I feel used and abused....

Jngrbrdman

Jngrbrdman

New member
I have got the schedule from hell. I seriously do. My wife has a 10 hour shift that she works from 12:30 till 11 and has Tuesday - Thursday off. So I work longer days in the middle of the week and short Mondays and Fridays. We do this because we have zero family here in Utah and we don't know anyone else who can watch Erik for us. It works out well this way because we both get to spend a lot of quality time with our son. However, the downside is that I really have to juggle stuff around to get any time for detailing. I have a really good friend that I trust to watch Erik while I'm out in the garage working on a car, so that is usually how we swing it.

I've got a car show in less than a month and I have been trying to find the time to work on my car every chance I get. I still need another coat of WG and a layer of carnauba before the big day. I've got the interior to work on and the engine and a couple other things. I don't really have much time for other cars right now. Well, I get home today on my short day and decide to wash my car and maybe get a coat of WG on it while Erik is taking a nap. As soon as I start unwinding the hose to get going, my land lord's wife rolls up and wants her car done. They never pay me for it and figure that I have nothing better to do than wash their car. They don't just want it washed either. They need the whole nine yards done. It hasn't been touched since I did it back in like October. They are never sensitive to the weather outside or my schedule. They act like it is almost something I owe them for the privlege of renting my house from them.

So I blow her off and tell her that I won't have time to do it today and I may have time on Friday, but I don't know. I don't work for free for people who never wash or clean their cars between visits. If they want some pro bono work then they have to show me that they appreciate the work I do by keeping their cars respectably clean between details. I don't mind helping people out, but I hate to be used like that. I'm not the neighborhood car washer. :angry

Anyone else have neighbors who think you just do this for fun and don't have anything else to do but wash their cars for free? I do this because I am sick and obsessive about clean cars. I spent a boat load of money on my car (relatively speaking) and I'll be damned if it is going to be ruined simply because I am too lazy to wash it. Maybe other people don't see that they sunk a huge amount of money into their cars and don't care if they ever see any of that investment again, but I sure do and I hate working on cars for people who don't feel the same way. If they had to pay for the work then maybe they would take better care to keep it clean so they didn't have to pay that again. I swear.... people like this should be charged twice as much because it is usually twice as much work. Bahhh!! I'm so bent right now. I don't even feel like I can go out into my garage for fear that someone else is going to come over and try to mooch off of me. :grrr

Sorry..... I just had to vent and get that off my chest.
 
In my previous neighborhood I had a neighbor who would come out every time I was detailing my SUV and comment how good it looked and how horrible her car looked. I would usually just politely smile and make small talk. She finally asked me if I could take a look at her black BMW 540i.

She never parked it in her garage and had it washed at the local car wash. I detailed it for free as a nice neighbor. Took me about 7 hours. I instructed her how to care for the paint and what products to purchase. Needless to say, she would still come out every weekend when I was working on my SUV and ask me if I could wash hers. I finally had to tell her that I did not have time to work on her car. She was hurt and rarely spoke to me after that. Oh well.
 
Yup. I figure that if I lose a customer who has never once refered me to anyone in the two years that I have lived here and has never paid a dime for a detail, then I'm not really losing much. If I thought it would matter then I would probably do it, but I have floated them several freebies and I haven't even gotten so much as 5 bucks knocked off my rent since I moved in. Its still like pulling teeth to get anything fixed around here too. They just aren't deserving of any more freebies. They aren't really deserving of the 'good buddy' discount. I just hate freeloaders....
 
It really amazes me that people can be that crass. To just flat out ask you to wash their vehicle seems totally out of line.
Several of my wifes friends have made comments to her about how good our vehicles look and have asked in a more or less joking manner if I would do theirs. My usual answer, "You mow my lawn, I'll wash your car". Haven't had any takers yet.

Charles
 
I don't think it would have roasted me so much if she hadn't pulled up in my driveway as soon as I got out the bucket. Then she just rolls down her window and waits for me to come over. I dunno... Maybe I should feel privleged to wash her car or something. I asked them if I could change something on the inside of the house once. It was something stupid like permission to put up some curtains. She flat out denied me. Now, that doesn't seem like the way you should treat someone if you are trying to get freebies out of them. I finally said screw it and hung the curtains anyway. lol

I think we live in the land of something for nothing. They get something and we get nothing. I hope that I haven't ever come off that way to anybody. I've never asked to borrow so much as a wrench without offering to help out somewhere along the line. Bad karma like this can follow one around for a really long time. Karma doesn't like a mooch.
 
