Issue with another business - how would you guys handle this?

Picus · 12-21-06, 11:44

Hey guys, here's the story. I am going to pretty much lay it out verbatim.

So as a detailer I see a lot of cars, obviously - as such I see a lot of tint and clear bras, and I get a lot of questions about them (mostly: who do I go to?). So through the course of this year I noticed one particular shop/guy was doing good work on clear bras and tints, so I'd been steering people his way. I've never met or spoken with him, I just saw his work and thought it was good - so I mention that to people when they ask.

I'd say I sent about 15 guys there (conservatively), and everyone was very happy with their results. I ended up e-mailing this guy about my new car and we were going to set up an appointment to do a tint and clear bra. Cool.

So I detailing this e92 BMW the other day and the guy asks me where to go for tint, naturally I recommend this this shop/guy. So he goes today and he calls me when he is done and says, basically "something is up with my tint, can I come show it to you?". Now I have done tint work in the past, many years ago, I would not do it now since it's been a long time but like most of you I can spot a good job from a bad one. Before I go on I want to mention the e92 has a very large 6" dot matrix on the rear window, which makes it hard to adhere the tint to this section correctly, however it can be done with the right adhesive or by using a vinyl over the matrix.

So I look at this tint and it is clearly very poorly done. I realize that as the tint dries the water spots inside will evaporate, however the area with the dot matrix is barely adhered at all, it's all white and looks really bad. Not only that but the dot matrix around all the windows (small, maybe 1/4 inch) is adhered in some spots and not in other. End result, poorly done. So I tell the car owner to call the tint guy and mention this, I expect the tint owner will tell him to come back after the tint is dry so he can push the tint back down with heat to adhere it to the dot matrix. OK.

So the car owner goes to the shop and apparently the tint guy has a total fit. How can someone be questioning his work? Only poseurs tint their cars anyway (seriously). So the car owner calls me and basically says the tint guy is unwilling to work with him at all. The tint guy then comes on the phone and this is the conversation:

Him: Who the f*** do you think you are saying my tint job is bad?
Me: Is this (his name), I've never even spoken with you.
Him: Yes it is, if you've done tint how can you not know these f****** watermarks will go away?
Me: I do know that, that's not the issue, the issue is the dot matrix. We talked about this regarding my car, you knew it would be a problem, can you fix it for him?
Him: I've had the worst day and now I get you two telling me my f***** tint isn't right
Me (getting a little pissed): You know, this isn't exactly the best way to run a business. Someone isn't happy with your work you fix it or refund them, you don't swear at them. I've sent you a ton of work this year and you're flipping out at me over the phone, you may want to re-think this.
Him: Fine. (hands phone back).

So the car owner basically tells me that the tint guy won't refund his money and basically is saying his tint is fine.

Now obviously I won't be recommending this guy anymore. Frankly I am shocked at how this all went down; I tried to remain professional the entire time, never swore, never raised my voice... I thought the car owner was being perfectly reasonable with his request to fix the poor tint job. He paid via interact (debit card), and obviously at this point he wants his money back.

So as me, do you just let it go? As the car owner what do you do to get your money back. Clearly you don't let this guy work on your car anymore.

Thoughts?

Joshua312 · 12-21-06, 11:53

As for you, you did nothing wrong. You were just trying to be nice and helpful to your clients and steer them in the right direction. Now as a result of finding out what this guy is really like Im glad you will not be sending him work in the future. I guess you really see people's true colors when an issue arises, it is all in how you handle the situation.

As for the customer, I would do whatever it takes to get the job done correctly. The owner of the BMW should be consistent with calling , saying he wants a refund so he can pay for someone to remove the tint and do it correctly. If the owner of the tint place doesnt refund the money, Im sure the unsatisfied customer will have no problem spreading the word on what a horrible businessman he is. He will suffer in the next year with you not reccomending people to his shop, but your business will continue to flourish. Just keep up the good work!

