Tony Farrugia has been carrying out quality repairs in the ACT since 1983. In 2005, after a substantial investment, Farrugia Bodyworks opened its state-of-the-art workshop, which specialises in prestige repairs and is the only Mercedes-Benz authorised body repairer for the ACT and southern regions.
“Our close relationship with our clients is diminishing as insurance companies take increased ownership and participation in the repair process. This provides the insurance companies the ability to fine tune processes that appear to be beneficial to their own requirements including that of the customer, and there is less attention to the needs of the repairer. The balance is no long evident.
“With increased focus placed on the turn around time and ‘seamless processes’ of a repair, it would appear there is less focus and attention being paid to high quality repair outcomes. As a result the phrase ‘industry standard’ is used to explain the shortcoming in a repair to customers by some insurance company assessor.
“Unless you an authorised manufacturer repairer then you are going to find it difficult. Our access to factory appointed training programs and in-house access to correct procedures, including dealer support, gives us the edge. It has been, and continues to be, a massive investment to be a specialised repairer. I would not like to be making that investment now.
“If you repair the mum’s and dad’s cars it is a difficult landscape. How can the next generation come through unless they have a huge amount of money backing them? The start up costs for a shop are prohibitive and given, the uncertainty of the market place, it is becoming an increasingly unattractive proposition. Not everyone wants to work for someone else for the rest of their life.
“The next generation of apprentices are more likely to see their skill sets diminish. With a focus on small to medium repairs channelled into repair shops they will not have the capacity to give an apprentice a holistic training environment. More complicated larger repairs will not be available for them to learn from and experience.
“With an eye to the future I think the landscape of the repair industry is set for a big change. It is a shame so many good people and families that have worked very hard to build up their businesses and done all the right things, through circumstances beyond their control may be put out of business. There are a lot of good people in the industry who will be hurt by this change. I hate to think what the outcome will be in the next five years.”
