Category: Other News

Other News

September 2021 Holiday Dates

I’m heading up to Scotland camping for the first two weeks of September. The workshop will therefore close at lunchtime on Friday 3rd September and will reopen at 9.00am on Monday 20th September.

I already have booked in 90% of the vehicles which my job system shows to have expiring MOTs between now and September 20th. If you’re aware of anything your vehicle may need doing before I get back then please get in touch as soon as possible so I can confirm a date for you.

New Equipment, Other News

New Mobile Phone Number

I will not be renewing the workshop mobile phone contract when it falls due at the beginning of March 2021 and its associated number (ending 322270) will no longer be available. A new number has been acquired with full details below.

The WhatsApp account associated with this number will also be deleted. The WhatsApp business account (441482521201) is not affected and will remain in use.

The Background

  1. The mobile signal in the workshop is weak at best and frequently nonexistent. As many of you who have called me on the mobile will know, it’s just about impossible to have a legible conversation on it when I’m at work.
  2. The mobile number has been shared, often without my knowledge to people who I’d rather didn’t have it. The result is the mobile had become a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week torture device. I now have two mobile phones, one for work and a personal one so I can leave the work one at home on my days off. I’d like to return to owning just one mobile phone!
  3. The mobile phone contract and phone insurance are an unnecessary additional expense for the business.

The Solution

Over the New Year weekend I installed the 3CX business phone system at the workshop. It’s fully operational and tested and if you’ve called the workshop on the landline number or I’ve called you in the last week or so then the call was routed through the new phone system.

3CX is a bit OTT, designed to operate in multi-site corporate environments and large call centres. The NHS use 3CX as do companies like Pepsi, Best Western Hotels, Holiday Inn and Air France. If they can deploy it then so can I (and I have!).

3CX can handle voice calls, visual voicemail, faxes and SMS text messages. It also integrates with my job management system providing click-to-call functionality for customer and supplier phone numbers. There’s also a mobile phone app so I can call and text customers when I need to such as when collecting cars from their workplaces without revealing my mobile phone number.

SMS Text Messages

Most relevant though is its ability to handle incoming and outgoing SMS text messages. To accomplish this I have secured a new mobile phone number and linked it with 3CX.

  • Voice calls to the new number are routed to the workshop desk phones (rather than a mobile phone) during normal business hours and to voicemail outside of normal hours and also if I don’t answer the call within 20 seconds.
  • SMS messages are routed to the 3CX web client on my desktop computer in the workshop and are replied to from there (rather than a mobile phone). 
As calls and texts to the new number are now routed to the workshop I will no longer be able to see them and respond outside of normal business hours. Any calls and texts received outside of normal hours will be replied to when I'm next at the workshop.

The Only Two Numbers You Need

  • Workshop Main Number: 01482 521201 (Voice calls only)
  • Workshop Mobile Number: 07400 171201 (Voice calls and SMS text messages)

The outgoing caller ID for all calls made from the workshop and from the 3CX app on my mobile phone is 01482521201.

Other Ways To Get In Touch

There’s plenty of other ways to get in touch such as email, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Visit the Contact Jonathan page for further details.

Common Sense, Please

I work alone and without staff. My priority is the repair of the vehicles at the workshop. I cannot repair vehicles and answer the phone at the same time.

  • Please phone or text once. Once is enough. I can see you’ve called. I will reply to calls and messages in the order they are received and when I have time to do so.
  • Please respect the business hours. They are 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. I am not available outside of these hours.
  • Business related messages sent through my personal social media accounts will be ignored. To contact the business please use the business contact methods.
  • I do not provide updates or running commentaries on ongoing jobs. I will provide updates if there’s a significant change in the job’s status and I have time to do so.
COVID-19

COVID-19 Update 05-01-2021

Firstly I’d like to wish all of my customers a Happy New Year.

The workshop reopened on Monday 4th January after the Christmas break. Following on from the government’s announcement yesterday the workshop will remain open when there is work in the diary but will close and I will stay at home if there are no bookings. I can still be reached when at home using the contact methods listed on the contact page of this web site.

