Baron Von Frier

@ Al T. You make no sense. How are they crooks? Did they actually take your money and not provide a service? Just because their estimate was higher? Also I’m sure they recommended your insurance co to pick up the tab if your whole car got keyed as it would cost thousands to repair properly, which you would only have to pay a deductible. Usually the higher estimate is closer to the real cost. Some shops write a cheap estimate to get you in the door, hack your car while raising the price and you have no choice but to take in the rear like a man because your car is all taken apart by the lowest bidder. Hahaha…

stellar customer service; attention to details — excellent; my subaru got badly damaged and when they brought it to us, it looked like a brand new car. AND, they detailed the car inside and out (i had a horrible mess inside)…
they fought my lame insurance company who was trying to get them to use after-​market parts — baron insisted on new Subaru parts…
if you don’t live in richmond, believe me, it is worth the trip.
they are THE BEST!!! Five Stars for sure.
thanks Baron Von Frier
Lauren & Jeremy Valverde

Recently was involved in an accident that the other guys insurance accepted liability for. This place came highly recommended by a family member, & did not disappoint! Super friendly, helpful, & took great care of my vehicle. Honest & efficient. Can’t go wrong here! Thanks Dave, Linda, & Steve!

I went here (there Berkeley location) a while back with a friend and it was a very interesting experience, to say the least.
I dealt with both Linda and David Perry.
Linda was very nice and personable, but her husband David is a total D!!!
I brought my vehicle in for a paint estimate and to have a ding knocked out.
Again, Linda was nice, but she was also full of BS.
I didn’t tell her I had already gotten 2 estimates from 2 other reputable body shops.
I was quite shocked when she told me her estimate and it was twice the price of the other 2.
But that’s not the show stopper. The show stopper is when she plain out told me that if my whole car got scratched up, my insurance co. would have to pickup the tab for it.
I looked at her and said, what do you mean?
She said, you have full coverage, right?
All the while her husband was agreeing with her.
I looked at my friend in disbelief and said ok thanks for your time.
These people are crooks!!! Stay away!!!

We first started taking our cars to Baron Von Frier probably 15 years ago or so. They have always been extremely helpful with dealing with insurance companies and getting repairs done quickly and efficiently, but this last go around re-​defines how amazing this company really is.
We owned a 24-​year-​old Camry which was hit while parked in front of our house. The front fender and bumper took the brunt of the impact. Baron Von Frier had worked on the car before over the years, so they knew the car. Since we did not have collision insurance on the car we had to deal with the other party’s insurance company, and that is where the nightmare began. Seems this company is really «not like a good neighbor». The «bad neighbor» insurance company took almost a week and half to actual evaluate the condition of the car. This company did not even bother to open the hood of the car, claiming they could see all the damage from the front or from looking underneath the car (they did not ask to put the car on a lift to check it). When they sent us their settlement offer, to our shock, they identified the car as a total loss.
We took their settlement offer in to Baron Von Frier and talked to Linda about it. Linda was amazing. She also was taken back by the insurance company’s offer. She pointed out that the comparables they used were not really comparable to our car. One of the vehicles they used was for a Camry located in Washington State with twice the mileage as our car. Linda went into Auto Trader website and showed us several vehicles which were «comparable». One of the vehicles we found was truly comparable to our low mileage Camry, but this very unneighborly insurance company deemed that vehicle to be an outlier and refused to consider it in assessing the value of our car. It is also interesting that we had to do their job for them and give them comparables for evaluation.
Linda also helped us w/​the insurance company’s evaluation of the condition of our car & the ratings they used to assess the value of our car. She pointed out numerous inconsistencies between their assessment and the reality of our vehicle. We disagreed with this insurance company’s assessment & Linda’s opinions echoed what we were thinking. Linda encouraged us to confront the insurance company w/​questions about the adequacy of their assessment, which we did. Linda provided us with information on how insurance companies rate vehicle conditions. This was extremely helpful in our developing a written response.
We did succeed in getting the unneighborly insurance company to nominally adjust their initial settlement based in part from the support and assistance of Linda and Baron Von Frier. I guess they thought that if they gave in a touch we’d go away happy, which was definitely not the case. In an effort to get an unbiased eye to evaluate this company’s findings, and with Linda’s encouragement, we filed a complaint against this company with the Department of Insurance. This was ultimately a futile attempt to force this company to re-​evaluate their findings. DOI basically said that it is a 24-​year-​old car, be happy they offered you money for it.
What did we learn from our 7-​week trip down insurance hell? We experienced first hand that while an insurance company may be following the regulations, there is enough flexibility in those regulations that the insurance company can manipulate the process to own their gain. All we wanted was the unneighborly insurance company to fix our car and return it to its previous state prior to this minor accident. Instead we elected to take what money we could get out of them and are now searching for another car.
On the positive side, we learned that companies like Baron Von Frier are willing to take the time to explain processes to you, point you in the direction to get further information, and generally be positive and supportive during a most difficult time. Based on our past experience with Baron Von Frier, we know that if they say a car is totaled they mean it or, if it can be repaired, they mean it. They will be straightforward & honest with you. We wish we could give Baron Von Frier & Linda a 10 rating because that is what they deserve. It nice to know that a company of their ethic exists in this day and age. We are extremely grateful for all that Linda and Baron Von Frier have done for us.

