EMERYVILLE, CA--(Marketwire - May 1, 2012) - RepairPal (http://RepairPal.com), the leading online destination for auto repair and maintenance information, today announces its new Top Shop network of trusted repair shops. Only high quality shops can qualify for inclusion in the network. They must pass a rigorous screening by certified master mechanics, provide great service as measured through in-depth interviews with verified customers, guarantee their parts and service for a minimum of 12 months or 12,000 miles, and charge fair prices within the range of the RepairPal Estimator.
"People own their cars longer now than ever before, so repair and maintenance is increasingly important. But car owners are still struggling with that age old question of whom they can trust to fix their car," said Art Shaw, CEO, RepairPal. "With our new trusted shop network, RepairPal does the hard work to get the truth about a car repair shop's quality and integrity. When we find a truly exceptional shop, we designate it a Top Shop. We find that customers rate their experience at a Top Shop at the same level that they rate other top tier companies like Apple, Amazon and JetBlue."
Rigorous standards required to earn Top Shop designation
To qualify a repair facility for the Top Shop program, RepairPal:
- Conducts a rigorous assessment of all aspects of the shop covering:
- Experience, certification and training of every person in the shop, including each technician
- Diagnostic equipment that communicates with a car's computers to pinpoint and analyze issues
- Quality of parts used in repairs
- Use of the right tools and equipment needed for quality repairs
- The shop's business practices and systems, including the warranty provided on work performed
This assessment is conducted and scored by RepairPal's own team of ASE-certified Master Technicians.
- Interviews actual customers of the shop, starting with a complete list of the shop's recent customers to get an impartial and accurate view of real customer satisfaction. RepairPal calculates the shop's Net Promoter Score®, a customer loyalty metric quantifying how willing customers are to recommend that shop to friends and family.
- Ensures that the shop will charge fair prices, by having the shop agree to charge prices within the range of RepairPal's market-leading RepairPrice Estimator™ (http://RepairPal.com/estimator), a source of over 11 million estimates to date.
- Requires the shop to warrant a repair (parts and labor) for a minimum of 12 months or 12,000 miles.
"It's about time there's a service to help people find the best shops in their neighborhood," said Greg Kelly, owner of Greg's Automotive, a RepairPal-certified Top Shop in the San Diego area. "I've been fixing cars and creating loyal, happy customers for 33 years, but most of the shops around don't do business the way I do. RepairPal really examined all parts of my business and my customers to measure the difference. The Top Shop network hits the bulls-eye for consumers trying to find great quality at a fair price."
Shops pay a monthly fee to be part of RepairPal's Top Shop program, and they must maintain their qualifying level of service to remain in the program.
"Shops can't buy their way in," said Bret Bodas, an ASE-certified Master Technician at RepairPal. "We have created strict standards that cannot be compromised."
With the national launch of the Top Shop program, today more than 100 shops in 22 states have been named Top Shops. Visit http://RepairPal.com to find a Top Shop near you. The program is initially available only to independent repair shops. Later this year, RepairPal will expand the program to car dealers as well.
About RepairPal
Award-winning RepairPal (http://RepairPal.com) is the leading provider of auto repair and maintenance information to consumers via the Web and mobile apps. RepairPal's Top Shop network helps consumers find a repair shop that they can trust, and the RepairPrice Estimator™ ensures that consumers never pay unfair prices. The RepairPrice Estimator has been licensed by leading consumer and automotive sites such as AOL Autos, Cars.com, Consumer Reports, NAPA and US News & World Report. RepairPal also provides consumers an extensive database of articles, reports and references from in-house repair experts and its community of car owners. Founded in 2007, RepairPal is located in Emeryville, CA. For more information, please visit http://RepairPal.com or contact pr@repairpal.com.
Net Promoter Score is a trademark of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company, and Fred Reichheld.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Erica Zeidenberg
800.969-9204 Ext. 5