first complaint

A

ascarbo27

New member
got my first complaint today. man complaints bite, drops your ego and all.
what are some complaints that youve gotten
 
lol well thats better than mine, they had 3 requests, remove stains from car, remove stain in head line and make tires look like glass.. i hit the spots with cg lightning carpet cleaner but it barely removed. when the cust arrived and saw the tires i asked how glossy exactly and applied 2 coats of tire gel.
 
ascarbo27 said:
lol well thats better than mine, they had 3 requests, remove stains from car, remove stain in head line and make tires look like glass.. i hit the spots with cg lightning carpet cleaner but it barely removed. when the cust arrived and saw the tires i asked how glossy exactly and applied 2 coats of tire gel.
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never guarantee stain removals .. try the best you can is the answer .. stains are stains for a reason .. usually someone too lazy to clean up right in a timely manor or made by something that actually stains the material permanently.. tire shines are in the eyes of the beholder
 
yea i agree i will do that next time. but he is a close friend which sucks. he just wanted those three things done and to have some bad oxidation removed from paint which came out great btw, i just feel like i let him down.
 
Poorboy said:
never guarantee stain removals .. try the best you can is the answer .. stains are stains for a reason .. usually someone too lazy to clean up right in a timely manor or made by something that actually stains the material permanently.. tire shines are in the eyes of the beholder
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Yes, Under promise, over deliver.

Stains are tricky, definitely not something I`d guarantee to remove.

Don`t beat yourself up, it`s constructive criticism. It WILL make you better in the long run.
 
Its a close friend you said - then you got - FeedBack - Learn from it.. :)

Get better products to do the work..

Pay better attention to the Details - never get the wrong product on trim - get product/s specifically for trim -

Are you practicing on your car, your families cars ? This is where you get all your processes/techniques worked out - Before - you go out and start doing this for $$$$...

Hang on...don`t get discouraged...we got your back.... :)
Dan F
 
ascarbo27 said:
lol well thats better than mine, they had 3 requests, remove stains from car, remove stain in head line and make tires look like glass.. i hit the spots with cg lightning carpet cleaner but it barely removed.
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I always warn customers that a stain can be permanent. Scientifically it`s pretty cool, basically the pigment can become part of the porous material. If it`s porous, it can likely be permanently stained (even concrete).

ascarbo27 said:
when the cust arrived and saw the tires i asked how glossy exactly and applied 2 coats of tire gel.
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I think this was a mistake. Most customers for most services just want to pay to get the job done. Waiting for him to arrive to have him tell you exactly how glossy they should be in a way is placing some of the responsibility on the customer. I would have tried to make them as shiny as possible if that`s what he requested. If I miss the mark, I miss the mark and learn or add another product to my arsenal for that special type of customer.

You`re also losing some of the initial shock value you have when the customer arrives. Have you ever heard of the phrase "Food tastes better when someone else makes it"? The same psychology applies here. When you make your own sandwich, your brain is never surprised. You know the ingredients that are going in it and can smell or taste some of the ingredients. There`s no shock value when the sandwich is finished. When you go to a restaurant and order a chicken sandwich, you don`t know exactly howit`s made. So when you take the first bite, you`re experiencing everything for the first time. Studies have shown you`ll think it tastes much better. When your customer arrives, the car should be finished and presented in the best way possible. He should walk into your garage and see glossy tires if that`s what he asked for. The bigger the shock, the better the reaction you`ll receive. If I paid someone to mow my lawn and when I arrived to see the finished lawn they asked me exactly how short they should cut the grass, I would be disappointed.

You can`t win every fight. This experience should make you a better detailer :)
 
thanks for that analogy that really helps me, i never cook which is why the food is always so good ahah. but seriously i am learning, cant beat them all. i have someone thats going to come give me some tips.
 
ascarbo27 said:
thanks guys, what is a better prod for stains? and how do you remove stains from headliners?
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Well, the Best product for headliners for me has always been Meguiars D103 APC+, which unfortunately, has been discontinued some years ago..

Look for a cleaner product that is low-foaming, so it wont need rinsing when cut say, 10:1 in a 35 oz spray bottle = 3.25 oz product

I use this same product for stain removal at more powerful mixture of 4:1 = 7 oz product, in a 35 oz bottle

Perhaps the Optimum product, I think its called Power Clean may fill this requirement?

