Phat to Fabulous!

18 April 2006

Am I being irrational?


So you know I do my best to try to support minority businesses, but DO NOT FUCK WITH MY CAR! I have proven on many occasions how much I love my car! So trying to support the minority business owners, I took my car to get my windows tinted at the local, car wash/rim shop/auto repair/chicken and fish restaurant/barber shop. I got my windows tinted and they were fine. The guy told me that there was a lifetime warranty on the tint, that's why I figured well I will get it done, but if I don't like it I will be their worst nightmare. Well weeks went by I noticed that there were a few bubbles in the tint, ok well that needs to get fixed, and then I noticed that there were streaks in the windows on the back driver-side window. Then all hell was about to break loose when it was cold as hell out and I went to go through a drive through or something rolled my window down and the fucking tint peeled right up with the damn window. WTF! So now I am pissed right, but I needed to find time when I could go back up there and get the tint fixed and either get a ride back home since it is over the hill from my house or have enough time to sit there for an hour. So no kids this week, I scheduled my well-needed oil change and I figured I may as well call and check and see when they can get me in to fix the tint. This fool tells me, "Well the gaskets in the door could have been frozen if it was cold, I won't charge you for the tint, but I would have to charge you for the labor which would be like $15-20." HOLD THE FUCK UP! How the hell am I supposed to know when the gaskets inside of my door are frozen? And doesn't life time warranty mean I don't have to pay for it, labor or parts its not my fucking problem. I have had tint on every car I have owned and never ever have I had my tint peel no matter how fucking cold it got. So me trying to be a cool calm and collected sister, mostly not wanting to show my ass because I am calling from my desk at work in the cubicle farm, just politely thank him and hang up. I call the husband and tell him and he's like I wouldn't even fuck with them anymore let's just take your car somewhere else. Now I don't want to have to pay to have my tint completely re-done, but I also don't want those ignorant asses doing my tint and fucking it up again! Plus, I am not sure that if I go up there and show my ass that I would really want to take my car up there and have them fuck up something else on my car. I think I am just going to take this tint off myself, and ride tint-less for a minute, I can't stand driving around with this broke tint. Plus, I am not trying to take my car with its broke ass tint to car shows. Then I think I am going to take my car to the other folks and get it done right the first time. Screw this supporting the struggle! Struggle my ass!
posted by Elle Jefe at 4/18/2006 01:53:00 PM

12 Comments:

LOL! Oh noo! Now you shoulda known that deal was too good to be true! LIFETIME warranty on a tint job? I dont know bout that.

You should take it back to them for them to fix it but demand the $15 "labor fee" be waived---they did not specify the terms of the warranty...they just said lifetime, right? You can fight this one, girl. Hell, I would.

Let us know what happens...

4/18/2006 4:07 PM  

2 comments from this white girl: 1) Instantly I got the scene from Jackie Brown into my head where Robert Forrester says to Samuel L Jackson (when Jackson's character is laying on the guilt) "Is white guilt supposed to make me forget I'm running a business?" So we can twist this to say "Is supporting the struggle guilt supposed to make me forget I laid down good money for a crap job?" 2) It does nobody in any community any good to let anybody slide on quality, whether in workmanship or business skills. It only reinforces the stereotype that mediocrity is expected from "the community."

Overall, fight this one! It will do more for the "struggle" in the long run, not to mention your car, than not fighting it would. If they can't make it right, they're not ready for the big time. I'm serious.

4/18/2006 4:44 PM  

@sylvia - yes i should have, but i know people who have dealt with this cat before who said he was good people, apparently he's good peole trying to get his paper anyway he can! I only paid $139 for the tint job figured I would save on the gas I was going to use to drive to the south side to get it taken care of and $45 on the job, but at $139 they tinted my two front window, the two back passenger windows, those two little windows on the side behind the passenger windows and the rear hatch window, that's what 6/7 windows (not counting the two little ones as whole windows) that's $20 a window there, so how are you telling me I am not paying for the tint, just the labor, when apparently that's the same as what I paid in the first daggone place. I am hot about this mess!

@v'ron - lol @ the white girl comment! and yes samuel has a point. I remember that part. I know you are right, I am sure that I have yet to give up the struggle. but you can let anyone here in the mke know not to go to Oasis Car Center on 76th and Mill Rd. :) I will keep you guys posted!

4/18/2006 5:07 PM  

"local, car wash/rim shop/auto repair/chicken and fish restaurant/barber shop"

^^^*falls on floor laughing*

I support the struggle...Hell I have gotten my hair "did" in many basements while ol' girl keep going upstairs to fry chicken/fish for the church dinners and come out with a 4 piece and a wrap for $35 but that is ri-dic-u-lous...L you know me, I woulda show my butt and then take my butt elsewhere..But take the bogus "tint" off the whip, that's like the folks who drive around with 4 different colored doors on the whip...

I support the stuggle but jeez don't do us bogus. We're still combating the "Black People Don't Tip" stereotype. I don't want to the one who "don't support Black business"...I have them know there are some businesses that I only entrust to Black folks...Ima write a entry about it tonight *lol*

I'm adding you too...I've just been a lazy procrastinator(sp?) :-)

4/18/2006 8:09 PM  

rofl@ sellin chicken, doing tint, washing cars, braiding hair and notarizing documents out the same shop.

I HATE stuff like that. Man, businesses hate me cause if something isn't right I'll hound them until it's right. Like some furniture I bought. I mean I'll BBB something in a heartbeat.

4/18/2006 8:33 PM  

@tenacious - the tint is coming off on Friday before I drive down to the Lowrider car show in Indy. Can's have my car looking trashy when I am rolling around these other cars that will be sofreshtodef! you know I got tired of the black salons too and have been doing my own relaxers, trims and colors for the past 5 years! I don't have time to be in anyone shop for 5 hours, I got kids and stuff! as for the "black people don't tip" stereotype, i bartended for a bit, it is so true, but I am trying to do my duty to break the stereotype one bartender and waitress at a time! lol

@liquor and tv - see a chick after my own heart, i am pulling this place up on bbb to see if they have any complaints today.

4/19/2006 9:08 AM  

Girl please point me in the right direction in Arlington...Don't leave a fellow midwester hanging!!

4/19/2006 1:42 PM  

I dunno -- I'm kind of with your husband on this one. If you press the issue, what if they mess with your car further? Do you really want to go through all that? I would simply write a letter to the owner of the place... or is the owner the jackass who screwed you over?? In that case, I would let bygones be bygones and find someone with a reputation.

4/19/2006 10:13 PM  

oh my DAYUM!!! that was a hot funky mess!! well, i would go back to least try to get a couple of my dollars back for the inconvenience....but definitely keep it moving to another spot to get it done right!!! aw man, i gave up on supporting the "struggle" a LOOOOOOONG TIME AGO!!!! write a letter, act a fool, demand your money back and kick, push on to the real deal tint installers!!!

4/20/2006 10:16 AM  

Thanks for everyone's comments, the husband is taking the ride up there on his day off and going to talk to this cat. He already knows that if I go up there that will be all she wrote, and we don't have money for bail this week. lol I will let y'all know how it works out.

4/20/2006 11:03 PM  

You have so many comments on this already... but I just thought I'd tell you that you had me rollin' on this one! Sorry it was so difficult to get things done, but at the same time, it made for a great blog :-)

4/21/2006 12:12 AM  

See there's *yours truly* always finding the silver lining!

4/21/2006 7:17 AM  

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