News & Press Releases
09/10/07 The Echo - 'Banburys tough line brings national title'
Article Text:
If you hear that a businesswoman has won a bodyshop award many will think of Anita Roddick-style lotions but Louise Dominy's success is in a much tougher world.
For the 34-year-old managing director of car body repair specialists Banburys, based in Segensworth South near Fareham, has just clinched awards for the best Jaguar Approved bodyshop in the south and in the country overall.
Louise, pictured, is naturally delighted to have beaten more than 100 other Jaguar Approved operations.
She says: "As a female owner in a male-orientated industry I am pleased that this award was given on merit, not gender."
"After being in the business for more than 15 years this change is refreshing. I no longer have to prove myself in this industry and winning this award proves that, whether male or female, we are all playing on the same field."
Although Banburys is both Jaguar and Land Rover manufacturer approved, it repairs all makes of vehicle - specialising in prestige makes such as Porsche, BMW and Audi - to manufacturers' repair methods and covers both the SO and PO postcode areas.
One of its key assets and a big investment is an aluminium bay and tooling for specialist staff to work on the latest aluminium-bodied Jaguar XJ and XK models. Louise, helped with administration by her sister Katharine, pulls no punches and pledges a lifetime guarantee on her team's work "and whether that's the lifetime of the vehicle or the customer makes no difference," she asserts.
She says: "I started in the trade as a part-time credit controller and then at an insurance broker dealt with people who had had accidents and so I got to know how things worked."
"Insurance companies want repairs done cheaply and quickly but I work for the customer not the insurance company - I'm arguing with engineers all the time to protect the customers' interests."
"If a panel has been weakened in a crash it will not provide the same protection if there is another accident."
"It is essential to the integrity of the vehicle that it is repaired to pre-accident condition and that means a new panel not filler, and when painting we strip the car rather than masking, to do the job properly."
"Purchasing a new vehicle is the second most expensive purchase in your life, after your home, and I find it unbelievable that people are dictated to by their insurance companies, often resulting in substandard repairs which affect the vehicle's safety and ultimately the value too."
Louise, whose operation underwent an audit for customer satisfaction, training and personal development through Jaguar recognised programmes, is not resting on her laurels but aiming to retain the Jaguar title and add the Land Rover one too.
She is also out to raise customer awareness: "Our goal is to ensure that anyone who has an accident knows their rights - that it is your choice as to where your car is repaired, to insist on a lifetime guarantee of undetectable repairs, and to provide just one quotation for the work, not three."