Danase · 12-21-06, 11:54

The only real thought I have here is to get with a good tinter and work out some kind of deal where you two recommend each other. Personally, I have had my t*t caught in a ringer by recommending the wrong person for the job and I end up feeling bad. If you can't find one that you know and trust I would not recommend anyone. I would just tell the customer that you did not know of any.
If I was the customer I would want my money back or it to be fixed but I would leave you out of it.

qballjr13 · 12-21-06, 11:56

I guess if the car owner really wants to persue it and make an example of the guy he can keep pushing it with the tinter. Tell him he wants it fixed or he will get it fixed somewhere else and send him the bill. If that doesnt work there is always small claims court.

As far as your concerned, I wouldnt get too involved. Just find another tint guy to send your clients to. It looks worse when you as a business owner start bashing another business owner to your clients. If your client specifically asked about this tint guy just decline to comment and say that you recommend someone else. As hard as it is you still need to be more professional than that guy ever would be.

And just my $.02...when I had my 00 Maxima tinted, the tint place actually cut the rear tint around that dot matrix and avoided it all together. It looked good that way and I never had any issues with it.

Picus · 12-21-06, 12:02

Thanks guys. Yes, I would never bash another business owner to my clients, in fact I never speak about competition at all; not the way I work.

In terms of the recommendation's, I was always clear when I recommended him that I had not done business with him and had never even spoken with him, just seen his work and thought it was good. The car owner is definitely not holding me responsible, though I feel terrible. So I am going to stay out of it at this point, just such a weird experience.

Oh, gballjr13 - the dot matrix is at the top of the rear window and is 6" deep, so leaving it untinted would look really weird. I think the best idea is a vinyl over it, but I guess I will find out for sure when I take my new car to get tinted (somewhere else, obviously!).

jdoria · 12-21-06, 12:32

I dealt with losers like this in the past. Very "Fred Flintstone" primate like caveman mentality if you ask me.

MY GOLDEN rule about recommendations:
I only do it if I am going to make money. Period.

Meaning: I meet with "Mr. Flintstone" the tint guy first after seeing enough of his work and business practices. I then say, "Fred - lets set up something where I'll send you all of my tint business for 15% of the gross?". Then its worth it to deal with the customers and Fred if things happen.

You always need to be 150% satisfied with what you make.

qballjr13 · 12-21-06, 01:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Picus

Oh, gballjr13 - the dot matrix is at the top of the rear window and is 6" deep, so leaving it untinted would look really weird. I think the best idea is a vinyl over it, but I guess I will find out for sure when I take my new car to get tinted (somewhere else, obviously!).

I guess it really depends on the way the dot matrix is done on the window but it looked good on my window. I could barely noticed that it wasnt tinted the same as the window. But like you said I am sure there is a "correct" way to do it. The place that did mine basically said they dont touch because of issued like your client had. That was good enough for me.

jdoria · 12-21-06, 02:35

Remember - Money and respect are the end goal. Be the bigger person.

Picus · 12-21-06, 03:00

Ya, I am definitely going to stop recommending places for tint/clearbra.

The guy with the car eventually took it to another tinter and is now happy with the results (they did a much better job apparently), which doesn't surprise me given how poorly the first job was done. Now he just has to try to get his money back, which is up to him.

paradigm · 12-21-06, 05:57

wow...very unprofessional of that guy. sounds like you handled yourself very well and took the high road...excellent job! he screwed himself by losing referral clients from you that were costing him nothing in advertising or commission...what a dolt.

Scottwax · 12-21-06, 06:57

Not much you can do about that guy, I guess. I've found that it is best to recommend only businesses that you have actually done business with.

MorBid · 12-21-06, 08:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottwax

Not much you can do about that guy, I guess. I've found that it is best to recommend only businesses that you have actually done business with.

Well said Scott. I've been through something similar so many times over the years (for different things) that I'm to the point I don't recommend anyone to anybody unless I've been dealing with them for a long time (both parties).