Trading Standards New Enforcement against garages

Apparently reading the trade press the Trading Standards have a new financial income, although VOSA's hearings are not financially influenced when making decisions to take enforcement action, the Trading Standards seem to be looking at a new financial type of income from the trade.

Apparently if a customer complains about a garages customer service quality, the Trading Standards will now write to the garage concerned inviting the owner to a hearing, the owner will be read this statement;

You do not have to say anything, however it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. 

You don't have to attend the hearing and the Trading Standards have no powers to force you to attend, however if they take legal action this could have serious consequences for the owner of the business, because as I read it the Trading Standards are going for criminal action rather than civil. Apparently you should take a solicitor along to any hearing with you, but be advised the solicitor is and will only ensure that correct procedures have been followed by trading standards officers, who will be very experienced and trained in their expert areas of training.

As in the VOSA blog I posted, it seems that the way forward for the Civil Service dealing with the garage trade is by way of fines and naming and shaming the garages upon conviction.

It seems that garages are now more than ever making computerized records of their dealings with customers, and customers are becoming more aware that the responsibility rests with them rather than us, provided we do our job as efficiently as we humanly can.

Maybe this is a very good time for us to start thinking about how we can really work together and be positive in our dealings with each other and cover our backs sharing our experience and knowledge without criticizing each other anymore. 

I think we need to seriously start to work together as one unit don't you.