AudioMotive in Ottawa Scratched my paint when tinting! Rude owner.

bastige · July 5, 2019

Hi, I wanted to get some people's opinion here on what to do in this circumstance.

Took my car to a well reviewed tint place in Ottawa the other day to get a specific model of ceramic tint done (Xpel XR black). Didn't have time to stick around and watch. 4 days prior I prepared by taking pics of all the windows and paint areas around them in case there were scratches/damage after tinting.

When picking up the car, we noticed there was a kind of knife cut into the paint at the rear quarter panel right under the window. We weren't sure if it was there before as it was small so I had to wait till I got home to review the pics. Turns out there was no cut there. So they ran the knife into the panel when cutting the tint. The cut looks deep and will need at minimum touchup paint, and that still won't be the same condition as pre-tint.

What is fair compensation/resolution there from the tint place? I also think the guy doing the work knew he made the cut and didn't admit to it.

Additionally, they have on their website a statements that all tints are backed by factory warranty, but when I got the receipt, they did not provide a tint warranty card, NOR did they want to write down on the receipt which tint it is that was done. Also the price of $300 CAD to do Xpel Ceramic was much lower than other places. So I am not sure if they even installed the right tint.

And again, they have a lot of positive google reviews, so this totally sucks.

Thanks

Edited July 10, 2019 by bastige
Clarification after super bad experience with shop.

Blackwolftinting · July 5, 2019

Call the shop. Tell them you have a slight issue and you would like to schedule a time for someone to look over the vehicle. Bring the car and your pictures back to the shop. Tell them your issue. Allow them a chance to rectify the matter. If it was darker than permitted by law in your state, that’s likely why there wasn’t a warranty card given. If it is legal shading, then ask for the warranty card and written receipt. If they’re a professional shop, they will do what they can to make it right.

Edited July 5, 2019 by Blackwolftinting
I had to change the word “issues” to issue, because in the sentence the plural form didn’t make sense. Thanks for taking the time to read my reason for edit.

bastige · July 5, 2019

Yeah it's 70% tint on the front over factory ~78%, legal here is 70%. So it's borderline.

But how can/should they make right scratching a rear quarter panel with the knife, that is at least $500 to repaint I assume from my other experiences in body shops... 😕

Regards

Edit: Is there a way a tint shop can prove they used a specific type of film to a customer? With their samples/BTU meters perhaps?

Edited July 5, 2019 by bastige

Blackwolftinting · July 5, 2019

They can only “prove” it by letting you look inside the film core prior to the film’s installation. And then allowing you to watch the entire job. Not many shops do that. But that’s the only way, and even then an unscrupulous person can swap out the core labels. You just have to find a shop you can trust.

As far as the scratch; as professionals we carry insurance. But most of the time it’s just easier to pay someone to fix the damage out of our pocket rather than make a claim. Sometimes the deductible is higher than the cost of the repair. Remember, we’re humans installing plastic on your glass. Accidents happen. What makes a shop truly professional is avoiding those accidents, but rectifying them if they do happen.

bastige · July 5, 2019

Okay, thanks.

The other reason I am concerned with them using the wrong tint is that when we walked back in to pay/pick up they wanted to charge for non ceramic, and I had to ask "which tint did you install?" as I was just quoted $100 less than originally for ceramic.... ugh. what a shitty experience with a well reviewed shop, so far.

Tint Slayer · July 5, 2019

I think everyone is going to say what @Blackwolftinting said. Talk to the shop, it all starts there.

bastige · July 5, 2019

So here is the result: We got the damage appraised at a body shop FIRST, we know the owner and after he investigated the fresh/sharp scratch he quoted the quarter panel repaint at a very low price of 220CAD (I've worked in bodywork in the past as well and I know this is a deal). Not that he would like to repaint due to one scratch that's not huge, so it wasn't a business opportunity for him anyway - he wasn't going to get the work.

Went to the tint shop and explained. The owner turned into a complete douchebag immediately.

"I guarantee it wasn't me who did that..." (or my guys)
" there is no way we can cut anything"
"there is dirt in the scratch"
"so how do i know someone else didn't scratch it"
"do you have photos from a day or two ago" (yes i did and showed them)
"so how do i know someone else didn't scratch it" (yeah... highly likely)

" look at all the other scratches on the car, did we make that one on the hood too?"
....
"you can buff that out, there is no way I am repainting the quarter" (no you can't, the pro already looked, down to primer)
etc etc
eventually he started yelling, I told him i saw it on the lot but didnt want to accuse him until I reviewed the photos I had on my DSLR at home.
anyway, a total douche IMO, but he decided to refund the tint job to get rid of the issue, the tint job was more expensive than the quarter repaint so we agreed. Lets hope the tint is going to last.
I had to tell him to stop arguing after a while and refund already so that I don't leave him neg reviews... he was trying every trick in the book.

Also something very very interesting; he said he always has this issue when someone gets ceramic tint. It was a bit of a schizophrenic moment, but yeah, he has issues with his tinters for sure. People who spend more just pay more attention to their cars and note issues... no way everyone is making this up against him.

Oh well, so much for great google reviews.