That's pretty obnoxious of someone to keep coming to you for detailing without offering any compensation at all. Detailing is a real luxury, there's no need to have a spotless car (to the common person of course). I think people need to pay for that or do it themselves. It's one thing to help a neighbor get their car running, fix their computer, or watch their pets for them while they are vacation or something like that, but I really don't see how anyone can expect a neighbor to whip out the wash bucket and slave away on their vehicle for them simply because they like it to look nice.

In conclusion, cut her brakelines while you "detail" her car and I'm sure you won't ever have to worry about it again.
 
Maybe you ought to try the approach of... well, you know, I charge, and tell them how much, for doing a full detail like I did on your car before. Then go on to say that you just got a brilliant idea... you'll detail their car for them once a month for that amount and rather than them paying you directly, they can simply deduct it from your rent!

That would be a polite way of letting them know you don't work for free and at the same time, making apoint. Since they are unlikely to take you up on it, they will also likely not bother you with it again either. If they do, you can always remind them of the offer you made them before and that it still goes.
 
Wow that really sucks!!!!!!!! Just so you know not all people are like that. I know you are trying to be a nice person and some day it will pay for you. Just this last weekend my old neighbor stopped by. They lived in the house next to us for 10 + years. I have helped them out a lot over the years, and they have helped us out too. They dropped off a gift certificate for a one night stay at a very nice hotel and water park. Its not even the amount of money it is the thought. I am still in shock. I am not saying that will happen to you with your land lord, but maybe some day down the road some one else might treat you right.
 
Hey Jngrbrdman,

Feel you pain bro. Maybe you could politely tell your landlord you'll be more than happy to detail her car, but you just need to cover your materials cost. Then when she gets all giddy and asks how much that will be, simply smile and throw her a full retail price ($75, $150, whatever.)

When her smile turns into a confused scowl, just keep smilin'.

I dunno. Tough nut to crack:dunno

Good luck with it all. BTW, happy belated father's day, you definately sound like on heck of a dedicated Dad.

Regards,
Mike R
 
That does not sound like a good situation. I hope you enjoy your rent increase next year. :wait Seriously, next time she pulls up, you may want to pull out your cell phone and just walk away.
 
I've had this happen by someone who has asked on more than one occasion. This is a friend of my father's and a person who really took advantage of me when I was a teenager. I agreed to put a fence up for them and after a week's work ended up getting nothing out of the job (it's been 25 years but I still remember). I know that they have no intention of paying anything for my work and they don't take care of their car to begin with. This is a person who usually doesn't have the time to say hi to me unless they need something. I just smile and say I can be had but I'm not cheap. The trick here is to do it without actually looking at the person (just keep working). When they realize that they may have to blow the cob webs off of their wallet they stop and think about what they may be asking. It doesn't go any further than this.
 
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Well, I took the proactive approach to this problem today to get it all sorted out. I arranged for them to have their cars stolen. :naughty That is two less vehicles that I have to worry about detailing. (Insert wicked smiley here) ;)

I think I'm just going to have to explain to them that i've got enough paying customers right now that I simply don't have time for the freebies. If they want to make an appointment and get a quote then that would be cool, but I just don't have the time right now. My priorities have shifted a bit since I moved into this house and I don't have the tons of free time that I used to have.

I appreciate the advice and the stories. Its nice to know that its not just me. Sometimes I feel like I am just the nice guy that gets taken advantage of all the time. I try to be nice and do my good deed every now and then, but business is business. I can't afford to give away the shop at the expense of losing other business or neglecting my boy. I would much rather be playing with my super genius baby than detailing a neighbor's car for free. :)
 
A "Business is Business" story. Pertains to buying parts from a friend that owns a motorcycle dealership.
Me to friend: How much for that part?
Friend to parts manager: What's our cost on that?
Parts manager: Cost?
Friend: Yeah, cost.
Parts manager: $50
Friend to me: $50 + $5 for the freight.
Parts manager: I said it cost $50
Friend: Charles is a friend.
Parts manager: (Very sarcastic tone) Don't do much business with your enemies.

That exchange was 20 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday.
That parts manager was 100% right and I respected him for saying it. After my friend gave it some thought, he agreed with it, too.
If you are in business, you really need to get some return for your time, product, and knowledge from everyone you do business with.

Charles
 
Hi Jingerbinger;

Maybe it's my sparking personality, or boyish charm; but people hardly ever ask me for favors like that.

The last one that did, and this was years ago, got a "Are you out of your F****ng mind??!!" response. (I hardly ever use bad language, in spite of my unapproachable demeanor).

Try being a bit 'less nice'. The word gets around.
 
:yeah that or ask them if you can call them at work so that they can come help you with some projects around your house:nono answer will of course be no and say well that's what you're asking me to do:dunno
 
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