Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Saturday, July 22, 2023, I took my 2015 Kia Optima to the owner of this business to get my windows tinted. Upon completion of the job, I noticed multiple water stains in the seats and sides of my car. I mentioned this to the owner. He said the water stains would come out of the seats once they dried. I advised that they would not as I had just gotten my car detailed (and, I have previously due to water stains). The owner said he would get the car detailed if the stains did not disappear once dried. I said that I would just pay for it because the owner was extremely disrespectful the entire time I dealt with him. He repeatedly interjected when I was trying to ask questions about the tint job. He rushed and talked over me when I dropped the car off to him. And, overall, he was just rude and extremely unprofessional. So, I was ready to leave and was willing to get the car detailed myself due to the miserable experience I was having with him. Unfortunately, when I arrived home, I noticed some black stains on the back seats as well as water stains. It seems like the seats should have been covered if they were going to make such a mess. In addition, it looks like some of the new tent is scratched and still bubbled although the owner said the the bubbles would go away once the windows dried. Added to this, the top of the front passenger's side window (not the window but on top of it -paint) looks like it was scraped excessively. And, in the rear window, the tint has this border. I don't know if there was an option to not have that border but it is not uniform so I would not have chosen that. There was some wet solution on the car from the job that was done that has left some type of residue as well. I am not sure if this will come off when I wash the car. It also looks like some rubber at the bottom of a widow was cut. I have included a picture of this, too. Again, the owner was extremely unprofessional, did a terrible job on the tent, and left the interior a mess.

  Business response

  08/14/2023

  This complaint was just retrieved from the Post Office today, 8/14/2023. A response will be forcomming on this matter.  I will gather audio and video from cell phone and surveillance systems at the shop.  I will have the response to you by the end of the week.

   

  Leif ********

  Owner

  Promark Tinting

  Business response

  08/31/2023

  Promark will NOT give a refund. But will address the problems directly. I would like to note that this is the first complaint in 34 years of business, we expect a mature resolution that is timely and fair.
  Once again, if given the chance to address the issues with this customer in a mature adult fashion, Promark will do this.  I would like to reiterate, Promark Tinting stands behind its lifetime warranty and will address workmanship and material failure if brought to our attention, but this customer never informed us about any problem, instead, gia went to BBB after 3 days vs having a fair mature conversation or exchange. The owner felt gia was embarrassed and upset with herself by being late and did not give time for explanations when given.  Gia was very erratic during the conversation to the point of not knowing her power windows were not working or that there were defroster lines on her car that she had never noticed, actually asking if Promark had put them on the window.
  This appointment will take 6 hours to complete the requested work of tint warranty replacement if necessary and seat stains if deemed necessary.
  I have an employee that can schedule and address her concerns. She can email us to set an appointment and if absolutely needed, "the owner" will not interact with her.
  In order to do this, GIA will have to follow the below steps:
  1. Find a day in which she can drop the vehicle off with the shop for 6 hrs, so that the solo employee can remove tint and reapply. He also has 23 years of detail experience and will        address the stains in seats if still present.
  2. Email us at promarktinting@gmail.com to schedule and be on time for appointment.
  3. Be patient as the work is completed in stages since there will only be one employee doing the work to make sure Gia is comfortable.
  4. There will be no charge for the appointment.

  Thank you

  Promark Tinting

  For the record, here is my prior response.

