the BCS code of practice has met the OFT's core criteria in principle.
 
The Bosch Car Service code promises the following benefits:

• a requirement to provide clear pre-contractual information including completion times, the offer of a written estimate that includes the cost of parts, labour, any other costs or services and VAT
• cancellation rights exceeding those available at law
• guarantees on the work carried out (parts and labour)
• protection of any prepayments if a BCS member ceases to trade
• a requirement for BCS members not to recommend or carry out work which is unnecessary or unnecessarily expensive   
• an independent redress scheme (arbitration)
• regular anonymous visits/mystery shops to test the technical and customer handling skills of the BCS network plus annual audits to ensure the code is adhered to
• an independent disciplinary review panel to ensure that the disciplinary procedures deal effectively with instances of non-compliance. 

BCS will now be invited to provide the OFT with evidence that the processes are working in practice to achieve OFT approval. Only codes that demonstrate that they are effective in promoting consumer interests will be approved and be entitled to display the OFT Approved code logo and official promotion.

Welcoming BCS's completion of Stage One, Colin Brown, Director, Market Transformation at the OFT said:

'I warmly welcome the work done by Bosch Car Service and its members in developing this code of practice. It will help ensure higher standards in the areas of customer care and technical capability. We look forward to working with them as they progress through the next stage.'

NOTES

1. Robert Bosch Ltd applied for approval under the Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS) for the Bosch Car Service code of practice in April 2005. BCS had appointed 185 independent garages at the end of March 2005 and at the end of September 2005 the BCS network stood at 250 members.

2. BCS is the fifth consumer code of practice in the motor sector to have completed stage one of the CCAS.

3. The aim of the OFT's CCAS is to promote and safeguard consumers' interests by helping consumers identify better businesses and to encourage those businesses to raise their standards of customer service. The core criteria cover the organisation of the code sponsor, the preparation and content of the code, complaints handling, monitoring, compliance and publicity.

4. The CCAS consists of two co-dependent stages:

Stage one - the code sponsor makes a promise that its code meets the OFT's core criteria. The code sponsor must make sure its code contains measures designed to remove or ease consumer concerns and undesirable trading practices in its sector. At this stage, the code sponsor is not allowed to claim OFT approval for its code because there has not yet been an evaluation of how well the code is working in practice.

Stage two - the code sponsor must prove its code lives up to the initial promise it made. The burden of proof lies with the code sponsor. The code sponsor must also show that the code is being effectively implemented by all who claim to adhere to it and that consumer disputes are being properly resolved. When this burden of proof has been met, OFT approval of the code and promotion will follow.

5. For more information visit the see the Consumer Codes Approval Scheme section of the website.