Motor Ombudsman celebrates a decade serving UK automotive
The Motor Ombudsman is celebrating a decade of service to the UK automotive sector.
It was launched on 1 November, 2016, with two principal responsibilities: to help resolve disputes between motorists and accredited businesses and to drive even higher standards in the sector via its Motor Industry Codes of Practice.
Starting with a team of just 12, the organisation has grown rapidly and this year is set to respond to in excess of 300,000 contacts and process more than 55,000 cases.
Bill Fennell, chief ombudsman and managing director of the Motor Ombudsman, said: “As demand for our services has grown exponentially, we have remained focused on recruiting talented and experienced people and giving them the training and support needed to deliver a consistently high-quality service.
“At the same time, spending heavily on our back-office infrastructure, digital capabilities and online visibility has been crucial to increasing capacity, improving efficiency, and to ensuring we can respond effectively to the changing needs of consumers and businesses.
“Together, these investments have underpinned our growth over the past decade and remain vital to our success as an Ombudsman going forward.”
He added: “Every motorist should have access to free, independent and impartial dispute resolution when something goes wrong, regardless of who they have chosen to use. Under the current system, too many consumers are left without a clear route to redress simply because the business involved is not accredited to an approved scheme.
“Making alternative dispute resolution mandatory across the automotive sector would close this gap, strengthen consumer confidence and create a level playing field in which all businesses are held to the same high standards.
“We will continue to press the case for meaningful reform and work closely with industry, government and regulatory stakeholders to widen access to effective ADR. No consumer should be denied the opportunity to put things right, or risk losing out financially if there is a means to help them.”
