Their communication sucks. They tell you your car will be ready that day or the following morning, but they'll keep it for days With no communication. read more

These are the folks that handle the AllState Roadside Assistance calls. We had called to have our truck towed to a repair shop (would not start and we had just put in a new battery). When the guys got to our house, the older one of the two took one look and said "I can get this going." In about 5 mins the truck started and ran wonderful. It was the connections, and he cleaned and reattached them for us. Truck started right away. Very nice guys and super fast fix to our problem. Saved us from having to have diagnostic work done and a potentially big repair bill. read more

James came out to pick up my car, and he was friendly, professional, and helpful. He definitely made my day better!

TERRIBLE These people overcharged us. We had our vehicle towed there and this was the first time. We were warned against Handy's but it was late and we really needed to get our vehicle serviced. We received EXTRA charges that we did NOT approve. They decided to take the initiative to do extra repairs we weren't aware of until it was time to pay. They never contacted us to inform us. We get there and who was im presuming Mr.Handy's wife perhaps? She never introduced herself but instead out loud asked my husband and I if we were there to pick up a repo. How insulting. Of course I told her NO. Service was rude and I paid OVER $2,000 and the entire time it was a rush just to get us out. My glove compartment was ransacked and my body spray was tampered with. It's like they were looking for money or anything of value. Our radio has not worked since the same day we picked up our vehicle yet worked perfectly fine BEFORE we had it towed. Our radiator also has been acting up and we never, ever had an issue with this as well. Our AC doesn't even work now. Our vehicle now over heats and how convenient when the mechanic says to us as we were about to exit the parking lot, to return when we're ready to get more repairs. Smh STAY AWAY read more

Pretty much what you'd expect from a group of guys who drive tow trucks at night because they don't want to get a real job. Rude, irritable, and pretty sketchy seeming at first. Had to make sure I wasn't getting scammed/robbed. read more

I went to Handy's service station yesterday because I was getting a tire pressure sensor light on my dashboard. The Mecanic Charlie was very helpful and was able to determine that a shop that worked on my flat tire over the weekend had replaced my tire pressure sensor with a regular valve. I have always found that Handy's service station is very knowledgeable, honest and fair. Charlie did not even charge me for the diagnosis. Many service stations try to find ways to to pad the bill. The Handy service station has always been very fair and the work they do is exeplary. read more

The woman at the front desk is insanely rude. No one wants to be a there but that doesn't mean you shouldn't treat people with respect.

The corrupt Handy's empire manifested itself a few minutes ago in the form of a rusted-out Handy's pickup truck driving recklessly down Pearl Street toward Battery Street, veering through the vacant parking spaces on the right of the road prior to the point at which the right-hand turn lane exists, at a high rate of speed and nearly causing an accident. The low IQ of every Handy's employee was in full evidence, as was the total lack of regard for traffic laws. It is doubtful whether the pick-up could have passed a valid inspection, and it is probably underinsured to boot. The sooner law enforcement takes a deep look at the Handy's empire, the better. Avoid at all costs. read more

I just called Handys to see if my car was towed to their lot. The person who picked up the phone was unhappy and rude. She told me to call Spillane's since they didn't have my car, but when I asked her to repeat the name, she yelled into the phone, telling me their phone number, and hung up. When calling Spillane's, I experienced the opposite and got professional and quick help. If your car gets towed, pray to whoever you believe in that it doesn't get taken to Handys, and if you don't know where your car is, don't waste your time with Handys and call Spillane's first. read more

I hope you read the reviews before you take your car to this place. Mine is a similar story. Was towed in with a flat tire, left with a $2,200 bill. It is basically legal theft: they said it was critical to change all 4 tires and fix a bunch of other "problems" that they found. How am I supposed to know, I'm not an auto mechanic. Other mechanics tell me all that 'extra' work was not necessary. What can I do, hire an attorney to try to get it back? No attorney would take the case for less than $1,000 to begin with. Obviously, the people that run this place have figured out quite an effective way to take your money without fear of consequence. To add insult to injury, they even charged $7 for "washer fluid"!! If you ever have the misfortune to break down in Burlington, under no circumstance go to this place or let the tow truck take you to this place. Watch out for karma Handy's. read more

