Brookside Garage, Wigton

Usually this is a good garage. I used to take my old Toyota Previa here, as well as my mother-in-laws little Fiesta, and I have had good service from them for well over 5 years. Lately, I have noticed that prices have gone up quite dramatically, but I put that down to the general price increase. Yesterday I took my Seat Alhambra here for a service and MOT, and because I am on a budget, I asked them specifically to contact me before any expensive repairs were undertaken. I was assured that they would. I heard nothing from them all day so I called in the late afternoon to see if the car was ready. i was told, by Richard the main mechanic, that it was ready to pick up. I asked how much it might cost and was told "I have no idea". When I picked up the car, I was presented with a bill of £699, which was quite a lot more than what I had expected since I had had no call. The receptionist apologised saying that there had been some miscommunication - quite an expensive one for me, sadly. So normally I would give this garage 4 or 5 stars, but because of this major let-down, I cannot give it more than 2. Shame.

We have used Richard’s garage for several years now and can’t fault him and his team. They have sorted us and our different cars out with cheerfulness and reassurances. They keep you informed of costs before going ahead with repairs. We are only pensioners so we need to know we are being dealt with honestly and fairly and we do feel that at Brookside. Zena in the office also deserves a mention too, always friendly, helpful and great to deal with on the phone.

Have used this garage who keep my wheels/tyres when I am on my winter/summer tyres. They provide a very friendly and efficient service. I ring up and make a date to have the wheels swopped around - in it goes, whilst they are doing that I go off and have a coffee and a bit of shopping. An hour later car is ready!