  Promark Tinting stands behind its lifetime warranty and will address workmanship and material failure if
  brought to our attention, but this customer never informed us about any problem.  Gia **** left after
  her appointment and never called to tell us there was any concern with the job, instead we found out
  with the BBB complaint. She did not read or follow the care instructions given in print and explained to
  her in person. The care instructions provided to every customer, including Ms. ***** are included at the
  bottom of this response.
  Gia **** set an appointment by phone on the 21 July 2023 @ 4:13pm to tint her 2015 Kia Optima, with her request to strip all old residual tint off sides/back, which had tint failure with delamination and her complaint of bubbles in film. Then we were to retint the sides and back with 35% tint. ProMark did NOT perform this initial tint of the vehicle.
  The appointment was set for 22 July 2023 @ 0800
  On the morning of 22 July, at 0803, Ms. **** had not arrived at the shop. While it is not unusual to have
  customers run late, sometimes GPS instructions are not accurate, and customers have difficulty finding
  the shop. I called her to see if she was having difficulty locating our shop and asked if she was okay. She
  seemed frustrated by the question and apologized for running late. At 0806, Gia pulled in and we guided
  her into the shop, when she exited her car, I asked her for her keys to make sure we could start on the
  work.  She seemed to be in a rush and exited the shop to meet her ride.  The interaction felt strange and
  I went outside of the shop @ 0808 as she was walking back toward the shop she started to ask a
  question about what level of tint we were applying.  She asked, “what is the level of tint that is on here
  right now”, I replied a faded 35%. Then, “there is nothing wrong with the tint now, except the bubble in
  the back”.  I clarified that we were going to strip the tint and apply 35% while showing her a tint swatch
  book. She confirmed that.  I then asked her if she was okay, since she seemed upset/frustrated from the
  minute she arrived.  In a seemingly a shaky tone she said, “that I talked while other people were talking,
  you seem persistent, hopefully you’ll do a good job.”  I then let her talk, for 6 minutes uninterrupted,
  telling me how she perceived the interaction and gave me feedback. I thanked her for her feedback.  I
  explained that I called her making sure she was not lost and when she pulled in, I was trying to keep on
  schedule with my full day of tint I had on the calendar.  She seemed very rattled and could not
  remember a question she asked 8 minutes prior.  She asked if her windows could be darker and I explained to
  her the law *** ********. Additionally, she asked me why I asked her on the phone if I wanted legal or
  illegal. I responded saying that some customers have show cars and while I advise them of the legal
  implications of a darker tint, the choice is ultimately up to them as it is their vehicle.
  At 0821, she was still waiting on her mother to pick her up and I asked her why both passenger windows
  were not working. She admitted that she had trouble with them. She did not offer this information
  during the time we set the appointment, nor when dropping off her car.
  At 0953, Gia calls the shop to tell me to call her mother’s phone, “her phone is about to go dead”.  I
  advised her that there was no need, her car will be ready in 30 minutes.
  At 1023, Gia arrived to pick up her completed vehicle.  We walked around the vehicle as I recited the
  care instructions that were on her printed receipt.  I told her she could not roll down the windows for 3
  day, no ammonia cleaner, and the during the 7 (I actually told her in person 7 to 14) day drying time she may see water bubbles, haziness,
  or they may seem lumpy. (ADD – did you put stickers on window controls?) She then asked me if I put
  the orange lines on the back window.  I advised her that was done by the factory and that they are
  defroster lines and showed her mother’s VW bug as an example.  She then pointed out that there were
  water spots on her seats, I tried to explain that they were water spots and should dry with no issue, since we had just finished her car. We do not use harsh or staining chemicals on cars.  We do 1820 vehicles a year and have been in business since 1988, this is the first complaint in which a vehicle never dried and customer complained.  She then became frustrated and said she had just had it detailed, so I asked her who her detailer was.  She became agitated and evasive and abruptly got into her car and left. 
  1028 Gia leaves the property.
  **I have included at the bottom of this response the care instructions once again for review.
  
  In closing to directly address her “desired settlement”
  I have looked at her pictures that were taken prematurely and stand by the work at that stage in the curing time frame.
  We will not pay her **** *o have her car detailed nor refund her the money, but we will offer to
  warranty any problems with materials or workmanship brought to our attention in person.  To address
  the detailing cost, if the customer will bring car in to discuss and show us the issue with the perceived
  seat stains we will address it fairly.  As she stated, I said “we would take care of any stains” caused by
  the water we used to strip and reapply the tint.  Gia also acknowledged that I said the bubbles would go
  away once dried, but it seems she did not wait the 3 days to roll them down, much less the 7 days to
  cure. It clearly states on her care instructions, “Drying time: Your new window film will take up to 7 days
  to fully dry, sometimes a lot longer, depending on film type & weather. Until this time tinted windows may appear hazy or lumpy, and may seem to have water bubbles.”
  