My family and I have been going to Baron Von Frier for years and we’ve always had amazing service. Linda is super sweet and she is great at handling everything with insurance companies so you don’t have to.
They’ve always gone above and beyond with their service for me, but this time they out did themselves!
My car had been with them for a week and I was provided a rental car (by the insurance company of the driver who rear ended me) to drive in the mean time.
While I had the rental car, someone broke into it by smashing the passenger window while it was parked. Baron Von Frier had coordinated the rental car for me and when they found out this happened, they stepped in to completely take care of it for me.
There is absolutely no reason why they needed to do this. But because I’ve been such a loyal, long-​time customer, they didn’t want me to have to pay the $ 250 deductible through my insurance to get the rental car fixed. So they sent someone out to my house, and I had a new window within hours. Now THAT is customer service!
I don’t know how much it cost them, but I do know I am so grateful and I will be raving about them to every person I know who is looking for an auto body shop. And of course, when I got my car back, it looked as good as new.
Thank you Baron Von Frier!

I was referred to Baron Von Frier about 3 years ago by a colleague at work. Since then I’ve had 4 incidents (my car’s rear bumper must be a vortex that sucks in distracted drivers) requiring auto body repair. Each time, Linda has gone to bat for me with the other parties’ insurance companies and my own to have my car restored to like-​new condition. Repairs may take a little longer, but the tag-​line «old world precision» definitely applies to the quality of their work. I’ve never been able to see where paint was blended, new parts always align perfectly, and they don’t cut corners by trying to re-​use gaskets and plastic parts. What’s more is that Linda and Stephen completely handle the insurance adjusters and paperwork. After the initial claim, I’ve never had to lift a finger.
Even though they’re 50 miles away, they’re still my go-​to for body work.

I have never been disappointed by a referral from Oceanworks ’til now. At first it was just a feeling, but then when I looked over the estimate, not only was it $ 900 higher than the high end shop I ended up choosing, but there was a major error on the quote. Input errors happen, fine — but they were going to replace the left hinge pillar (in front of the vehicle, support for the roof/​windshield) on my rear-​ended truck which they told me (correctly) was hit hardest on the right. There is no damage on the front of the cab.
Prior to discovering this major error, I was having misgivings — LInda is great, but the baron himself talked down to me (I’m a working class female) which was obvious to me, but would be obvious to anyone in comparison to how he talked to the other customer present (male and referred to as Dr.).
It’s not my money — it’s the other driver’s insurance company’s, but I’d still rather see it go to a better operation with owner/​staff who treat me with the respect I deserve.

A year ago I was involved in a minor fender bender (not my fault) that neither my insurance nor the other party’s wanted to pay for. So, feeling disenchanted, disenfranchised, and generally discombobulated dealing with insurance I decided I’d tighten my belt and pay for the damage myself.
I went to Baron Von Frier and told my sob-​story to Linda, who went to bat for me against the insurance company. I simply gave her my policy number and my vehicle, returned to work, and hours later I had a claim number. The whole process was so easy!
The finished work was quite good, although it took longer than anticipated. Still, it was worth the wait considering the car looks like new. They even took the time to buff out a few scratches that weren’t the result of the accident and washed and detailed the car, free of charge.

