Has this happened to you?

I

imported_rydawg1

New member
I am sure this has happened to a lot of us pro detailers!



Well this morning I see this guy and I notice he just washed his nice new Dodge pick-up truck (nice charcoal color). I go over to him and tell him that I detail highline and new vehicles and I will make his truck shine and glow like he has never seen before!!! He then replies he has a detail shop that only charges him $100 to detail it and it was just done last week and I doubt you can make it look better than this. I notice it looked good for just being washed, but I can see some major swirl marks and buffer marks all over it and also notice that the remaining water on it is barely beeding. I tell him nicely that I will not leave any of those marks and the truck will be flawless when I am done,and also the truck will bead heavily! He then says rudely," the detail shop that does this is the best and have been in business for 20 years and they said the buffer marks are normal for darker colors and it would be an extra $50 for a coat of filler glaze to hide them.



I tell him all about myself and what makes me better then most and tell him that I am more of a enthusiest detailer and I take extreme pride in my work and I am extremely confident in what I can do and I have been doing it off and on for 15 years plus and the products that I use are the best I have tried to date. He then replies," If you can do it cheaper than $99 in and out than you can do it, but my detail guy said that they are there for life and I just have to use a real thick wax to cover them up". He has been in business for 20 years and he is the best and I believe him over you...PERIOD! Plus my detailer has the best polishes around and they have the wax built right into them... I just started laughing hard and walked away. Plus wax is wax and it all comes from the same place!



What a jerk he was! His wife was in the passenger seat laughing and he felt like a man. He was all proud of himself on his misinformation that he was taught and will go on with the filler glaze and wax story for life! Damn hack detailer shop! But all in all you get what you pay for and atleast the interior came out good!:sadwavey:



If only I had my Jeep to show him the work I do! His jaw would have dropped! Oh well...next! I love this business:grinno:



Let's here some stories guys!
 
At that point, being the type that loves to argue and prove people wrong, I would have offered to stop by any time and prove to him free of charge how I could get those swirls out on a panel or small section of his truck.
 
MaximusZTS said:
You should have told him that you would polish out his hood for free. Then you could have put him in his place.
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OH BOY! I did that once to a fender of some guy that had to see to believe it and he was happy as could be and I had an appointment the next day for his car. The next day his wife called me up and said she was going to sue me for doing that to her fender and that they did not have the money to finish it and if I could not match the rest of the car she was going to take pics and take me to court. We bickered back and forth and I ended up doing just the exterior for $50 for a settlement in full. I was so mad and should have just said go fly a kite. But I did it anyway and the funny part was I landed a couple of jobs from them that I did make some great money from. I knew they were broke and told her that I will give her $25 referral fee and she kept her word. So in reality she got paid $75 on a $50 job and she made out $25 in the end. I was glad it ended up that way, but I learned the hard way to not touch anyones vehicle unless they are willing to pay and have an appointment. I got lucky in the end and it all worked out.



People are tough around here! Word of mouth is the best!



I am getting a pice of a hood at a junk yard that I will have a side by side comparison. It will be a 2x2 sheet with rubber gromet on the edges to protect from sharp edges! I did this years ago and it worked.
 
I told him to come by my shop anyway but who knows. I just hate negative people and mr. know it alls. It just really bothers me cause I always close a sale and this guy had to be a big tough guy in front of his wife and there was no changing him.



At first I told him I admired his truck and the color of it. His reply was," You should, it's a real hemi and only real men can handle one of these machines. He then laughed like an idiot with a deep deep voice.



In my mind I was thinking,"what a loser this guy is"...
 
Your approach might have had something to do with it.



You came up and basically let him know all the money he's spent was a total waste because he hasn't utilized your services.



Does he know what he's talking about NO, does he still have swirls in his truck YES, can you make his truck look better then new with no swirls YES, but he'll always think you're just trying to make a buck off of him because of your salesmen like approach.



No offense, just a little constructive critisism.
 
rydawg said:
I told him to come by my shop anyway but who knows. I just hate negative people and mr. know it alls. It just really bothers me cause I always close a sale and this guy had to be a big tough guy in front of his wife and there was no changing him.



At first I told him I admired his truck and the color of it. His reply was," You should, it's a real hemi and only real men can handle one of these machines. He then laughed like an idiot with a deep deep voice.



In my mind I was thinking,"what a loser this guy is"...
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That's when you ask him what a "hemi" is?? and see what he says.:confused:
 
I have done this quite a few times.

All i do is walk to the person and say "hey, nice truck/car, you ever want those swirl marks and scratches removed and not covered up plus have a shine like you have never seen before give me a call".

Then i hand them my buisness card and walk away.



Thats just the *jist* of what i say, its a always a little different.





That whole thing with that lady wanting to sue you is stupid. The owner of the car agreed to you doing that, they had nothing on you. At least you got some work out of it.
 
Sounds like the guy who asked me if I could handle his 'special paint' on his Cadillac. I casually pulled out my photo album and showed him some of the really high end stuff I do (Rolls, Bentley, Lamborghini) and his jaw dropped to the ground!
 
I first started talking to him and I told him how I had admired his truck and how I loved the color and what great paint they have. Then we were talking a bunch about trucks and he was very cocky and arogent from the start,but I was just pleasant and humble. Maybe he felt threatened with his girl being right there or something. He was definatlely on something...that's for sure!



It was probably only a lease and not even his to own. He did say that he was very good friends with his detailer and maybe that was it also.



