Renault to take the risk of printing ALL independant customer reviews online.

• Independent reviews of Renault after-sales service to be displayed on Government-backed Motor Codes website
• Around 24,000 Renault reviews per year available to view including independent customer verbatim
• An ‘Overall Satisfaction’ score for each dealer makes for easy comparison between several dealerships
• Builds on the move in 2010 to display all Renault customer reviews on all Renault dealer websites

Motorists wanting to see independent customer reviews about their local Renault dealer’s after-sales service can now do so on the government-backed Motor Codes website.

By using the Garage Finder function on the motorcodes.co.uk website customers are able to search for garages in their area and see feedback from Renault customers, giving them valuable insights and reassurance when deciding where to take their Renault for service or repair.  They can also leave their own experiences via the website.

Thanks to a partnership with the leading automotive magazine, What Car?, customers are also able to access the same Motor Codes Garage Finder tool via whatcar.com.

Around 2,000 Renault after-sales reviews are submitted per month to Motor Codes meaning that each garage has numerous recent reviews to look at.  In addition to customer verbatim comments, two percentage scores are attributed to each garage to allow quick and easy comparisons between dealerships – one indicating whether they would recommend the garage to friends or family and the other for their overall satisfaction with the garage. 

Mark Crockett, Services & Quality Director, Renault UK, commented: “Independent customer online reviews have become a key part of today’s shopping experience – whether that be to buy a holiday, a home appliance, a car or to get your car serviced.  We have been proudly displaying customer reviews on our website since 2010 – this new move, to now post the comments of customers who have used a Renault dealer’s service department, on Motor Codes offers consumers another way to seek reassurance about where they are taking their Renault for service or repair.”

Holly McAllister, Motor Codes Head of Customer Service and Quality, said: “By sharing its customer reviews via motorcodes.co.uk, Renault is reflecting exactly how people shop today. Its owners can now be reassured they’re making an informed choice when it comes to the annual service. As well as the transparency of the online reviews, all Renault dealers subscribe to our Trading Standards-approved Service and Repair Code, providing complete customer confidence.”

Which? guide names Citroen C1 most reliable Supermini.

• The Citroën C1 (2005-2014) has been named the most reliable car up to three years old in the Which? Car Guide 2014/15
• Citroën C1 was best for reliability in the supermini category & came top overall with the best reliability score of all the models surveyed
• The Which? Car Guide is the UK’s biggest car reliability & satisfaction survey with 49,023 car owners reporting on 58,055 cars, covering 283 models

The first generation Citroën C1 has been named the most reliable car up to three years old in the Which? Car Guide 2014/15, the UK’s biggest car reliability and satisfaction survey which ranked 283 models in total. With 49,023 car owners reporting on 58,055 cars, the Which? Car Guide collates real ownership experiences from both Which? members and the general public.

The Citroën C1 achieved the highest reliability score overall of 99.3%, compared to the survey’s lowest score, for cars up to three years old, of 75.2%. The model came top for reliability in the supermini category for cars of the same age,with none of the C1 owners surveyed reporting any time off the road during the period surveyed and an average annual repair cost of just 49p.

In comparison, the lowest score in the supermini category (cars up to three years old) was 82.2% with an average annual repair cost of £116 and an average 1.08 days off the road annually.

The impressive result coincides with the arrival of the New Citroën C1, which went on sale in the UK on 1 July 2014. The second generation of Citroën’s popular city car will build on the outgoing model’s reputation for providing fun and reliable transportation.

James Parfett, Citroën UK’s Communications Director, commented: “The C1 has proved a very successful model, selling more than 780,000 worldwide since launching in 2005. It’s brilliant to hear that owners continue to report a positive experience with their cars and we believe that the New C1 will continue to build on that reputation of providing reliable, accessible and enjoyable motoring.”

