Approved Caravan and Motorhome Workshop Scheme

An issue of the Caravan Club's magazine includes an article by the well-respected writer on caravan and motorhome technical matters, John Wickersham, about the importance of the Approved Workshop Scheme.

John explains that up until 1998, there was no accredited standard of the competency for habitation servicing, whether in regard to technical understanding of the work required, or pricing and invoicing information. This meant that the standard of work and prices paid varied enormously. Organisations such as the Caravan Club, The Camping and Caravanning Club and the National Caravan Council were all concerned about the lack of any benchmark service standard that owners could rely upon. As part of designing a scheme, they sought advice and expertise from various quarters, such as industry experts like John and dealers such as ourselves, who were already using in-house service schedules.

The result was the Approved Caravan Workshop Scheme for habitation servicing, (now known as the Approved Workshop Scheme) which sets out the requirements, not only of the technical elements of servicing for caravans and motorhomes, but also the standards required of information provided to customers before, during and after the work has been carried out. Workshops under the scheme are independently inspected on an annual basis to ensure compliance and are required to:

• Display a detailed list of prices and labour rates
• Provide an estimate for any additional servicing or repair work over £150
• Give a realistic estimated time for completion and collection
• Use genuine spare parts where available
• Ensure all work is carried out using skill, care and professional judgement
• Always provide you with a check list of work done
• Not start work without your express authority
• Contact you for authority to continue if additional work is identified
• Notify you in writing of faults which are not rectified with an honest assessment of the urgency of the repairs

We have been continually involved in the Approved Workshop Scheme since inception and continue to maintain our membership at both Nottingham and Huddersfield sites.

Read the Caravan Club article