One for the Moderators / Owners of the forum

[MBDevotee]

Hi there,

I wondered if it would be possible to build a database of GOOD and BAD indie specialists??

For example, based on an area (North, North East, NW, Midlands, S, SE, SW etc) start to list known quality independants. When someone uses them, we could vote on the service we recieved based on cost, service, how well they fixed the problems and so on.

I don't know how one would do this I'm not good at IT, however it could turn into a very valuable resource to people.

I also don't know how one would stop representatives of the garage voting for themselves a hundred times over to get a good score - but perhaps a username based thing where you can only vote for a garage once every 2 months or something????

It's just a thought, but I would think many many owners would find it incredibly useful to have this information, and also perhaps have some stuff on specialist parts or service suppliers too such as Comand.co.uk, Mercparts etc what they do and a link to their site.

Thank you

Grant

 

[television]

One thing a forum cannot have is a good and bad indie list, the only thing that one could have is a list of indies recommended by members as a fixed list.

Should a member be unsatisfied with the service that they received, then that can be discussed elsewhere on the forum as we do already.

I have been in the service industry for 59 years dealing with the public,and no company can please all of its customers all of the time, owing to the complicated nature of motorcars in general, So who becomes the judge jury and hangman. Also any liable content must also be considered.

Re the firms that you mentioned, those could be included in the indie list if we had one again, otherwise anything else could be seen as preferential promotion of that business, and or free advertising.

Trade members of the forum that participate in the helping of members in solving faults are allowed to have their name in their signature, and this is generously allowed and or accepted by the owners of the forum.

This is the way that I see it as both a member of the forum and a member of the Mercedes Owners Club.org.uk

 

[MBDevotee]

That would work fine Malcolm.

There are a lot of indies that "claim" to specialise - perhaps there could be a way to "score" them or have a way members could just "reccommend" a listed person so for example a % score so I could go there, click that I had used them and then give them marks out of 100 say.

This way the good indies would get a high score and the poor ones a lower one - something very useful. I do see we couldn't have a "bad" list as that could be open to abuse, however if there are 3 indies in my area and 2 score in the 80's and one only 10 I guess I'd know where to point my £

You seem pretty knowledgeable - do you know a good indie somewhere between Bristol and Taunton?

Kind Regards

Grant

 

[television]

There is Cornerstone in Ilminster 01460 55585, many garages from The Lyme area where I live use them for diagnostic testing, but mainly as there is no one else.

MBS in Exeter is very good and I have used him, A true MB enthusiast through and through, 01392 493222 and very good on prices

 

[Alex M Grieve]

One thing a forum cannot have is a good and bad indie list

I do agree Malcolm. Good list - fine. Bad list = Black list and would stigmatise those on it and lead to a restriction of trade. Would possibly be defammatory and therefore actionable for two reasons.

As someone (jib?) said in response to one of my posts many moons ago, "you can only speak as you find" and I think that is an emminently sensible view.

Unhappily, we all have different perceptions. An Indy which I have used for years, and found to be excellent, upset someone else when a delivery driver (they collect, valet and deliver at no extra charge) smoked in the car when returning it. So the customer would no longer use the Indy and may well have mentioned this to others.

A good list should be helpful, and if people were prepared to say why they felt the Indy deserved a place on the good list, that would help too.

 

[MBDevotee]

That was exactly my thoughts - personal reccommendation can't be beaten

 

[television]

That was exactly my thoughts - personal reccommendation can't be beaten

I would love to see the list of indies back, and I would be willing to control that list, and put it in order by region. Also the adding and removing names without any fuss or reason given to avoid arguments. In other words a non discussed thread.

We did have a thread recently where the indie really took the pee by itemizing every washer used and double charging on labor rates where work necessitated the removal of an item to do one job and charged for every part as an individual job.

Indies like the above one could be discussed elswhere

 

[teddycatkin]

Surely a list of recommended will show the number of recommendations ?
That in itself will determine who is the best with no detriment to anyone else?