Since I live on a construction site, it was inevitable that I'd get a flat at some point. Called AAA and then Handy's again came to the rescue! The Service Center called me to confirm my need and gave me an ETA of less than 20 minutes, which was awesome. The gentleman that arrived 10 minutes later was the same as the last time. He was like, "Hi. Long time no see." LOL He quickly got the flat off and the donut on so I could head off to the dealership to get the bolt out of my tire and the tire patched. read more

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Friendly but truly terrible customer service. I needed a state inspection and a check engine light diagnostic on my well maintained VW asap before a trip and they were the only shop in town who could fit me in same day. After dropping it off with a "we'll call you when it's done later today", I didn't hear from them until almost closing time. I had to call and they then dropped the news that my car failed inspection....Obviously, that's why I needed a quote on work being done! When I pressed for a quote and details, they couldn't tell me what the check engine code meant that they were getting on the reader or what it would need to fix. I, again, asked for a quote for doing the work to pass inspection and he said he would have to call me back. I went in the next morning to pick my car up in the meantime and thank goodness, because then I followed up over the phone three more times over three days and he still didn't have a quote for me. "Oh I'll have to get back to you about a part you'll need." I finally just went to Green City Garage and had it all done honestly and within the timeframe I needed by an actually skilled mechanic. I also later realized Handy's still had my registration and had never given it back to me - so I had to pay for both the failed inspection AND the fee to replace my registration from the state. I've heard terrible things about them for years but thought 'hey, it's just a state inspection...' Should have known. NEVER going there again, they clearly make their money off getting you in the door and hoping you know less than they do. read more

just went to have my oil change elsewhere and found out handy's put my oil filter in wrong and it affected my oil sensor. never again. never. again. do not go here. they cant even handle an oil change. my god. this is basic, bottom of the barrel work. read more

Handy's Service Center - Charged nearly double for no reason - look at each charge - Auto Repair Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

I have been going to Handy's service center for over 30 years. Charlie has always taken great care of my vehicles. Handy's has always been reasonably priced and they always squeeze me in when I have car issues. Charlie is great to deal with and I highly recommend this establishment. read more

Got towed here by GEICO. Our car is brand new and had a flat. Without even looking at the tires, Charlie told us we needed to wait overnight for 4 new tires at 475 each. We insisted he look at the tires and one of the excellent mechanics was able to plug it for us within 5 minutes and we left with a modest fee of 54 bucks. We have him two stars for the hardworking mechanic who got us on the road. Be very careful-- they will up charge you unless you advocate for yourself. read more

I wish I could give these crooks no stars because they are a bunch of bums!. The old guy had an operation and almost died, so he says!. So, why try to take advantage of people ! I took my car in for inspection and the guy was nice, so I thought I would take it back again! I have bought tires which I know could cost a lot. The inspection was the actual problem! He told me I needed a new muffler and it would cost 825.00 everything he quotec, 825!!!! My husband had checked the muffler and I took it to another service center. Come to find out I didn't need a new muffler, but they sent to Montpellier that I did. I had to buy a new muffler when I didn't need one! Damn Crooks! Everything you hear about Handy's is true! Take my advice and Run Forrest Run! read more

Handy's has a reputation for its dishonest practices. Burlington locals know this. I know this. But out of desperation, I chose Handy's Service Center to do an emissions inspection on my car. After dropping my car off for the inspection I received a call from the owner, Mr. Handy, and was told that my car needed work and had failed the inspection. I declined their offer to start the work. I arrived and spoke with the owner and handed over the $50 or $60 it cost for them to "inspect" my car. I was told that my struts needed to be replaced and my rear brakes as well. I was quoted around $1000 for the work. I took my car to a nearby auto mechanic who I have been to before and explained to him the situation. I relayed the "issues" Handy's found and I asked him to check those specific areas and to do a general look over. My mechanic showed me the struts and brakes which were and I quote, "unquestionably in good condition." He inspected my car and the rest was gravy. It's two months later and my car is driving just fine. By all means, go to Handy's if you want to. I would encourage you to go to any other auto mechanic. There's a reason almost everyone says to avoid them. read more

