Many of our regular customers will know Hannah from our service reception she is always ready to greet you with a smile when you come in, but little did we know Hannah had been practicing on her Honda Shadow VT125 named “Vincent” and preparing for the biggest and most stressful graduation of her life......a motor bike test!
Hannah braved the cold and of all days the rain as well to ride the hour and a half to Exeter whilst accompanied by her instructor Mike Ogden from Irelands Motorcycles for the first part of her practical test.
Hannah said “it was a cold start to the day, but a coffee or two soon settled my nerves for a few minutes, then it was time, the examiner was ready and he escorted me to the official test area.
After settling her nerves, Hannah was soon in the zone and off in and around the enclosed test circuit on Marsh Barton. Hannah also said “all I could hear at this point was the voice of my instructor in my head talking me through it. He must have brain washed me during my lessons”!
Once the test had finished Hannah was taken back to the test centre reception still not knowing if she had passed or failed, then she was finally told the good news, she had passed.
Well done Hannah and congratulations from everyone here!
Hannah started her biking career in April of this year when she passed the CBT, then passed the theory test in July and now her Modular 1 – manoeuvres test, this is a good sign of things to come! Hannah’s practical road test (the final part) was on Tuesday 30th September and we are pleased to say she passed with flying colours, well done Hannah!
Hannah now plans to buy a Honda Shadow 750 but has a dilemma on her hands, she cannot decide what to call him, “Hugo or Sidney”?
We would like to welcome back a familiar face to our team...former Workshop Controller Phil Wells has re-joined us and we are delighted to introduce him as our new Aftersales Manager.
Phil originally started with us back in 2010 as Workshop Controller; this allowed him to utilise his many years of technical experience and apply it running the workshop. We were disappointed when he had to leave us 18 months ago for family reasons but equally delighted when he returned this month in a new role - and we are certain that our customers will love him just as much as we do.
As Aftersales Manager Phil is responsible for all aspects of our aftersales operation, in essence making sure that everything runs smoothly and that everyone goes away happy.
‘It feels very good to be back’ he said. ‘It’s nice to come back where you know the people. From day one I was up and running, I didn’t have to worry about people’s names and I knew their roles and strengths which really helped settle me in and removed some of the usual break-in challenges.’
As one of Mitsubishi’s elite group of five-star dealers – a prestigious accolade based on customer feedback – Devonshire Motors has an enviable reputation, and Phil said that coming back emphasised how good Devonshire and Mitsubishi were to work for.
‘I appreciate the values set out by the Dealer Principal Nathan Tomlinson, and the way he does things and how he runs the business. That was a big incentive to come back. And I’m here to stay!
Phil began his career in the automotive industry when he was 16, undertaking a three-year apprenticeship and becoming a BMW Master Technician. He then worked at a number of BMW and Porsche dealerships before relocating to North Devon.
Outside of work, Phil, who is married and has three daughters – Leah, 7, Zarah, 5, and new-born Rosa at nine weeks – is a regular attendee at Grosvenor Church in Barnstaple. Being in north Devon, he also enjoys taking part in water sports such as surfing, water-skiing, knee boarding and wakeboarding – basically, anything that involves being pulled around by a boat! – as well as following Formula 1, touring cars and driving sports.
We’re sure that Phil will settle in quickly and although we are already known for the high level of care and support we provide Phil has some really great ideas and we think you’re going to like them.
If there is anything specific that you would like to mention or feedback to Phil he can be contacted at phil.wells@devonshire-motors.co.uk
