Our latest user story comes from someone who had left a glowing review of United Alignment Tire Center, an Openbay Recommended service center online. We gave Matt a call to ask more about how it went.
Where are you from and what do you drive?
I live in Burbank, California and drive a 2003 Honda Civic.
How’d you find Openbay?
I saw an advertisement on Facebook. I’ve had the app for a few months now, and this was the first time I’ve used it.
I needed my struts replaced; the last time I had my car serviced was at Pep Boys, and they said that would need to be done within the next few months. Plus I heard a knocking noise, so knew it was time.
Openbay first gave me an estimate for what the fair price of the strut replacement should be, and then I submitted a service request. I got 2-3 quotes from local repair shops, and went with United Alignment Tire Center in North Hollywood, California. It was the least expensive one, but importantly, it also had great reviews.
Did Openbay deliver on expectation?
Yes. Openbay took the haggle out of finding a mechanic. I like that Openbay stands behind the shops that it allows to be members, and that if there’s a problem, I can go to Openbay, rather than to the shop. That peace-of-mind guarantee is very important to me.
Similarly, I order food through Eat24. I always make a point to order through them, because if anything goes wrong, they stand behind their guarantee and they take care of me, or make the restaurant give credits. I’m happy using third-party services, so that I don’t have to stand face-to-face and argue with a business; that conflict-resolution process is important.
How’d it go at the shop?
I made the appointment, and as soon as I drove up, they told me how long it’d take, probably about 3-4 hours. I said I’d wait, and was in no rush. Then, the owner asked, “How about if I have someone drive you home?” and I said, “Sure.” So someone drove me home.
About 3.5 hours later, I called the repair shop to check on things. They said it would be about another hour and a half, and I told them that I needed to leave soon to pick up my daughter and take her to doctor’s appointment in Pasadena. When the owner learned this, he offered me his own car. I told him I wouldn’t have enough time to bring the mechanic back, after he dropped off the car, but he said, “Don’t worry,” and that he’d send two guys. So the two guys drove to my house, dropped off the owner’s car for me to borrow, and I did what I needed to do before heading back to the shop to return his car, and pick up mine. I’ve never, ever, ever had that kind of experience before.
Another thing I liked – he didn’t come up with a grocery list of what I needed to do on the car. He told me a couple of parts that would eventually need attention, but didn’t go getting me freaked out about big things I needed to have done, or get me worried that I’d need to go start saving for some big repairs.
Has Openbay delivered, as you had expected?
It certainly delivered as expected.
I never expected a mechanic who would go so far above and beyond. The shop is about 15 minutes away from my house, so I would never have gone there if it weren’t for having found it through Openbay. It’s a small little shop, in a string of shops, and I wouldn’t have happened upon this place without Openbay’s help.
Would you book with the same mechanic again, and if so, would you do it through Openbay?
Oh yes. Absolutely I would go back to the same shop.
And I would still go through Openbay, especially for any major work. I liked knowing the price ahead of time. And I like knowing that the price is pretty much guaranteed protected, once a shop has issued a quote for a particular service, and that I can’t be nickeled-and-dimed after that. I like knowing ahead of time. And liked the fact I was able to see reviews of the shop, and could confirm that the customer service was amazing. That reassured me that this was the right place to go.
If you haven’t yet tried Openbay, check us out today, so you’re ready when your vehicle is ready for repair or maintenance.