experiance with Howell's Sheetmetal

Has any one had any dealings with Howell's Sheetmetal in Nederland Texas? I purchased some pannels from them back on March 5 Through eBay. So far I have not had a good experiance. Has anyone else dealt with them? If so how did it go?

I don't want to bore you all with the details or drag them through the mud. Hopefully this is an isolated case. Just wondering if I will ever get the parts I paid for.

Before anyone asks, yes I have tried to cantact themthrough eBay, email, and by phone with no success.

 

I bought some panels about the same time.The ad said they' be gone till the 18th. well worth the wait;bought and used a lot of his panels.

 

It's been awhile since I bought from them.
Recieved in a timely manner.But everything was so basic.
I thought"hell I could have made this"

 

I bought a bunch of patch panels from em for my T and well everything went really smooth but i just went up there in person and bought the parts beins that theyre only 70miles from my house but on the subject about what vaphead said i knew what the panels looked like and i already knew i could make em it was just if i bought em and fitted them and just put em in it would save me a whole bunch of time but my car needed every piece on the bottom panels some peoples cars are rougher than others i guess but i mean what did you expect a carburetor they are sheetmetal patch panels how could you make it any more complex

 

I dealt with them twice this year & everything went very smoothly. I ordered the stuff online.

 

draggin breath
have you received your part yet? I can understand if they were out of town but some sort of communication would be nice. I have emailed them three times with no reply. When I called today the guy seemed seemed to be in a hurry to get me off the phone. He told me he thought the parts shipped mid last week but was unable to provide me with a tracking number. He said he would email me the number as soon as he found it. That was a 10:00 am.

 

I love the steel roof insert I bought for our Model A coupe and the price was great!!! But very slow and vague responses to my questions about shipping. Every time I would ask if it had shipped yet, he would say: "let me know when it arrives". It took a good month but man it was worth the wait. Some people are better fabricators than they are at customer service.

 

tcoupekyle- man, use some commas and periods....that gave me a headache.

 

They were here in Oklahoma at the Chickasha swap meet last week. I've talked to them several times and bought a few things from them(always at Chickasha). They seem like good guys.

 

I am sure David Howell retired. I don't know who is running it now. David was a HAMBer and didn't know it. Good guy

 

newbiekyle,when a part should have a compound curve and you get a flat panel with a single brake on the edge.It should be a little more complex.

 

Dude...call Barney. He'll give you the skinny...

 

Davids son is running the business now.
I've purchased parts from them, they were good quality, and I don't remember being upset with the customer service. The only thing I was slightly disapointed in was the inner door patch panels. They're functional, but don't reproduce all of the original forming that would be hidden behind the upholstry of a finished car. Can't wait to need to order the chopped CCPU sheetmetal.

 

Nothing but good luck here

 

Prices are great. I have nothing but good thangs to say about howell's sheetmetal. I have bought many panels from them.

 

they did not do good for me!

we had to chase them around swap meets for two years to get my money back! but that was 20 years ago.

 

I bought from them once, part was excellent quailty, and shipping was super fast. Nothing but good things to say here.

 

i just ordered a new rear subrail for my truck from them 2 days ago
called to confirm that it went through (online order)
i talked with a woman and she was very helpful
i havent recieved the part yet....but so far so good

also...i just got a bunch of patch pannels from brookville and their 30/31 closed cab door skin is flat as a board also...the cowl side patches are alright....and the inner door patch is nice...the cab corners are pretty basic
i spent $186 on what looks like $50 worth of parts....made from $10 worth of steel

i think maybe you need to just ask if the part is stamped or rolled
the rolled stuff seems to be junk...but the stamped parts are decent

Zach

 

I had a deck lid sent by air to Australia for my T roadster, cost me a buck or two but was worth it, ever tried to find one in the outback!!, you will be greatful that you have all this stuff freely available

 

I found that A lot of times it's better to buy through a dealer that has some leverage. I purchased 28-29 CCPU corner panels that were stretched 6-1/2" through Bert's Model A in Denver. Price was the same as quoted by Howell's. Delivery was prompt and everything fit.

 

I drive by their shop two or three time a week. The shop was on lock down a few days ago so I can confirm they were out. Give them some time. They are a small shop so it is probably easy to get behind. If your stuff doesnt show up let me know and I can run by there for you....

 

They make alot of the panels for folks out there selling patch panels. I bought some from Howell direct and their communication skills SUCK, but I did get the panel after a short while (2 weeks) and it was as described, but like stated by VAPHEAD, the simplicity of the panel was amazing, a monkey could get it right.

 

I ordered a pair od wheel wells from them online. The communications were slow and in the end there was a problem with the cc transaction. I thought I would have to reorder but then they showed up. I have been trying to get back in touch with them to verify if they have been paid. Nice pieces though!

 

So much for this being an issolated case. Still have not heard anything. I will continue trying.

 

How hard can it be to get a tracking number??? These guys are driving me nuts. Four and a half hours ago they were going to call me right back with a status. I just called again and the guy who promised me a tracking number yesterday says "Um yea that went out last Wednesday". For some reason he still can not provide a tracking number.

I get the feeling I am being lied to.

 

Just like everything and everyone else in this business. All it takes is one bad mark and the guy looses out on thousands of money. Give them alittle time. I have used them several times, Sometimes iti s great product other times it needs worked.

Rusty

 

I've bought thru ebay and direct to Howell and didn't have a problem either way. No complaints, I plan on ordering a roof insert for my A in a couple months.

 

honestly, i ordered on the 6th, drip rail, and patch panels...

havent recieved anything OR a call back

and explination would be nice at this point, as im used to macs and all the other places having my parts here in a couple days TOPS, ... i dont need the pieces for another couple weeks so thats the only thing saving me from being IRATE

 

Nothing but good quality parts at good prices...and they weren't patch panels. If you're experiencing problems, I'll accept your statement. But in my experience...it's an anomoly.

 

I bought a pair of Model A cowl panels on ebay from Howell, sending took some time but otherwise everything was OK and panels fit well.