dealing with a cheapscate

bigron62

bigron62

New member
I have a customer that is a nice guy but he's getting to be a pain in the butt. when i did his s10 truck the first time full detail. i knocked off 50 bucks . because he wanted to make sure i did a good job .. ok he loved it and im HIS DETAIL GUY.. ok now i wash the truck for him and heres what i do on a wash .. wash,chamois dry,clean door jambs,clean wheels and tires,tire dressing,windows inside &out, vacuum,wipe interior,apply dressing to dash.$30..00 for small p.u. truck .. now hes sniveling that he wants all int and ext trim dressed . and im gonna stand my ground ., hes a nice guy but im not running a tiauana flea market here . and doing all that dressing with a wash is time consuming . how much extra would you charge him and how do handle bargain hunters without being rude. after all i like him and all my customers are valuable to me ..
 
You said it. Stand your ground. If you keep caving in he'll whittle you down to nothing then tell all his friends the deal he got so you're working for nothing. Okay I exaggerate a little but you get the point. Tell him, "Sorry but the price I gave you does not include dressing the interior. I can sell you dressing you can apply yourself after I wash your truck or I can charge you ____ to include it with the wash." He'll get the same response from everywhere including car washes so don't feel bad. It will also convince him you are a true professional with standards. If he leaves, so be it, another guy happy to pay for pro results will come along to replace him.
 
Try to get a flyer and have it in writing......And you can tell all the stuff you do for no-charge for him and how you knock'd the price down just for him...
jeff
 
I have brouchures and everything i listed is on the wash package. i told him to look at his brouchure. you know my customers that dont pester me always get way more than i charge for on maintenance work .. if they soil the mats i usually extract them for free , or a spot on the carpet . i appreciate theyre buisness very much . if he didnt pester me for extras id probably do it without him asking . but i have to agree that if i dont stop it now he will tell everyone my prices are negotiable and they are not most of the time . unless im a little slow or want to try a new product or service then i make it a learning experience . and i tell them ill do this process to see what it looks like ...:headbang :angry :car :doubleduc :ranton :ranton
 
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I charge based simply on how long I think it will take me, and I charge $30 an hour. Sure, there are cheaper detailers in the area, and sure, some of them might get your car in and out quicker. However, I ask them if they would rather have a company that prides itself on the number of cars they get through a day, or a amn that takes the car as if it were his own and works till he is satisfied.

It sells like a charm.
 
Stand firm, I would have charged 30 just for wash, tires, wheelwells, dress tires, chamois, jams, vac and windows. When I have to start dressing interior peices I might as well call it an interior job on a small truck.
 
I agree with standing your ground, however if he is a regular customer, and you're there every week @ $30.00 each I gotta ask just how dirty does the dash really get and how much time would it really be to compromise and wipe down the interior and dress the dash?? It's been my experience that in a weeks time, usually just a light wiping with a damp towel is all that's really needed to spiff up the interior, and if your packages are set, you need not worry about him telling a friend or two about the great service you do. Think about how much damage it could do if he spread the word to his friends that you were a crappy detailer (not calling you one, just making a point). Look at my tag line below... "A happy customer tells a friend, an unhappy one tells many" think about it -- when you got a little pissed at someone or something, how many people did you tell; and how many did you tell when a cashier gave you change for a $20 when you only gave them a $10?? I also ask you to ask yourself is he really worth the effort... I mean is he the only wash at this location and are you dependent upon his $$ to keep you going?? Maybe a little arrogance might be good -- i.e. what if you just tell him "this is what I charge take it or leave it?" Will the loss of this client adversly effect your business and are you willing to take that risk??

Maybe give him a supper sweet deal he can't refuse -- tell him if he refers two friends for complete details, you'll thow him a free wash including the dressing -- or if he gets two others signed up for weekly wash services at the same place as him, you'll throw in the dressing each week (provided he keeps his mouth shut about it). He might just think he's getting a great deal and will push your business to more folks than ya think, and you get some cheap advertising, or he might just look for a different detailer. Either way it's been my experience that this form of subliminal marketing seems to work great. :)
 
the deal is this guy is kind of regular .. when he shows up the truck is pretty thrashed. then he wants it to look like it did when i did a full detail .. hes a cool guy but i think standing my ground is good for our relationship . its better to nip this in the bud ..i treat all my customers great but they have to respect that being friendly doesnt mean free work .. thanks for the input Dr- if he was a weekly customer it would be no prob. i would probably wax a panel every week and keep it looking super .just for being a loyal customer. maybe i need to grow a mullet ..EVERYONE RESPECTS THE MULLET :lmfao :yeah :bow :naughty :bigscream:fuzz
 
Tassadar said:
I charge based simply on how long I think it will take me, and I charge $30 an hour. Sure, there are cheaper detailers in the area, and sure, some of them might get your car in and out quicker. However, I ask them if they would rather have a company that prides itself on the number of cars they get through a day, or a amn that takes the car as if it were his own and works till he is satisfied.

