Our helpline is the first point of contact if members need help or advice on any automotive related issue.
As part of your membership we encourage you to utilise our expert advice whenever possible. The helpline is open from 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday, with friendly and approachable staff who are passionate about the industry and ready to help.
We can assist you with:
- Human Resources support
- Legal advice
- Conciliation and arbitration
- Health & Safety
- MOT issues
- Member events
- Additional membership services
- Lobbying for issues affecting your business
- Implementing legislation
- Industry scam information
- Digital service records
- MOT and technical training
- Commercial services
- Exclusive member offers
…and any other issues you need help with
With employment law becoming more complex and changing frequently, it can be difficult to keep up-to-date and ensure compliance with the legal requirements placed on employers.
RMI HR gives you step-by-step guidance in every aspect of personnel via your PC. You get the facts and forms you need at the click of a mouse and advice on how to use them at the same time. And when you need detailed or emergency assistance, you can pick up the phone to the HR helpline.
RMI HR covers:
- Sample Job Descriptions
- Recruitment Guidance
- Inductions
- Policies & Handbooks
- Performance & Management
- Ending Employment
- Terms & Conditions
- Health & Safety
- GDPR
- Apprentice Contracts
The RMI Legal Advice team is here to offer guidance and reassurance on a wide range of essential topics, including employment, commercial, contract and consumer law.
- Provision of the web based HR toolkit.
- Provision of the legal helpline number that can provide assistance on HR and commercial law.
- Legal comments on letters and documents in relation to HR and commercial law issues.
- Assistance is given by a dedicated team of solicitors/barristers.
Complex cases
If you have a serious or complex legal issue, preferential rates are available to ensure that your problem can be solved in a cost-effective manner.
- Pay as you go basis
- Preferential, fixed rate if case moves into litigation
- Charges are agreed directly with the member and legal team before any work is carried out.
Received a complaint from a customer and not sure how to handle
the situation? Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a means of
settling disputes without resorting to the courts. Settlement of
disputes is typically faster and cheaper for both the consumer and
trader when using ADR.
The National Conciliation Service is an independent CTSI certified ADR provider that can help you prevent detrimental disputes and restore good customer relationships.
This key service is part of your membership and provides reassurance and peace of mind to both member and consumer.
There are different levels of ADR available through the NCS: Mediation/Conciliation, Arbitration, and Legal Representation.
IGA members can:
- Promote your membership to customers
- Inform customers about the benefits of dealing with their business as a member of the IGA
- Advise your customers of the Conciliation and Arbitration service should need arise
- Solve your dispute amicably and fairly, without court hearings
ADR Legislation
As a member of the Independent Garage Association, a trade body which provides an ADR service for its members, you are required to provide information about your ADR provider on your website and in any contractual terms with customers.
If you haven’t added this information to your website or contracts yet, you can copy and paste the paragraph below we have created for you to use:
“We are subscribed to the National Conciliation Service (NCS) which is the UK’s certified automotive retail Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider. As one of our customers, you are able to use the NCS if you feel we have not internally been able to resolve your complaint.
The NCS has been certified by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) as compliant with UK and EU regulations in respect of ADR.”
We tailor insurance packages for your business, available
through a bespoke RMI and Allianz offering known as the Motor Trade RMI
product.
Allianz Insurance has been our exclusive insurance partner for over 25 years, and we have designed this motor trade insurance policy specifically for our members.
It provides a broad range of insurance covers, catering for a variety of activities, such as sales, servicing and mechanical repairs, as well as tyre and exhaust fitters and auto electricians. In addition to insurance cover, Allianz’s policy provides relevant benefits for members that can help you to run your business more effectively, such as:
- free risk management support – helping you to manage your health and safety obligations
- exclusive discounts – on risk management products and services via Allianz’s extensive range of preferred suppliers, including telematics solutions and security installations
- Allianz’s Motor Insurance Database – which provides you with immediate access to vehicle data to help you establish a robust reporting process. A helpdesk is also available.
You can also receive exclusive, enhanced policies and direct dealings with an Allianz specialist automotive underwriting team by using Gallagher Insurance Brokers. For half a century the Gallagher automotive team has been protecting a full spectrum of motor trade businesses across the country – from small family firms and independents up to the largest franchises. Their nationwide team of specialist brokers’ places over £33 million of premiums annually with a wide range of specialist motor trade underwriters, helping ensure you have the competitive and comprehensive cover in place that’s right for your business.