I had a wonderful experience at Baron von Frier. They were recommended to me by the good folks at Oceanworks (best mechanics I’ve ever worked with, by the way) and I’m very glad for the suggestion. I had a rather unfortunate experience where my bumper flew off in the middle of an intersection, with no cause in sight, and so took my car in to these gals and guys. Linda, with whom I worked, told me that she saw her job as «making it as easy as possible» for me, and boy, did she ever. She explained every step of the process, was helpful and friendly, and gave me good advice in such a way that this (my first experience at a body shop) was quite pleasant. The work they did was excellent, and took about a week all told, which I think is good considering the amount of work there was. I can’t comment on the cost – well, it was very expensive, but I have no comparisons to make, again not having ever had to get body work on my car before. Thank god for insurance, is all I can say.
Anyway: five stars, absolutely.

I was freaking out because my insurance company was trying to fenagle and I felt helpless and stuck. Talking to Linda and Stephen was so reassuring. They are so knowledgeable and with their help, I was able to navigate through the muck. Turns out my car truly is «totalled» but thanks to these folks, I feel confident that I will be able to get paid for what my car is worth. Hope to not be in an accident ever again, but if I am, I will definitely take my car to them.

I was rear ended on Oak St. in San Francisco… you know how people try to sneak into the right lane to make it on to Octavia. Well needless to say once the other drivers insurance agreed to pay for the damages. I took it to Baron Von Frier based on the recommendation of the people at Oceanworks. From start to finish the entire staff was great. In the past I will usually speak with the insurance company, handle the rental car, etc. The staff at Baron Von Frier dealt with the insurance company, made sure I had a rental reservation, and dealt with all the little things. Once the insurance company agreed to pay, all I had to do was give my claim number and they took care of everything.

Tremendous service. Knowledgeable people. Helped me figure out a frustrating folding seat problem with my wagon. Made everything easy and convenient. Gave me two rides, making a hectic-​rainy-​day-​car-​swap-​with-​the-​wife-​at-​work easy. My last two body-​shop experiences were way less than thrilling and I will come back (although, I hope I don’t need to). Hats off to a business that gets it. They are rare.

If one can’t say something nice, one is advised not to say anything at all.
So I’ll say this: Linda is as cheery a shop manager as you’ll ever find. But she sure won’t allay or even address your concerns, 12 weeks into a slovenly bumper cover and quarter panel repair job.
She dismissed my concerns in re: frame and drivetrain damage by saying «I’d send my daughter out in this car.»
I hope the daughter’s ok.
My actual bumper, left and rear doors, seat tracks, left fender, rotors, motor mounts, wheel bearings and axles sure weren’t. That her opinion of my distress [the event that brought me to the shop also crippled my spine, both knees, and hands] colored that of the mechanic I hired to inspect the car for safety issues is a whole other story.
My attorney will have to handle that one, for me.

Recently I was involved in a horrible accident. Baron Von Freer gets 5 stars because Linda:
— Stepped in to advise me about, and deal directly with the other party’s insurance company on my behalf while I wasn’t in the right mind to do it
— Went out of her way to source salvaged parts in order to repair non-​accident related damage while my car was there being repaired
— Calculated pricing right in front of me with complete transparency
— Gave me her home phone # just in case I needed to reach her on the weekend
— Delivered my car to me in far, far better shape than it was in before I got into that accident and spared me most of the details about how she did it
A body shop that earned my trust. How cool is that?

As long as they are open, I will never go to another body shop. Wonderful people, impeccable customer service, my black pearl paint job is still as gorgeous as ever.
Ok, so this time I hit some cones that got knocked into the one of two open lanes on the freeway at 11:30 at night on 880. There was A LOT of damage. More than you would think. First call in the a.m. — insurance company; second call — Baron Von Frier. Although it was driving fine, they asked me to bring it in right away to assess whether it was safe to drive — it was not — so Linda immediately drew up the paperwork and started ordering me a rental. I was out of there in 20 minutes and got my car back in less than a week.

Fantastico!
After some vandals decided to nab my car, I took it to the Baron (a friend’s recommendation).
They treated me like royalty and kept me in the loop of everything they were doing.
My car looks better than it did when I rolled it off the lot 13 years ago!
Bravo!

