Would You Tell The Client?

[detailbarn]

ok I`ll answer this from both ends as a shop owner and a car owner.



As the shop owner I would did just what you did and get it fixed and then let here know what happened. Since you had the luxury of getting it fixed while the owner was away , I feel you did right by fixing it right away , waiting would have made it worse.





As a car owner , if I never knew about the damage and it was fixed back to new, I personally would rather not know about it , because knowing would just make me find something wrong with the repair even if there was not.



But in the end I would say you should tell her and show her the bill from the shop letting her know that you took care of it with the best possible resources and didn`t just have a hack make a quick fix. Nothing bad can come from telling her, even if she is upset and bad mouths you and your compnay , you`ve already proved your integrity to keeping the customer happy by fixing the damage. She can`t sue you it`s already fixed so it a win win situation by telling her.

[Aurora]

The KEY here is she was away! Maybe it`s her only car and you saved her the hassle of waiting for it to be reapired on arrival.Just tell her you had no way of contacting her.

[2000]

yea, you should tell her. I would make it a point to say you didn`t want her to have to wait for repairs when she gets back and that you are fimilar with the work from this body shop and they are in lines with your standards. everyone makes mistakes, it`s how we live up to them that seperates us.

[jaybs02]

Originally posted by jrocc1212

The KEY here is she was away! Maybe it`s her only car and you saved her the hassle of waiting for it to be reapired on arrival.Just tell her you had no way of contacting her.

what Jimmy said was the"client" dropped off "his mothers car"..."she" is away was the client contacted?



"J"

[Redcar GUY]

no question.. you have to tell them..



Then let us know what se says

[rstype]

Originally posted by jaybs95





But to be serious the customer should have been informed right after it happened.BEFORE you had any repairs made! Show them where the damage is(it will avoid the later "it never did that before") and let them take it to the bodyshop of THEIR choice (at your expense)...

Picture yourself as the customer and it was your car, what would you expect to be done?

But that`s just my $.02



"J"

Agreed. I`d be infuriated if someone `fixed` my car without my permission.

[Lowejackson]

People make mistakes, I accept that. Not owning up to a mistake is not going to make you feel good about yourself. In the event of the client finding out, you are not only in trouble but your reputation will also be questioned. This is not good for profits.



Dont forget, the cover up is always worse than the original crime.



If this woman does not take the news well, that is fine, you have acted in good faith and with honour and that is what counts

[safetyman2010]

Originally posted by Jimmy Buffit

So here`s the deal: Client leaves his Mom`s car for a complete detail. She`s away for a week. We have our first MAJOR screwup... the right rear door is left open as we back the car out of the shop. SMACK! $900 damage to the rear door! My local body shop gets it finished (THREE STAGE PEARLESCENT WHITE!) in two days.!



So, now the car is good again. Ready for delivery.



Question is: "Do we tell the Client?"



Think it thru b4 responding. What if it was YOUR business?



Jim

Absolutely - before we had any damage repaired. That`s a pretty serious repair and I for one would definitely want to know if someone had repainted a panel on my car. I also think it`s the customer`s right to know. For something small like a fixable scratch you can easily polish out I wouldn`t bother but for anything that requires an actual repair you need to do the right thing. The customer will more than likely be impressed with your honesty and if you treat them right you won`t losethe customer. How about this: What happens if they find out you had the repair done without their knowledge and permission?

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by ShineShop

Absolutely - before we had any damage repaired. That`s a pretty serious repair and I for one would definitely want to know if someone had repainted a panel on my car. I also think it`s the customer`s right to know....

Absolutely. I`ve been on both sides of this one- made mistakes on people`s cars (and other stuff) and I`ve had cars damaged by shops, from minor stuff that someone else wouldn`t have noticed to Accumulatorette`s A8 getting sideswiped by a semi



Hey, [stuff] happens, you just gotta step up and do what`s right.



When I did something regrettable, if it required any *real* repair, I always explained what happened and what I proposed to do and then let the owner decide. When it happened *to* my cars, had I not been informed before any repairs were done... oh, man, I would have [been highly displeased] and done something about it.

[jerry@robs]

if you`re in the business long enough, accidents will happen and definitely the ONLY way to handle accidents is to tell the customer ASAP.



If you have a solution to the problem, let them know the options. It`s really up to them to decide whether your solution is good enough or not.



Personally, I wouldn`t be too happy if an accident occured and the shop fixed it without informing me, whether the result is good or not. That`s not for the shop to decide. What if I decide that the only option I`d consider is to get a new panel from the dealer and have it painted somewhere else... It should`nt have been the shop`s decision.

[Superior Shine]

"Do we tell the Client?"

Only if the color matches perfect!!

[Beercan31]

Tough call



What type of person are you dealing with "nothing is ever good enough" type, or Understanding and Forgiving?

What type of vehicle was it a collector, one of a kind or the run of the mill daily driver?



What type of re pour do you have with your Insurance agent?

and what do they think you should do?



As a business owner you have a responsibility to keep the customer informed, Accidents like this happen, This is why you have Insurance.. Bending over to please this one customer will be easyer than trying to replace the10 you lost from the bad word of mouth.

[ncal]

While your customer may react differently everytime, honesty is the only course of action to take. Personally, I would be very angry if I was not told that there was any damage to my vehicle, fixed or otherwise. I think the majority of people will react well if you are honest and the door looks fine. But even if it causes you grief to tell the person the truth, you will still have done the moral thing and can be happy with that. Telling the truth when it is easy is honest. Telling it when it is hard is righteous.

[Classy Detail]

Honesty is the Best Policy.

Treat people you want to be treated. :xyxthumbs

[dgraupman]

If you gotta ask yourself, "should I tell the truth"? You should.