Independent garage AJ Fleetcare has been crowned the 2024 winner of the National Garage Star Award, the top prize in the Motor Ombudsman’s annual Star Awards competition.
Now in their fifth year, the motor industry accolades allow consumers to put businesses accredited to one or more of The Motor Ombudsman’s four Codes of Practice, or individual staff members, into the spotlight. This can be at the point when customers buy a car, have it maintained, or during the process of making a purchase or a claim on a warranty.
AJ Fleetcare was amongst the 3,262 online nominations that were submitted by motorists up and down the UK in the latest contest. This in itself was the highest ever volume of submissions received.
The family-owned business in Yorkshire was one of eight regional winners from 24 nominations covering accredited independent garages and franchise dealers, and six nominations for the Customer Service Star Awards, covering vehicle manufacturers and extended warranty providers that are committed to The Motor Ombudsman’s New Car and Vehicle Warranty Product Codes respectively.
Success for AJ Fleetcare
For the eight regional trophy holders that were named across the country in the Garage Star category, four were bestowed to individual team members from franchise car dealerships.
The remainder were claimed by four independent garages, which saw Garej Arwyn Cyf in Wales win a Star Award for the second consecutive year.
After seeing off stiff competition from the other two contenders earmarked for the regional Garage Star trophy for the North, AJ Fleetcare emerged victorious, with judges commending the business for their caring and altruistic support of a customer who was facing challenging circumstances looking after a relative. In this situation, the garage fixed the individual’s vehicle at very short notice, whilst paying for a taxi fare at no extra charge to minimise inconvenience and keep the customer mobile.
This was coupled with a thoughtful gift on the handover of the repaired vehicle, alongside words of reassurance.
“We are absolutely delighted to have won the top prize,” said Alan and Jeanette Landale, the husband-and-wife owners of AJ Fleetcare. “We faced some very stiff competition from the other 2024 Garage Star Award winners, and bringing home two trophies is a true testament to the hard work that the entire team put in daily, and their unrelenting commitment to delivering the highest level of customer service across the business.
“This really is a joint effort, and we are honoured that the lengths that we go to, have been formally recognised both by our customers, and by a panel of motor industry experts. We are very much looking forward to a very memorable and special trip to London.”
Deserved winners
Bill Fennell, Chief Ombudsman and Managing Director of The Motor Ombudsman, said: “We would like to congratulate all this year’s trophy winners and highly commended entries on their fantastic achievement, and AJ Fleetcare in particular, on claiming the highest honour, from the thousands of entries that we received.
“The calibre was extremely high, thereby making this a very closely fought contest. However, at the end of the day, it can be the smallest of gestures that make the biggest difference to someone, and AJ Fleetcare unanimously stood out for the judges, thanks to their unequivocal dedication to going the extra mile and taking all necessary steps to deliver a caring and attentive customer experience.”
At the beginning of next month, the National Garage Star silverware will be formally presented for the second year running at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)’s Hero Awards ceremony in the prestigious surroundings of the Houses of Parliament. The annual celebration, attended by Members of Parliament, commemorates remarkable individuals or groups of people who have made outstanding contributions within their respective fields.
