Local Tint Shop installed spray on paint protection instead of Suntek PPF

here is the quote...

The owner informed me he sub-contracted out the paint protection because they didn't have the pre-cut patterns for my car. I asked him a for refund but he stated he could only refund me $300 until he could get the rest from the sub-contractor. He stated we would mail me a check $300 next week.

I just assumed that the owner gave him 300 bucks in a check form and was waiting for a second $300... I probably wrongly assumed...

Getting the full $600 back should be easy enough with the credit card company... getting the car made right is going to take a bit more work. Unless the shop owner does the right thing...

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Well that is why I gave the advice to the OP to NOT cash the check or accept it.

It becomes a mess if you start having "partial" remedies.

And the OP can't decide to MAKE the $300 damages, and then get full refund...The OP should get the full refund...then it's up to the OP if they think it worth pursuing damages as a result of the spray on the car. I have no idea how hard the removal or potentially damaging the removal could be.

 

Unless the OP chimes in and says otherwise, I bet the initial $300 in refund was in the form of credit and there's no $300 check. The correct thing for the shop owner to do is to issue a full refund then go after the subcontractor to get the remaining $300 (obviously paid out in commission), but we do not know at this point whether it's the shop owner or subcontractor screwing the OP. The shop owner could have purposely sub-contracted the spray on protection. I suspect that the shop owner telling the OP that he'll mail him a $300 check is merely to buy himself time and he's not actually going to do it (any merchants know that the customer has the upper hand when it comes to credit card disputes).

Probably a lot less than you imagine. Spray on film is designed to be removable (like plastidipping). Remember at one point you thought claybarring can only be done by professionals?

 

Oh...that's why you don't like me.

No if I remember right, my contention was that clay barring done wrong...can do a lot of damage. I still hold to that contention.

 

Oh, please, I never said I don't like you. I quite enjoy your posts.

That's like saying sex done wrong can do a lot of damage. Just use the lubricant!

 

I work with an attorney and I just walked across the hall and asked him about this situation. I mentioned the original business owner said he could only give a partial refund as he was waiting on the subcontractor for the rest. The exact words out of my co-worker's mouth were, "That is bullshit. The customer has a contract (verbal or written) with the business owner and the owner is responsible for the work performed whether that is through his own employee or a subcontractor."

 

Well right off the bat, it's never been a matter of whether the OP had a legitimate case. It's a slam dunk. The debate is really over how best to handle achieving remedy.

If all the OP is seeking is a full refund, then going through the credit card company will probably be okay.

If there are any problems even with the Credit Card company's "dispute resolution" and/or The OP wants the shop to pay for removing the spray on crap...and a detailing...

Then it get's more complicated. But as far as is the OP owed a refund? That really was never in question. And yes, blaming the fact that you sub-contracted out, for the work being not as represented, and then furthermore using "we subcontracted out" as an excuse to only give 1/2 a refund...doesn't fly with any business being run correctly.

 

Congrats

 

What about the cost of having the crap taken off your car?

 

You all act like it takes a pro to remove it. Do you not see how easy it comes off in the video?

One thing for sure, I'd not trust the shop to remove it.

 

32k

yes it may be easy to come off. but why should the OP have to spend the time/effort to fix some one elses screw up.

I agree, I would not let the original shop touch the car. this is where an extra couple hundred bucks to take the car to another detail shop come into play.

IE make the shop owner feel some pain in his wallet.

How about if your grandmother took her car to the shop, would you be happy if she got her 600 bucks back and had to deal with removing the spray on film or spending extra money to get the stuff removed, or worse yet... he sold her the 3m stuff, and then did the spray job and pocketed 300 bills for doing nothing and she never knew?

 

Just because a subcontractor screwed an otherwise reputable shop owner? Some things are better left alone (and fix it yourself especially if it's not that much effort).

 

a reputable shop owner would have done a once over on the car before releasing it to the customer and noticed that it wasn't what the customer ordered. Maybe this shop owner did this, and felt, fck it, the customer won't know the difference, maybe he didn't look the car over. in either case, the shop owner screwed up

In the end, its the name of the shop owner on the job, not the sub.

I'm in the landscape industry, and often I use subs. If the sub screws up, it means I screwed up and I'm the one holding the bag at the end of the day.

I'll ask again....Would you be happy if this happened to your 85 year old grand mother and she was left to scrape away the spray on film on her own before taking it to another shop to have the proper 3m film applied?

 

The OP isn't a 85 year old grandma. If someone comes in asking for help, I don't treat that person like a grandmother incapable of DIY.

You might be biased as you work in the landscaping industry, but cleaning up a screw up in the landscape is quite different from looking after your car. Most of us here (especially modders) take the time to maintain our cars in mint condition. I personally advise against other people touching the paint (too many Mercedes and BMWs out there with horrid polishing marks from so-called professionals). If it was a grandma then yeah.

 

in the landscape industry you usually get the ability to work on someones biggest investment... a car is usually #2. and in the eyes of owners, both are usually equally as important. I know I valued my 66 mustang, and my 94 impala SS and motorcycles nearly as much as I valued my domicile. Yeah in the eyes of "most" the prius is an appliance, just another econo box on 4 wheels. I may not value my prius as much as previous cars, but I'm still pretty passionate about my car. IE don't screw with my car...

If the shop owner is willing to pull this crap with someone who is capable and knowledgeable, then he's likely one to rip off little old ladies and those who may not be as knowledgeable.

the OP gave up his car for a day to have something done. now the OP is going to have to give up his car again to get the product he originally asked for to get installed, and he's going to have give up his own time such that the new shop won't charge him more for surface prep/removal.

The OP got screwed... and the shop got off easy...imo

In an ideal world the shop owner, should have at the very least offered to remove the spray-on film, IE return the car to the owner in the same shape it was when it was initially received...

 

I thought it was really unusual that he gave you a check instead of crediting the amount back to your card (as all merchants know better to do; otherwise, there's a transaction fee to the CC company). However, if you filed a dispute, the correct thing to do is not cash the check until the CC company closes the dispute.