It sells like a charm.
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:bowthats good, may i steal it?
 
we need to unionize ...D.C. local 7424..no more jippo detailing.. repair shops are getting $75.00 hr to work on the motor and we got guys restoring interiors and paint for sometimes less than $10.00 hr ..POWER TO THE PEOPLE .. ok i got carried away but we need to quit letting people think of us as carwashers ... we do things to vehicles that not many know how to do ..and by the way my customer did the rest of the dressing on his own and thats ok with me .. if he comes back great if not thats ok too
 
:nono Don't laugh, a couple of New Car dealerships in San Francisco the detailers/car preppers ARE unionized and part of the local Teamsters.
 
bigron62, nip this crap in the bud! The are 200+million people in the USA, if this guy can't find an extra $15, you can always be appreciated and propoerly renumerated by the remaining 199,999,999 people.

These bastards use the "I'm your best mate" routine and before you know it they're eating your lunch and knocking on your bedroom door (maybe not), but yeah, nip it in the bud :)

This guy keeps coming to you because he can't keep his act together and respect the interior of the truck, and loves result you get from all your hard yards. Put your hand out and be proud, ask him if he'd do the same job for $30.00 and his response will be a tirade of four-letter words, point made.

I'm getting $35.00 for just my wash, chamoi, vacuum, fragrance, glass, & tyres package for a sedan. Takes an hour and pays my mortgage in spades.

Keep us posted!!!
 
Unfortunately sometimes in life when you are being a nice guy, people just tend to take advantage of you and screw you over. :wait
 
Your call but, does he negotiate the price of a loaf of bread?
You have set a price, people should either pay that price or else find someone they can afford.

When I was in equipment sales I once told a multi-millionaire that was complaining about the price of a $600 item that we could look around for something used that he might be better able to afford. Got a dirty look, but also got the order. :D

Charles
 
hans that sounds great and i dont lower my prices on a regular basis .. he was one of my first customers and in a small town you have to get the trust and respect of your customer base so i did it to GET SOME CASH COMING IN. i had just purchased a $1300.00 extractor and i charged it so payments must be made .. that was then .. now i have quite a few very satisfied customers .and references to go by .. i stand by my decision to give a discount and now he knows the honeymoon is over and its full price or find someone else.. bottom line is if someone asked for a discount NOW to see if i do good work i would say NO
 
bigron62 said:
I have a customer that is a nice guy but he's getting to be a pain in the butt. when i did his s10 truck the first time full detail. i knocked off 50 bucks . because he wanted to make sure i did a good job .. ok he loved it and im HIS DETAIL GUY.. ok now i wash the truck for him and heres what i do on a wash .. wash,chamois dry,clean door jambs,clean wheels and tires,tire dressing,windows inside &out, vacuum,wipe interior,apply dressing to dash.$30..00 for small p.u. truck .. now hes sniveling that he wants all int and ext trim dressed . and im gonna stand my ground ., hes a nice guy but im not running a tiauana flea market here . and doing all that dressing with a wash is time consuming . how much extra would you charge him and how do handle bargain hunters without being rude. after all i like him and all my customers are valuable to me ..
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Tell him that you are providing a service, you're not his servant. Stand your ground.
 
Just do what my landscaper does - when I balk at prices he says "hey I like you, you should see how much I charge customers I don't like!"
 
groebuck said:
Just do what my landscaper does - when I balk at prices he says "hey I like you, you should see how much I charge customers I don't like!"
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What a fantastic quote Groebuck! :lmfao



I think ill actually put that in my arsenal of 'counter comments' when dealing with people who question the price.

good stuff.

:D:lmfao
 
Good advice, but it is simple as you get what you pay for, or in some cases, what you do not! I have too many customers at the dealership I work for that seem to think a full recon should only take 1/2 an hour and cost 10 bucks!!:angry
 
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