I scheduled an appointment over the phone for a simple tint--just the front passenger window. Pretty straightforward, I arrived ten minutes early, expecting a quick easy job. Yeah, that didn't happen
The only worker present was a younger Hispanic guy who seemed friendly enough at first. He told me the job would take about an hour and that I could either wait or come back later. I chose to wait.
About halfway through, another group of customers arrived to pick up their car, which had just had its windshield replaced. They were visibly unhappy and started complaining about the work. At first, I wasn't too concerned--until I heard the same worker, the only employee there, aggressively snap at them: "Chill the f* out before I..." That should have been my sign to leave, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt, assuming the customers might have been the issue.
An hour later, my car was "ready," and the worker pulled it up to the front. As we stepped outside, he briefly explained that the tint came with a warranty and that I shouldn't roll down my windows for two days. While listening, I immediately noticed several scratches along the side of my car. I was initially willing to overlook it as an accident during the process. But as I got into the driver's seat and glanced at the passenger side, something was definitely wrong--the cover panel around my door handle was completely missing, exposing the screw underneath.
I walked back inside to point it out, assuming they had simply forgotten to reinstall it. At first, the worker casually suggested that the piece must have fallen inside the car or somewhere in the warehouse. He said he would "check" for the missing piece. I watched as he pretended to look around the open workspace, barely making an effort. Then, in what felt like some kind of joke, he turned on a drill and let it run for a few seconds--as if making noise was proof that he was actually searching. Of course, he came back empty-handed.
He repeatedly insisted I was mistaken, saying the piece was never there. I knew for a fact that was false--I drive this car every single day and check my mirrors constantly. There's absolutely no way I wouldn't have noticed an exposed screw on my door panel before today. When I stood my ground and explained again that I know my own car, he initially offered to order a replacement. I thought, Okay, at least he's trying to make things right. But just as quickly, he changed his mind and said, "You know what, I'm not even gonna order a new one because you're tripping." That told me everything--I knew he was just trying to save face and had never intended to replace it in the first place.
For another ten minutes, I explained that there was no way the piece had been missing before. He tried to demonstrate how the panel "easily pops off" and claimed I was just another customer who didn't realize something was already missing. Then, in a conveniently self-serving excuse, he told me he wished he had taken a picture of my door beforehand, as they supposedly "always do"--but, of course, he didn't. And unfortunately, neither did I.
At that point, I told him, "It's your word against mine. You're either lying, or you're calling me a liar." Without hesitation, he snapped back, "Yeah, you're lying. You're tripping."
I explained that I didn't even care about the part anymore--I just wanted honesty so I could move on with my day. Instead of owning up to it, he doubled down: "You're acting real stupid right now."
Never once did I raise my voice, swear at him, or act out of line. Meanwhile, he had no problem insulting me directly.
Another young coworker finally pulled up in front of the shop, so I attempted to reason with him instead, hoping for some professionalism. Same result. He dismissed my concerns, saying, "You'd be surprised how many people don't realize missing parts of their car until somebody else works on it." At that point, I knew arguing was pointless--especially since the original worker was still standing there, swearing under his breath at me.
Should've trusted the others lol. read more