Jesse came to provide Tire service on my Jeep Wrangler, he showed up quickly was fast and knowledgeable and polite . I highly recommend Jesse from Handy's service center. read more

AMAZING GOOD people!!!!! Saved the day, again! Fixed a frozen and broke rear hatch latch and popped my quarter panel in place then changed the oil- All on a frigid Vermont Saturday morning before 9:30!!!! Charlie & Mohammad Had a wiper break in the rain. Saved the day with a smile!! Great service, excellent price and immediate attention. Thank you Charlie Handy and crew. read more

My car battery died and needed to continuously be jumped. Handy's had a new battery in- house and I was very thankful they could take me in as a walk-in. They had it done within an hour. Fast and friendly. Good workmanship! I've been coming here for years since 2006 and trust them. I will be coming back throughout the years for more car work when needed. THANKS HANDYS! read more

These assholes towed my car despite the handicapped sign hanging from my rear view mirror, and being parked in a handicapped spot in front of my home. They told me that someone else wanted to use the space and showed them a letter stating it was ok to tow me. These morons were obviously only interested in the $135 it cost to get my car back. If arrogance and stupidity had any value, these folks would be rich. Everyone should take their business and money elsewhere. read more

My car's battery died and needed a jump. Insurance carrier auto-assigned Handy's to me. The friendly technician arrived in the expected time-frame. After trying to charge the battery for 5 minutes, it would not start and they suggested I bring it in for service for a new starter. I declined. Later, I was able to jump-start it from another car without issue. I believe the Handy's technician was not trained in the basic task of jump-starting a car. read more

Handy's is like dogshit. You can try to avoid it, but eventually you'll get stuck dealing with them. The staff are nice enough, but their business practices are predatory and they are known to be dishonest by hundreds of local Burlingtonians. Someday you will encounter a situation that requires you to come in contact with Handy's - tread carefully and use a credit card so you can dispute the transaction later if needed. Good luck out there read more

My girlfriends car died a few nights ago and we had handys tow it to Midas to get fixed. Once she got the car back we noticed that her money was missing, there were greasy fingerprints all over the center console, her tampon bag had been gone through, and there was a half eaten package of candy that wasn't ours. After talking to Midas, they have video of the tow truck driver getting in the back of the car for a few minutes before getting in the front for another multiple minutes. There should be no reason for him to have been spending that much time in the car at all and it's very obvious that he was just ransacking my girlfriends stuff. We are currently trying to figure out who the technician was but at this point u might be better off calling a crackhead to tow ur car than handys. read more

Handy's Service Center - Pop rocks are half eaten and we're not ours. Also notice the lack of money. - Auto Repair Near Me - Burlington, Vermont

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I've twice had to have battery service from Handy's service technician, Howard, who is extremely capable, informative, and professional. In fact, in the many years and places I've lived and required road service, Howard is by far, the best. If you need AAA service in Burlington area, hopefully you will get him. read more

I left my car here for service and was going to pick it up in a week. The day before I was supposed to pick up my car I was told the night before someone had thrown a glass bottle at my windshield creating a small hole and damage to the hood of my car. Annoyed, I asked them to send me pictures and begin repairs as soon as possible. It took another three hours to get pictures of the damage to my car and I had to call multiple times. A few days pass and I get a voicemail from Handy's asking me to return my car back to the lot... confused since I had yet to see my car for over a week now it turned out my car was STOLEN. It turns out this negligent business can't take the time to go inside and label their customers keys, instead they prefer just leaving them under the car mats... I'm sure they save some valuable minutes. Eventually I saw security footage of a man walking into the Handy's store front for a few minutes then returning to the parking lot and hoping in MY car quickly finding the "hidden" keys and driving away. I ended up filing my own police report and my car was found a couple weeks later. But on top of all of that I get a call from Handy's asking me to pay for the damages from the bottle getting smashed on my car... I would not trust this business with my vehicle ever again, and you shouldn't either read more

