I also contacted the IMI recently and did receive a phone call from Sarah Sillars to discuss what I had said.

I was disgusted that a Government minister (Gareth Thomas)can say "When you book your car in, it can be a lottery whether you get a good deal or are taken for a ride, this tough scheme will drive out the cowboy garages that charge for unnecessary work or miss major faults through incompetence".

As a member of the MVRA which has it's own code and also as a member of the IMI with it's own code, I questioned the value of both these establishments that charge for membership and asked why they both are not being involved with MISRC. The MVRA have not answered yet and Mrs Sillars basically stressed how their scheme is for the person and not the business.

I would have suggested that MISRC should have included the IMI, RMIF, VBRA and MVRA etc as associate members to gain numbers initially. MISRC could eventually be the policing body that these associations pay to run their own schemes.

The MISRC logo is a tick, why not allow everybody that is a member of any association with a sign to display MISRC and one tick and then progress from there, if you also have ATA staff you get two ticks, if you have BSI Kitemark you have say five ticks and work it as the hotel trade does (which most consumers understand). I hear Chris Mason saying that these other garages are not checked, well very few of his members are, so that does not mean much.

The top and bottom of this discussion is - it is down right wrong for Gareth Thomas or Chris Mason to imply that members of other associations that are not members of MISRC could be ripping people off and missing major faults and I for one will resist joining this scheme for as long as I can if it is going to cost me another fee.

Graham