  Now she has filed this complaint. 
  The rear window has a border that is a factory edge, and it also is
  addressed in the instructions that are at the bottom of her receipt, that state “Black dotted edges: Most
  cars have a black ceramic frit edge on the rear window. Ceramic edge is straight and flat, sometimes it
  will have a dotted edge. These black ceramic dots are thick on most cars preventing the window film
  from sticking to the area between the dots. This results in a whitish looking strip trimming the glass.
  Typically, this isn’t very noticeable; however, some cars have a wide band of dots trimming the top of
  the rear window. This area is so wide that the whitish looking area created is more pronounced.
  Unfortunately, the effect is unavoidable.”
  CARE INSTRUCTIONS:
  Drying time:
  Your new window film will take up to 7 days to fully dry, sometimes a lot longer, depending on film
  type & weather. Until this time tinted windows may appear hazy or lumpy. & may seem to have water bubbles.
  Cleaning: NO Ammonia products. Use a soft clean cloth & alcohol based cleaner or plain water.
  Black dotted edges: Most cars have a black ceramic frit; edge on the rear window. Ceramic edge is
  straight and flat, sometimes it will have a dotted edge. These black ceramic dots are thick on most
  cars preventing the window film from sticking to the area between the dots. This results in a whitish
  looking strip trimming the glass. Typically, this is not very noticeable; however some cars have a wide
  band of dots trimming the top of the rear window. This area is so wide that the whitish looking area
  created is more pronounced. Unfortunately, the effect is unavoidable.
  Seat Belt Chips: Caution should be used when releasing seat belts. Small chips can be made in the
  window film due to the seat belt hitting the glass as it is released; THIS IS NOT COVERED BY
  WARRANTY.
  Imperfections: Though we strive for perfection in our installations. due to the nature of the product,
  some degree of dust contamination and or minor imperfections are present in every window film
  application, also pre-existing flaws or scratches and metal deposits on the glass are often much more
  noticeable after the windows are tinted. Small silvery looking spots or metal rubs on some windows
  are usually found in station wagons or other utility vehicles, and are caused by a metallic object (such
  as a baby stroller handle) rubbing against the inner surface of the glass during travel. This rubbing
  deposits metal onto the glass creating a silver or grey stain. Usually these metal rubs aren’t very
  noticeable and often aren’t noticed until the windows become tinted.
  
  FACTS
  We stand behind our parts and labor and will address any concerns on the tint.  This customer Gia
  ****s’ car appeared to be in disrepair as the power windows were intermittently working.  We stripped
  and retinted her 8-year-old car and it looked great as a completed job.  I am confused by Ms. ****s’
  comments, since she never called the shop, yet filed a complaint.  She was ignorant on the tint laws, did
  not advise us of multiple windows that did not work.  As she picked up her car, she asked about the
  orange lines in the back window.  She seems very accusatory and difficult to please.  Looking at her BBB
  complaint that she filed on 7/25/2023, which was 3 days after it was tinted.  She has not read the care
  instructions provided to her which clearly state, “Your windows will take 7 days to dry, they will appear
  hazy, lumpy, and water bubbles.”  This complaint was filed on the 25th , seeming to indicate that she has
  rolled the windows down prior to the 3 days and absolutely did not wait the 7 days for curing to occur.
  We do not provide warranty work to anyone that does not follow the instructions and requests money
  for water stains while picking up their vehicle. We will gladly guarantee the film if allowed.

  Customer response

  08/31/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have provided facts related to the business transaction that took place when my windows were tinted. My windows were not tinted correctly. The pictures I provided show that. In addition, water stains and the black residue are on the back seats and other interior parts of my car as a result of the tint job that was completed haphazardly. The owner has already seen and acknowledged putting the water stains on my car. The black stains on the back seat were done by someone working on the tint job as they either wiped their hands or an object on the seats. I provided pictures of that damage as well. 
  

  I chose a third party (The Better Business Bureau) to address this issue due to the owner’s extreme lack of professionalism while attempting to conduct business with him, initially. I have no desire to work with him again on any level.

  Again, I am seeking a full refund for the tint job and the cost of having my car detailed. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Gia ****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