Customers say this Springfield auto shop took cars, money and provided only headaches
Many Queen City Rod & Custom customers tell the same story: They brought in their car and received an estimate. They paid at least half of the price upfront. Then their car sat in the shop as their calls were ignored.
Some got their cars back with work that didn't reflect the prices.
Some got their cars back in a condition worse than they went in.
Some had to fight to get their cars back at all.
Former customer Mark Jennings started a Facebook group in hopes of helping others with similar experiences and to discourage others from patronizing the shop.
Queen City Rod & Custom shut down sometime this summer but its general manager, Reed Arnold, hopped to another shop, Retrobuilt, in May — or he tried, at least.
When founder Clinton White first opened Retrobuilt, it was known for making new Mustangs look vintage, even earning a write-up in the LA Times. After White's 2020 death, the shop took a two-year hiatus.
According to the late Retrobuilt owner's son, Clinton White II, Arnold and a former employee approached him about purchasing the shop. The younger White said he wrote up an agreement in May that allowed Arnold to basically try running things while he saved up money to purchase the shop, but when White found out about Arnold's past, he terminated the contract.
The contract did not allow Arnold to issue invoices under the Retrobuilt name.
Arnold and his wife, Hillary Deckard, who also goes by Hillary Arnold, have declined to comment on this story out of fear of "continued harassment," citing the Facebook group and "incorrect information" reported by local TV stations.
Deckard is the registered agent for Queen City Rod & Custom, which was established in January 2022. The shop started at its Glenstone Avenue location before moving to the now-closed 1616 N. West Bypass location.
Customers seek remedy in small claims court, through attorney general's office
To date, three civil cases by customers have been filed against Queen City Rod & Custom.
Those civil cases include one filed by Jennings, who had paid the shop about $1,750 to work on his elderly father's car. When he went to pick up the vehicle, Jennings said he found it with runs in the paint and poor workmanship. Arnold offered to redo the work, but as Jennings was moving to take care of his father, he could not wait. Jennings said he paid the shop with the intent of disputing the charge and going to court.
Following the verdict, which required Hillary Deckard to pay him $1,700, Deckard filed a police report against Jennings for stalking and harassment. In the report, Deckard said that Jennings showed up to her place of business twice and was driving in front of their home. Jennings said he visited her place of employment in an effort to get his payment.
Wes Garrett, owner of Autohaus LLC, is another former customer who went to court. Autohaus sells used and refurbished trucks and cars.
Garrett said Arnold approached him a couple of times on Facebook, and since the body shop Autohaus used was behind on work, Garrett sent some cars over to Arnold. Garrett said the first car he sent to Arnold took "a little longer than he said but the work was decent."
The trouble began, Garrett said, when he sent Arnold a truck that needed a "factory quality" paint job.
Garrett said the first red flag was that Arnold wanted half the money up front "for material, which never happens in a real business. But I understand he didn’t have any money; he’s just starting."
When Garrett got the truck back the first time, it was "two different colors of blue." Garrett said he gave Arnold a second chance but after not hearing anything for about six months he went to pick up the truck and found "the worst (paint job) I’ve ever seen."
Garrett said he ended up paying about $7,000 to paint the truck: $4,400 to Arnold and then $2,600 to another shop to fix it.
“I don’t mind paying decent money for good work, but I had to pay decent money for something that another paint shop had to fix," Garrett said. "At first, no painters wanted to touch it because it was such bad work. I had one guy say, ‘I’ve been painting 50 years and I’ve never seen anything like this before.’"
Garrett was awarded $3,115 in his case.
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The third case was filed in December by Mark Sondys. He is seeking $5,000 and says in court documents that he paid Queen City Rod & Custom more than $16,000 for sheet metal repair and painting on his vehicle. Documents say the work was supposed to be done by August 2023 but that when he finally got his car back Nov. 5, it was partially disassembled with multiple parts missing and "extremely poorly done paint." A hearing in this case is scheduled for Feb. 21.
Another former customer, Ricky Smiley, is in the process of compiling evidence to take the company to small claims court. Smiley said he paid Arnold about $4,000 total. He thought things were going well until a former employee posted a photo of his Mustang sitting outside in freezing weather with water coming up to the bottom of the doors. He said when his car was returned, it was missing parts.
Jennings, who organized the Facebook group, estimates that about 15 people have filed complaints regarding Queen City Rod & Custom with Attorney General Andrew Bailey's office. The office confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation but said it cannot release information.
“If any Missourian believes they’ve been the victim of a scam, whether by this company or another, we encourage them to contact our consumer hotline at 1-800-392-8222 or online at ago.mo.gov,” Bailey said in an emailed statement.
Recently, the AG's office obtained a conviction in a case where a Springfield contractor "accepted large advance payments for home renovations or repair projects and either provided minimal supplies or partial work." The contractor received a four-year prison sentence as well as five years probation.
The News-Leader filed a Sunshine Request in June 2023 for consumer complaints regarding Queen City Rod & Custom. Due to the existing backlog of requests, the attorney general's office informed the News-Leader that the earliest the records would be available is Jan. 29, 2024.
Similar complaints, different state
According to Facebook reviews and Colorado court records, this isn't the first time Arnold has been involved in body shop work that didn't pan out or wasn't commensurate with the prices paid.
In Pueblo, Colorado, Arnold was associated with a shop called Kirks Customs and Collisions, registered by Amber Hope Anderson. Two Facebook pages associated with the business remain online, both with poor reviews dating back to 2019 that allege the same practices. Attempts to reach the reviewers were unsuccessful.
Additionally, a small claims case that ended in a dismissal included similar allegations. According to court documents, Pueblo resident Alex Sandoval brought his car in to be customized and repaired but the work was not completed and his car was not returned.
Neighbor still fighting to get her money back
When Clever resident Linda Head hit a deer with her beloved Land Cruiser, Arnold, her neighbor at the time, offered to fix the damage for her.
"I thought Reed (Arnold) was doing me a big favor because I'd seen the beautiful cars come and go, and I knew he did high-end work and car-show quality stuff," Head said. "I thought, 'Man, he did a me a favor, squeezing me in.'"
In June, he gave her an invoice for $3,400 using the Retrobuilt logo. Later, he called her and requested money for the parts, which she transferred to him via Zelle.
Then, she waited.
Head tried to give Arnold extra time as she knew he and Deckard had a child in July. But as time went by and she heard nothing, the worry began to grow. Eventually Head stopped by the Queen City Rod & Custom location on West Bypass only to see her truck parked outside, uncovered. She was especially worried when she noticed the gas flap open, which can only be opened from the inside.
Her car was moved to a different location, with a promise the work would be completed. After a while, though, she noticed that it did not look like anything had been done. She contacted Arnold, asking for her car back.
To Head, the Land Cruiser was much more than a car. It had belonged to her parents and after Head's father died in 2013, Head's mother continued to drive it, since "that was her rig, and she felt safe and secure in it. She felt like my dad was still taking care of her in it."
When Head's mother died unexpectedly in 2022, the Land Cruiser became a source of comfort and connection.
"It was my mom and dad's. I just know their hands were on that steering wheel," Head said.
Eventually Head got her vehicle back with the promise of her money being refunded. She requested the refund through Zelle, the way she'd initially paid, and said Arnold promised the refund once "he gets the refund from parts." She is still waiting for the money.
Head is currently pursuing damages in civil court and has submitted a complaint to the attorney general's office.
"I'm not even mad, I'm just disgusted," Head said. "Hopefully I've made enough noise and rattled enough trees that hopefully I'll be the last."
Susan Szuch reports on health and food for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Attorney general investigating complaints about Springfield auto shop
