As you know, we place great emphasis on educating consumers around the importance of selecting an accredited workshop. Our goal is to make people understand how accreditation makes a difference, by pointing out the aspects we assess, from the workshop’s premises to equipment, administration, health and safety operation procedures, lighting, waste removal, ventilation, staffing and training. We also explain that consumers only have recourse to our industry association in the event that they are not happy with their service if the workshop is accredited.
Of course, grading plays a major role in assuring the satisfaction of consumers. Again, we highlight this as an advantage of using an accredited workshop. We’re pleased that we are making significant progress in grading our workshops since the programme was rolled out earlier this year. Having recently graded workshops in the Central and Free State regions, we’re proud that we have no fewer than 162 five-star workshops in the Central region, along with 36 four-star and seven three-star workshops. In the Free State, we have 81 five-star and six four-star workshops. Although we have only recently started grading workshops in the Western Cape, we so far have six five-star outlets. Grading has also commenced in KwaZulu-Natal, where we have 33 five-star workshops – and counting…