12V Dealer Certification Launches at KnowledgeFest

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MEA Certified

MEA, the Mobile Electronics Association, announced it is launching a dealer certification program that will initially certify dealers that have undergone training but will eventually add other qualifications.

The aim is to create a certification that is trusted by consumers, such as the ASE program.

MEA stresses that this is the first and only certification program for the dealer versus the individual installer.  The MECP program certifies individual installers or salesmen.

MEA President Chris Cook announced the program, called MEA Certified, at the town hall meeting at KnowledgeFest Saturday evening.

mea preferredCook hopes the program will also inspire trust in companies looking for dealers to carry their products.  In the future, for example, a maker of aftermarket vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) devices looking to distribute through 12 volt dealers, would have a place to go for a trusted dealer network of specialists.

Initially, the certification begins with receiving recognition for training at KnowledgFest.  Dealers  must attend four or more classes at KnowledgeFest to be eligible for certification.  MEA will broaden  certification to include other metrics in the future.

A website called MEA Preferred has been established as a central place where consumers can go to find MEA dealers.  MEA members are listed in the dealer locator along with their Yelp and Google ratings if the dealer chooses to show them.  Eventually the site will add Instagram and Facebook links and photos.   MEA Certified dealers will also be included.  The site will be promoted so those searching for car audio products will be lead to the site.

 

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7 Comments

  1. But Tony, that’s the same thing we heard 28 years ago when MECP was pitched to us….. it never manifested, retailers and installers took the exams, spent money to get decertified, pretty much all for naught. Many of us are not going down that road again WITHOUT a manufacturer partnership/benefit program for the consumer. Sure as hell not paying a bunch of fees to give MEA a nest egg.

    This is why I don’t bother to keep my MECP current, I don’t need to pay them to tell me I’m getting smarter and learning new things in an industry I’ve been in for 29 years now…everyday of my life.

  2. There is a plan to get manufacturers involved and incorporate many of the above suggestions. It starts with establishing a certification program that can identify and acknowledge the retailer that makes the investment in continuing education of its employees.

  3. Well said. I’ve been in this industry for over 27 years and got my MECP certification way back when. I never had anyone ever ask if I was MECP certified and now that I expanded my business into automotive repair, no one ever asked if I was ASE certified. Customers only care about having a job done properly for a good price. I never lost a job because of lack of certifications. I agree with the fact that manufactures should give the customer some kind of incentive to go to a “certified” dealer. Lets face it, we are in an industry that is racing to zero and the manufactures really don’t care where the product is sold because at the end of the day boxes are being moved.

  4. Chris Cook, just as the flawed 28-year-old MECP program has been, this will ultimately be ANOTHER wasted effort on the wrong side of our industry to try and gain consumer confidence with a piece of paper on a wall, and a title on some obscure website.

    Unless the INITIAL foundation of this new program is first sold and approved by the manufacturers, with them providing some extra value to consumers for seeking approved dealers, then this is only another grandiose idea on the wrong side of the equation.

    This will only create a channel for bragging rights and divisiveness within the dealer/sales/installs network, which the nearly 3 decade old MECP has already done a lackluster job of promoting to consumers, or manufacturers in 12-volt electronics. It is such an afterthought of an ideal, NO customer I’ve dealt with in 29-years in this business, has ever asked for, or really cared upon seeing an MECP framed on the wall.

    Now, if you could get manufacturers on board FIRST, and have them provide say, a doubling of their warranty, or at least an additional year of warranty, then THAT is something tangible and of value, that we can sell to consumers in this struggling industry. That simple premise will help steer customers away from online purchasing and make an effort to bring the customer to the brick and mortar sales and install shops again. This would also provide a channel for the manufacturers to hopefully see less damaged/return product waste, as people will be sold, and have properly installed, products from and MEA/MECP certified provider.

    Without manufacturer backing and incentive, this is merely an empty gesture that will never reach 95% of the consumers and end user customers out there, just as MECP has failed to do.

    1. This is exactly what I’ve been saying for years. Get the manufacturers on board. Have certification be part of the dealer agreement/requirement and warranty.

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