We’re here to help you shop local, getting the best deals and premium service from independent local MOT garages
‘Buy local!’ You’ve heard it bandied about for a hundred different reasons in a hundred different industry environments.
When it comes to sourcing vehicle repairs, regular maintenance or tracking down your best-bet local MOT garage, ‘shopping local’ has a list of advantages.
We’re going to tell you what they are, and also why you should be taking advantage of them.
Convenience – saving you time
Saving time goes hand-in-hand with saving money. Just look at how many of us will pay extra to save time instead of waste it? Fast track passes, next-day delivery, reduced waiting times, express service; they’re all paid options to get things done quicker and save us valuable time.
Choosing a local garage will save you plenty of time too. You’ll have far fewer problems delivering your vehicle to a business in your neighbourhood than you would to the nearest dealership or franchise that might be 3 towns away. You won’t have to take time off work to wait for repairs or for a service to be completed either.
Your local garage will also offer a more personal service. They’re more likely to be able to work their schedule around yours—especially in times of emergency or necessity.
Fixter convenience bonus:
We narrow down the best options for our customers from our vast network of garages, local MOT and service centres. Not only are we in a position to find the best prices from your local garages, but also, every one of our partners collects your vehicle to carry out the work, and then deliver it back to you once complete—wherever you are.
It couldn’t possibly be more convenient than that.
Customer service – building a relationship to rely on
I have no doubt that the people working in a franchise or main dealership are great at their jobs and are lovable, warm and helpful human beings.
The difference in customer service you’ll get from an independent garage service is that their reputation relies not only on how well they look after your car but also on how well they look after you.
Reputation is everything for a small or independent business, so you can guarantee they’ll go the extra mile to make sure you’re happy. The affinity they build with their customer is the very thing that keeps them coming back. Good relationships are hard to break, and that’s why they’ll make sure yours is just that.
Fixter customer service bonus:
You’re not just dealing with the local garage looking after your vehicle, but also with our extended team of experts.
We’re on hand to help with anything you’re unsure of; from choosing the right service to locating something out of the ordinary. We’ll guarantee you that the service you receive from us will be as good as it gets. It’s part and parcel of the highest-quality operation we pride ourselves on and have since day one.
Reputation – buying trust
The strong reputation of your local garage is the reason they’ll be recommended to new customers in the first place.
It’s directly linked to their customer service and quality of operation. If they’re not up to the job, you probably won’t be referred to them in the first place.
In fact, the very opposite is true. Word of mouth will deter customers from engaging with a company with a bad reputation and in any part of the business. It could be the quality of work, the way they treat customers, or pricing. If any of those fall short of expectation, you can count on your friends to let you know.
Fixter reputation bonus:
Because we thoroughly vet each of our partners, you can be assured of great work, carried out by the best people for the job.
It’s our reputation too, that depends on their performance, so we’ll make sure you get everything you’re hoping for.
Price – value for money
An independent business doesn’t have the mass of far-reaching expenses as a franchise or dealership has to accommodate.
From a poll carried out by the Independent Garage Association, the average hourly rate for labour costs was £40 for independents. The national average for main dealers was £95.94.
Typically, that’s less than half the hourly rate, just by choosing an independent garage for the work carried out on repairs or during your service.
Fixter price bonus:
We search the market around you to find the best prices. You’re not just supporting one local business—you’re supporting any one of a selection of providers.
This way, we can save you even more than you would by picking out a sole provider and sticking with them. It’s also one of the ways that we keep our prices so incredibly competitive.
Specialist services – the unsung local hero
You’ll often find that a smaller independent operator will have a niche that they’re renowned for. It could be a brand that they specialise in, a type of vehicle, or a particular service.
Whichever it turns out to be, that knowledge provides a more thorough level of work. It could mean that the work is turned out faster, saving you money. It could mean that there’s far less troubleshooting involved finding the best solution to your problem.
Whichever it is, the end result is better for both you and your vehicle.
Fixter specialist bonus:
We’ve already researched every one of our partners. We know who the experts are and in which areas.
It’s one more thing we make sure our customers don’t even have to think about.
The local economy – supporting each other
By supporting your local businesses, you’re investing in the local economy and the community. There are millions of businesses in the UK, and over 90% of them are small business operations.
The money you spend with local businesses gets reinvested locally too. And who knows, one day those businesses could be where your children will work.
There’s much less chance of that happening without your support.
Fixter community bonus:
We make sure that the partners we choose for our customers are the local businesses who supply these advantages; our support of local companies is organic to our process.
Reasons to use your local garage
So whether it’s a local MOT, service or a repair you need, we’re here to help.
Our list of reasons to use your local garage is designed not just to help you, but also each of the hard-working cogs in the community who we believe are so beneficial to a world we’re all happier to live in.