Nightmare customers: lets hear your stories!

N

NCZ13

New member
Im sure all of us have had to deal with at least one nightmare/problem customer. This thread is partially inspired by the thread about the a guy who expected a member from this board to fully detail the car for free, just because he was the most recent person to have detailed it.



Luckily i havent had a real problem customer yet, ive had one flaker, who didnt bother to reply to any of my calls or voicemails, after i confirmed with him in person that he would be at my place at 10 in the morning.



Im in the mood for a good read, so i would love to hear your stories/experiences!
 
I have a few...



1) Client had a 1999 Ford Taurus that she purchased for $1000. It looked it. It had paint chips all over the hood and a big rust spot near the drivers side rear wheel well. The client had an issue with the work and sent her father to threaten me. Nice!



2) Client had a 2004 Lexus SUV in Black that she needed polished before an event. So, she booked an appointment over the phone. I was in the middle of something at the time and could not take down her information and told her to contact me the next day to give me her address and confirm the appointment. Never heard from her again.
 
My customer base over the last year has been a nightmare. I had around 50% of my customers schedule appointments and blow me off. At least half of them bothered to call back. But I'm small potatoes earning under 3K a year for private work.
 
I had a guy call me not too long ago around dinner time and asked if I could detail his SUV the next day. I told him I was booked up and couldn't get to him for almost 2 weeks. He said "this is BS, what kind of business are you running" then hung up.
 
i figured it fell under car detailing... considering a couple topics below is the car washing horror story thread...
 
i once towed an abandoned black dodge caravan that had inside it, a large garbage bag full of dirty diapers and misc garbage, for several months in 100*F heat. It was a nightmare just to get inside it to drive it 10 feet in the tow yard. Breathing through my mouth and I still wanted to puke (and my stomach is tough - i can eat a snack while looking at a decapitated body after a gruesome accident and it doesn't phase me)



While this wasn't a detail nightmare for me, I know it will eventually be for somebody when the vehicle gets liened and needs to be cleaned up so it can be sold!!
 
I had a phone call from a lady looking for a complete interior/exterior detail on an Expedition. She had an event that evening so she wanted it done that day and she told me the interior was pretty trashed ..."but I can wait as late as 6:00 if needed". It was 3:30 when she called.





I had another phone call once from a lady wanting a full interior/exterior detail. She pressed me hard for a firm price range right from the start of the call, so I asked her the age, model, and make of the vehicle. She got EXTREMELY irate and blurted "I don't see how what brand of car I drive should affect how much you charge. Are you going to charge me more just because it's a BMW?" I tried to explain the size and condition of the vehicle had an influence of the work involved and therefore the price, but at that point the call was pretty much over.
 
Holden_C04 said:
2) Client had a 2004 Lexus SUV in Black that she needed polished before an event. So, she booked an appointment over the phone. I was in the middle of something at the time and could not take down her information and told her to contact me the next day to give me her address and confirm the appointment. Never heard from her again.
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While I understand your side, I think it's up to a business owner to show the initiative to take down some one's information. With caller id for land lines and today's technology laiden cell phones, saving a number and adding a name to the number in an address book shouldn't be an issue. Then YOU could call the customer back. I can't imagine telling a customer to call back the next day because I was too busy just to get their name & number. I would never expect a customer to call back with that kind of a response. For situations like that, it's probably better to let a phone call roll to voicemail so you can call them back when you aren't too busy to talk to a potential customer.



Just trying to look at it from a customer standpoint.
 
mshu7 said:
While I understand your side, I think it's up to a business owner to show the initiative to take down some one's information. With caller id for land lines and today's technology laiden cell phones, saving a number and adding a name to the number in an address book shouldn't be an issue. Then YOU could call the customer back. I can't imagine telling a customer to call back the next day because I was too busy just to get their name & number. I would never expect a customer to call back with that kind of a response. For situations like that, it's probably better to let a phone call roll to voicemail so you can call them back when you aren't too busy to talk to a potential customer.