The process I use is to look at the stain, try to figure out what it is; usually its grease or something where someone got in and touched the headliner..

I lightly spray the stain with my cleaner, let it sit for a minute, then carefully rub it with a soft bristle brush, carefully, just enough to move the cleaner around, and then blot it out with a clean, white, cotton towel.. I brush very carefully to not disturb the fabric weave of the headliner.. you dont want to change the nap of this cloth - ever -

Sometimes, you can lightly rub the spot with the clean white cotton towel and that will help get the stain out..

Steam also helps if used very carefully and then blotted with a clean white cotton towel..

There are carpet specific stain removers that are sold at flooring/carpet cleaning supply stores - the ones that sell those big machines that go in those vans that say - Stanley Steamer uses, etc...

If you ever have a stain that bad to get out - like red kool aid, anything red, etc., the chances of getting it out completely are only in the first few minutes that the product hit the carpeting... After it`s dried and set, it will be pretty much impossible to remove completely... It might be lessened in the amount of color, but some of these things are just not going to come out...

Again, some equipment like steam can help sometimes, but even this wont help every time either...

And you have to be careful with the more powerful stain removers that you dont start removing the color out of the carpet fibers too, ok ??

This is why I keep saying you need to use clean white towels for everything inside and out....
You will LOOK at the towel and see what color is coming off on it... You need to know this at all times...
Dan F
 
Ascarbo27 --

Vega above has great advice that I have been doing for years...

I put the completed vehicle in half of the 2-car garage and close both doors...

All 15 - 4 foot-long shop lights are blazing inside..

I take the Client to the other door that is closed as well, and open it, and they get to see their BABY - all beautifully done all at once - Side views are the best...

They usually let out some exclamation, followed the famous words - "That is NOT, my car ! "
And it Always is.... :)

Good Luck !
Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
Ascarbo27 --

Vega above has great advice that I have been doing for years...

I put the completed vehicle in half of the 2-car garage and close both doors...

All 15 - 4 foot-long shop lights are blazing inside..

I take the Client to the other door that is closed as well, and open it, and they get to see their BABY - all beautifully done all at once - Side views are the best...

They usually let out some exclamation, followed the famous words - "That is NOT, my car ! "
And it Always is.... :)

Good Luck !
Dan F
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Presentation is so important! :) Put that SAME exact car in a normal dirty garage, with bad lighting and I bet you don`t get the same reaction.

JBM said:
Ive never heard that, but that would explain why I like to eat out so much :)
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If you ever want to cook for someone...never tell them what you`re making exactly. Just figure out what they like and make it really good ;) Let`s say they like Mexican food....if you say "ok i`ll make Mexican food" then they`ll be thinking of Mexican food. How it tastes....their favorite Mexican dish.....etc etc. So when you serve them Mexican food, it will be "ok". But if it`s a surprise....and you serve the food and it`s Mexican, it will taste much better to them.

I have no idea why we`re talking about this now but heck...this is Autopia :)
 
it was red stains... dark red, almost like blood but more of a chili color. idk its learning for sure. and i will try what you all said in the future, he says he will just go to another auto mechanic that hes known for 30 yrs and just have him detail it for 200 when i said id do it for free to try it again. cant win em all. gotta pick and choose your battles.
 
Poorboy said:
i was too slow and meticulous ... go figure !!
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Ive had that one before too! I had one guy start yelling at me to stop cleaning his trunk jams that were full of leaves and years of dirt.

Then I had another guy tell me I could have cleaned inside his gas door a little better!;)
 
ascarbo27 said:
it was red stains... dark red, almost like blood but more of a chili color. idk its learning for sure. and i will try what you all said in the future, he says he will just go to another auto mechanic that hes known for 30 yrs and just have him detail it for 200 when i said id do it for free to try it again. cant win em all. gotta pick and choose your battles.
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Red stains rarely come out for me . If its lipstick or crayon give Goo gone a try.
 
I know it will bother you. Learn from it an move on.

I think it was JSmooth that said one of the reasons he`s as good as he is, is that he made mistakes, had to fix em and learned from it. You should see his work. He`s incredible.
 
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