Customers that touch your towels

Shaun Carollo

Shaun Carollo

Slave to Swirls
What is the most polite way of telling somebody that your towels are special, have a special purpose, and are not to be used for anything other then that one purpose. I have been running into customers lately that pick up a towel of mine and use it for whatever.

Thanks,
Shaun
 
I could care less if they touch my Multi-Purpose MF's, but my clean ones for wondows and paint stay in a plastic container until I need to grab one of 'em :)
 
Same thing I tell kids who play "tight rope walking" on curbs and use my car as a balance.

If you touch it again, the monster will come and eat you.
 
Personally, I wouldn't really want customers hovering over me the whole time I am working on their car, but I understand you can't always have them leave when working on their vehicle. I'd just politely say something to the effect that those are the "tools of your trade" and serve certain purposes. Mention that they are not for general towel use. I'd probably go so far as to politley ask customers to not touch any of my supplies.
 
I've been that customer who lingers around while someone works. Just recently my usual tint guy came to put tints on my car. Although he always does great work, Im sure he wasnt fond of me standing around pointing out bubbles he was probably gonna remove next...

Weird being on the opposite end.
 
joyriide1113 said:
I've been that customer who lingers around while someone works. Just recently my usual tint guy came to put tints on my car. Although he always does great work, Im sure he wasnt fond of me standing around pointing out bubbles he was probably gonna remove next...

Weird being on the opposite end.
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I'm the same way. My truck never goes to the shop without me being right on top of them while they work. I just don't trust grease monkeys, what can I say? :D

It's going to be hell having to leave it at the body shop for a week -- I'll probably check in a few times a day to see what's up!!
 
With the expection of this last weekend I've never had a customer in my shop while I was working on their cars...I run a pickup and delivery
 
I keep my clean ones in some sort of reseable container (clear plastc tub) i just out the lid on so no-one touches them. I then have the dirty ones in a pastic bag so if there so inclided to play with somehting its gonna be dirty so its not a big deal. If i were you i would spend the 10 bucks and get a plastic tub.
 
I have all mine stacked on a shelf according to what they are for....then while I'm working on cars I have two plastic tubs on the floor one for MF and the other for used applicator pads and PC/rotary pads
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
I'm the same way. My truck never goes to the shop without me being right on top of them while they work. I just don't trust grease monkeys, what can I say? :D

It's going to be hell having to leave it at the body shop for a week -- I'll probably check in a few times a day to see what's up!!
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grease monkeys havent heard that in years have you looked under your hood lately were now called auto techs if you dont trust the person working on your car you should find someone you do or do it yourself
 
Ive had it happen, you look up and their wiping down the house with one, or cleaning a dirty bucket or somthing.

But what I really get annoyed at, is when my dad comes out to see how the cars lookin. He will take out his "hanky" (yes he still has one, ive been trying to get him to loose them, but its hard teaching an old dog new tricks I guess.) and start wiping of a spot that i already did.
 
MrRogue said:
Ive had it happen, you look up and their wiping down the house with one, or cleaning a dirty bucket or somthing.

But what I really get annoyed at, is when my dad comes out to see how the cars lookin. He will take out his "hanky" (yes he still has one, ive been trying to get him to loose them, but its hard teaching an old dog new tricks I guess.) and start wiping of a spot that i already did.
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Ive seen him do that lol.

Greg
 
mike jeep said:
grease monkeys havent heard that in years have you looked under your hood lately were now called auto techs if you dont trust the person working on your car you should find someone you do or do it yourself
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Holy run-on sentence, batman!!

You can over-glorify mechanics and play symantics games all you want, but I still don't trust anyone other than myself around my cars. And for your information, yes, I do quite a bit of work myself and "look under my hood lately." :boot
 
If one of my customers touch one of my towels while I'm working on their car. I tell them that they just bought the towel at full retail and that I'll add it to the bill...hehehe

j/k :D


Seriously though I try not to have any loose micro fiber towels around for the customer to pick-up or drop on the floor. Usually the only towel around is the towel in my hand or pocket. :)

With Aloha,
Ranney :)
 
mike jeep said:
grease monkeys havent heard that in years have you looked under your hood lately were now called auto techs if you dont trust the person working on your car you should find someone you do or do it yourself
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Shiny Lil Detlr said:
Holy run-on sentence, batman!!

You can over-glorify mechanics and play symantics games all you want, but I still don't trust anyone other than myself around my cars. And for your information, yes, I do quite a bit of work myself and "look under my hood lately." :boot
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The worst place for your car is the shop. Almost every time my car goes in for work or maintenance there is something that the "grease monkeys" do to my car that I have to repair after. There is no sense in bringing it back to get them to repair the scratch or marring or whatever the clowns have done this time. They will make it worse. 99.999% of the population, including the "grease monkeys" and other employees at the shop, just don't care about cars and detailing like I do or people on forums like DC do. They think we are nuts and just don't understand why marks on my car that I can only see in certain lite and angles bother me. I have no patience to explain it to them nor do I feel the need. The solution is to do as much work as I can myself and minimize my trips to the shop.
 
Anthony A said:
The worst place for your car is the shop. Almost every time my car goes in for work or maintenance there is something that the "grease monkeys" do to my car that I have to repair after. There is no sense in bringing it back to get them to repair the scratch or marring or whatever the clowns have done this time. They will make it worse. 99.999% of the population, including the "grease monkeys" and other employees at the shop, just don't care about cars and detailing like I do or people on forums like DC do. They think we are nuts and just don't understand why marks on my car that I can only see in certain lite and angles bother me. I have no patience to explain it to them nor do I feel the need. The solution is to do as much work as I can myself and minimize my trips to the shop.
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We "grease monkeys" don't call detailers shine boy. The reason we would rather be called technicians is because most of us have training beyond high school auto shop. I personally have a bachelors degree in automotive technology.
 
vwgtivw said:
We "grease monkeys" don't call detailers shine boy. The reason we would rather be called technicians is because most of us have training beyond high school auto shop. I personally have a bachelors degree in automotive technology.
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Tell that to the rest of your industry. I don't care if you had a PhD in doing an oil change, if you're a slob about your work, I'm not going to trust you anywhere near my ride. Education means pretty much nothing if there isn't some pride in workmanship and care about the customer's property to go along with it. That pride and care are the whole problem I have with mechanics.
 
back on subject: if you catch a customer grabbing a towel, just sorta grin and trade them the good one for a rag. Just, in a positive way, tell them that what they have is for a special purpose and isn't an everyday rag. They'll take the hint.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
Tell that to the rest of your industry. I don't care if you had a PhD in doing an oil change, if you're a slob about your work, I'm not going to trust you anywhere near my ride. Education means pretty much nothing if there isn't some pride in workmanship and care about the customer's property to go along with it. That pride and care are the whole problem I have with mechanics.
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Yeah, I'm not knocking the obvious mechanical skills these people have and I lack. There work ethic and inability to treat my vehicle with respect is my problem with them. So in frustration I use a derogatory term like grease monkey but it is not a knock at their training or skills.
 
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