Warning, Rant to follow

[9935annivgt]

So last week I "detailed" a ford truck that had not seen a tub of wax since it was new, (98) I had detailed his wife`s mini van that was kept in the garage and it turned out great, he asked about his truck so I went to look at it and it was hammered, the clear was starting to crack and flake the trim was lifeless. I tell him we can give it some gloss but it will not look like the van did (both are black of course) so he says go ahead. the detail happens while he is out of town and the wife picks it up and refuses to pay because it "looks worse than it did" I explain what I talked to her husband about and she still refuses to pay finally the husband returns to check it out and is ecstatic about the truck and gives me a 50.00 tip. It took two weeks to get paid some people

[Mindflux]

Is his wife blind?

[nygoat03]

thats why women should mind there business!!! just kidding

[agpatel]

Detail prob made the CC failing spots more visible and she thought that they where new and not there before. I guess not all girls are distracted by shiny objects, haha.

[9935annivgt]

yeah the spots were a whole lot more noticeable after but in the end I am got my money and maybe picked up a few jobs as he volunteered to give out some cards, hopefully he will use the van as an example i do not want to be tied to the truck haha

[WAS]

Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens. For starters, the wife doesn`t sound like a real vehicle enthusiast. She doesn`t drive the truck either, so she probably didn`t even remember the CC failure prior to you detailing it.



That said, this one`s a tough situation. On the consumer-side, unless she`s paying with a credit card, if she gives you cash, she then has no recourse to try and get a refund. The husband wasn`t around to approve the work done, so she`s in a corner. You on the other hand, need to get paid for the work you did. This is one of those unfortunate situations that I`ve run into myself, when different people drop off and pickup a vehicle.



I`m glad to hear it turned out in your favour though and everyone was happy in the end !

[SlantS]

That is actually a fairly common scenario. I have had at least three that I can recall... The girl just has this disguested look on her face, while searching for the smallest crevice to complain about. Then she fails to find any real flaw :)

This is usually around the time I am handed a tip by her husband.

[XL Advantage]

That`s why you have a service agreement with a disclaimer that you have them sign before you start. That way you can take them to small claims court if they refuse to pay. You don`t have to do it all the time; but, some people just need to be taken to court. Having the service agreement also makes you look more professional. I believe it is called theft of services.



Tim

[Accumulator]

To me, it sounds like poor communication between the customer and his wife. Actually, I don`t fault her all that much for questioning work that she thought was sub-par, even though she was wrong in this case, not that I`m unsympathetic towards 9935annivgt (quite the opposite, I just see both sides of it).



I`d chalk this up to "all`s well that ends well". I dunno what the job paid, but I`d think that a $50 tip oughta take the sting out of the 2 week wait, though it certainly shouldn`t have taken him that long to sort it out. I gather there was no way to contact him earlier.



I don`t see this as a need for any lawsuit, it was sorted out before it woulda gotten on the docket anyhow.

[Jpostal]

I ran into a sort of a similar situation this weekend. A guy called me up to detail his boat that, in his words, was in "pretty good shape, just needs a clean up." He was going to be at work during the day and told me to come by anytime to start on it and he would be home early afternoon. I show up at the boat and it is NASTY...there was literally a tree growing in it from sitting out uncovered. The price we agreed on (sight unseen...lesson learned) was for a seasonal cleanup and wax so I did that much work plus a little extra because I hate doing a job half way. The guy shows up just as I am finishing up and looks disgusted...I guess because he was expecting the boat to look brand new. I told him that I would never touch a boat in that condition for the price I charged ($10 a foot), but I was in a good mood I would cut him a break this time. After going through the boat with a fine tooth comb and complaining the whole way he grudgingly gave me the cash. It sucks leaving a customer unsatisfied, but it sucks even more going above and beyond what is agreed on and still having an unsatisfied customer.

[jono20]

I always take at least a few before and after photos of every vehicle I do. I keep them on a laptop in the garage. That way when the customer shows up, if the paint isnt flawless, I can show them just how damaged it was when it came by, and how much correction really took place.