Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/28/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  .On February 21, 2025, I took my brand-new 2025 **** Explorer to Auto Trends NY (1578 US-9, **************************) for window tinting services. I paid $500 for the tint job. However, the tint job was poorly done, with visible bubbles, dust, uneven cuts, and gaps where light was leaking through.On February 24, 2025, I returned to use my warranty for the front windshield tint, but Auto Trends NY denied my warranty claim and blamed me for the poor quality instead of fixing their mistakes. They also charged me an additional $120 for a windshield redo, but I later decided I didnt trust them to fix it and requested a refund.Since I was already there on February 24, 2025, I requested to change the rear tint. During the removal process, Auto Trends NY damaged my rear defrost system due to improper tint removal methods. I am not a professional, which is why I took my car to a dealership service department expert, five auto body shops, and two window tinting specialists. Every professional I consulted confirmed that the method used to remove the tint caused permanent damage to my rear defrost system, requiring a full rear window replacement.On February 26, 2025, I brought my car back to show Crystal, the shop owner, the damages, but she initially denied any responsibility despite clear physical evidence and multiple expert confirmations. Later, she changed her stance, stating that regardless of the damage caused, I had signed a completed work order, meaning she was not responsible. This argument is invalid because the damage was due to negligence in their removal process and was confirmed by multiple professionals. That same day, she refunded me $50 out of the $120, but this does not cover the poor service or the damage caused.On the night of February 27, 2025, I received a call from Crystals son, who advised me to commit insurance fraud to cover the damages. He openly admitted to having done so before. I find this not only unethical but also a serious legal issue.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/03/2025

  On February ******* I ******* *******, received a text message from ******* ***** at 2:28 PM asking if I was going to be at the shop around 3:30 and I replied yes, then he texted back telling me he will be at the shop around 4 oclock. ******* showed up to the shop at 3:43 PM to drop his car off to Tint the windows. I went outside with him to go over the shade options. we walked around the parking lot so he can see other vehicles that were done. ******* was looking at my personal truck and said that he wanted his truck to be the same way, so I opened my truck doors so he could look out the windows to make sure that is what he wanted. We then went back inside so ******* can fill out a work order and confirm the shade of Tint that he wanted before he left. ******* picked up his vehicle at 5:27 PM and paid $500 by *****. I went over the process of not rolling his windows down for five days and that he will see water in between the tint and the glass for the first few days and that will dry up. He will have a lifetime warranty if he returns to the shop on the fifth day so we could check the job and sign off on the work order. ******* was happy and left. The following Evening Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 4:23 PM. I received a text message asking me if there was a percentage lighter than what he has on the back window because he is not able to see license plates and I stated yes 20% is lighter than what he has on there now, ******* said the front is perfect and so is the sides. It is just the back that he cannot see sunlight and he would like to get it lighter. I received another text message Sunday, February 23 at 2:34 PM from *******. Asking me if he left his ez pass at the shop and I texted back telling him I will check it tomorrow if it is not in his cupholder. Monday, February 24 at 11:11 AM I texted ******* and told him his ez pass was in the garage, and I will hold it for him. I received another text message at 3:21 asking if the bubbles on the side windows are normal and I told him yes, they are normal for the first five days. He only got them done two days before this and he said OK. He dropped his vehicle off at that time to change the shade on the back window. ******* started texting me asking about installing his dash cam and wanted pricing, so we were texting back-and-forth about that and around 430 He picked his truck back up. I received another message asking again if the bubbles were normal and I said yes, and you can bring it back in so I can look at it if you think there is a problem. Then I received another message at 5:33 which is 15 minutes after he picked up his truck and said his parents found out about the tints on the car because it is registered to his father, and they were upset. He does not think that he is gonna be able to keep them on his window and asked what we could do about it. I told him that I cannot refund something that we already did that he authorized us to do, and he has a lifetime warranty on the job, but we are not refunding money because his parents are mad at him. He then stopped at the shop Wednesday afternoon. I refunded him $50 because we were not going to redo the window and at that time he stated he lied about his parents finding out and that he wasnt happy with the job and that he wanted all his money back so he got mad because there is no refund policy. ******* said that he is going to take me to court and try to sabotage my business because he was not getting his way. He decided to have his friends leave me 15 bad reviews on ****** and ******** for something that my shop did not do. Then he started saying that we damaged his back window and that all the other windows have problems.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/04/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  I want to clarify that my complaint is based on facts, supported by expert opinions, video/photo evidence, receipts, and documentationnot emotions or personal dissatisfaction. While ******* is focusing on our text exchanges and my initial tint selection, she is avoiding the core issue: the damage to my rear defrost system and the poor quality of the tinting work.The initial tint job was poorly done, with bubbles, dust, uneven cuts, and gaps. This is why I reached out early on, asking if the bubbles were normal. A professional tint job should not have had excessive dust and misalignment issues that I experienced.
  