Just trying to look at it from a customer standpoint.
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She was calling from a private number. I didn't realize it at the time. Normally, I would simply call back but with no number to call there's not a lot I can do. :nixweiss
 
smprince1 said:
I had another phone call once from a lady wanting a full interior/exterior detail. She pressed me hard for a firm price range right from the start of the call, so I asked her the age, model, and make of the vehicle. She got EXTREMELY irate and blurted "I don't see how what brand of car I drive should affect how much you charge. Are you going to charge me more just because it's a BMW?" I tried to explain the size and condition of the vehicle had an influence of the work involved and therefore the price, but at that point the call was pretty much over.
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Hahaha. I deal with that every day here in snobby San Diego, except it's all about location. "WHAT DOES IT MATTER WHAT PART OF TOWN IM IN?? ARE YOU GOING TO CHARGE ME MORE BECAUSE I LIVE IN A 10 MILLION DOLLAR HOME ON A CLIFF ABOVE THE OCEAN"



ever heard of rising fuel costs? travel charges?



and yes, if you are in a poor neighborhood, i will cut you a break. If you live in a house that would make the queen of england jealous, I will charge full price plus some, and thats the bottom line. Doctors charge $1000/hour just to look at you, then they get mad when they think they do the math and they say "SO YOU CHARGE $300 an hour?? are you a rocket scientist??" << I was asked that last week. I calmly replied "yes sir, I am in fact a rocket scientist for NASAs Jet propulsion laboratories. I just detail on the side for the bigger bucks" he hung up.



I dont even waste my time trying to explain anything to these types of people. They just dont get it and wont get it. I just stay calm, stay firm on my price, and let them hang up and continue shopping. Then i laugh when i see holograms and swirl marks in those neighborhoods.
 
not really a customer, but i washed my neighbors (grouchy elderly gentlemen/couple) car a few times (trying to be nice) using ALL my products. then after that, whenever i would wash my car, he would open up his garage, back his car into the driveway and expect me to wash it. now, we don't talk and he is a total A-HOLE and very cynical. as a matter of fact, none of my neighbors like/talk to him as well. not a very nice person...



p.s. some people are un-grateful these days...
 
i had a women email me the other day... here is her response when i asked her what was the make/model/year of the car...



"Why do you need to know the make and model and year of my car to clean it?



It's a 4door sedan."



ok... im pretty sure there is just a small size difference from a Toyota Corolla and a BMW 750Li... idk about yall :nervous2:
 
BigAl3 said:
not really a customer, but i washed my neighbors (grouchy elderly gentlemen/couple) car a few times (trying to be nice) using ALL my products. then after that, whenever i would wash my car, he would open up his garage, back his car into the driveway and expect me to wash it. now, we don't talk and he is a total A-HOLE and very cynical. as a matter of fact, none of my neighbors like/talk to him as well. not a very nice person...



p.s. some people are un-grateful these days...
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you should be like... "That will be $30, sir. Would you like a concourse interior with that?"



really send him over the edge :laugh:
 
BigAl3 said:
not really a customer, but i washed my neighbors (grouchy elderly gentlemen/couple) car a few times (trying to be nice) using ALL my products. then after that, whenever i would wash my car, he would open up his garage, back his car into the driveway and expect me to wash it. now, we don't talk and he is a total A-HOLE and very cynical. as a matter of fact, none of my neighbors like/talk to him as well. not a very nice person...



p.s. some people are un-grateful these days...
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haha you're getting punked.



when neighbors ask me to wash their car, i just start laughing hard to avoid this at all costs
 
fueler said:
haha you're getting punked.
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it's called being nice and welcoming someone to the neighborhood, and i now know someone's true character. i could of "punked" him too, but it will get me/my family nowhere. something's are left better unsaid, and trust me i would have plenty to say...
 
You sound like too nice of a guy. Sorry I just found it funny, no offense intended. If someone backed into my driveway without asking, i'd probably call my local towing company for a private property impound, then act like I don't know anything when the neighbor realizes his car is gone haha.
 
fueler said:
You sound like too nice of a guy. Sorry I just found it funny, no offense intended. If someone backed into my driveway without asking, i'd probably call my local towing company for a private property impound, then act like I don't know anything when the neighbor realizes his car is gone haha.
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what i meant was he backed his car out into his driveway (he lives next door to me) and would give that look like, when are you going to do mine. oh well, no loss on my part and i'm not going to let him ruin my gratitude towards others. trust me, i can tell someone's true character after a while...



p.s. if someone asks next time "when are you going to wash my car"? my response will be "sure, i can use the extra money" (got that from someone on here). that should shut them up real quick LOL...
 
^^ great reply, "sure i can use the extra money" haha. I will use that one too, as I currently do not have a clever reply, usually i will start laughing hysterically (completely fake) and try to make them think i'm crazy. Your reply is better.
 
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