Where do you live and what do you drive?
I live in Arlington Heights, IL and I drive a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
How did you find Openbay?
I happened to catch a news story on ABC news [Ways to Save and Keep an Aging Car Safe] about a family looking for better pricing on car repairs. It aired almost a year ago, so I’d downloaded the Openbay app right away, but hadn’t gotten around to using it since.
Here’s a screenshot from Openbay’s appearance on ABC World News Tonight. If you’d like to see a recap, as well as a link to the whole segment, click here.
My cousin is a mechanic at a dealership, so he’s performed a lot of my car’s repairs himself. But then, when he was unavailable to fix my car this time, I took my car to a service center that had recommended $2,300 worth of repairs. They said I’d needed a new water pump, thermostat, rear pinion seals and an oil pan. From having worked with my cousin on cars, I have decent knowledge of vehicle repair and maintenance, and the price seemed too steep. And that’s when I remembered having downloaded the Openbay app, and wanting to try it out.
How’d it go at the shop?
Using Openbay, I booked service with Sparks Car Care, and took the car in. While I was there, Chuck inspected the car, and then he brought me into the garage, and said, “Let me show you,” and he showed me the areas he’d inspected. He said there was no reason I’d needed an oil pan, so that saved me even more money. I appreciate that it’s unusual, from a service standpoint, to tell me I didn’t need something that I’d thought I needed. It made a great impression on me, right off the bat.
When you first heard about it, what attracted you about Openbay?
I was impressed by the testimony of people who had saved hundreds of dollars, compared to the other quotes they’d gotten.
Do you use any other apps for your cars?
I use maps on iPhone, Waze, and MotionX, another GPS app. I’m pretty tech savvy, so appreciate apps that make sense for me.
Has Openbay delivered, as you had expected?
Oh yes, above my expectations.
Would you book with the same mechanic again, and if so, would you do it through Openbay?
I would book with Sparks again. They gave me a great experience; it was very refreshing. The owner himself, Victor, called to say the car was ready. He came and greeted me personally. You don’t get that.
And I’d definitely book with Openbay again, which was very proactive with assistance. I work in sales, as an account manager, and know something about the work that goes into keeping customers satisfied. Alli, at Openbay, was great. She took her time to be sure I understood how everything worked.
I’ve already told my coworkers about it. They wrote down my referral information.
