AllPro Offroad Screwed me

I Bought an Apex bumper in bare steel for our brand new '15 Tacoma and received it around January.

It sat in my shop for a month until I could install it. When I attempted to fit it, The bumper sat 1.5" too far to the passenger side, and 3/4" too far up. This means it rubs tight against the driver fender with a 3" gap on the passenger side, and no clearance vertically on the drivers side.

I immediately called AllPro and got Adam, Who was not in a position of power but assured me it would be handled. He promised a callback with within the hr. as john was busy with a customer. 3hrs later (3:30pm) I called again, and learned John(the owner) had left for the day instead of calling me back. I asked for his cell number but was refused.

As my wife drives this truck, I needed a bumper on it, so I told Adam I would plasma cut new holes in the bumper plate that would allow fitment. He was fine with this, and requested photos, which I sent.

The next two days were spent attempting to get John on the phone. On day two, I finally got a callback from Tracy Bundrant (johns wife) Who, after vehemently denying any possibility that their bumper could be faulty, very rudely asked what i wanted. I maintained civility, and asked if she had seen the photos. She said she had. I calmly explained that I believed their product to be a good one, I just got a fluke, and requested a replacement, rather than a full refund.
"You can talk to John" she snapped, and ended the call.

John called me back in 5 minutes. I could tell he was ready to fight. I attempted to de-escalate a situation I still wasn't sure how got escalated. Once again, I explained I believed his product was great. I have seen one of these bumpers installed on a friends '13 taco, and it was a good fit. I told him I was sure I just got an oddball, probably got damaged in shipping or something. I just wanted to talk to him about getting a replacement.

He calmed down, and told me that the truck must have been damaged in an accident, as there is no way the bumper could be at fault. After all, they are made on a jig. He sells 50 a month, He claimed, this is the first one with an issue. (I discovered AP does NOT build these in house, but contracts them out to a fab shop in CA. AllPro is located in MT. my bumper was shipped directly from CA)

I assured him the truck was NOT in an accident, we purchased new, and it only had 6k miles on it. I asked him if he had seen the photos I sent him of the bumper mounted with the holes clearanced to fit. He said yes he had seen the photos, and maintained that it was the truck.

I also acknowledged (albeit extremely unlikely) that perhaps the Tacoma was built incorrectly and the bumper was OK. He told me to send it back and he would look at it. I explained that if I sent it back, the truck would have no bumper on it and couldn't be driven.

I proposed that he fit a bumper to a Tacoma in his shop, confirm fitment, and send me that one. I assured Him I would pay for the second bumper up front, including shipping. If this bumper did not fit my truck, then the burden would be on me. If the second bumper DID fit my truck, then i would send the 1st one back, on his dime.

John agreed to this solution, but said He needed a week or two to get his daughters Tacoma in his shop so he could check fitment.

After 10 days, I called John and couldn't reach him yet again. Another two days went by, and I finally got John. I politely asked on the status of our arrangement. This time, it was as if I was talking to a different person.

He was completely indifferent to my problem. He said he did not have a taco in to check fitment. "He didn't want my bumper back anyway, because he couldn't sell it after I ruined it by cutting new holes in it." He told me I should have called him before I "cut it apart" I reminded him of the many messages I left for him, and the days that went by before I heard from him.

He ignored that, and again stated There is now way his bumper is wrong. Our Tacoma is bent. Again used the reason that they are built on a jig.

I said, I just want to check it against a bumper that you personally have ok'd, per our agreement. John told me he would sell me another bumper, but would not return mine. I asked to just return mine then, as Tracy had originally offered. He again claimed I ruined a perfectly good bumper, and insulted my intelligence by saying "what kind of moron cuts up a new bumper?"

I finally got him to calm down by reminding him of all the communication we had had over this. And how he had seen the photos before agreeing to return the bumper. He finally agreed to return it on my dime, and promised to refund me IF, only IF, he determined the bumper to be faulty, which it definitely wasn't.

I sensed that the bumper would not be found to be faulty under any circumstance. I asked him if he would be willing to send me an email stating his new terms, so we would have some kind of continuity. He agreed to send it.

it has now been a month, and John will neither return my calls, nor send me the promised email.

I should have contacted my CC the instant I found a problem. I believe John was only stringing me out until the 60 day credit card grace period had passed, and I could not longer file a claim. I am out $1000 for a bumper that does not fit my truck.

I operate a small 4x4 fabrication shop, and can modify the bumper to fit the truck. it will take significant modification to do so. So much that I may as well have built the bumper from scratch.

I realize this post may be met with negative response, as Allpro has done right by many customers. But They have knowingly wronged this one. I had to get the this out there.

John, You have my contact info. Its up to you to make this right.

 

Joe!Hope it all works out for you!

 

Got any pix?

 

The other thread appears to have been locked:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/allpro-offroad-screwed-me.426645