In the latest series of Openbay-user stories, we speak with Kushal J., whom we discovered after he completed a survey about using Openbay.
How did you hear about Openbay?
I’m getting my MBA at Babson, here in Boston, and one of my classmates is Mike, who works at Openbay.
[Mike L. is one of Openbay’s earliest employees, and he’s on our member services team, handling partner development. Thanks for spreading the good word, Mike!]
I’d heard him talk about Openbay a bunch of times, and I’d wanted to try it, but my car didn’t need fixing at the time.
What’s your level of understanding about cars, and car repair?
Very basic knowledge – I don’t know too much at all beyond the repairs I’ve had completed.
When did you decide to use Openbay?
I had initially taken my car, a 2008 Acura TL, to the dealership for an oil change. Then they told me that my timing belt needed replacing – it’s got just over 100,000 miles on it. They said they’d throw in a free water pump, and that the job would cost $2,400.
That seemed a bit high, but once I knew I needed a timing belt, I didn’t want to be in limbo, driving along and have something really bad happen to my car and be stranded. Then I remembered Mike’s mentions of Openbay, and decided to check it out.
How’d you use Openbay – did you go online, or use the app?
I just did it online. And I think I got about 4-5 different repair shops’ quotes, including a couple that were about 17-18 miles away. But I didn’t want to just pick based on price; I chose the one that was the next town over. It wasn’t the least expensive option, but it was right nearby and had good reviews.
How did it go at the shop?
It went well. Paul, at Arlington Tire, knew I was coming in from Openbay, and that I’d made the request online. I drove up, handed him the keys, and I left. It was pretty nice and easy.
Would you use that shop again?
Yes.
Would you book auto repair work again through Openbay?
I would book through Openbay again for the next thing that breaks. I’d like to be able to look out for more options, to see if someone has expertise on that particular service. It helps to have options.
What do you like best about Openbay?
It’s hassle free – I can log in, briefly describe the car’s problem, and I don’t have to make any phone calls to hear back from multiple shops.
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Kushal, thanks for giving us a shot. And to Arlington Tire in Arlington, MA, thanks for delivering great service to our users.
Haven’t tried Openbay yet? What are you waiting for? More user stories like this one? Or this one? If user stories don’t do it for you, take it from Mass TLC, which named Openbay its 2014 App of the Year. Find us online, or download the app here. Your car will thank you later.
Drive safely!