Jaguar takes J.D. Power Dealer satisfaction title again, Land Rover came fifth

• Jaguar dealerships take first place for the second year running in a new 2013 JD Power satisfaction survey published in the latest issue of What Car? magazine
• Friendly advisers, flexible and convenient service and quality of work contributed to Jaguar dealerships’ topping the table with an overall 85.5% satisfaction score
• Latest accolade follows Jaguar dealership Sturgess of Leicester achieving recognition in 2013 as ‘Motor Codes Franchised Garage of the Year’ 

Jaguar has once again topped the annual JD Power Dealer Satisfaction Survey, published in the October issue of What Car? magazine, which is on sale now.  Land Rover dealerships were ranked joint-fifth in the survey.

The results are based on the dealer service portion of JD Power’s 2013 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study, which took the views of 13,511 customers who had a service experience with their dealership into consideration.

Respondents provided feedback on vehicles bought between January 2010 and December 2011 focusing on the booking process, overall staff helpfulness, dealership facilities, quality of work and how fair the service charges were.

Chas Hallett, What Car? Editor-in-Chief said:

“For the second year running, Jaguar owners love their dealers as much as their cars, awarding their dealers top marks in the annual survey.  Jaguar is in a most enviable position, where every car maker wants to be and needs to be now and in the future.”

Jaguar customers provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about their dealers, highlighting friendly advisers, flexibility in finding booking slots, quick and painless vehicle hand-over and pick-up services and staff taking the time to explain technical details of work carried out.  The quality of work carried out was also rated excellent or outstanding by 68% of customers.

In addition, Jaguar dealers rated top out of those who deliver service with a smile, resulting in an overall 85.5% customer satisfaction score and five ‘Power Circles’ awarded to the dealerships nationally, a rating defined as “among the best”.

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director, said:

“Our dealer network is the most important point of contact we have with our customers and I am delighted that Jaguar and Land Rover have performed so well in the JD Power survey for the second year in a row. Our product line-up is the strongest and most diverse it has ever been, with new sectors of the market coming to the brand all the time, as proven by record sales in 2013. As our sales grow, so does the quality of our dealer network and we are proud that our dealers have been recognised by our customers, JD Power and WhatCar?”

The dealership named Motor Codes Franchised Garage of the Year was Jaguar main dealer Sturgess of Leicester, with customers noting excellent attention to detail, willingness to go the extra mile and quick and efficient service as characteristic of their experience at Sturgess.

Skoda has a great sales hike in July

• New models successfully launched on first European markets
• ŠKODA Rapid Spaceback –ŠKODA’s first pure hatchback in the compact segment available from October
• In July, ŠKODA increases market share and sales in Western Europe despite challenging market conditions  
• ŠKODA UK has 16% more deliverers in July compared to 2012

ŠKODA increases their market share in Western Europe thanks to increasing customer orders in July. The Czech brand saw a rise in deliveries in major individual markets such as Germany and the UK, and also in Ireland, Denmark, Finland and Italy. Despite the generally difficult economic situation, the Czech manufacturer reached vehicle sales of 69,700 in July (July 2012: 72,600; -4.0 %). Between January and July 2013 ŠKODA made 534,300 vehicle deliveries to customers (January to July 2012: 565,600; -5.5 %). ŠKODA’s sales development in 2013 has been influenced by the start of production and corresponding reduction in capacity of the newŠKODA Octavia model range and the refreshedŠKODA Superb. The third-generation ŠKODA Octavia has proved to be a hit with a higher number of orders coming in than expected.

“The new ŠKODA models have been a great success with our customers worldwide”, says Werner Eichhorn, ŠKODA Board Member for Sales and Marketing. He continues, “We were able to increase our deliveries to customers in Western Europe by almost five per cent in July and in the largest European individual market, Germany, by as much as ten per cent. The development of orders across the globe is particularly encouraging. We can see that the model campaign is really paying off.” The next highlight will be at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September with the world premiere of the all new Yeti, as well as the new compact hatchback ŠKODA Rapid Spaceback. With the Rapid Spaceback, ŠKODA is offering for the first time a pure hatchback model in the high-volume compact car segment.

