Dubai: “Our idea is to offer transparency to the consumers and fair play for all. Consumers should not be in the dark about the standard of the work their vehicles are undergoing, and they should be able to decide where they want the repair work to be done, which is not the case right now.” Abdullah Al Muaini, director general of ESMA.
This is perhaps the most succinct summation of the relatioship between consumers and the auto worskshop industry in the UAE.
While it is true that motorists in the country have a vast choice of auto workshops and service centres, whether for a periodic vehicle servicing, or mechanical or electrical repair, how a consumer decides on the service centre he will entrust his vehicle to is an interplay of many factors. These factors include word of mouth, pure guesswork, previous experience, trust in authorised service centres, and most important of all, cost. The choice of workshop depends on which factor or combination of factors are at play on the consumer’s mind. The outcome of the choice, on the vehicle, and the consumer’s rate of satisfaction can vary from good to unsatisfactory.
There are more than 15,000 auto workshops in the UAE, but there is no information available about the facilities and quality rating of each.
This, coupled with the fact that many motorists on the road are unaware of or don’t care about how an automobile engine works and what goes into the functioning of a car, makes them vulnerable to fraud.
Addessing this long-standing issue is Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (ESMA) which has decided to survey all the workshops around the country and rate them according to their level of expertise.
Once, the new system comes into place, which might take more than a year, motorists will be able to choose from the best auto workshops, depending on their budgets, to have their vehicles repaired or serviced.
“Currently, you either deal with an authorised agent or just randomly choose from one of the thousands of workshops out there,” said Abdullah Al Muaini, director general of ESMA. “If a vehicle breaks down, what most drivers do is take their car to the nearest workshop for a quick fix irrespective of the workshop’s reputation. Sometimes, this compromises the safety of the vehicle as well as of other road users,”
However, before profiling and rating the workshops, ESMA will establish a minimum level of standards for workshops to follow and those who don’t make the threshold will have to eventually pull the shutters down.
“We will first look at the level of standards at the workshops to ascertain whether they meet the minimum requirements. If they don’t, then we we will give them a grace period to improve their service, but even after the grace period, if they can’t make [the cut], they will have to shut shop,” said Al Muaini.
But before the ultimatum is issued to workshops, they will be given a step-up period in which they can improve and attain the minimum skilss required.
Also, workshops which are not certified will get certificates according to their levels of expertise.
ESMA is currenlty working on the regulations to govern the sector that will set a minimum requirement in terms of skills of mechanics and service standards for a workshop to operate.
In the next stage, the workshops will be categorised according to the type of service they offer like AC repair, tyre service, bodywork, mechanical or electrical work, etc.
In the final stage, all workshops will get star ratings in their respective categories and all the information about the workshops will be available on a central portal for consumers to search for the right mechanic for their vehicles.
Interestingly, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in coordination with ESMA, is also working on a similar system that overhauls the entire auto industry.
Gulf News spoke with several industry experts to get their thoughts on the government’s decision to regulate the auto industry.
Gordon Ferguson, General Manager AAA service centre, welcomed ESMA’s decision to categorise and rate the workshops.
“It should create a level playing ground in regard to standards and the consumers should then get what they pay for. But, I feel this is a huge task and implementation of regulations and standards on such a large scale is difficult. Also, the authorities will need a large number of qualified and experienced professionals to survey the entire industry and then rate them according to the quality of service the workshops provide. I welcome the decision but this may not be easy,” said Ferguson, who has been in the industry for several decades.
However, he added that irrespective of how big the task is, the decision is just what the doctor ordered for the industry.
“It is about time that the auto workshops are monitored and supervised by the authorities, because right now it’s a mess out there. You can hire anyone to work as a technician, there is no need of any certification or qualification, unlike in other fields like hospitals and pharmacies, where the employees are examined and certified before they join the workforce. I think the job of an auto mechanic is also equally important and should be treated as such,” added Ferguson.
He further stated that due to lack of transparency a lot of people are ripped off right now.
“I hope that the new system will help reduce cases of fraud as people will be able to make an informed choice,” he added.
He also pointed out that on an average a person keeps a car for 4-5 years and the vehicle warranty also lasts for five years, during this period the consumer is bound by the warranty clause and he is left with no choice but to deal with the authorise agents of a vehicle.
“I hope, once the new system is place, the authorities will look into de-linking warranty with service, as reommended by the Ministry of Economy. This will give consumers more choice, and with a regulated industry, there will also be no danger of consumers making a poor choice,” said Ferguson.
According to Ferguson in most Western countries, consumers are free to service their vehicles at any workshop and the warranty doesn’t get affected. He added that in many cases dealers themselves nominate service providers.
Countering Ferguson’s views, Toyota’s after sales director, Ralf Zimmerman said: “In many countries, the regulation is forcing the de-linking of warranty and service, but the question is, is it really good for the car or the consumers?”
Though he agreed that in Western countries a motorist is free to service his vehicle at any independent workshop, he added: “There is a system in place and there are stringent regulations in those countries. Unless we have a mature system in place, it is a challenge for consumers.
“For example, in Germany every technician that works in an auto workshop must have his three-year university diploma, then he gets a certificate and then he starts to work as trainee with a manufacturer or an independent workshop and works his way up the ladder. In fact, one can’t even open a workshop without having an advanced school certificate and a certain number of years of experience working in the industry,” he said.
Zimmerman added that if a minimum standard in compliance with international best practice is established, then there is no risk in allowing people to choose where they want to service their vehicle.
“The challenge we have here is, we don’t know what sort of technicians we have out there in the market, so you can’t allow your brand new car to be serviced by somebody who is not certified or qualified. However, we are completely committed to work with the government to create the minimum standard required,” added Zimmerman.
However, currently, he said that most independent workshops are not capable of handling modern vehicles professionally. “I am sure that the technicians working in most workshops are not qualified enough.
“Modern vehicles are advanced and a lot of technology goes into cars these days, and I believe only trained and certified technicians can handle the modern vehicles. On the contrary, what you see on the road is that these poor guys work in the street-side repair shops where they don’t even have minimum safety standards and proper equipment, exposing both the technicians and the vehicles to great risk,” he said.
He hailed the idea of having a rating and classification system to regulate the auto industry.
“This will lift all the workshops to minimum acceptable standards and rate all the workshops according to their expertise, experience and serving capacity, will help people choose what they want for their vehicles.”
