tattling on illegal tinting

Iron Duck Designs · November 24, 2007

Hey everyone,

Need some moral advice... :dunno

Hope I came to the right place, we have been doing auto customizing for about 3 years in our current shop, my shop manager has been in the industry for 15+ years window tinting and everything else. We do fairly well, we sell a lot of custom graphics, paint protection, and window tinting.

Another tinting shop has been in the area for about 2 years, does crappy work, and sells crappy tint for a lot less that we do and has continously "stolen" possible customers with the lure of front window tint, which is illegal in Illinois.

This other shop does not inform its customers that front window tint is illegal, and since we won't do anything illegal, mostly for moral reasons, but also because of insurance and we do a ton of local police work, we lose a ton of possible $$$$$.

I figured last month that we get about 30 calls a month for window tinting, of those 30 about 20 want their front windows done, and we lose them to this other shop.

My shop manager is also paid on commission, so he wants to inform the state cops that it is going on, but I don't think that is cool....any advice on how to professionally deal with this problem?

lorenzotint · November 24, 2007

Start doing more paint protection and you will not miss those illegal tint jobs your losing to the guy who does the crap tint down the block.... :spit Many states have unfavorable tint laws not just Illy.... by the way po po likes limo papas on their personal rides, tell them about morals.... Sell your clients workmanship and quality films and let the price hackers sell the :lol2 n and hope you can outlast them. :dunno

November 24, 2007

:spit to the board,

If you can get law enforcment to go and bust them in the process of doing an illegal job, my :lol2 for what it's worth, is by all means DO IT.

If enough people would have the morals to do this, mabye it would put alot of the hacks out of business, and return our industry back to the "profesionals" who follow the laws per your state. Then mabye we would stand a better chance of getting current laws changed for the better of all the states with "NO" tint on fronts.

Good Luck, and keep us updated on how it goes :dunno :lol2

TINTZEUS · November 25, 2007

Nobody likes a tattle tale. :dunno ..........except for maybe me......... :spit

:lol2

November 25, 2007

Change your marketing to go after a higher class of customers.

Become a formulaone dealer or start carrying a ceramic, etc.

November 25, 2007

I play by them prison rules, and you know what they say in the mafia movies "Rats can swim with the fishes"

November 25, 2007

Nobody likes a tattle tale. ..........except for maybe me.........

:ninja :lol2 "what goes around comes around" what others do will catch up with them sooner or later :rollin focus on what you have in your hand..you still doing business that should mean something

big money · November 25, 2007

"what goes around comes around" what others do will catch up with them sooner or later focus on what you have in your hand..you still doing business that should mean something

and what makes you think those customers were yours to begin with

it wasn't your money lost, those customers are looking for cheap illegal tint jobs, and they will go anywhere to get it, it just so happens to be across the street from you

if you guys are doing pretty well as indicated, why do you care what they do, if their work is crappy, they will be gone soon enough :rollin

solareclipseauto · November 25, 2007

who cares what the other guy charges or does, its up to you to prove to the customer why you are better and persuade them to understand that you charge what you charge because of the quality work that you do. there is always going to be that cheap customer that is always going to look for the cheaper price whether the cheaper price is across the street from you or across town. I have at least 7 shops around me in a 3 mile radius that charge about half what I charge but I dont worry about them I just make sure I put out a quality product and service and let it sell itself to other potential customers. you sill have some customers that are just cheap and you will have that other customer that will be interested in why you cost more and thats when your customer service and selling points need to be on key. :rollin

November 25, 2007

Goldtooth,

If the laws of Kharma are real, then I must have been Attila tha Hun in a past life. In thios life, I try and do the right thing. And by doing so it seems I'm constantly sucking hind T*T. It seems that those who get ahead in life generally are doing so at others expense, or over the backs of others.

to the board,
If you can get law enforcment to go and bust them in the process of doing an illegal job, my for what it's worth, is by all means DO IT.

If enough people would have the morals to do this, mabye it would put alot of the hacks out of business, and return our industry back to the "profesionals" who follow the laws per your state. Then mabye we would stand a better chance of getting current laws changed for the better of all the states with "NO" tint on fronts.

Good Luck, and keep us updated on how it goes

I wish it were that easy, guy. I had PROOF that my competitor was installing illegal film and the idiot gave reciepts with actual VLTs and a lifetime warranty. I got ahold of at least a dozen or so of them, and went to the police and the States Attorneys office. Nobody cared. Aside from selling a product that was illegal, it amounted to consumer fraud as well. The PoPo could care less if a shop does it, they can meet quotas by ticketing the hapless custy. :lol2 :lol2 Now if the roles were reversed, and my competition had me by the short hairs, they'd be on ME like ugly on a Baboon!!!

I got where I am today by my own sweat, and with the help of others. Not at others expense. So I look at it this way. I can look in the mirror in the morning and be OK with what I see.

There are REASONS that tint (HACK) shops get away with illegal installs. Do you think for one minute that if dark tint was TRULY a danger to law enforcement that the PoPo would allow them illegal shops to operate? It's about generating revenue. Pure and simple. The cops may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but they CAN shut you down if they WANTED to.

Tint laws CAN be changed. It takes money, and someone or some group to actually have the cojones, and righteous indignation with the willingness to dispute the Gov't. WE have that power. We just lack the cohesiveness to do it. TD.com is a force to be reckoned with, what with 10,000 (?) members. That represents a voting bloc. But there is too much division in this industry, and tinters are too busy diving for the scraps for themselves to get together and support the good of the industry. :gasp