Gallagher are pleased to advise that they have arranged inclusion of MOT Loss of Licence cover as standard for any RMI member with an authorised MOT test centre taking out an Allianz insurance package. This is available to RMI/IGA members when you purchase an Allianz Motor Trade Policy from Gallagher via the RMI. The Loss of MOT Licence cover is included in addition to the enhanced Gallagher/RMI Allianz policy wording already offered to members.
Certain Allianz T&C’s apply, please contact the RMI or Gallagher for full details.
RMI Independent members benefit directly from our preferential credit rates.
Providing card payment services can boost your customer base, allowing customers a better choice of payment options with your business.
- Low cost credit card charges
- Reduced debit card costs, keeping money in your business.
- Worry free PCI-DSS compliance
Are your business rates right? They are unavoidable but complicated to work out, so how can you be sure that you are not being overcharged?
RMI Rates offers a service that will:
Review your business’s future rateable value and provide clarification for you where needed in terms of your projected liability.
Conduct further research on your property and determine if an appeal should be lodged.
See if there is scope to challenge your existing rating valuation if this has not already been undertaken.
The RMI Rates service will never cost you anything – the audits are conducted on the basis of “no savings, no fee”, so the only fee you will ever face is a small percentage of whatever savings you gain.
As part of our Invoice Checker service we also offer checks for your energy and telecoms services. Find out more by clicking here.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in May 2018, is EU-designed legislation with the objective to strengthen the rights of individuals when companies use, collect and share their personal data.
If you haven’t taken the steps required to comply with the regulations and protect your customers’ data you could now be liable to a fine of up to 4% of your turnover. If your business isn’t compliant, you should work through the IGA’s ‘Garage Guide to GDPR’ workbook in full, as it contains all the steps you need to take to ensure that your business complies with the new legislation.
No matter your current level of GDPR compliance, the IGA continues to offer the following on-site support services, and we will keep you up-to-date with new changes to the legislation via the bulletin.
GDPR Gap Analysis – £245 + VAT half day
- The GDPR gap analysis service provides an assessment of your organisation’s current level of compliance with the Regulation, seeking to highlight the standard requirements and the shortcomings in relation to those requirements
- This will assist in establishing an appropriate action plan in relation to the needs of your organisation, showing areas of strength and weakness
- You will also be provided with a general, indicative figure of overall compliance with the Regulation
GDPR Consultancy – £245 + VAT per half day or £395 + VAT per full day
- This will assist in ensuring your organisation meets the necessary GDPR requirements
- Provides assurance for customers, employees and all other data subjects that their information is being processed lawfully and stored securely
- We will work with you to produce personalised policies, procedures and guidance to facilitate compliance with the Regulation
GDPR Quality Assurance Certification Audit – £395 + VAT full day
- During the certification audit, we assess, in detail, your degree of compliance with the requirements of GDPR
- The audit consists of informal interviews, examinations, observations of your system in operation and review of relevant documentation and performance in identified focus areas
- Findings, including non-conformities, and conclusions are presented at the end of the audit in a closing meeting and included in the audit report
- After the audit you will be informed of non-conformities you need to address and respond to within an agreed deadline
- When found compliant, we issue you with the below quality assurance certificate that you will be able to display at your premises:
Workwear, Hygiene & Laundry Solution:
- Bespoke company branded workwear
- Trust My Garage joint branding
- Garment dispensers and collectors on site
- Dust mats and bespoke logo mats to protect reception areas
- Full range of hygiene products available
- Corporate workwear available to purchase
- Member specific cost packages available*
*Subject to T&C’s and current contract status
The IGA website offer provides you with an affordable high quality web presence for your business.
All you need to do is supply pictures of your business, your company logo if you have one and information such as the services you offer, your opening times and a brief description of your business.
The package includes:
- 3 pages of information – Home, Contact, Service
- Inclusive Google map add-on
- Simple, attractive design
- Ability to customise to your needs
Please visit www.rmiwp.co.uk/signup/ to find out more or create your website.
