I wanted a thorough clean, inside and out, of my car while I shopped. Foolishly, I expected this place to fit the brief.

Firstly, you can't actually see the price list until you've parked your car in the waiting bay in the underground car park at Chatswood Chase (level B2) and by then you're 'trapped' and they've started the hard sell.

My car - a small euro hatchback - was really dirty because I park it outside and it hadn't been washed in weeks. So, I asked for a clean inside and out and a hand polish. I was quoted - wait for it - $350!!!! I nearly choked and eventually settled on a 'detailed clean' including interior + hand polish. This was $150. Silly me, I should have just driven off. But I'd fallen for a classic sales trick. After $350, $150 sounded cheap :( Unfortunately, I needed it clean that afternoon and I was in a hurry to get the shopping done so my judgement was impaired.

When I returned 2 hours later the car was certainly cleaner but I had to get them to redo parts of it where they'd missed patches. Stupidly, I didn't check the inside because they'd locked it and had the keys in the office.

When I got out into the sunlight I could see that I'd been ripped off. The inside was untouched - and I've taken photos to prove it. There was no evidence that they'd had a vacuum cleaner anywhere near it. Outside, the rear panels had been cursorily washed but there was no evidence of any hand polishing and lots of detergent and water spotting. The only bit that looked 'glossed up' was the bonnet, and that was the area that I'd made them redo because it looked so obviously dirty. It's clear that the polish/sealant I'd paid for hadn't been applied and all I'd got for my $150 was the kind of quick clean my kids would do. The guys at the local car wash next to the servo do a better job, AND they do the inside. And they only charge $38.

It's clear that these guys rely on the convenience factor and don't care about repeat business. I can't imagine anyone would ever go back and I imagine they must spend a lot of their time arguing with irate customers. No wonder the manager hides in a locked office with no window. It says a lot about a business when you have to physically hide from your customers.

BTW, I paid in cash, as requested, with no ringing up of the sale and no receipt (I'll be passing this observation onto the ATO because, seriously, what business that charges an average price well over $100 requests payments in cash only? The small benefit from avoiding merchant charges would far outweigh the loss of business from those who want to use a credit card.)

Approximate cost: $150