In Western Europe, ŠKODA once again outperformed the market as a whole and delivered 26,500 vehicles to customers in July; up 4.8% on July 2012 with 25,300 ŠKODAs delivered. In the first seven months of the year, the brand’s market share in Western Europe rose to more than 3%. In the second largest market for ŠKODA worldwide, Germany, the Czech manufacturer sold more than 9,600 vehicles; up 10.2% on the same month last year with 8,700 units. ŠKODA strengthens its position as the strongest import brand in Germany. In the UK, a total of 4,900 vehicles were delivered to customers, which is 16.9% more than in July 2012. The brand also recorded double-digit growth numbers in Denmark with almost 1,200 sales (July 2012: 700 vehicles; up 59.8%), in Finland, with over 700 cars delivered (July 2012: 500; up 47.2%), as well as in Italy, with almost 900 ŠKODAs (July 2012: 700; up 25.4%). ŠKODA Ireland had a total of almost 700 cars, ŠKODA sales rose by 162.2% (July 2012: 200).

In Eastern Europe, ŠKODA sold over 10,000 cars in July (July 2012: 11,400; -12.4%). In Ukraine, the brand made 1,100 sales, which was up 21.6% on July 2012 (900 vehicles). Russia remains the Eastern European strongest market, where ŠKODA delivered 6,800 vehicles to customers (July 2012: 8,700; -21.8%). With 49,700 ŠKODAs sold (January to July 2013; -9.2%), Russia continues to be the third largest sales market for ŠKODA throughout the first seven months of the year.

In Central Europe, ŠKODA sales stood at 9,500 vehicles in July (July 2012: 9,600; -0.5%). ŠKODA sold more than 4,500 vehicles in the Czech home market (July 2012: 4,500). ŠKODA’s market share in the Czech Republic grew in the first seven months to 34.4%.

China was the brand’s strongest sales market in July. ŠKODA sold 18,000 vehicles there last month, which was down only slightly on the 2012 figure of 19,000 (-5.5%). The Czech brand delivered a total of 138,200 cars to Chinese customers in the first seven months of the year (January to July 2012: 139,700). This temporary decline in China is related to the model changeovers and correspondingly lower production capacities. The new models, such as the recently launched ŠKODA Rapid, are not yet fully available.

ŠKODA customer deliveries in July 2013 (in units, listed by model, +/- per cent against July 2012)

ŠKODA leads the automotive sector in Institute of Customer Service findings

• ŠKODA leads the automotive sector in Institute of Customer Service findings
• Brand listed in the top 10 organisations overall
• Over 9,000 individuals surveyed as part of July’s UK Customer Satisfaction Index Summary

ŠKODA UK is celebrating this week after the brand topped the automotive tables in July’s UK Customer Satisfaction Index Summary (UKCSI) produced by the Institute of Customer Service. ŠKODA was also placed in the top 10 organisations across all industry sectors.

ŠKODA achieved an index of 85.6 to scoop the top spot in the automotive sector, putting the brand 4.7 points ahead of the average for the automotive industry (80.9).

Overall this places ŠKODA in the top ten of all the organisations which featured in the UKCSI’s findings, amongst other major consumer brands such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and first direct.

David Allen, Head of Customer Quality and Network Development for ŠKODA UK, comments: “Customer service is at the heart of what we do. We appreciate feedback from organisations such as the Institute of Customer Service to validate the steps that we take to ensure that each and every ŠKODA customer has a positive experience.

“This month’s findings are a testament to the hard work of each of the brand’s 132 retailers. I’d like to extend my thanks to them in helping us to bring our second-to-none service and award-winning range to customers across the UK.”

The UKCSI is the national measure of customer service, rating leading organisations across 13 sectors. Launched in January 2008, it includes responses from at least 9,000 individual consumers.

The Institute of Customer Service is an independent professional membership body for customer service. The Institute’s purpose stands to improve customer experience and drive business performance by delivering tangible benefits to its organisational and individual members. The Institute boasts a membership body of over 400 organisations from across the private, public and third sectors; and over 5,000 individual members.

Jo Causon, Chief Executive of the Institute of Customer Service, comments: "In a fast-paced world, consumers have become increasingly discerning and more willing to act if they experience poor service. As a result, those dynamic organisations that are adapting to changing customer needs are continuing to out-perform their competitors.”