Update....Ryan issued me a full refund via pressure from Paypal....case closed..lesson learned...no website orders!!
I live in Texas about 3 hours from Howells. I ordered a ton of stuff from them for a 29 Coupe. He called me when they were done. I had to wait about a month for them cause it was a big order. The shipping was gonna be almost a thousand bucks. So I told him I would just drive down and pick them up. It was in the middle of the summer and hot. He had everything boxed up and ready to go. He showed me around the shop and there were guys working on all kinds of parts making them there in house and they were earning their money as it was a sweat box in there. I have never had a problem with them. They are always at the Pate swap meet with almost everything they make. They were loading up to leave one year and the kid that runs it said they had already loaded the parts I wanted. I paid him for them and he shipped em to me for free. So I have had good luck with them.
Howells I waited 6 months for a roof insert I sent many letters and called no response If you check this issue has been going on for a long time....
mark me down as a happy ebay customer . everything i've ordered from them has been thru ebay ,shipped fairly quick no hassles. after reading comments on this and the other thread i do NOT order from the website. what i have done in the past is check the website ,get the part number and just plug that part number in my ebay search . if they have it in stock it's usually on ebay
Pay attention to this! --> Howells makes runs of hundreds for places like Snyders.Your single piece sale is not very important to them. Sorry but true. So order your stuff from a place like Snyder. They have it in stock and the single piece they sell you is important to Snyder who will accept returns or what ever it takes to make you happy. DEAL WITH SNYDERS. It really is that simple. To those complaining that the parts are crappy--yeah, just like almost all reproduction parts so make your own crappy patch panels. No cost, no waiting, nothing for you to complain about
Maybe he should get out of the retail end?...we literally do hundreds of bodies and necks for ebay,custom orders,and dealers...and thats not to mention the hardware...we NEVER ignor any client or shrug em off cause we are to big to sell one thing...its just rude and bad business...geeter done
I live very close to a well-known sheet metal fabricator and from my experiences with them I can see first-hand how large orders can take precedence over onsies twosies. This vendor does all sorts of projects as well...not just car stuff. That said, if a vendor advertises a part for sale then they should deliver within a reasonable timeframe. Many of my "special design" project parts are now part of this vendor's catalog so I can see how meeting the needs of us special projects guys can be in the best interest of the bottom line for vendors who understand the market.
I caution every vendor that I have an individual problem with the same way. I have control of often millions of dollars to spend, at a single vendor. I like to make my decisions on which vendor to choose, based on how they treat an individual customer, with a small order, and that if they cannot or will not get that right, then they don't deserve my corporate account.
Seem's to be the norm these days..... Advertise a product, bill the consumer, then the waiting game with the buyers frustration........ Damn people- do what you say! If you don't have it in stock, or you have to make it, why advertise!?!? Just make's it more difficult for (us)- consumer to purchase things........ Calling BS on all that do this! Guess it's gonna take more on my part/ours to smarten up some, and ask specific Q's prior to laying down the ol'e CC#, or a bid. I do ask first off if parts are in stock, then again ask the same Q....... If I get the shuck and jive, I go elseware. Bastards! uugghhh
I would think that one of the "problems" is that when an item is listed for sale on eBay, they are building a bunch, and can ship promptly but if you order some random item, they might have to wait till they get a few orders of the same item before it makes sense to bother setting up.
If thats the case, which it is i many times..you need to disclose the wait time and let the customer decide...dont take their money then hold their stuff ransom...if it werent for paypal, I'd still be waiting and may have never got the parts or a refund...but when paypal says they will freeze your account, which is very necessary for ebay sales, suddenly results...funny how that works
Bitch,Bitch,Bitch...sounds like my ex-wife...you really want something to bitch about..Order a floorpan from Paul Bradley..
I've had an order in since late Sept 2018. They lied to me about when it would be shipped. Then they went dark on me on both phone numbers and their email. In October there were about 8 reviews on Yelp of which 5-6 were negative. I wasn't aware of those until after I ordered. Some were saying absolutely do not order from this company. There is now only 1 review on Yelp and it is negative also. (I guess reviews drop out after awhile.) I ordered stuff from them 20+ years ago and didn't have a problem then. I don't know if I need to continue to wait or re-order from other companies! My customer is VERY UPSET and I can't continue to do business with a company like Howell Sheetmetal!
It looks like the post about the Howell's being lost at sea was too subtle. I got it. Thurston and Lovey.
Try ordering stuff from them from Canada. A couple of years ago I ordered a gas tank cover for a 34 Ford without a gas filler hole, I paid including shipping supposed to be sent with in 2 weeks. Three months later after many non-answered phone calls and unanswered messages left it arrived. Of course it was wrong, with the gas hole included. They suggested I send it back on dime and they would sent the correct one. No Thanks, I had to have the one I got repaired but at least I have it. NEVER AGAIN For HOWELLS s
There is no excuse, they should have a dispatch section in the workshop where the finished panels are packed and shipped out the next day. I worked in a fire door factory and we did not waste any time getting the doors wrapped and ready for collection. Why are people so slack ?
NOPE! not even a cricket! Gladly took my $500 bucks right away! Put in a complaint with Ebay, and still not answering. Email, Ebay messages Website Phone numbers It’s like they don’t exist! But then the reviews on eBay say within the last month are good. Unless those are fabricated? No confirmation no answers nothing!!! All I wanted was the 33-34 gas tank cover with the recessed license plate. Every other vendor I deal with on eBay has been great! Even the ones that don’t have stuff. at least get back to me! View attachment 4881761
So not even an hour after I just did the post above, mysteriously my $500 went back on my PayPal… Coincidence…?
I posted this back in 2012. Some things never change. I had a bad Howell's experience. I live in Canada and ordered a 30 Tudor roof insert from them. They were to ship by UPS to Niagara Falls NY where I would pick it up. I had to call them at least 8 times, most times not getting an answer and their machine didn't seem to be working. Finally they told me it was shipped and on what day I could expect it. They sent me a receipt by e-mail so I went to pick it up on the assigned day. There was some delay at the border but I finally drove to UPS. As I was approaching the UPS terminal, a truck was pulling out of the driveway and the name on the side was similar to a notation on the invoice. I blocked the truck (not UPS) and asked if he had just delivered my roof to which he replied they would not accept it and it was on its way back to Texas. I finally convinced the driver and his dispatcher to give me the pallet. Had I arrived one minute later, he would has been on I-90, the entrance being next to the UPS terminal. To make matters worse, I paid $240 for the insert and $240 for shipping and what I received was a piece of 18 gauge sheet with two corners rounded off. It came no where near fitting and required hours of cutting and trimming to work. I could have bought the same sheet of 18 gauge locally for $40 and used the $480 to pay my body man to trim it like he had to with the Howell piece. Warren
I just can't imagine why anyone would buy anything from Howell's after all the HAMB posts. But, then, people keep thinking they're misplaced Nigerian princes.
I didn’t realize it was them, until after the paypal charge went through They have some Ebay handle name “9-40” I had a sinking feeling when I saw who it was, it was to late. The ebay reviews were actually good compared to the internet reviews... Must be there Mom, or uncle, or. Some other relative... making up stuff! Oh, well I got one from SAR and they answered, sent it the next day, should be here tomorrow, and way cheaper. I just have to cut the gas tank holes, and fender holes, Its stock and not recessed, but now Im glad anyway!
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