I was gonna ask him what a hemi was, but I was not even gonna go there!!! It would have been fun though. If his girl was not there I am sure it would have been a lot more different. Some guys are just like that.



Oh well, my new house is not even set up for detailing yet anyway. I am working on getting heat.



Thanks for the responses guys. Does anyone have any similar stories? I would love to hear them.
 
Scottwax said:
Sounds like the guy who asked me if I could handle his 'special paint' on his Cadillac. I casually pulled out my photo album and showed him some of the really high end stuff I do (Rolls, Bentley, Lamborghini) and his jaw dropped to the ground!
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That's funny scott! I have had some customers like that in the past. Some people think that there ordinary car has this special paint that only a dealer that they bought it from can fix it and that's it.



I am sure you have run into some odd balls with all the cars that you do.



I have to start taking more pics and building a fortfolio like I did in the past. I have been out of the full time detailing for years cause I started a used car dealership. Spring I am going into detailing full time. My old customers are very happy:clap: :woohoo:
 
I did work for a guy with a bunch of Ferraris and Porsches a couple years back. He was one of those customers who would call up and say he wanted a wash and wax on a Saturday and then when I showed up ask if I wouldn't mind doing 5 or 6 other cars.



He claimed to know all there was about detailing, I had noticed that his Enzo had almost no traces of wax or sealant. I asked him if he wanted me to prep the paint and apply a sealant in order to help protect his paint. He then informed me that I was trying to jip him out of many because wax and sealants are all the same thing and that calling it a sealant was just a way of charging more for the same product.



I worked for him a few times and then we had a less than amicable difference of opinions and I told him that he should probably find another detailer.
 
When I first started detailing, the dealership I worked for used to really beef up the "Perma Plate" contracts. They would call it a "special finish" and that the customer should only take it to the dealerships body shop for detail work.



At the time the dealership was paying $50 for each Perma Plate contract, getting the product for free, and charging over $700 for the service. When you charge $700 for a service that takes 30 minutes to apply, you have to call it "Special".



This could be what they are talking about..
 
Allred00535 said:
When I first started detailing, the dealership I worked for used to really beef up the "Perma Plate" contracts. They would call it a "special finish" and that the customer should only take it to the dealerships body shop for detail work.



At the time the dealership was paying $50 for each Perma Plate contract, getting the product for free, and charging over $700 for the service. When you charge $700 for a service that takes 30 minutes to apply, you have to call it "Special".



This could be what they are talking about..
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Now that is crazy!!!



I am too cheap!
 
rydawg said:
OH BOY! I did that once to a fender of some guy that had to see to believe it and he was happy as could be and I had an appointment the next day for his car. The next day his wife called me up and said she was going to sue me for doing that to her fender and that they did not have the money to finish it and if I could not match the rest of the car she was going to take pics and take me to court. We bickered back and forth and I ended up doing just the exterior for $50 for a settlement in full .
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I would have said OK, i will put the buffer swirls back.





For the know it all types, direct them to Autopia.



My lastest story is from yesterday. Lady phones about cleaning her '91 Accord for resale (GULP). After talking to her and describing what should be done, for resale, she just wants a clean interior, with spot shampoo if needed (GULP). 16 years old.



I give her my $ per hour and say around 3 hours. She then says she has had it done for $50 before and it was imacculate, even Armour All'd. She said who did the cleaning, and she got he $50 worth.



I went on to say i was busy for at least a week and gave her a few other numbers to call.



I didn't have the heart to tell her i was resale cleaning an '04 Ram 2500 Diesel for $370.



If she was happy with her $50 clean, so be it.
 
rydawg said:
Now that is crazy!!!



I am too cheap!
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I wonder what they are charging for that nowdays? I know it has dropped a bit. It was a product that guarenteed the paint to keep its "like new" look for something like 7 years or until you sold the vehicle.



They also made it for the interior as well.



I guess it was a smart idea..but somewhat short-lived im assuming.
 
salty said:
My lastest story is from yesterday. Lady phones about cleaning her '91 Accord for resale (GULP). After talking to her and describing what should be done, for resale, she just wants a clean interior, with spot shampoo if needed (GULP). 16 years old.



I give her my $ per hour and say around 3 hours. She then says she has had it done for $50 before and it was imacculate, even Armour All'd. She said who did the cleaning, and she got he $50 worth.



I went on to say i was busy for at least a week and gave her a few other numbers to call.



I didn't have the heart to tell her i was resale cleaning an '04 Ram 2500 Diesel for $370.



If she was happy with her $50 clean, so be it.
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That is exactly why I dropped my yellow page listing. Nothing but interior detail calls for crappy, old cars. That just isn't my market. Let the hackers have the cheapskates.
 
Scottwax said:
That is exactly why I dropped my yellow page listing. Nothing but interior detail calls for crappy, old cars. That just isn't my market. Let the hackers have the cheapskates.
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Ain't that the truth. I really hate doing bad interiors. I am an exterior pro and I specialize in that, but I will freshen up an interior. I do interiors as a bonus package with the exterior. If they only want the interior done it is $100 and up.



I am gonna go out and invest a couple of grand this spring on a steamer and extractor jusy for that. After borrowing my friends steamer a couple years back, I could not believe how handy they are. I steamed all the dirt out of every crack of the interior, took all the old years of dried wax out of cracks, steamed the engine, cleaned the wheels better than anything I have ever used. This was one of the best tools that I have ever used till I found out it was over $1000. Now they are down to $700 and I want one bad!
 
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