Scotland Ash News

As an independent garage, I never gloat over the failure of big companies and institutions when things go bad ­because in the end, it’s you and me that end up paying for the mistakes.

That’s not to say people and companies shouldn’t be held accountable for their actions, but the “where there’s blame there’s a claim approach” serves only to fulfill short-term requirements.

It’s the customer that ends up paying, for example to the banks through higher charges and to the car manufacturers with more expensive vehicles.

There’s a line that needs to be drawn, for which to operate under, but we shouldn’t gloat over the demise of others. Instead, we need to learn as a trade, through dialogue and communication with staff, suppliers and customers as to how we can improve and to ensure we provide them with correct information, when they need it.

Does the general public really care about emissions and the environment? They should do, but the reality is they don’t. There are enough pressures today without having to bear the pressure of climate change. The real issue is the betrayal. Nobody likes being lied to and so that’s the real message to take away from the recent scandal.

While the public bear the brunt of failure, they ultimately have the final say as to whether we or any business survives. No one expects companies to be perfect, just as long as they strive to be. If the aftermarket stays true to this, they won’t go far wrong.

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