The Irish Times view on car repairs: balancing competition and consumer protection
has reminded motor dealers
that it is an offence under competition law to prevent motorists from choosing who services or repairs their car and what parts they use.
The target of the warning is motor dealers who tie warranties and guarantees on cars they sell to conditions specifying they must be serviced and repaired by authorised dealers and only using parts supplied by the manufacturer. While this might give the dealer some comfort when standing over an extended warranty – as well as a potential source of income – it is also anti-competitive. These practices – which include denying independent garages access to diagnostic data or tools – drive up prices, limit choice, and harm both consumers and independent garages, says the CCPC.
The industry can now consider itself warned. No formal proceedings have been instigated at this stage but the CCPC says it is seeking information from motor distributors and urged them to review and amend any arrangements that might constitute anti-competitive behaviour. Assuming the motor industry complies, the result should be more choice and better value for car owners when it comes to repairs and servicing.
However, the CCPC seems to have assumed that all garages are equal, that none of them use substandard replacement parts and all are competent in the use of the sophisticated diagnostic tools supplied by manufacturers.
READ MORE
There is no formal accreditation or certification of independent garages although the Society of the Motor Industry runs a scheme covering crash repairs. Insurance companies also have lists of approved garages for repairs. But when it comes to servicing and other routine repairs, consumers have little to go on apart from an individual garage's reputation.
Ensuring that independent garages meet a minimum standard would appear to be a reasonable quid-pro-quo for demanding that motor dealers share diagnostic tools and stand over warranties when third parties are involved.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Lotto bosses reveal where in Ireland huge six-figure sum won as they urge players to ‘double check' their tickets
A LUCKY player is celebrating after bagging a huge sum in last night's Lotto EuroMillions Plus draw. The Lotto player managed to scoop a whopping €500,000 after matching all five numbers. 1 A lotto player has bagged their huge prize in last night's draw Credit: Getty Images - Getty The winning ticket was purchased on Thursday, August 7, from the Gala Express store at the Courtown Harbour in Co Wexford. The winning numbers in last night's draw were 5, 21, 26, 27 and 40. And 58 players managed to match four numbers, bagging themselves €2,000 each. Announcing the location where the winning ticket was purchase, Darragh O'Dwyer from National Lottery said: "The seaside town of Courtown in Ireland's sunny South East has produced a top prize winner in the EuroMillions Plus draw worth an astounding €500,000. "If you bought your ticket in Courtown, now's the time to double check, you could be Ireland's newest big winner." Players in Co Wexford are urged to double-check their tickets and ensure that the numbers match. The winner has been urged to check their clips carefully, sign them immediately and keep them safe if it's the winning ticket. They have been advised to make contact with the National Lottery prize claims team on 1800 666 222 or email claims@ They will make arrangements for the lucky winner to claim their prize at Lotto Headquarters. While there was no winner of the main EuroMillions draw with the jackpot worth an eye-watering €197,504,622, in total, over 68,000 players won prizes in both draws. Exact location of winning €250 million ticket revealed And 32 Irish players managed to match four numbers and one star in the main draw, winning themselves €101 each. The numbers for the Ireland-only raffle were revealed, with winning players bagging themselves a whopping €5,000. The winning numbers were: I-SMQ-01702, I-SMV-00970, I-SMV-54055, I-SMV-97615, I-SMW-18348, I-SMX-69359, I-SMX-77679, I-SMZ-39213, I-SNC-29677 and I-SND-20499. LIFE-ENHANCING PRIZE Earlier this week, a lotto player celebrated after bagging a life-enhancing €60,394 on August 3. The winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased on the day of the draw from Tesco, Athenry Shopping, Athenry, Co. Galway. The punter matched five numbers and the bonus on Saturday night. And the lucky numbers in last night's Lotto draw were: 2, 3, 6, 9, 24, 39 and the bonus was 34. While there was no winner of the Lotto jackpot worth €13,704,859. In total over 109,000 players won prizes in the Lotto & Lotto Plus draws. National Lottery spokesperson, Darragh O'Dwyer, said: 'What a fantastic night for one player in Galway who has claimed a life-enhancing €60,394 after matching 5 numbers and the bonus in last night's main Lotto draw. "If you bought your ticket in Galway, now's the time to double-check, you could be Ireland's newest big winner.'
Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘Very difficult to contact': Readers angered by order delays at Rathwood garden centre
Customers of Rathwood Garden & Living have continued to express their frustration and anger at delays in orders being delivered and refunds processed. Earlier this week, the Carlow-based company apologised to people left waiting for extended periods for products, and said delays were due to a key supplier entering administration late last year. Its managing director James Keogh said it had expanded its customer support, sourced new funding and developed more robust supply chains as it worked through an order backlog. He apologised but expressed optimism that most of the issues would be resolved by the end of this month. However, a substantial number of customers subsequently contacted this newspaper to highlight their negative experiences with Rathwood. READ MORE Peter Fenton said he had been let down and denied compensation despite the company's assertion it was issuing vouchers for its restaurant and experiences to customers who had faced long delays. In early January he bought smokeless coal from Rathwood, on their 'Wait and Save' promotion which offered savings for customers willing to delay delivery. He paid two-thirds up front for an order scheduled to arrive at the end of March and paid the balance before the end of that month. The total cost was €468.32 but the delivery date changed on several occasions. When he contacted the company in June, he was told he would have the coal ' within a few weeks', however, days later he was told the order had been cancelled. A request for compensation was denied and in July he contacted the company as the promised refund had not materialised. 'I was informed that the repayment had not been made as my first payment, way back on January 10th, had been made by credit card and couldn't be refunded automatically as it was more that 180 days old. The company had not bothered to contact me regarding this, or to get the necessary details from me to effect repayment.' He says he eventually received the refund at the end of July 'with absolutely no offer of compensation in any format whatsoever'. Rosa Whitfield decided to buy an egg chair and patio furniture from Rathwood earlier this year. The chair was in stock in March when the order was placed and she was told to expect the patio set in June. She paid more than €1,000. By the summer she had not received either the chair or the patio set. She asked for a refund for the patio set but still held out hope she would get the egg chair. 'My husband spent an hour on the phone one day, not getting through. The next day I did the same, eventually getting through. I asked about the egg chair, was told it was due in the coming days and I would 'probably' receive it within the week. He also said he would put a note on my account to expedite the refund on the patio set.' She said the following week, the status of the egg chair was updated to another six week delay. She cancelled that order too. At the time of writing she had not received any refund. Tricia Murphy ordered patio furniture in April and was told this week she will not be getting it until September. Clare Murray ordered a chair in May and the date has changed several times. 'It is still very difficult to get in contact with them and I am currently being told it'll be September when my product arrives. I've been promised a €20 refund of the delivery fee and that is yet to come through nearly a month on.' In response Mr Keogh said Rathwood was 'truly sorry' to hear of the 'disappointing experiences' people had. He pointed to administration proceedings of a key supplier which represented more than 70 per cent of Rathwood's supply chain. 'This unexpected loss hit our operations hard and led to delays in a number of fuel and furniture orders. While we've worked quickly to rebuild that infrastructure with new partners and support from our investors, we fully accept that during the transition, some customers were let down, especially in terms of communication and delivery timelines.' He said the company took 'full responsibility, and we've spent the past few months doing everything in our power to make it right while providing full transparency with our customers'. He said as well as providing refunds, more than €30,000 had been issued to customers in compensation in the form of vouchers for its restaurant and its Halloween and Christmas experiences. 'Our delivery drivers have been on the road seven days a week, working tirelessly to clear backlogs and honour customer orders as quickly as possible, which are coming to conclusion by month end,' he said. He said the retailer's customer service response rate had returned to normal levels while opening hours have been extended. He said all the issues highlighted by the readers have now been addressed.
Irish Independent
9 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford rowing club awarded funding under Texaco Support for Sport initiative
In its fifth year, the scheme is hosted and organised by Valero Energy (Ireland) Limited, the company that markets fuel in Ireland under the Texaco brand, with judging overseen by former Irish rugby international and well-known broadcaster, Donncha O'Callaghan. Of the clubs receiving funding this year, €40,000 is divided equally amongst eight GAA clubs (incorporating camogie, Gaelic football and hurling), €20,000 amongst four athletic clubs, and a further €35,000 shared equally amongst three soccer clubs, two rowing clubs and two rugby clubs. In addition, a further €35,000 is divided between seven clubs whose disciplines include basketball, bowling, cycling, golf, gymnastics, inline hockey and swimming, all receiving €5,000 in each case. Edermine Ferry Rowing Club has been named as the only recipient in Wexford. Having been established on the River Slaney in 1973, the club has gone from strength to strength with an emphasis on providing enjoyment to all their members and participants. Congratulating the winners, James Twohig, Director of Ireland Operations, Valero Energy (Ireland) Limited, acknowledged 'the immense contribution' that sports clubs make to the heart of community life in Ireland. 'The purpose of our Texaco Support for Sport initiative is to provide an avenue of funding for local sports clubs to help nurture grassroots talent, improve facilities, purchase new equipment or contribute to inclusivity measures which will broaden and enhance their appeal and grow their memberships,' he said. "Since its inception, we are proud to have distributed almost €650,000 to a variety of more than 125 sports clubs throughout the country and this has undoubtedly helped them to continue to play an essential and positive role within their communities,' Mr. Twohig added An invitation to enter the 2026 Texaco Support for Sport initiative will issue again in the New Year, with entries open to all clubs, including those whose application may have been unsuccessful previously.
