Manson Roger Panels

I honestly don’t even feel this place deserves one star.



My experience was extremely disappointing, mainly because of the behaviour of the receptionist, Gaby. I found her attitude rude and disrespectful. What concerned me most was that she seemed very friendly and welcoming toward white customers, but when I walked in she constantly made off-hand comments and treated me differently. When I asked her directly if there was a problem, she denied it, but the behaviour clearly suggested otherwise.



On top of that, the repair process itself was frustrating. First, I brought my car in to repair a dent. After that repair, the window stopped working. I had to bring the car back again so they could order parts. When I finally picked it up and drove away, the door on the key side still wasn’t working properly, which meant I had to return yet again.



While the repairs may have been completed within their timeframes, the overall experience was very stressful due to the poor communication and lack of professionalism at reception.



Customer service matters. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and fairness regardless of who they are. Staff in front-of-house roles should have proper communication training and understand that respectful service is a basic right for every customer.



Unfortunately, because of this experience, I would not recommend this business.

I had an unfortunate encounter with a kangaroo in Yallourn North, hitting it at 100km/h around 8am on the 26th of July. After the incident, my vehicle was transferred to Roger Manson Panels from the Traralgon Tow Truck depot on the 30th of July 2024. The assessment was done that week, and a quote was submitted to RACV on the 2nd of August. It took over a week for RACV to approve the claim, which finally came through on the 13th of August. I was then given an estimated repair completion date for the 13th of September.



However, the experience from there went downhill. On the 6th of September, just a week before the promised completion date, I called Roger Manson Panels to check on the progress. I was informed that the vehicle wasn't even dismantled yet due to a part that wasn’t available. On the 9th of September, I received a call saying that the part had been sourced and should arrive by Wednesday. During this call, I was asked to allow 5 to 7 days for the repair once the part arrived. When I called on Wednesday the 11th, the part had indeed arrived.



I followed up again on the 17th of September, only to be told that the repairs were still ongoing and that it would take another 10 days or so. I was told that the car might be ready by the 26th or early the following week (week of the 30th of September). However, when I called on the 26th of September, the vehicle was still being worked on.



Frustrated, I visited Roger Manson Panels to see the vehicle in person. It was disheartening to find the car completely dismantled, with the windscreen out and the dashboard removed due to parts needing replacement behind the firewall. I was then told to expect the vehicle to be ready in two weeks, aiming for the 11th of October.



I called on the 8th of October to check on progress and was told that the vehicle was being reassembled and was in the paint booth. However, it wouldn't be ready by the end of that week and would likely need to go to Ford for radar and camera calibration the following week. I visited the shop again on the 11th of October, only to find the vehicle still in pieces with little visible progress since my visit on the 26th of September.



I requested to speak with Rob, who had been the only person providing reasonable responses throughout this ordeal. Unfortunately, he was unavailable, and the receptionist, who had been unhelpful throughout the entire process, could not assist me.



It wasn’t until I made a complaint to RACV that I found out Roger Manson Panels had provided them with an update, indicating that the vehicle might be ready by the 18th of October, after which it would need to go to Ford. That’s still another two weeks of waiting.



Throughout this entire process, communication from Roger Manson Panels has been severely lacking. There were no regular updates or courtesy calls. When I spoke to Rob, he mentioned that they had a lot of cars and were struggling to manage all the repairs. However, that shouldn’t have been my problem—my vehicle has been there since the start of August, and the lack of progress and transparency has been incredibly frustrating. Apparently, my follow-up phone calls have been labeled as harassment, but if their communication had been better, I wouldn’t have needed to reach out so frequently.



I understand that this is a complex job and that they want to do it properly, but I feel that my vehicle is constantly being pushed to the side in favor of other repairs.



The lesson in this is not to use Roger Manson Panels. While I have used their tyre services before and had a pleasant experience, this ordeal has completely changed my perspective. I won’t be using any of their services again, and I will travel further for repairs if necessary.



I write this review still without my vehicle and possibly facing another two weeks of waiting. I will update my review as things change and/or at the end of this process.

Had work carried out on front end damage at Roger Manson through RACV. Picked up vehicle and on first night drive found headlight was not working, enquired to Roger Mansons and was told that it was not covered. You would think checking those things before handover and covering would be part of service. Disappointed!