Guaranteeing your work , what do you think?

[C. Charles Hahn]

Hey Scott,



So far, I have not had any referrals that have been trashed. However, if I did get a referral that was trashed and I didn't think I would be happy with the outcome of my work, then yes, I would refuse to do the work.

Is it smarter to 'refuse' to do the work, or just issue a quote that is totally outrageous? I'd think the latter -- at least if the person still bit and had you do the work, you'd be making a hell of alot more $$ for it. Just make it clear that the price would be substantially less if their vehicle wasn't trashed, or if they bring it back to you after it has been given a good restoration.



If a referral goes back and says "he refused to work on my car" you run the risk of losing the regular customer who you DO detail for. However, if they go back and say "he quoted me a really high price, but said it was because of the condition of my car" the regular customer could say "well your car really is trashed; I don't blame him for quoting high" -- make it so it isn't your fault that you didn't do the work.

 

[Scottwax]

Hey Scott,



So far, I have not had any referrals that have been trashed. However, if I did get a referral that was trashed and I didn't think I would be happy with the outcome of my work, then yes, I would refuse to do the work.

The problem I run into occasionally is at office complexes. I'll detail the boss's car and then the employees want their's done as well. Every once in a while, you get an employee who is a complete pig (like the owner of that Cavalier I did a while back) who wants their car cleaned as well.



I'm not going to risk losing a large customer base over one nasty car. I do go over the car with that person and show them what will come out nice and what won't. I intentionally under-estimate what cannot be corrected so when I finish the car looks better than they expected. Obviously, if the car is completely beyond hope, I do what I can to discourage them from wasting their money and usually in that case, they will agree after I go over their car. The other employees know who the slob is because they won't ride in that person's car and they understand why I can't make that particular car look like their car does.



If someone out of the blue calls with a real pile of

car, then I have more options since I don't risk offending the person who referred them. In that case, like Shiny Lil Detlr does, I can quote a real high price and also tell them I personally feel it isn't worth the money but I have to charge for the extra time even if the car doesn't turn out well. That is almost always enough to discourage them.

 

[safetyman2010]

I don't really offer any guarantees. I do a thorough inspection of the vehicle beforehand and let the owner know if there are any problems areas that I might not be able to bring back to like new condition. I think if you are honest up front with the customer about what can and what cannot be corrected, when you finish with the work they will be satisfied.



I also ask the customer to completely inspect the vehicle when I finish so if I missed anything, I can take care of it before I leave. I've only had one instance in more than 10 years full time where someone wanted their money back...and I should have known he was trouble when I first talked to him.

I agree. I have so few problems that it really isn't an issue but if you have a 100% satisfaction guarantee than you are opening doors to any idiot that wants to say "it's a good job but I am not completely satisfied". What then? You continue working? For free? Until the customer feels they are "satisfied"? That's crazy and bad business practice IMHO. If you are a competant detailer and do a thorough pre-inspection of the vehicle, understand the customer's expectations up front and explain what can be accomplished with the vehicle beforehand I really see no reason for a "guarantee". Put that on your literature and sooner or later I "guarantee" some idiot will use it against you whether you did a good job or not.

 

[6']['9]

I agree. I have so few problems that it really isn't an issue but if you have a 100% satisfaction guarantee than you are opening doors to any idiot that wants to say "it's a good job but I am not completely satisfied". What then? You continue working? For free? Until the customer feels they are "satisfied"? That's crazy and bad business practice IMHO. If you are a competant detailer and do a thorough pre-inspection of the vehicle, understand the customer's expectations up front and explain what can be accomplished with the vehicle beforehand I really see no reason for a "guarantee". Put that on your literature and sooner or later I "guarantee" some idiot will use it against you whether you did a good job or not.

good idea thanks!

 

[ptownTSI]

I could definitely tell a customer that my work is "guaranteed". if they dont like it, i still "guarantee" its good.