 

[MBDevotee]

yep - almost like a scoring system, so if you use a listed indie you can click on "Would reccommend, neutral feelings or would not reccommend"

Then I can look and see that AAA is good as 9 out of 10 people who've used would reccommend, and one was neutral, whereas rip-off motors inc has 20 users when 18 of them would not reccommend and 2 were neutral for example....

It would also encourage indies to be even better if they knew such a review would take place

 

[television]

I think that any point system would be asking for trouble,all forums /clubs have a disclaimer in the small print, plus some indies may be good at one thing and not so good at another thing, and another indie the same but in reverse of the subjects. Any point system would be ripe for conflict and arguments.

good and bad can be talked about on the forum elsewhere as we do now

 

[dave.robbo]

OK, so how about just having a list of indies, as used/found by people. No scoring, just locations.

My reasoning? Well, I know where my local indy is. But if I'm ever away, on holiday, or just in a different part of the country for whatever reason, and I need the services of a garage, it would be nice to be able to log on and check for one in the vicinity. In these circumstances, it would just be nice to know where they were. Can then pop round and judge for myself whether or not I would actually want them to do any work.

 

[television]

OK, so how about just having a list of indies, as used/found by people. No scoring, just locations.

My reasoning? Well, I know where my local indy is. But if I'm ever away, on holiday, or just in a different part of the country for whatever reason, and I need the services of a garage, it would be nice to be able to log on and check for one in the vicinity. In these circumstances, it would just be nice to know where they were. Can then pop round and judge for myself whether or not I would actually want them to do any work.

Thats is what we would like back again, and just a simple list

 

[MBDevotee]

Pehaps then there could be an "Indy" forum under the main headings. I have tried searching for an indy near me for example, and until you posted earlier I hadn't had any luck - bit too hard to find.....

 

[television]

Pehaps then there could be an "Indy" forum under the main headings. I have tried searching for an indy near me for example, and until you posted earlier I hadn't had any luck - bit too hard to find.....

Many people ask for a list of indies near them, and the searching as it stands takes up so much time, and time is something that I do not always have. I could write out another complete list, but then it would just get lost in the threads

 

[MBDevotee]

yes exactly - I searched for threads with Indy and Indie in them - thousands!

Perhaps the moderators here could set it as a sticky topic under maintainence etc.

Are you a moderator television?

 

[television]

yes exactly - I searched for threads with Indy and Indie in them - thousands!

Perhaps the moderators here could set it as a sticky topic under maintainence etc.

Are you a moderator television?

No I am not, the list of moderators can be seen at the bottom of the general page

 

[bigasotonuk]

Any list of Independants would be very contentious, and I personally think the way it is at the moment is best where the O/P can ask the forum for their reccomendation of a Independant and you have the opinion of the whole forum rather than just the forum administrators/moderators, who compiled the list, after all what is a forum for but to discuss exactly this sort of subject.

 

[television]

Any list of Independants would be very contentious, and I personally think the way it is at the moment is best where the O/P can ask the forum for their reccomendation of a Independant and you have the opinion of the whole forum rather than just the forum administrators/moderators, who compiled the list, after all what is a forum for but to discuss exactly this sort of subject.

2 Things the admins and mods have never compiled a list, I did most of the one that we had.

When was the last time that you did a search Andy to find someone a good indie

This club offers members a list of some as do the official club in paper form.

The word recommended should not be included, and no club use those words.

 

[britnordic]

Malcolm
on another site members had to nominate an Indie and have their name published against the posting. Other members could then PM the nominator for comments.
Nobody got a good or bad rating published!

Just a thought.

Tony

 

[Miffy]

My 2cents.

A list of Indie's who have been known to provide a fair service without MB pricing is all thats needed. As has already been stated, we all have differing views on what we like or dislike, so unfair to mark a indie down 10 points just because his tea sucked.

I have not yet found a decent MB Indie (south east London) so any lists would be of great help, especially to the new MB owners. I paid £470 for a service on my CLK320 (w208) and I dont have a clue if thats good bad or indifferent lol, and no, it was just a local motorist chain