Recently I viewed this video on Youtube. Here a local lumberjack selling firewood in Northern California explains to potential customers what a cord of firewood is, how it should be delivered and stored when purchased. Granted, he is obviously agitated when making this video but he has good intentions.
No doubt he is a professional, and expert in his line of work and like many professionals, he is probably sick and tired of fly-by-night operations, exploiting customers and misrepresenting his industry.
We at ClimatePro feel the same and it’s disheartening when we hear of poor installations, shady business practices and misleading claims coming from other window tinting companies in San Francisco that are so called professionals.
Window tinting has strong ties with the automotive world and many automotive shops believe that, because the skills for cars is similar to applying window tinting to homes or buildings, their services are universal. While technically this is true, they miss the fact that the needs of the customers looking to have their car windows tinted versus their homes and buildings are totally different. They’re looking to make a quick buck without thinking about the consequences to the customer. Window tinting for your home or business, while not expensive, is still an investment, one you should expect to last many years.
Here are 5 things you must know before getting your windows tinted at your home or business.
- In the state of California you must have a California’s Contractor License to install window film in a home or business. In fact, there is a specific license designation just for window tinting and window coverings (CSLB D-52).
- Do not be tricked into putting a deposit down larger than 10% of the project value. We see this all the time by San Francisco tint shops throughout the Bay Area, telling customers they need 50% or more down to even schedule the job.
- Verify the window tinting companies address and phone number. A window tinting contractor who operates out of his pick-up truck will be real tricky to contact if an issue arises. We also see this all the time: window tinting operations are real attentive during the pre-sale process but if there’s any kind of question or problem after the installation, you can never get a hold of them.
- Make sure the window film provided on your estimate is actually used for your installation. Its very easy to take a cheap window film product and slip it into an old used box. In fact, we have even had people steal our old used window film boxes from our dumpster’s in front our shop! If there is any doubt, make the installers stop until they can prove to you that they are using the correct product as advertised.
- Get the warranty. All legitimate professional window film installations will come with a warranty. For homes, all interior installation window tinting should include a lifetime warranty. For commercial buildings, you should expect a 8 – 15 year product warranty.
Like the angry lumberjack, we at ClimatePro want customers to receive the best possible window tinting experience possible, even if you don’t do business with us hopefully these tips will ensure your project goes without a hitch.
