houston junkyards

[jorgensensc]

Here is one of the scenarios I distinctly remember. I bought something from him at the swap meet he attends. I can't remember what the part was, but I do remember it was specific to the year of truck, and I asked him if it would work. He was adamant that it would work, so I bought the new repop part. I asked if I could return it if it wasn't right and he said yes. I got it home, did some more research, then found out it wouldn't work. I never opened the package or did anything else to the item. I drove all the way out to his shop (I live about 20 miles from his shop) to return this item. The item was around 40.00 if I remember correctly. Spent about 5.00 in gas to get there. Okay, no big deal. THen when I get there his wife was there. She wanted to charge me a "restocking" fee. I said that he said the item would work, it wasn't correct, it was unopened, and I just spent about 5.00 in gas getting there, so I think a "restocking" fee is inappropriate. If she would like I would walk over and put the item back in the bin on the shelf where it goes. She tells me that is the policy. I ask her to please call her husband on the phone, which she obliges to after some hesitation. She tells him the situation on the phone and after much discussion and insistance on my behalf he finally agrees to wave the "restocking" fee. Stating he wouldn't be able to wave it again. Maybe I'm just a nice guy, but I wouldn't charge someone a restocking fee on anything unless I had a large warehouse type operation. Walking 5 feet to put something in a bin on the sales floor doesn't constitute "restocking" Maybe if it was a large item that needed to be forklifted or manpower and time to maneuver I could see a restocking fee even. But I definitely would ask for a restocking fee period if I told someone the item would work and I was wrong.
Water under the bridge, I used him again. i called ahead of time asking about a front grill assembly for a '72. Looking for a nice driver condition, not perfect, but shiny with a few small dings is fine. He says he has one in great shape for 200.00. I say okay, again thinking the savings in freight. He knows I'm coming from a good distance. I drive all the way out there again, and he takes me to the back and starts digging through piles of grills. He finds one that is really dull (anodize is completely shot) with some bad dents and says this is a nice one. I said no I was looking for one in better condition. He says that he thought he had a better one, but he guesses that he must have sold it. So I leave without the parts I drove 20 miles each way for, and wasted 2 hours of my time when he could have walked out to his shed and verified he had the item in good condition before I drove all the way out there. Where was the customer service with that?

I have thought long and hard about the freight charges and the " having it now mentality" What I have determined (for me) is that the shipping charges are barely more if not less than the tax charges I get charged for doing business in state. I usually shop vendors off this board for that reason. If it is wrong (their mistake), they cover shipping back and make it up to you for your time and inconvenience. I think that is great customer service. With that said, I do like Mike at Mikes Bump and Grind. He is always willing to help and has good technical info. Plus his prices are better than those of Outbacks. I don't mind paying sales tax when I get great local customer service. On top of that he is even farther from me than Outback, but I am willing to travel, again, for good customer service. These are just my experiences and my opinion, so feel free to take it for what it is worth.
Shawn

[jorgensensc]

Ohh, and one more little bit of unknown knowledge. He has been having difficulty getting body panel repop vendors to continue to sell to him. He has had a large issue of receiving items "damaged" from the manufacturer. When they get these items, it costs too much to send the items back, so the manufacturer practically gives the item to him. THen he turns around and sells the item for a very slight discount to the customers. The manufacturers have noticed this trend and don't like how many "damaged" items he has been receiving. It is evidently a much larger amount than any of the other vendors they sell to. Just a little info I also heard from good sources.
Shawn

[Conroe trucker]

Where is Mike"s Bump & Grind?

I would like to check it out if it is not that far.

Bump & Grind sounds like a "Lap Dance".........

Couldn't be that lucky.......

[jorgensensc]

Down in Webster. Here is his website. It is a little hard to navigate. He is growing quickly and his website is having a hard time keeping up. Plus he a site supporter here.
http://www.bumpandgrindgarage.com/

[hotrod 80]

Mike is down in Webster (Hwy 3 and El dorado) Just off I-45 . Great guy to deal with and easy to talk to . The only dealings i have with Outback are from the swap meets . I have never been to his shop . I know what i need , look it over and pay cash for it , done deal . He does have a sorta bland personality , but have never had a problem with him or his parts . If you call him ahead of time and tell him what you need he will put it in the trailer and haul it to the swap meet also . I have probably spent $500 with them this year between the 67' & the 49' . Just my .02

[NWD02]

I've been to Outback once mainly to say I've been there. I picked up some rubber bumpers I needed to put the frontend back together on my truck. They seemed nice just not real talkative. Not a big deal they're there to make money and run the business not truck talk. I have no problem with that at all. Would I go back? If I needed a small part now to finish something I would, they have a large inventory of small parts.

Mike's is much closer and I've found prices to be better. He normally has to order the parts, but I'll wait a week or so to save some money. Not to mention the customer service is great at Mike's. It's kinda the place you have to plan on being at for a little while, because when you go, the truck talk conversations can last a long time. I've learned a lot just talking about trucks there.

Just my thoughts..... so.... what about those Houston area junk yards?

[hotrod 80]

Ther used to be a place on Mykawa (SPelling?) towards Pearland called HASS . Houston auto storage and salvage . It was like 40 acres and had all old stuff in the back 20 or so . Don't know if this place still exsists or not , Just remeber looking up on top of a pile and seeing my dream car . Three high was a Emerald green 70 Chevelle convertible shell .

[Houston54]

I was prowling through Charlie's Auto Parts on the East side of Tomball recently and came across three 67-72 trucks/SUVs that appeared to have good sheet metal on them. Call and ask for Red. Tell him what you are needing and he may be able to help you out.

As for Outback I have used them twice and they fit the need at the moment as they are just a bit north of me. Their pricing looked high but when you consider you are not paying for shipping you may actually come out ahead and have your parts now. Can't say they were the friendliest people I have met but I was not planning to ask them to dinner anyway. They are truck people and as such cannot be all bad.

[stope4]

We may have all gotten spoiled with Lynn's service and helpfulness. These folks are just not him. They do have many of the small items and aftermarket stuff. Their prices are on the high side. You can get way better pricing from the vendors on this board and from the used parts section of this board. Just need to do your homework and know what you are needing. If a used part don't look right, you are probably better off waiting until you know exactly what you need.

I prefer to get dirty and pull the parts myself. Camaro Country will allow you to do that. The bonus is you can see how the part was installed and you can take the mounting hardware with you if you need it. Plus Mike has camaros, chevelles, trucks, Novas etc... He also has a little body shop when you need it.