Aftermarket December/January 2023

W hen Alan and Jeanette Landale, Directors of A&J Fleetcare won Top Garage 2022 in the 1-3 employees category, they received a standing ovation. In this exclusive interview we find out more from Jeanette Landale about their business and what it means to win this award. Firstly, winning the award, how did you feel? The whole experience was lovely and surreal. When we travelled up the night before the final stage, we were nervous and excited. Then on the morning it was about answering the questions from the judges to the best of our abilities and for Alan, delivering a three-minute presentation about our business without fluffing his lines. It all seemed to go pretty smoothly in the morning, and fast forward to an amazing evening ceremony. When they read out our name, I honestly couldn’t believe it. Our two children were listening on my mobile and they said my shriek of delight was so loud it deafened them. The whole evening was fantastic and we’re still in a state of happy shock. Did you have any idea you would win? None whatsoever. We were up against other DPF Doctors, so were happy to make the final. I don’t think people 36 AFTERMARKET DECEMBER/JANUARY 2023 TECHNICAL/KALIMEX www.aftermarketonline.net Having learned about them in the October issue, Kalimex returns to Leeds to see A&J Fleetcare following their win in Top Garage 2022 realise how tough it is to get to the final. We had to answer a series of quite intricate questions posing different scenarios in a garage business. They are not the sort of questions you can answer on a whim. If we passed that part, it was onto the final where we had to answer several questions and then be interviewed by the judges on our answers followed by the 3-minute presentation of our business. Alan spent ages rehearsing but it clearly paid off. Can you tell us about your business and what gives it a winning edge? We recently moved to a much bigger unit in Leeds City Centre so we can target some of the larger businesses and can offer more services to our customers. We work with many local businesses and customers providing what I hope is a first-class customer service with a first-time fix for anything vehicle related from servicing and replacement tyres to fixing a DPF and any diagnostics’ problems. Our edge I think comes down to two things – customer service and ongoing training. We take time to walk a customer through the work on their vehicle, so they understand our recommendations, the work we are proposing and the breakdown of our charges between parts and labour. We never want a customer to collect their vehicle and be shocked by the final bill or, to be in the dark about the work we have undertaken. We build the loveliest relationships with customers and hundreds of them have Above: Award winners, Alan and Jeanette Landale AND THE WINNER IS…