TMCnet News
New Statistically Significant Survey of 515 U.S. Car Owners Highlights Frustrations with Traditional Car RepairA new survey of 515 car owners across the U.S. showed what many have long known: traditional car repair is a time-consuming, inconvenient task. The survey, which has a 95% confidence level and a 5% error margin, goes beyond prevailing thinking and suggests that some 62% of car owners dread the process to such a high degree that they postpone necessary repair and maintenance check-ups. That's not surprising since the average distance travelled according to the survey was approximately six miles and the time consumed for about half of respondents was more than an hour. Overall Americans seem to have a degree of wariness with their car repair vendors and gave a middling grade of 3 on the question of trust on a 1-5 basis with 1 being very little trust. Some of this may trace to the dynamics of repair cost with two out of three respondents reporting that their repair shop upsold additional services once they were in the service bay. According to Ed Petersen, CEO of on-site car repair start-up Wrench, the survey provides further evidence that the $60 billion car repair industry is ripe for disruption: The category has been slow to adapt new technology that can both improve the customer experience and as the data suggests increase revenues. We've seen the impact time and again in other industries including retail that have failed to adapt." The survey also showcased other key issues including the concern that parents have regarding the upkeep of the cars driven by offspring. Over 70% of parents with kids who drive (under age 30) expressed some degree of wariness over the maintenance/upkeep of their child's automobile. Finally the survey showed that over five out of six respondents who drive to work would prefer that their employers take the inconvenience out of car repair and provide basic diagnostic check-ups twice annually at their home or office. Coupled with another survey finding that showed one out of four cars failed to start over a 12-month period, the service could be mutually beneficial in ensuring that cars stay up and running and reducing lost work time. Complete results of the SurveyMonkey online survey are available upon request. Wrench is a new approach to car repair that allows people to schedule their service online (getwrench.com) or via their app with fixed price or customized quotes. A Wrench certified mechanic will perform the service at the customer's home or office, typically saving people hours of service and travel time and savings of as much as 30% versus dealer service repairs. Wrench provides a wide range of services on all types of cars and trucks with mechanics. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170912005026/en/ |