Workshop Mobile Telephone Update

I have decided not to renew the contract for the workshop mobile phone when it expires in March. As many of you will have noticed it’s next to useless for making or receiving calls in the workshop due to the low quality signal and is an expensive text messaging device.

Instead I have reserved a new mobile phone number. Calls to this number will be routed via our 3CX phone system to the workshop telephones and text messages will be routed to 3CX’s inbuilt chat and messaging system. Calls and texts will be replied to from the workshop during normal working hours.

I will release the new number and phase out the use of the mobile phone in the next few weeks once internal testing has been completed.

All customers will be notified before the mobile phone contract expires.

Other News

Revised December Opening Times

I recently published the workshop’s opening times and expected availability for the Christmas and New Year holidays. These dates took into account a holiday abroad in December which we booked six months ago. This holiday was cancelled at the last minute and has been rescheduled by our tour operator for the second half of December.

Revised workshop opening times (subject to change):

  • Tuesday 8th December to Wednesday 16th December – OPEN BUT FULLY BOOKED
  • Thursday 17th December to Friday 1st January – CLOSED
    • Emergency cover may be available between Tuesday 29th December and Thursday 31st December. Please contact Jonathan and leave a message.
  • Monday 4th January – OPEN WITH AVAILABILITY

I will be prioritising work in the following order to ensure my customers remain on the road over Christmas and the New Year:

  1. Vehicles with expiring or expired MOT tests.
  2. Vehicles with drivability and/or roadworthiness concerns.
  3. Vehicles with bookings already on the system which have been postponed due to the current government guidelines.
  4. Periodic maintenance where there is a manufacturer published job time.

I will be at the workshop all day on Monday 4th January 2021 with my priority being with contacting customers to book in any outstanding jobs.

If you need to get in touch please use the contact form on the company web site or the various company social media messaging platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp. For general enquires you can also email us at help@frysgarage.com.

I’d like to wish all of my customers a very happy Christmas and New Year.

The workshop will reopen on Monday 4th January 2021.

Please visit the Contact Jonathan page to get in touch.

Other News

Workshop Temporarily Closed

Due to a member of my immediate family testing positive for COVID-19 and two members of their support bubble also testing positive I have closed the workshop for two weeks.

I remain free of any symptoms recognised as relating to the virus and I’m isolated from the family member affected and have been since Tuesday morning.

The workshop will reopen on Wednesday 25th November 2020. With the exception of vehicles with expiring MOTs and vehicles with faults that make them unroadworthy or unusable the workshop should be considered to be fully booked until week commencing Monday 14th December 2020.

I am available on the workshop mobile if you need to get in touch or via the Contact page on this web site.

Other News

COVID-19 Update 05-11-2020

The government have reaffirmed that car repair garages are essential services which can remain open during the second lockdown. I have therefore decided to keep the workshop open throughout this month-long lockdown.

The workshop will be closed for one week between Monday 7th December and Friday 11th December 2020.

The workshop remains closed to visitors. Unless you are dropping a car off for a prearranged appointment, collecting a car after work is completed or delivering parts then please do not visit the workshop.