Someone was parked in my apartment spot so I called Handy's for their towing service because our lot is permit enforced. The woman I spoke to on the phone was very nice and efficient. I waited 50 mins with no effect. I called again and was connected to another very nice person, who had the tow driver contact me directly. The driver was quite rude and short with me, telling me that he had other jobs to do and asked "so what do you want me to do?" Naturally I told him to come get this car, to which he informed me that if it has a tag for the lot, he would not take it. The car does have a tag for another spot in the lot, to which the driver replied "I don't know what I can do about it." And the call ended. Abysmal service. Plenty of friends have told me of Handy's scamming them out of plenty of money. I wouldn't recommend their services to anyone. Update: 3 hours later the tow truck arrived in the lot. They looked at the vehicle in question, and then left without any further communication. Absolutely pathetic. read more

I am a ASE Master Tech in Pennsylvania. My sister lives in Burlington. She contacts me on a Saturday night saying her clutch pedal stopped working. I assumed it was a Hydraulic problem based on her description. And was obviously worried about who would be diagnosing the problem. Charlie here saw the car and he knew it was a failure of the throwout bearing. He told her he could get it done by the end of that Monday! Along with a bunch of other work. He sent me pictures of the failed parts and we discussed repair options. He was so honest about everything I would recommend his work to anyone. And all done in a day. The guy is a machine! read more

Absolutely avoid at all costs. Complete criminals. Damaged vehicle during a simple tow. Only form of payment they would take was cash, very suspect. Also, tow driver appeared to be high or under influence of hard drugs. read more

this was the worst experience I have ever had with a service station in over fifty years of car ownership. That guy Charlie will lie to you and make up things that you need and make it sound like if you don't do it your car won't make out of his parking lot. Charlie must work on commission. If there is a bay available and a mechanic sitting around he will tell you anything so that mechanic is kept busy. TOTALLY PREDATORY. I needed a simple emergency repair on a Friday afternoon. I don't live in Burlington. When I went back to get my car Charlie gave me a bill for over a thousand dollars with things on it that I didn't approve and then wouldn't give me my car back unless I paid him. Yes this sounds like an exaggeration but every word is true. read more

I called for a simple road side assistance to have my spare tire switched with a flat, the service guy though very nice and friendly damaged my vehicle. The damage was done by not returning my spare tire hoist to the correct position. I called for service in the parking lot of my dealership and found the damage immediately after. Handys dodged me at first and is now saying that the damage was from road debris from my driving. I had a service guy tell me about the damage on my very new, 2019 Ford Ranger, only minutes after the damage was done. This is a standard service and this damage should have been taken care of, but instead the company managers are rude and willing to waste my time more than help me. I would give a 0 star review if i could. This company as horrible as everyone says, maybe worse. read more

. STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS. If you get towed by AAA and they happen to send these guys, immediately ask to be brought to a different service station, you'll thank me later Might I also add that this business claims to have respect for our beautiful city of Burlington, yet they have been caught dumping hazardous waste into the Winooski River (used oil and mercury) and paid $70,000 dollars in fines because of it... Their blatant lack of respect for the laws and environment speak much louder than their words, they have no respect for the towns residents or the health of the town itself. This is not the only violation that this business has had. Do us all a favor and do not give them business. Link to article : http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/august/burlington-area-business-agrees-pay-70000-hazardous-waste-management-violations be sure to share with friends in Burlington area read more

Poor attention to customer service. They told me that my car would take 45min-1.5 hours because they were busy, which was fine since I needed a break from my mom's hesrtsurgery in the hospital. I returned 2 hours later to pick up my car (since I hadn't yet received any call. I learned that I was stranded in downtown Burlington because they still hadn't even seen my car. When I explained that I had to get back to the hospital then it became more urgent to get my car in.. I ended up 3 hours out of the hospital for something that shouldn't have taken much more than 30 min. Of service. I won't be returning. read more

