Summary:
Recommend avoiding contracting Red Barn Customs for any type of paint or body work. Staff are unprofessional and misrepresent their ability to deliver any reasonable quality standards.
RBC made two attempts to successfully complete the agreed scope and failed to deliver on both attempts. The work that was completed was well below any kind of standards you would expect from a professional shop.
RBC presented a non-disparagement, non-disclosure, release of all future liability waiver as part of any conflict reimbursement, to which I declined so I could write this review and potentially help other consumers make an informed decision.
Full Review:
My mother contracted RBC to paint her VW Bus after spotting the RBC sign while passing by. During initial discussion, RBC was able to walk the vehicle and provide an estimate, meaning they had full visibility of the vehicle ahead of time. They were fully aware of the age and condition of the vehicle before the project began.
The agreed upon scope was to prep, prime, and paint the vehicle. RBC indicated they would have the job completed within a few weeks. The vehicle was not returned to my mother for over 2 months due to various delays by RBC.
Upon picking up the vehicle we immediately noticed issues with certain panels, areas that had completely been skipped, and other areas that were sprayed and never finished. Parts of the body work were over sanded, resulting in ruining of lines in the body altogether.
Specific items that were discussed and never completed:
- Fixing the front and rear bumpers
- Fixing the rear door latch area
Rear latch was never addressed, RBC communicated they were unable to do the work due to not having enough space between the hatch and area it latched to. The bumpers may have been touched but were so poorly done they appeared to have been ignored or were in worse condition than the start of the project.
Below are some other specific callouts:
- Almost all the door and window seals were incorrectly taped and had paint sprayed on them, must either be scrubbed clean or replaced altogether.
- Wheel wells were not properly covered with paint sprayed onto the undercarriage of the vehicle in all 4 wells.
- Upper trim of the vehicle was left with rough/course texture around the entire vehicle from globs of paint that was never finished.
- Rear bumper had Bondo partially applied in a few areas but was never refinished and was never painted.
- Area above the front bumper was sprayed with paint and never refinished.
- Area above the rear license plate has dried globs/drops of paint.
- Horizontal line on the front of the vehicle has large areas in it that were over sanded, essentially ruining the line altogether.
- Driver side panels had bubbling reappear almost immediately. Per RBC, as soon as the vehicle was moved into sunlight, to be exact.
- Lastly, when the vehicle was returned, the inside was caked in dust and debris left over from the work performed by RBC.
At the time the vehicle was picked up, RBC acknowledged "there was a problem", referring to the bubbling in the paint, and offered a $300 discount. It wasn't until I exchanged several emails with RBC that they offered to make any kind of concession related to work that was not done.
Throughout the multiple emails exchanged with RBC, I provided ample documentation, pictures, and videos clearly indicating the concerns. I also offered to accompany my mother and come to the RBC facility to review in person, to which RBC declined.
RBC repeatedly stated the issues were due to the age and condition of the vehicle and even went as far as to site the weather conditions as a reason for the poor quality of work.
When confronted with the state of the interior at the time of delivery, RBC communicated that an interior detail was not part of the quote, somehow alluding to the cleaning up after themselves would have been an extra cost.
Eventually, after several days of email exchanges, RBC offered two options; they would attempt to redo the areas of concern, or they would offer an additional refund of $540. Given they had already attempted, and failed, to deliver a project of minimum expected quality, trusting RBC with a third attempt wasn't an option.
The second option of an additional $540 refund came with an additional requirement of signing a non-disparagement, non-disclosure, release of all future liability agreement. Not only did we feel the concession amount was not equitable to the situation, but it was also quiet disturbing that RBC wanted an NDA and release waiver in place to quietly settle the dispute.
For these reasons, and from my experience dealing with RBC, I could never recommend their services to anyone in need of paint or body work on their vehicles. I'm happy to furnish additional details upon request. read more