Our Safe Workshop Practice Charter

  • We try to minimise contact with customers and suppliers.
    • The workshop is closed to visitors and all work is carried out by appointment only.
    • Initial customer contact is by telephone, email or social media messaging only.
    • Drop-off and pick-up times will be staggered to ensure there is only one customer present at the workshop at any time.
    • We are not providing a while-you-wait service and there will be no waiting at or in the vicinity of the workshop.
  • We keep customers safe by using new disposable seat covers, floor mats and gloves for every job.
  • We will turn off vehicle Air Con/Climate Control to avoid spreading germs.
  • We wipe down all vehicle contact points as we work with Smartsan-V (passes BS EN1276:1997 & BS EN 1650:1998 disinfection standards), a non-staining broad spectrum sanitiser that is effective against a wide range of pathogenic virus, bacteria, yeast and fungi. A sanitation checklist will be left in all vehicles after the final treatment.
  • Items in the workshop which come into contact with customers such as the card machine will be sanitised after each use with Smartsan-V.
  • Our workshop follows all current government social distancing guidelines.
    • New signage and barriers have been installed at the workshop complying with the government’s latest ‘COVID-19 Secure‘ guidelines.
    • A clear plastic cough/sneeze guard is now installed at the reception counter.
    • Alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel (≥70% alcohol content, passes BS EN 1276 & BS EN 1500 disinfection standards) is available on the reception counter. I would ask all visitors to use it on arrival at reception and before they leave.
  • We respect high risk customers by maintaining an external drop-off and collection point.
    • When necessary and for high-risk customers we will increase our level of personal protective equipment (PPE) to include a 3M FFP3 respirator and disposable nitrile examination gloves.
  • We will offer you value-added services; e.g. Air Con disinfection, cabin filter replacement (HEPA) etc. for your added protection.
  • To keep your vehicle legally roadworthy we will carry out a free visual safety check of the following:
    • Brake Discs
    • Brake Pads
    • Horn
    • Lights
    • Wipers & Washers
    • Tyres
    • MOT Due Date
  • We will notify you of any defects found during this check.
  • We will ensure all contact points and keys are wiped down before collection.

Other News

Deodorising and Sanitising by CarSmart

Our friends at local bodyshop CarSmart are now offering a vehicle deodorising and sanitising service using their new fogger machine.

This technique is effective against a wide range of pathogens and remains effective for up to 30 days.

For further details contact CarSmart directly on 01482 223998.

Our Safe Workshop Practice Charter

  • We try to minimise contact with customers and suppliers.
    • The workshop is closed to visitors and all work is carried out by appointment only.
    • Initial customer contact is by telephone, email or social media messaging only.
    • Drop-off and pick-up times will be staggered to ensure there is only one customer present at the workshop at any time.
    • We are not providing a while-you-wait service and there will be no waiting at or in the vicinity of the workshop.
  • We keep customers safe by using new disposable seat covers, floor mats and gloves for every job.
  • We will turn off vehicle Air Con/Climate Control to avoid spreading germs.
  • We wipe down all vehicle contact points as we work with Smartsan-V (passes BS EN1276:1997 & BS EN 1650:1998 disinfection standards), a non-staining broad spectrum sanitiser that is effective against a wide range of pathogenic virus, bacteria, yeast and fungi. A sanitation checklist will be left in all vehicles after the final treatment.
  • Items in the workshop which come into contact with customers such as the card machine will be sanitised after each use with Smartsan-V.
  • Our workshop follows all current government social distancing guidelines.
    • New signage and barriers have been installed at the workshop complying with the government’s latest ‘COVID-19 Secure‘ guidelines.
    • A clear plastic cough/sneeze guard is now installed at the reception counter.
    • Alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel (≥70% alcohol content, passes BS EN 1276 & BS EN 1500 disinfection standards) is available on the reception counter. I would ask all visitors to use it on arrival at reception and before they leave.
  • We respect high risk customers by maintaining an external drop-off and collection point.
    • When necessary and for high-risk customers we will increase our level of personal protective equipment (PPE) to include a 3M FFP3 respirator and disposable nitrile examination gloves.
  • We will offer you value-added services; e.g. Air Con disinfection, cabin filter replacement (HEPA) etc. for your added protection.
  • To keep your vehicle legally roadworthy we will carry out a free visual safety check of the following:
    • Brake Discs
    • Brake Pads
    • Horn
    • Lights
    • Wipers & Washers
    • Tyres
    • MOT Due Date
  • We will notify you of any defects found during this check.
  • We will ensure all contact points and keys are wiped down before collection.

COVID-19

COVID-19 Update w/c 25-05-2020

The workshop will be closed on Monday for the bank holiday but will be open again on Tuesday 26th May. I am already 80% booked up for the week but there is room to accommodate emergency jobs if required.

The workshop remains closed to visitors and all work is carried out by appointment only. Initial contact is by telephone, email or social media messaging. I will be staggering drop-off and pick-up times to ensure only one customer is present at the workshop at a time.

