The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has refuted a Citizens Advice report suggesting that independent used car dealers and garages are the top cause of consumer complaints.

The IGA said it had contacted Citizens Advice to try and establish how the information was gathered and what evidence was provided to verify a complaint, but despite numerous requests Citizens Advice was yet to provide it.

IGA director Stuart James said: “The IGA is extremely concerned that the figures produced by Citizens Advice do not accurately represent the independent garage sector and welcome the opportunity to work with them to address the genuine issues.

“All of our IGA members adhere to a strict code of conduct to ensure they offer the very best service to customers on a daily basis.

“We also offer the National Conciliation and Arbitration Service (NCS), an independently run service for customers of IGA garages who feel that the member has not carried out its obligations to deliver a quality service. In fact the NCS only receive 30-40 complaints a month of which 96% are dealt with there and then.

“The IGA will continue to attempt to liaise with Citizens Advice to ensure that the independent garage sector is not having its reputation damaged through flawed figures.”