Two stars for prompt tow service at 930pm on a weekend night. Minus two stars for quoting me $600+ of "urgent" repairs for one part that can wait (and should only cost $200-ish) and one part i got replaced at Dolan's Auto for $60. Also minus a star for the tow guy taking advantage of my ignorance and taking my car to their shop rather than the place I had originally wanted. They might be the place your roadside assistance gets to tow you, but get your repair work done elsewhere. read more

Very reliable service center in the heart of downtown. NO lines, No waiting. I was in and out in under an hour to get my car alignment done, new tires replaced and an oil change. When it's not the dealer, it's Handy's for me. Always an under-promise, and over-deliver. Don't wait, just show up and get it done! Thanks Charlie! read more

Honestly this service station really isn't all that bad. I know cars and as a hobby restore vintage vehicles so I am mechanical and know my way around a car. So when I was in Burlington, VT on business in my sales job and my alternator decided to give out, I was in a jam. I called Triple A and brought my Toyota 4Runner into Handy's Service after hours. That night I looked up reviews and got really worried about what I was reading but then again I looked up other area service stations and they all received sub par reviews as well. Mind you an alternator replacement is pretty easy and something I would do myself if I was at home with tools. So the next morning I called Charlie and explained what happened and what I needed. He took my vehicle right in and got me on my way in a few hours. Did he charge me a couple hundred dollars more than what the job should cost?....yes. Did he try to upsell me into other service like a new belt and pulleys since he was in there?...yes. But I declined all the extras and he was fine with it. There is a premium to walk in service and a quick turn around. Mechanics need to make money somewhere, too and I was just thankful Charlie made my emergency situation a priority and got me on my way quickly. Remember, most people use Yelp to complain. Most don't leave reviews after a decent experience and that is why I was compelled to leave this shop a decent review. read more

Handy's are great they are friendly and helpful I called because my battery died an Charlie was awesome he was willing to come an jump my car free of charge read more

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! Fraudulent/Scam!!! I needed emergency service on my car since it decided to overheat while in Burlington on vacation. Handy's was able to see me as a walk in, however after having it for over 3 hours, they called to tell me it was ready to be picked up, that there was nothing wrong with it except air in the radiator. When I arrived I was shocked to hear I owed $115 for a service I had no clue they had provided, let alone was never asked permission to give. Normally when your car is at a mechanics they call to explain the problem they found (after extensive search) and then tell you what they need to do to fix it and how much it would cost to fix. Charlie at Handy's never did that. I paid after some protest, and not even 2 blocks later the car started overheating again. Yet Charlie said they were unable to duplicate the problem. I brought it right back for them to look at, and after another couple of hours was told it was the head gasket of my engine, roughly a $1500 fix!!! It was clear to me they had not taken the time from the beginning to go through all of the components of the system to see what was causing the issue. They did work without my approval and charged and insane amount to do so. They quoted me $1500 to do a job 5 other service stations in the area said they would do for $900. I went to Handy's to get my car and declined the service, and immediately took it to Noye's automotive on Pine St. After 20 minutes under the hood I was told there was absolutely NO way it was the head gasket, something everyone else I spoke to said was most likely the case as well. Avoid Handy's at all costs, this place is unprofessional and inexperienced at best. At the worst, they are overpriced and a complete scam. Save your energy and go to Noyes, Kaigles or Gurlington. read more

Transmission went out on my car less than a mile away from Handy's. AAA called them, and told me that the tow truck was on its way and would be there in less than 45 minutes. Called back after an hour and a half of waiting in the cold, and Handy's told them again that they had dispatched a truck and it would be there in 5 minutes. Another 30 minutes later, I called Handy's, and after telling the person my location, he said he would dispatch a car and call me back right away. However, he then promptly hung up on me without taking my name, phone number, or relevant car information. Calling back resulted in me being hung up on yet again. 2 hours after they were initially contacted, AAA sent out another tow truck company after Handy's told them it would be another 30 minutes. As the new tow truck showed up, Handy's showed up moments after claiming they were dispatched 5 minutes ago. despite this being a blatant lie. Terrible, awful service. Would not recommend them to anyone. read more

They did work that didn't need to be done. I reported them to the state. It's very easy to do online. Maybe prevent someone else from getting ripped off read more