I will continue to sanitise all vehicles when they arrive and before they leave with a suitable anti-microbial disinfectant.

Our Safe Workshop Practice Charter

  • We try to minimise contact with customers and suppliers.
    • The workshop is closed to visitors and all work is carried out by appointment only.
    • Initial customer contact is by telephone, email or social media messaging only.
    • Drop-off and pick-up times will be staggered to ensure there is only one customer present at the workshop at any time.
    • We are not providing a while-you-wait service and there will be no waiting at or in the vicinity of the workshop.
  • We keep customers safe by using new disposable seat covers, floor mats and gloves for every job.
  • We will turn off vehicle Air Con/Climate Control to avoid spreading germs.
  • We wipe down all vehicle contact points as we work with Smartsan-V (passes BS EN1276:1997 & BS EN 1650:1998 disinfection standards), a non-staining broad spectrum sanitiser that is effective against a wide range of pathogenic virus, bacteria, yeast and fungi. A sanitation checklist will be left in all vehicles after the final treatment.
  • Items in the workshop which come into contact with customers such as the card machine will be sanitised after each use with Smartsan-V.
  • Our workshop follows all current government social distancing guidelines.
    • New signage and barriers have been installed at the workshop complying with the government’s latest ‘COVID-19 Secure‘ guidelines.
    • A clear plastic cough/sneeze guard is now installed at the reception counter.
    • Alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel (≥70% alcohol content, passes BS EN 1276 & BS EN 1500 disinfection standards) is available on the reception counter. I would ask all visitors to use it on arrival at reception and before they leave.
  • We respect high risk customers by maintaining an external drop-off and collection point.
    • When necessary and for high-risk customers we will increase our level of personal protective equipment (PPE) to include a 3M FFP3 respirator and disposable nitrile examination gloves.
  • We will offer you value-added services; e.g. Air Con disinfection, cabin filter replacement (HEPA) etc. for your added protection.
  • To keep your vehicle legally roadworthy we will carry out a free visual safety check of the following:
    • Brake Discs
    • Brake Pads
    • Horn
    • Lights
    • Wipers & Washers
    • Tyres
    • MOT Due Date
  • We will notify you of any defects found during this check.
  • We will ensure all contact points and keys are wiped down before collection.
COVID-19

COVID-19 Update

The workshop will reopen at 9.00am on Monday 18th May to deal with breakdowns and a few jobs which have accumulated over the past few weeks. The workshop will remain open all week and I’ll decide at the end of the week whether to stay open or close again depending on demand.

The workshop is closed to visitors and all work is carried out by appointment only. Please phone the workshop on 01482 521201 or the workshop mobile and leave a voicemail message. Alternatively send a text message to the workshop mobile, a WhatsApp message to 441482521201 or use the message function on the company Facebook page. Please don’t send work-related messages to my personal Facebook account as I won’t see these on the workshop computer.

I’ll advise customers of the new procedures in place at the time of booking. As has been the case since the 13th March all vehicles are sanitised on arrival and before they leave with an appropriate anti-microbial disinfectant.

