Newtown Auto Electrical Ltd / Auto Electrical in Newtown
72.3% approval from 25 authenticated ratings
Ph: 043898413
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On Friday, Glen agreed to look at the car on Monday morning. I dropped the car off and immediately got an attitude from Glen for arriving at 10:15am, even though a drop off time was never specified. Their business was absolutely packed by then and they seemed to have days of work ahead of them. They left me to… park the car horizontally across their lot, centimetres away from other vehicles, as I was told several times to keep it off the footpath, while receiving no help in manoeuvring it. I left the keys and didn’t hear from them until I called midday the following day, which was Tuesday. They hadn’t looked at it yet. I gave a follow-up call later and I was told it was a bigger problem than anticipated. I called again late morning on Wednesday and asked about progress but there was still no solution. I said I need the car back as soon as possible. Until this this point, the car had been with them for two workdays and nights, I was not clear on the scope of the work, how long this was going to take, and how much it was going to cost. When I asked, they estimated they’ve given it about four hours of work and told me the hourly rate. I was looking at about $400-$500 at this point with no clarity on how much work remained. With the end of the workday on Wednesday rapidly approaching, I get a call about 30 minutes before they close, telling me the car was ready. I rushed over and Glen explained the issue, told me that it was resolved, and he charged me for four hours of work but said he worked far longer on it. I was appreciative.
"A few days later, the car didn’t start again, and I was left with the same problem I had before I took it in, but now the car alarm had been disabled. That weekend, I thought about what I should do about the car and what I should tell Glen at Newtown Auto about the unresolved issue. The next working day, which was a Monday, I decided to call and express my disappointment that the issue wasn’t fixed. I spoke to someone, not Glen, who was decent enough but condescending and dismissive. He offered to assess the issue again, without charge, if I could jump start or tow it over but I had already made a decision to trade the car in. My decision to trade it in was in part due to the costs I had incurred while trying to keep the car going. It was very disappointing to be unapologetically and literally told “ah well” when I told them that they didn’t fix the issue.
Look, they probably aren’t making tons of cash, so they take in as much business as possible. I can appreciate that this isn’t easy work, each car is different, things take time, and there is a lot going on. Plus, every customer wants their car back as soon as possible. Having said that, from the start, there wasn’t a relationship of respect between the business and the customer. I don’t need the attitude and snarky comment when I drop the car off. I’m a solo father of three kids and I work for a living, so 10:15am was when I could drop off my twenty-year-old beater. Don’t give me a hard time. If you want it at 8am, tell me that and I’ll be there at 8am. Many hours went by without them even looking at it. This is my only car and only means of transport failing difficult and time-consuming buses or expensive Uber rides. Two nights and nearly three entire days with four hours of work is not an acceptable length of time to keep someone’s car, especially when there is no communication. At least call your customer and say “Hey, I’m looking at it now… it’s bigger than I thought, but I’m hoping to have more info for you soon. Do you have any questions for me at this point?” At least then I know it’s being looked at and there is a dialogue. But I had to make all the calls, and it was never clear to me exactly what was happening and what I was in for. When it was all over, the issue was not fixed and I think they knew it wasn’t, but they returned it to me anyway as a “best guess” solution to the problem. I’m left nearly $500 poorer for work done on a car that is probably being sold for parts now because of mounting unresolved issues. Ultimately, I don’t think this is the way to do business. Please do better for the customer experience – make respecting them the number one priority. Communicate well and clearly. Be clear on scope of work, cost estimates, and timeframe needed to complete the work. Explain the issues as you learn them. If taking on too much work stretches you thin, then figure out an appointment-based approach that allows you the time and focus to get existing jobs done within reasonable timeframes. I’m sorry to say it, but I feel disrespected and robbed, even though I suspect they tried to fix the issue and did indeed undercharge me. I don’t think they are crooks, but they just aren’t working well. Avoid this place. I’m sure there are other electricians and mechanics who do better work and decent to deal with.
Communication: 0% | Quality: 0% | Reliability: 10% | Value: 0%