Had my Porsche 968 repaired there earlier this year after I inexplicably drove it in to the wall on the freeway (doh!). Not only did they do a great job on the car repair (a rare model with difficult parts to source) but they took care of dealing with my insurance (no small feat) and got everything covered so that I was only out my deductible. Don’t tell my insurance but I swear the car came back even better than before the accident. I set out cross country the day after I picked it up from them and didn’t have a single issue on my trip.
They were also really easy to work with and explained all the work and charges in detail. Highly recommended.

My Toyota truck was sideswiped in the narrow hills overlooking Oakland and I’m new to the East Bay so my brother recommended Linda and Dave at BvF.
Their customer service was excellent. They took care of setting up a rental car and had the Enterprise guy waiting for me when I arrived. They kept in contact every 2 days with updates and they negotiated with the insurance company to get everything back to original. When I went to pick up my truck, they walked me thru all the work step by step. Their body work and paint work was excellent. They gave me a little bottle of touch up paint to be used if I get any nicks from parking lots. (A nice touch!)
They guarantee their work and they are super friendly and efficient. Some Unilocalers comment that BvF is a little more expensive, I think their rates are fair and their work is top notch.

I was referred to Baron Von Frier by Berkeley Honda. Actually, to be fair, Berkeley Honda referred me to 3 different places… a low, medium, and high end body shop. I selected Baron von Frier because I was bringing my Accord in to have some rust repaired and the body repainted. I thought it would be wise to select the most expensive body shop because I wanted to make sure the work was done properly. Rust can be a nightmare, and I didn’t want it coming back to haunt me.
When I spoke with Linda Perry over the phone she was friendly, professional, and she asked me to bring the car by for an estimate. When I arrived at 4:30 PM, Linda was gone and the only person available was her husband, David Perry. This is when things began to go awry. I can honestly say that I have never been treated so disrespectfully by any man at an auto repair shop. David was not only rude and condescending, but he also accused me of fraud. Yes, I’m serious.
I sat in front of his desk, after he had gone outside with me to physically examine the car, and he prepared the estimate… all the while lecturing me. He had already taken down the vin number, seen my registration, and taken a copy of my driver’s license. He then suggested that I was only coming to him because his prices were… get this…“so high”. Interesting…
While I appreciated the honesty about his high prices, I could hardly believe what this man was saying to me. The funny thing is that the estimate wasn’t for an insurance company. My attorney was the one who had requested that I get an estimate. I was paying for the work out of my own pocket. I was genuinely consulting Baron von Frier because I wanted to know if it was worth my while to have the repair work done, or if I should just invest the money in buying a new car. I had stated this up front… both to David in person AND his wife, on the phone… yet he refused to hear what I was saying. Something was VERY fishy, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Later, I found myself wondering if it wasn’t him who was the one who commits insurance fraud. I know it has never crossed my mind.
I find it both comical and sad that David Perry’s experience with his customers is that they are all out to commit insurance fraud and so he believes that they only come to him because his prices are so high. I came to Baron von Frier because Berkeley Honda had recommended them. I had never heard of them before, but after calling around I thought they would most likely do the best work. A Honda Accord with less than 140,000 miles on it is worth that investment, because they run well over 200K. I drive less than 10K a year, so I still had several years of ownership to come AND I had just had the engine rebuilt. I told David Perry ALL of this, but he had his warped mind already made up.
Needless to say, I left with my estimate knowing that I wouldn’t return to their shop if they paid ME to do the repair work. Linda Perry may have been lovely on the phone but her husband, David Perry, is a squirrel… and I’m being NICE. The man clearly has some serious issues with his own self-​worth and most likely his own lack of integrity.
I took my several thousand of dollars work elsewhere. The following day, I went back to Berkeley Honda and spoke to the man who had given me Baron von Frier’s business card. I told him what had happened, and he said that David Perry was known for being arrogant. He was apologetic for not letting me know that when he gave me their business card.
I will say that arrogance doesn’t bother me much… it’s only an attempt to mask insecurity, so I don’t find it offensive. Rather, I have compassion for people who act that way. However, it is another thing altogether when you go to a body shop and the owner accuses you of trying to commit insurance fraud… ESPECIALLY when no insurance company is involved and you are paying for it yourself. For these reasons, I recommend you go elsewhere. When someone accuses you of being dishonest, and you know you are being forthright, it’s very likely the accuser who is dishonest.