Our Safe Workshop Practice Charter

  • We try to minimise contact with customers and suppliers.
    • The workshop is closed to visitors and all work is carried out by appointment only.
    • Initial customer contact is by telephone, email or social media messaging only.
    • Drop-off and pick-up times will be staggered to ensure there is only one customer present at the workshop at any time.
    • We are not providing a while-you-wait service and there will be no waiting at or in the vicinity of the workshop.
  • We keep customers safe by using new disposable seat covers, floor mats and gloves for every job.
  • We will turn off vehicle Air Con/Climate Control to avoid spreading germs.
  • We wipe down all vehicle contact points as we work with Smartsan-V (passes BS EN1276:1997 & BS EN 1650:1998 disinfection standards), a non-staining broad spectrum sanitiser that is effective against a wide range of pathogenic virus, bacteria, yeast and fungi. A sanitation checklist will be left in all vehicles after the final treatment.
  • Items in the workshop which come into contact with customers such as the card machine will be sanitised after each use with Smartsan-V.
  • Our workshop follows all current government social distancing guidelines.
    • New signage and barriers have been installed at the workshop complying with the government’s latest ‘COVID-19 Secure‘ guidelines.
    • A clear plastic cough/sneeze guard is now installed at the reception counter.
    • Alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel (≥70% alcohol content, passes BS EN 1276 & BS EN 1500 disinfection standards) is available on the reception counter. I would ask all visitors to use it on arrival at reception and before they leave.
  • We respect high risk customers by maintaining an external drop-off and collection point.
    • When necessary and for high-risk customers we will increase our level of personal protective equipment (PPE) to include a 3M FFP3 respirator and disposable nitrile examination gloves.
  • We will offer you value-added services; e.g. Air Con disinfection, cabin filter replacement (HEPA) etc. for your added protection.
  • To keep your vehicle legally roadworthy we will carry out a free visual safety check of the following:
    • Brake Discs
    • Brake Pads
    • Horn
    • Lights
    • Wipers & Washers
    • Tyres
    • MOT Due Date
  • We will notify you of any defects found during this check.
  • We will ensure all contact points and keys are wiped down before collection.
COVID-19

COVID-19 Precautions

Important COVID-19 Update:

From tomorrow I will be treating the controls and door handles of all vehicles on their arrival at the workshop and before they leave with Smartsan V anti-microbial disinfectant. Controls are items such as the steering wheel, gear lever, parking brake lever and commonly used switches. I will also extend that treatment to items in the workshop such as the credit card machine.

Smartsan V is a non-staining broad spectrum sanitiser that is effective against a wide range of pathogenic virus, bacteria, yeast and fungi. It passes BS EN1276:1997 & BS EN 1650:1998 disinfection standards.

You can read more about the product I will be using and download its datasheet at the link below.

I’m being proactive with this so I can help protect both myself and my customers.

https://autosmart.co.uk/products/csmv114c-smartsan-v

Our Safe Workshop Practice Charter

  • We try to minimise contact with customers and suppliers.
    • The workshop is closed to visitors and all work is carried out by appointment only.
    • Initial customer contact is by telephone, email or social media messaging only.
    • Drop-off and pick-up times will be staggered to ensure there is only one customer present at the workshop at any time.
    • We are not providing a while-you-wait service and there will be no waiting at or in the vicinity of the workshop.
  • We keep customers safe by using new disposable seat covers, floor mats and gloves for every job.
  • We will turn off vehicle Air Con/Climate Control to avoid spreading germs.
  • We wipe down all vehicle contact points as we work with Smartsan-V (passes BS EN1276:1997 & BS EN 1650:1998 disinfection standards), a non-staining broad spectrum sanitiser that is effective against a wide range of pathogenic virus, bacteria, yeast and fungi. A sanitation checklist will be left in all vehicles after the final treatment.
  • Items in the workshop which come into contact with customers such as the card machine will be sanitised after each use with Smartsan-V.
  • Our workshop follows all current government social distancing guidelines.
    • New signage and barriers have been installed at the workshop complying with the government’s latest ‘COVID-19 Secure‘ guidelines.
    • A clear plastic cough/sneeze guard is now installed at the reception counter.
    • Alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel (≥70% alcohol content, passes BS EN 1276 & BS EN 1500 disinfection standards) is available on the reception counter. I would ask all visitors to use it on arrival at reception and before they leave.
  • We respect high risk customers by maintaining an external drop-off and collection point.
    • When necessary and for high-risk customers we will increase our level of personal protective equipment (PPE) to include a 3M FFP3 respirator and disposable nitrile examination gloves.
  • We will offer you value-added services; e.g. Air Con disinfection, cabin filter replacement (HEPA) etc. for your added protection.
  • To keep your vehicle legally roadworthy we will carry out a free visual safety check of the following:
    • Brake Discs
    • Brake Pads
    • Horn
    • Lights
    • Wipers & Washers
    • Tyres
    • MOT Due Date
  • We will notify you of any defects found during this check.
  • We will ensure all contact points and keys are wiped down before collection.