Beau Townsend Collision Center review: Auto repair

Critical item to keep in mind while reviewing:

Below is the only estimate from Beau Townsend. I had a concern about line ten. Not all jobs require removing the interior and it is done only if a bolt spins instead of backing out. I asked Kevin Klein many questions about line ten. Key answer from Kevin was that Beau Townsend does lots and lots of these jobs, and only about one in five jobs require the eight hours of labor charge.

CRITICAL PART - They do lots and lots of these jobs.

Late February 2023: Beau Townsend’s estimate referencing installation of insulators:

Kevin and I discussed cab insulators in terms of their locations as four of the insulators directly under the cab were completely defective, but I was not sure of the condition of the front two insulators. Kevin informed me they would check the front two insulators and let me know if they needed replaced. Note that there are four insulators and four bolts listed which is consistent with four locations. Much later, I realized that each location consisted of an upper and lower insulator and that the estimate listed only the cheapest insulator at each location. Odd mistake for a place that does lots and lots of these jobs. The total estimated cost without removing the interior would be about $632 with tax (labor rate is $56/hr.).

June 28, 2023: I returned to Beau Townsend to approve the estimate section just for the insulators and scheduled a time for September 18, 2023. Donielle McLaughlin declined to make a copy of the estimate I brought in; she informed me the estimate was already in the system.

September 18, 2023: Beau Townsend had the truck.

September 20, 2023: The truck was ready for pick up, invoice below:

Donielle McLaughlin confirmed that the front two insulators checked out good.

The invoice showed four insulators and bolts. At that time, I missed that there were only two bolts listed. The cost was in the neighborhood of the estimate. I was lead to believe that all four locations had been repaired.

October 17, 2023: I was getting the tires aligned and while the truck was on the lift, I could clearly see all of the insulators. I discovered the only insulators repaired were the very back two. Contrary to what Donielle told me, the front two insulators were just as defective as the original back four insulators.

October 19, 2023: I went back to Beau Townsend to discuss discrepancies between the estimate and the paid invoice. I described the discrepancies to Donielle. She asked me to have a seat in the waiting room.

Someone came into the waiting room with the final invoice extended and demanding to know if I did not get the parts I paid for and listed on the invoice that he was shaking at me. I explained the issue was that the work listed in the estimate did not match the work done. We had a similar round two, but for rounds three and four he added, “THEEE EESSS--TAAA--MINT is just an EESS---TAAA—MINT.” I rapid fired a few sentences back to him peppered with six or seven close together EESSS--TAAA--MINTs, stopped and reminded him that he started with this unprofessional manner. I could continue if he wanted to continue this way, or we both could stop and have a normal conversation. He repeated to me, “You got the parts you paid for,” and left the area.

Next, Paul, the tech that performed the work, showed up with a box containing the old parts and a post-it note with my name on it. The post-it note seemed strange and made me wonder why they still had the old parts a month or so after the repair. He showed and explained how the parts fit together. He reached for the bolts but they were not there, which reminded him that he threw them away because of how bad they were, giving me a chance to ask how the bolts were removed. He told me that he did not need to go into the cab to remove the bolts because both bolts came out from under the truck without an issue.

BUT, WAIT: The total labor charge on the final invoice was $560, amounting to ten hours of labor time. The estimate gives two hours of labor for the replacement of the insulators. This left eight unaccountable hours of labor on the final invoice, which coincidentally matched the amount on line ten of the estimate. Per Paul and the below pictures, the interior of the cab was untouched.

First picture shows a white strip of paper under the tire iron clamp. Near the end of May, a piece of paper got wedged under the clamp. The paper is still in place.

Second/third pictures: The bolts holding the left and the right seat frames to the cab show no scratched paint from socket use, and still have a dirt layer on and around the bolts.

Last picture shows the tail end of a rope draped over the threshold to remind me to wrap it up, which was not done before dropping off the truck.

For all pictures: Each of the items in the pictures would have to have been disturbed in order to remove the seats, trim, carpet, etc., as listed in line ten of the estimate.

Kevin Klein was up next and we did the same couple rounds of him saying, “You got the parts you paid for on the invoice,” and me replying, “Beau Townsend did not do the work listed on the estimate.” I reminded him that when we discussed the insulators, we both discussed them in terms of the locations on the frame/cab, not that two insulators were required per each location. At this point, he walked toward the door and told me we were taking the discussion outside. I repeated that we discussed the insulators in terms of their locations, not the number per location. Kevin denied ever having that conversation.

Once we were outside, I asked him, “Then why does the estimate list only the cheapest individual insulator at each of the four locations along with four bolts, if we were not talking about four distinct locations?” He responded with, “Bob, you need to be a man about this. Start acting like a man.” My response was that he needed to re-evaluate who was not acting like a man here. He stood up, walked toward my truck, and felt the need to remind me that they did a great job straightening the bent top rail on the front of the truck bed for free. I told him, “I agreed it was a great job, but I was here to talk about the insulators and the dif…” Yes, I was cut off and ignored again, consistent with the whole time at Beau Townsend. He cut me off to ask me if I still heard ANY squeaks. I replied with, “Yes, and at least one clunk near…” (Yes, he cut me off again). He yelled, “You’re lying, there is no way you heard squeaks. Mr. Sanders, you are a liar.” He walked away from my truck towards the business’ front door. He yelled another two, three, four times that I was a liar, sprinkled throughout with random expletive words. I started to shut down when he said I was lying and pretty much stopped listening to most of what he said after the first, “You are a liar,” so I do not know the exact number of times or the exact cuss words. I was following in behind him, but when he opened the door, he blocked the opening. He informed me I could not come inside. I was barred from Beau Townsend, and I could not step on any part of their property. I turned around and left.

October 20, 2023 9:16 am: Beau Townsend called me with an offer and said that this would the one and only offer. On the first pause after his offer, I opened with “On the estimate it says tha…” He cut me off loud and abruptly with, “That is the only offer, take it, or leave it.” I replied, “Your offer is, I buy the parts and bring them to you and you will install them without charging labor cost.” He confirmed I correctly repeated his offer. I then informed him that I declined his offer and he hung up without a word.

I declined because:

• I had a few conditions and he did not get past the first one, allowing me to speak and actually listening without cutting me off.

• The barred from Beau Townsend thing, I would have brought up, but I am thinking I would just have been cut off. Overall, we both agree that I should never step on their property ever again.

• The condescending attitude and unprofessionalism that the employees brazenly displayed, conveyed a severe lack of respect for their customers.

• I could not trust them to do the work correctly, competently, and perhaps honestly (labor hours, estimated four cheapest insulators and four bolts, told front two were good but were defective).

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