  On February 24, I returned to change the rear tint while I was already there. During the removal, Auto Trends NY damaged my rear defrost system. I had the damage evaluated by multiple professionals, including a dealership service department, five auto body shops, two tinting specialists, and two car window specialist companiesone of which is the same **** dealership where I purchased my brand-new 2025 **** Explorer ST-Line. Additionally, the first tint shop I visited to assess the damage is the same company that the **** dealership refers its ********s to for professional aftermarket work. All of the auto shops I went to for inspection are reputable businesses in ***************. These are well-established professionals who provide honest and expert assessmentsthey have no reason to make false claims, and their findings all confirm that Auto Trends NYs removal method caused permanent damage to my rear defrost system, requiring a full rear window replacement. I have statements, receipts, quotes, and written confirmations proving this.
  
  On the morning of February 25, ******* claimed over the phone that she had video footage of her shop removing my rear tint without using a razor or blade. I have not seen this footage, so I cannot verify what it shows. However, what cannot be denied is the visible physical damage to my rear defrost system, which has been confirmed by multiple professionals. The shop can say what they want, but the damage is there, and their story does not add up.
  

  I did my part in trusting and verifying. I went to multiple professionals to assess the damage before going back to Crystal at Auto Trends, trying to resolve this matter professionally. I gave her a chance to do the right thing, but instead, she refused to take responsibility, dismissed the expert-confirmed damage, and attempted to shift the blame onto me. ******* initially denied any responsibility for the damage. Later, she stated that regardless of the damage, I signed a completed work order, meaning she was not responsible. This is negligence, as a business should take responsibility for damages caused by their improper techniques.
  

  On February 26, I returned to show Crystal the damage, and she refunded $50. However, this refund was not an acknowledgment of poor workmanshipit was only because I refused to let them redo the windshield after I had already lost trust in their services. Despite clear physical damage, expert statements, video/photo evidence, and professional opinions proving my claims, ******* chose to lie and dismiss the issue rather than take accountability.
  

  Regarding my message about my parents finding out: Yes, I sent that textbut only because I was trying to be polite and avoid confrontation at the time. I have phone logs and text history that explain why that night, after my rear window was redone, I messaged Crystal with the intent of being respectfulas I had been from the beginning. The reality is that I was already unhappy with the tint quality, but instead of starting an argument, I approached it in a more neutral way. That does not change the fact that the tint job was defective, and the business caused actual damage to my vehicle.
  I was advised by professionals that since the tint job was done incorrectly and my rear window was damaged, I should seek a refund. There is no buyers remorse hereI have already paid significantly more than I originally spent at Auto Trends NY to fix the damage they caused. The idea that I am simply trying to get free work is falseI have already paid out-of-pocket for the necessary repairs at a more reputable shop.
  

  On February 27, I received a call from Crystals son, advising me to commit insurance fraud to cover the damages. He even admitted to having done so before, which is unethical and potentially illegal.
  As a member of the *******************, integrity is everything to me. I have no motive to lie, nor would I ever risk my own reputation or credibility over something like this. The damage to my vehicle is real, and there is no logical reason why I would fabricate this or try to diminish my own cars value. All I have asked for is for Auto Trends NY to take responsibility for their actions, but instead, they have deflected, lied, and refused to do whats right.
  

  As you investigate Auto Trends NY, you will notice a pattern of bad business ethics. I am not the first ******** to experience issues with their quality of work and their refusal to take responsibility. There are multiple past complaints and negative experiences from other ********s, and this further supports the fact that my situation is not an isolated incident. Auto Trends' response ignores the expert-confirmed damage, instead trying to twist the story into a simple case of "buyers remorse," which is completely false. I never asked for a refund because of my parents, nor did I orchestrate false reviewsI simply shared my experience. If Auto Trends believes my claims are false, I invite them to provide actual evidence proving otherwise, rather than deflecting from the real issue at hand. I have receipts, expert assessments, and documentation, including photos and videos, to back up my claims and am fully prepared to escalate this matter legally.
  
  

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *****
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/17/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  1 called auto trends 11/16/22 for car window tints. I was given the price and headed over there to have them done after work. While I was there I asked the guy about rims and he showed me a set I liked and quoted me the price of $1,900 | told him (sales person) I was headed to ******* for my bday but I wanted them as a birthday gift to me. He asked me to leave a deposit of $400 toward the rims and he could do them in a few days.. I was at the shop for almost 2 hours. I called my brother to ensure I was getting quality rims for that price. My brother spoke to the guy and asked him if he could paint my calipers red order my *** center caps and add a sports strip to the from window of my car. The guy said to me I'm gonna hook you up for bringing me $1,900 in cash. He told me he usually charges $300 to paint calipers but he would do it complimentary for me and add the sports strip at no charge. I was extremely happy my car was gonna look good. The guys got done with my car and when I was getting in I notice all my sensor lights were on, I asked him why are all my lights on? He said they left my car running while installing the tints but just let it run and they would go off... I said ok but the very next day I had to jump my car. He texted me 11/17 telling me they can do the rims I wanted the calipers painted caps everything but he said he was getting me new tires etc.. Since I wasn't prepared to get the rims done the very next day I told him I would leave the car, he told me he had to take it to ***** to have it installed. I went to my appointment came back an hour later his shop was closed. I texted him and he apologized saying sorry it was taking so long. The tires had a hole my battery was drained I had to pay for a new battery cost me over $800 and *** said they won't pass inspection with the tints so I have to remove them. Both owners are liars and they will not answer the phone unless I call from another number