The boss of a car repair firm called ‘Jim’ll Fix It’ today boasted how his business was booming – thanks to the Savile paedophile scandal.
Jim Thomas, 49, admitted he thought about switching the name of his Midland-based firm after disgraced DJ Savile was outed as a serial child abuser.
But the car dent removal expert decided to keep the name after revealing the media storm resulted in a bizarre upturn in trade.
He was inundated with business after hundreds of people accidentally clicked onto Jim’s website after reading about the Savile affair on the internet.
Jim, from Rawnsley, near Cannock, Staffs., said: “I’m going to carry on regardless.
“Up to this point the Savile scandal hasn’t impacted on my business at all in a negative way – in fact I’ve taken on more customers as a result.
“I thought about changing the name a couple of weeks ago when the Savile scandal first broke.
“I had a chat with a guy who does my website and logo.
“But I thought I would sit tight and see how it panned out.
“If anything, I think I might have picked up more business from people searching the internet and finding the firm.
“When the paedophile stuff all came out it was a bit cringey and embarrassing for me but it all worked out for me to be honest.”
Businessman Jim said he originally dreamed up the name as a joke when he set up the company in May 2002 – only for friends and family to urge him to stick with it.
He provides paintless dent removal to 50 car dealerships across Staffordshire.
He added: “I was thinking what to call the business when I set it up.
“Jim’ll Fix It sounded like a joke to me but friends and family said customers would always remember it.”
The Savile scandal has so far spawned a number of arrests – including that of former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis.
He later claimed the allegations against him were “nothing to do with children”.
The 67-year-old was held during an early-morning raid at his £1million home in rural Buckinghamshire over allegations of sexual assault dating back to the late 1960s.
Former BBC producer Wilfred De’ath, 73, disgraced pop star Gary Glitter, 68, and Warwickshire-based comedian Freddie Starr, 69, were also arrested as part of the police’s Operation Yewtree.
