Church Motor Company UK Ltd is owned and controlled by 4 of us – Andy Patten, Jamie Pitt, Jonathan Cummins and Osman Damdelen. Together we have over 80 years experience covering all aspects of the motor trade. Having served the majority of our lives working in the Main Dealer network we now enjoy a dream of expanding our own company, offering a better service to their clients than the competitors and Main Dealers that surround us.
As a company we are still growing, you could say we are still in our introductory phase! Our aim is to be one of the most recognized and respected vehicle repair centers within the Kent area.
Our mission at Church Motor Company is to provide high quality, convenient and comprehensive vehicle repairs at a reasonable and fair cost. The most important aspect of our business is trust. It is the goal of our company to have 100% customer satisfaction with regards to quality, friendliness, time to completion and to discover new ways to exceed the expectations of our clientele. Whilst in the primitive days of our employment the motor trade was very much a vision similar to the above, this was soon expelled by our employers as new vehicle sales was taking a huge decline in the late 1990‘s. Motor trade dealerships turned to their After-sales departments to make up the shortfall in profits which would lead them to cut cost and increase labour rates and parts prices.
OUR HISTORY
Having been working together since the mid 1990’s and enjoyed numerous promotions it was felt that, as a team, we would make a vehicle repair business that would exceed all expectations – A “back street garage” with a main dealer feel yet back street garage charges. The Company was initially incorporated in November 2004 whilst negotiating the take over of a compact local garage next to Beckenham Methodist Church, located a stone throw from Beckenham Junction Train and Tram station and just off the High street. We eventually entered the premises in May 2005 and went about some radical changes to promote our standards of work.
Whilst it was difficult for existing customers to except change they were soon overwhelmed by the expertise, cleanliness and professionalism they experienced whilst in for repairs. We quickly expanded the services offered to our clients promoting a ‘One stop shop’ for general servicing, body repairs, air conditioning, MOT’s, tyres and our specialty, computer diagnostics. Our Customer database expanded rapidly with 9/10 new customers referred to us via ‘word of mouth’.
Within 2 years of trading the Beckenham site was running at a blistering pace repairing over 3 times the amount of motor vehicles shown by its predecessor. Expansion of the site was imminent and additional premises in the Bromley area was sourced. Again, although a lengthy negotiation took place we were soon in and building on our current concern. 1 year in the Bromley catchment area and we expanded the business by adding a fully functional ‘top of the range’ MOT testing station and tyre fitting bay, therefore keeping ALL repairs in-house, maximizing repair lead times. Due to the added space this promoted we also made use of the extended working area by adding an additional vehicle hoists and dedicated computer diagnostic bay.
In the last 5 years of trading Church Motor Company has matured in size but mainly in reputation. It is this that is forcing the expansion of work space and team members within our business.
Even though the motor industry is forever growing, natural progression takes an effect on its growth rate. Due to the current recession, it has left many people repairing their old cars and therefore refraining from fancy finance offers that they may struggle to repay. This has caused a ‘back-up’ in new car sales hence the governments’ interaction with previous schemes such as the scrappage deal. Unfortunately for some they were unable to apply for the scrappage scheme due to meeting the strict criteria.
It is now quite apparent that customers are now more vigilant when it comes to parting with their hard earned cash, and rightly so!! Most are even taking the time to understand and take advantage of European block exemption laws which influence the repair of car service and maintenance whilst in the manufacturers warranty period, some of which have been published in motoring columns and magazines. We at Church Motor Company now maintain and service a vast amount of newer, dealer warranted cars on the basis that the law permits any such VAT registered repairer to carry out maintenance and servicing providing an equalled quality of part is used. No warranty will be void if this is done so.
Our Bromley and Beckenham sites are now moving forward with a fantastic, experienced team of which we currently plan to expand in the near future thanks to our customer support and loyalty.
