NBRA’s second instalment of Membership Spotlight takes a trip to Whittlesey to meet Hayden Storey, of Storey’s Accident Repair Centre…
Company Name: Storey’s Accident Repair Centre Ltd
Year Established: Established in the 1920’s, Four generations of family to this day
Number of Staff: 6 People
- What made you get into crash repair?
– “I have always been very interested in the industry. Even from an early age I was helping my father on my school holidays and weekends. I have worked my way up in the trade, from basic workshop duties, to prep, paint, VDA ,now manager and owner alongside my brother Matthew”
- Have you ever had a “nightmare job” and how did you fix it?
– “Everything in this industry can be a nightmare if you let it be! Only really when somebody else has previously had a go at a repair and we have to put it right! (which unfortunately happens quite a lot). Always can cause lots of problems and lots more work than normally would be needed had we done the job from the first instance.”
- What’s your biggest industry fear?
– “No such fears really, more annoyingly the fact of insurers still persuading clients to go to their “approved repairer” as apposed to letting them choose, this massively frustrates me, especially after seeing and hearing of how poor their workmanship and overall service is.”
- What aspirations do you have for your business?
– “Keep growing in size as we have done over the years. We have really pushed our business with lots of investment, especially over the last few years and landed ourselves some nice contracts with insurers and work providers. Along with lots of private clients, also on some amazing vehicles and projects due to our fantastic reputation that we have built up for our workmanship and customer service. This is top of our priorities to maintain that. We are also working at the British Standard Kitemark.”
- What’s the most significant change you have experienced since you started?
– “Technology in vehicles. I have been in the trade, ever since since I left school 12 years ago, and the training and equipment you need is much more significant than it ever has been and it’s vital you keep on top of it all to not get left behind. ADAS systems being one of these.“
- Best piece of advice anyone has given you?
– “Keep moving with the times and always be prepared to learn more, there is always room for improvement.”
- What advice would you give someone entering the industry today?
– “Don’t bother! Ha-ha, No, all jokes aside it would be to undergo thorough training and get an understanding of modern vehicles and repair methods as this is the key to being successful in the industry. The more qualifications and accreditation you have, the better you will cope when it comes to finding a job.”
