Mr D Duncan
VOSA
Unit 5
Woodlands Court
Ashridge Road
Almondsbury Business Park
Bristol
BS32 4LB

Dave

In the end, I decided to take my life in my hands and break the sacred cellophane to issue a few emergency tickets in order to placate the customers. As I was writing out the second cert, the system came back on-line.

Is this business not stressful enough already without having to deal with this sort of nonsense?

All slots booked for three days - no trade discounts, no free retests. It seems to me that despite what some are sying, the system is slowing substantially..

Do you think if they had to deal with the angry customers in reception they would perhaps sort things out a bit quicker, I think so!!

"All slots booked for 3 days, no trade discounts,no free re-tests" Surely that's no bad thing?

Tom W

Except when it all slows-up/grinds to a halt.

A busy garage only works if you have routine, planning, structure and method. The usual unforseen hassle is part and parcel of the game and is allowed for when planning our working day.

When our customers have taken time from work, gone for a pint/coffee/hairdo, or arrived in reception at the end of their working day expecting to have their invoice, MOT cert and car-keys waved at them by their smiling mechanic, only to be told they'll have to hang around on the off-chance that the system will start working, come back later or wait for the post, it becomes a 'bad thing'.

We book tests every hour rather than every 3/4 - not because the test takes any longer, but to allow for hold-ups that are beyond our control.

MOT test: £44.15 per hour.
Basic service/repair work: £46+ parts profit per hour.

From being what I would have considered our bread-and-butter this time last year, I now think of having the capability to carry out tests as a convenience for ourselves and our customers, in that we don't have to go elsewhere for the dull sheet of A4.

Been here since 6am and haven't had my coffee infusion yet, so might feel different later.

...If the computer logs-on the the first MOT ok. ;-(

Regards,

Joe

LOL
steve

We've probably been lucky, but in nearly a year on the new system we've only had 2 or 3 days where there has been some kind of foul up. Bear in mind this is a completely new concept.
I know that the system could have been a lot better thought out,less 'big brother' and the 'new' equipment less antiquated, but one has to accept this is a large, slow moving, bureaucratic organisation.
We are just entering our 42nd year as a test station and I would never rely on MoT testing as our bread and butter work.

Tom W

Really?

I've had a gut-full today.

Joe

Without getting the full picture it does appear that this is the worst system breakdown so far.
The emergency paper/follow up system unnecessarily time consuming and not well thought out. The main problem for us over the past 3 days is the hit & miss state of the system. We've done some tests as normal.Some where we've printed a check list and can't input the results. Still more where we can't connect at all. No possibility of speaking live to an actual human to get any information.
It does appear that UK Gov. depts,agencies & their contractors lack competence wherever computers are involved.
Heaven help us if the ID card scheme goes ahead.

Tom W