Audio Central — Local services in Flowood

It took 2 weeks to get my install scheduled. It took another 8 hours to complete the install. I was told it was ready & called to the front to pay. Manager Ben stated vehicle was being pulled around. (It was not, I walked around the building, he and another guy were still assembling parts with all doors open) Ben asked was I pressed for time and to give him 15 more minutes.(2 hours went by) Car audio system was horrible at completion; tech, I & manager agreed. I was asked did I want to ride around with it the way it was...My response, "No, I am dissatisfied with this sound quality. It is not up to par." Ben stated I could bring it back to see why it was not operating properly but to give him a break, at least a few days. I was there from 10:30am - 6:40p.m. and listened to it on my way home. HORRIBLE! I came back the following morning requesting rectification. Manager Ben tells me about another similar vehicle they did so well and they would have to play around with mine to get it to work. I told him I do not have more time for them to experiment with trial's & error's on my vehicle and it's best to refund me and remove the equipment. Manager Ben stated "he cannot do that"; "he was not authorize to do that", "he does not have anyone to remove the system". My response, you can and the equipment is outside. Ben replies "I'm not, I'm bout' to leave that's what I'm bout' to do". Then he walks out the front door to his truck with me at the counter still...Finally, to sum up the matter; I talked to him outside where he pleaded that he can't do this & can't do that. I had to tell him those are personal problems, this is a business that provides a service. Stop telling me how you can't provide for your customers and how much you are overwhelmed. Basically once your in & have paid, your place is secondary to new dollars coming in the door. He ultimately removed the equipment from my vehicle, but not without firstly making it known to everyone in the shop "this is what he wants", which was embarrassing along with me being left in the store after he walked off initially. So no one spoke to me again as I waited for the un-install & refund. I refuse to do business at any Audio Central location due to the hiring of unprofessional management such as Ben at the...

Let me start by saying there are good things about his place. A bunch of my peers and a few work associates brag about the installs and professionalism of this place. And I'm with Mr. Jenkins, the guys in the back, shoot every one, seem to be pretty cool and seem like good guys, with just one exception. I am willing to bet the source of your frustration, Mr. Jenkins, is the same source every single person I have talked to has complained about, Ben Barrentine. At least from my experience, Ben should NOT be allowed anywhere near other human beings. He is quick to judge somebody and you will know almost immediately if you are worth his time or not. It is very apparent that he has absolutely no care about you unless you are spending money. I get it, you run a business and are doing this to make money. But you have to have some humanism. We are just people too, we bleed red just like everyone else. He is short with you and expects you to know every single piece of terminology he throws out there. If you don't, he looks and talks to you as if you are stupid. I am an average guy and I know next to nothing about audio, hence I went to a local shop expecting a good treatment, instead of going where I should have gone in the first place, ONLINE. He made me feel belittled and unworthy of his time. And don't you dare call up there either, if he answers, he is even ruder. To top it off, I can never talk to the same person either, there is always someone different at the front counter (always much much better then the alternative though). It is frustrating having to go over the same stuff with someone new. Granted, they are very willing to help and seemingly very knowledgeable. I like the shop, and I enjoy talking to the varying sales people ( I've met 4, so that must say something about how they feel about their management). The reason for this one-star review is, upper management (Hell it may not go any higher then Ben himself) allows for this sort of behavior. As much as I would like to be back, he has ruined the audio industry for me and will proceed to order myself (much cheaper I might...

I had 2 jobs done here. I'm very happy with how the projects turned out and impressed with the shop. First I had a kenmore dashcam installed. I had gotten quotes at several places and most places wanted to do some odd for installers only unit that had bad reviews online. If the owner recommends something here it seemed like it was always on the upper side of ratings online.

Secondly, I had a dsp/amp installed in a new vehicle which they are just getting more complicated. This install didn't go as smooth. First I lost a part the night before the first time scheduled. They handled it without being judgmental and very professional. Second a technical error occurred with the install. They got me in the next day and fixed it. They weren't defensive and handled the entire thing like true professionals.

I feel very confident giving this place a five star review. It's how things are handled when they don't go perfect that you don't know about. Everything is getting so complicated there's a chance something will be a little off on any install. Also their product lineup to me showed a lot of integrity. Their prices are also about 10% lower it seemed than the...