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Consumers

European Automotive Service & Repair Association (Easra) policies are framed within a set of consumers - oriented principles.

As far as consumers are able to act like wise consumers, free competition is maintained in the automotive aftermarket. Easra is active in safeguarding consumers' interests by promoting high standards in vehicle maintenance and repair, taking measures so that independent repairers demonstrate that they operate as responsible businesses committed to delivering real peace of mind for their customers.Besides ensuring that independent repairers have consumers' interests protected, Easra is pleading for the same protection be guaranteed by other stakeholders of the automotive aftermarket, i.e. car manufacturers and insurers. When consumers need maintenance or repair services after a breakdown or a collision, their rights to be fairly informed, to choose and be heard have to be preserved and really enforced. 

Easra has been the first European organisation pleading for the right to repair. In early 1995, organising a Forum in Paris within the Worldwide Automotive Exhibition with the support of the European Commission on the theme "Freedom of repair", Easra expert, Dr. Brigitte Castell addressing to motorists explained that by setting up this Forum on the right to repair Easra was creating a new paradigm,  "a crossroads of cultures and willingnesses in order to offer you the freedom of choice".

From this Forum on, Easra has been engaged in a communication process with European institutions as well as with national authorities. Communication and exchange of information with these bodies is the only mean of changing perceptions and getting successful results year after year with patience, persistence and hard arguing. Some examples are hereafter showing the advances that have been made.

Consumers' right to be fairly informed  and to choose the repairer 

Some car manufacturers' networks have often misleadingly made the motorists believe that having maintenance or repairs outside their network has invalidated their car warranty. Some of them have also often informed motorists that buying their car they benefit from a "bonus" extensive warranty,whose aim is tying motorists to their networks for all maintenance and repair services. In both cases, the European Commission considered that these practices are incompatible with free competition provisions, as "they reserve repairs to the members of the authorised networks. The same applies to warranty conditions which require the use of the manufacturer's brand of spare parts in respect to replacements not covered by the warranty terms" (European Commission notice on supplementary guidelines on vertical restraints in agreements for the sale and repair of motor vehicles and for the distribution of spare parts for motor vehicles, OJ C 138 of 28 May 2010 page 16 - 27).

French organisation "Fédération Nationale de l'Artisanat Automobile - Fnaa, former fncaa", who is presiding over the European association "Easra" is now pointing out another hurdle: "telematics".The problem is that nowadays information systems through telematics are only in the hands of vehicle manufacturers. More concretely, the principal difficulty lies in the fact that motorists are not able to direct the information to whom they want, i.e. in case of accident, there is no device to connect the telematics system to a repairer of his choice. This issue has to be addressed urgently by motorists and repairers acting jointly. The European Commission initiative to increase road safety named "emergency call - eCall" is a very positive opportunity to launch a communication process on this issue and find a reliable solution.