What do you do...

K

KCPreki11

New member
When a customer comes to you with their car and it has swirls that SMR and a PC could remove. Do you just substitute the SMR for your regular polish and then just finish up the paint like you usually would? Or do you tell them about the swirls and that it will take some more money and time to remove them and that it's up to them.



What do you guys do?
 
I would strongly suggest that you point out the swirls and the extra work required to remove them, and make sure you put the customer's decision in writing and have them initial it. I ran a business for 18 years and can assure you that there are those out there that would notice the "swirls that you caused" after the job was completed. You are wise to head off the possible complaint before you start the job, as some customers, unfortunately suffer from "selective memory".
 
Where are the rest of you guys?



So then what after i'm done polishing with SMR? Do my regular polish, sealant, carnauba or just seal and carnauba it?
 
tell them straight up front.



Always tell them before hand everything that is wrong with the car, why/how it happened, and how ot fix it. Time and $$ go up with each one.





Always be upfront and truthfull with the customer. How many times do you hear people complaining about companies with lies and hidden charges? Want to be them and do bad buisness?

:nono
 
The way I am going to handle stuff like this is



a) Letting the customer know the actual condition of the paint and also letting the customer look in the loupe (magnifier) to see for themselves.



b) Explain to the customer what is involved in removing the swirls. If they are light swirls, I would let them know a regular polish might be able to take those out. But if they are a little more severe, then I let them know I would be using a SMR or rubbing compound (again dependent on the severity).



c) Take pics before and after and put the pics on the order sheet to show the customer. Also, if you have a digital camera, make sure it has a good macro mode so you can take some close ups of the paint surface to show the customer. I want the customer to see what the deal is and to do this as a CYA (Cover your a$$) move to keep a customer from coming back to me saying that the shop caused the swirls on the car..



At the risk of sounding repitious, I would definitely let the customer decide.
 
Like the others have said, definitely point out the swirls. Just because you think you can get them out with your regular polish/wax in your normal package doesn't mean you absolutely can. You may need to get a little more aggressive and that takes more time and you should be compensated for that.



I always point out anything unusual-scratches, chips, bug/bird damage that cannot be fixed by detailing, etc. You want to make sure the customer knows exactly what you are able to correct and what is beyond the scope of detailing. If you don't, you risk an unhappy customer who will likely not use you again, but also spread the word to their friends that you do shoddy work, even though you do excellent work, it's just that you promised more than anyone can accomplish by detailing alone.
 
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