What do YOU do?

David Fermani said:
If people are willing to work for free/discount just because their customer's freshly washed car got rained on than they should also have the right to get it re-washed because it got dusty too. IMHO - I think it doesn't make good business $ence to offer a rain guarantee.
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The right? That's rich... Sounds like something a customer would say.





Let's look at this from a busine$$ point of view-



Scenario A: It's rains and your $200 full detail reschedules for the next sunny day after, what do you make on the rain day...$0.



Scenario B: Your customer decides to keep the appointment at a cost to you of (in my case) a free regular hand wash, takes 10-15 minutes in my shop at a cost to the customer of $12. On this rain day I'll make $200-$12=$188, not to mention that I get to keep that future appt. that would have been their rescheduled time open.



Pretty easy to see which scenario would make more money when all is said and done.
 
MichaelM said:
The right? That's rich... Sounds like something a customer would say.





Let's look at this from a busine$$ point of view-



Scenario A: It's rains and your $200 full detail reschedules for the next sunny day after, what do you make on the rain day...$0.



Scenario B: Your customer decides to keep the appointment at a cost to you of (in my case) a free regular hand wash, takes 10-15 minutes in my shop at a cost to the customer of $12. On this rain day I'll make $200-$12=$188, not to mention that I get to keep that future appt. that would have been their rescheduled time open.



Pretty easy to see which scenario would make more money when all is said and done.
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That makes the most sense yet :spot
 
MichaelM said:
The right? That's rich... Sounds like something a customer would say.





Let's look at this from a busine$$ point of view-



Scenario A: It's rains and your $200 full detail reschedules for the next sunny day after, what do you make on the rain day...$0.



Scenario B: Your customer decides to keep the appointment at a cost to you of (in my case) a free regular hand wash, takes 10-15 minutes in my shop at a cost to the customer of $12. On this rain day I'll make $200-$12=$188, not to mention that I get to keep that future appt. that would have been their rescheduled time open.



Pretty easy to see which scenario would make more money when all is said and done.
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If the detail process is professionally explained to a client about the important of cleaning and protecting their vehicles, than I don't think any business would be lost. It's a win-win for everyone. When I 1st started in the business doing full service washes, it didn't matter to my clients what the wheather conditions were. Also, lots of detailers are booked weeks/months in advance with security deposits that don't give the client an option of cancelling. It's not like you can't detail a vehicle in the rain if a canopy is in place?(mobil detailers) Most people understand that their freshly detailed vehicle isn't going to remain "showroom detailed" for very long. Detailers that have shops should be able to store their clients vehicle inside until the rain/snow clears up. I did. How is anyone loosing then?

When I did full service washes for prople, it didn't matter what the wheter conditions were like.
 
I offer to wash the car again. Remember that for as long as their car looks impressive, they will continue to be happy and refer you to others. If it gets rained on right away, they never get the chance to see how excellent it looked after you finished.



Although one time I did cancel a job the night before due to a very ominous looking weather radar image. I told the guy that I'd hate to spend half the day on a black car, only to have him drive home (30+ miles) in the rain. It didn't end up raining until the following night, and the guy never attempted to reschedule after that. :(
 
David Fermani said:
If the detail process is professionally explained to a client about the important of cleaning and protecting their vehicles, than I don't think any business would be lost.
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That sounds nice but IME it doesn't always happen that way. The "showroom new" glow of a freshly detailed car is what the customers love, it's what keeps them coming back. While *we* all know how important it is to keep a vehicle clean and protected, it isn't necessary. In the vast majority of peoples minds it can wait a day, week or month.



If you went door to door introducing yourself and your services do you think you would get the same recption on a stormy day as you would on a perfect sunny day?



In my area, philly burbs, detailing for retail customers is quite predictably a seasonal business. Guess which season is the slowest and why? I'l give you a hint, the busiest season of the year, every year, is right after it because of the same reason.



Detailers that have shops should be able to store their clients vehicle inside until the rain/snow clears up. I did.
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I can only speak for myself but I def do not have that kind of space. I would need three times the space that I have now to be able to do that. And if I had that space I would be trying to do three times the work that I am now so i'd probably be right back in the same spot.
 
I completely disagree about doing a wash for free. I let the client decide if they want their vehicle detailed if rain is expected soon after.



Rain happens and I prepare for it all year long by "putting money away for a rainy day".



I spend the rainy day servicing my equipment or taking my child to Chuck E Cheese.



Thursday is our heavy wash day. We can sometimes do up to 16-20 vehicles. It would cost me allot of money to go wash those again after it rained for free.
 
Superior Shine I can see where it obviously wouldn't be worth a second thought with that kind of volume. There may be an exception here & there but I'm much less inclined to worry about it now after all the great responses.



An eye to the weather and a telephone call putting the decision on the shoulders of the customer seems to be best and smartest approach.
 
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