Here at Openbay, we love to catch up with our owners to hear about their experiences booking auto repair service with us.
While Lawton S. might not have realized it, he was experiencing some of Openbay’s latest product developments. His service request caught our eye for three reasons:
- He’d received an estimate through Openbay for his repair. We’re constantly evolving our service, and had recently added the option for our vehicle owners to receive estimates.
- Once Lawton had a sense of what he might expect to spend, he submitted a service request, then chose an Openbay Recommended shop, Aaron’s Automotive Service & Repair outside of Atlanta, GA in Marietta.We had only just launched the Openbay Recommended program, which identifies top shops to help consumers quickly decide where to repair.
- Lawton had received a video from his mechanic, Milton (screenshot below). That’s because Aaron’s Automotive uses the brand new OpenbayASP app, which enables the shop to easily share text, video and photos to share auto-repair issues to customers.
We couldn’t wait to speak with Lawton, so gave him a call. Here’s his Openbay story:
Where do you live, what do you drive, and how’d you find Openbay?
I live in Atlanta and drive a 2002 Toyota Camry.
I do lot of work on my car myself, but I’d just moved to Atlanta 18 months ago from Charleston, where we had a mechanic we trusted.
My father-in-law does a lot of his own work on cars, so even though he lives in Atlanta and knows a lot about cars, he didn’t know of a good mechanic. He had heard his friend talking about an app where mechanics quote the repair work you request. So I Googled it and found Openbay.
Even as much as I know about cars, you don’t know if you’re getting taken advantage of, don’t necessarily know anything about the mechanic, and don’t know if they’re just kind of guessing about the work that needs to be done.
I liked Openbay’s combination of getting an estimate, so I knew what I was getting into, and then, once I submitted a service request and the mechanics’ quotes came in, I knew they were reasonable.
I received two quotes – one from Meineke, and one from a local business. I tend to prefer someone local, not a chain, so didn’t wait long and chose the local shop.
How’d you know what was wrong with your car?
My father-in-law drove my car and he told me the specific service – CV boot, CV joint, axle replacement – that my car needed.
What’s your level of understanding of cars?
Slightly above average. I understood what the issue was, and what was causing it. But I couldn’t have done the repair myself.
Did everything with Openbay go as you’d expected?
Yes. Absolutely. I’m 29 and have been around computers my whole life. There’s a certain generation that might be hesitant about booking auto repair online, but my experience was very good, very straightforward.
It was better than having to call around to various shops. Some people just go to the first shop they call, but who knows if it’s quality service or a fair price.
I’d started the process booking on the Openbay app because I’d thought it was only mobile. But later on, I got an email with a link, and clicked on it, and realized that Openbay’s a web site, too.
How was the experience with the shop?
I kind of want my shop to look like an auto-repair shop. I don’t want to feel like they’re selling me, like they’re charging for the bright lights. This was a small office with a big garage, and in a safe place. And based on the reviews, their work was high quality. So that’s all I care about.
We communicated entirely through the app. It was awesome. When I’m at work, it’s much easier for me to shoot off a quick message, rather than take a phone call.
The shop sent me this video (partial) of the car on the lift, and said, “Here’s what’s the problem.” I know enough about cars, so seeing that mattered. For me it was like, “OK that makes sense.” I knew what the car was doing, and seeing it on the lift helped, too. I thought the video was great. If you just go into an auto repair shop, they’re not going to have that capability without an app providing that sort of service.
So I said, “Ok, let’s go ahead, go on with repairs,” and they got it done the same day.
Would you book service with the same mechanic again?
Yes, I’d definitely use them again. It was a nice family-owned type of atmosphere. They did the repairs quickly, and were responsive.
And would you use Openbay again?
Yes, I would definitely go through the app. I like the payment security. And the messaging feature was very convenient. It was easier than having had to pick up the phone and call during work. Plus the rewards program helps. Yeah, I’d use it again.
Are you ready to take the Openbay plunge? Or maybe just ready to book your next service with us again? What are you waiting for? Head to Openbay online or via mobile app and let us know how we can help you.
