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.

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.

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.