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  1. #16
    Autopia Specialist RaysWay's Avatar
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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    Quote Originally Posted by Trouble View Post
    Today I get a call from a fella with several classic cars. Wanted me to start tomorrow (so he`s serious) and $ was never mentioned


    I told this customer YES !!!
    Congrats! I hope you don`t have too much trouble.

  2. #17

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    Quote Originally Posted by Lou Bunn View Post
    Update: Last year (Aug-Sept time) I did an older gray Accord for an old couple, they were the - we heard about your work and we want the car cleaned and waxed. OK, it needed polishing but they were not interested, "just clean and waxed, sonny" so I did. I washed, clayed - told them about that, and waxed. They liked the look and feel, plus I got out a few stains in the cloth seats/carpet. I did it as cheap as I could. Then I pointed out how if they had got it polished they wouldn`t be looking at swirl marks. They looked and said they never even noticed them and eh, it`s fine - yeah whatever. They were so happy and wanted to get me to do the wife`s sister`s Highlander, "it`s just needs a good cleaning" yeah, and a whole lot more. So, the guy is old, former Marine, (my dad was one too) so I got the soft spot kicking in and I said yeah - bring it on. I looked at it and gave them a fair price for all the cleaning it needed, inside and out, oh, did I mention it sat under a tree for 5 months? It was silver and came out very good, again, base model, cloth seats. They were a little "funny" about the price, it was more than the Accord but hey, time is money daddy-o. And, the son-in-law came along to "inspect" and got schooled by me on what will come out and what needs a bodyshop. I didn`t appreciate his tone at all, like for the money I charged they should have a Pebble Beach Classic - REALLY DUDE?!, you neglect a vehicle for months and expect to pay car wash wages to recondition it to brand new, get bent! The old guy was going on and on about getting his son`s truck done, and some other car too. We shook hands and that was it. Never heard from him again, till last week, he calls - never explains what happened to the other stuff last year or why he never called back, jumped right into "hey buddy, I need you to do my daughter`s car the Saturday before Father`s day and boy is it NASTY!
    Ok, I went over this in my mind and:
    1. you acted funny our last time out
    2. you never called back with the other cars that you said you wanted done
    3. It`s been 10 months and you call expecting me to drop everything and get to you
    4. You`re cheap
    5. I am booked - no lie, I have a waiting list since I only do this part time, I really am booked for weeks, with good paying, appreciating folks too.

    I told him, sorry, booked up, and hey - try calling this guy that`s been dropping his business card at every fast fair and country store in town - I think he can work you in!
    I`ve experienced this nightmare more times than I`d like to remember. Congrats on sending that dude packing !!

  3. #18

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    Quote Originally Posted by Vega@Autopia View Post
    Congrats! I hope you don`t have too much trouble.
    Me neither. I`ll let you know how it pans out next week

  4. #19

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    2003 Saturn Vue with DIRTY interior/cloth seats .... I can picture it now


    No Dice !!!

  5. #20
    4u2nvinmtl's Avatar
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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    All the detailers I called about Orange Peel removal said NO, plain and simple, altho if they had done it in a different way I might have become a future customer.
    Likes MooreImpressive liked this post

  6. #21

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    since you bumped an old thread, I`ll chime in by saying that most of the posts are loaded with bad ideas. as always, it depends on where you live, but around here you are going to get a lot of calls from these types of clients and if you turn most of them down, you wont be doing much work. you will quickly realize you are developing a really bad name for yourself online. only takes a couple of bad reviews on the countless websites out there and all the sudden...people notice. and bad reviews don`t just come from clients you HAVE done work for, they can just as easliy, and often more likely, come from clients you REFUSED to do work for (or even insulted in the process)
    Likes SqueakyShine, 4u2nvinmtl liked this post

  7. #22

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    I`ve turned away hundreds of cars since this thread was made. I`ve mastered the art of turning people away without offending them. Next Detailfest maybe I will teach a class on this

    I can tell within the first 10 seconds of a conversationl if we will be doing business
    Likes 4u2nvinmtl liked this post

  8. #23

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    Quote Originally Posted by Vega@Autopia View Post
    Congrats! I hope you don`t have too much trouble.
    This guy has turned out to be okay. I`ve worked for him twice since this post. He is very slow in paying his bill though (over a month both times)

  9. #24

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    Quote Originally Posted by mrclean81 View Post
    You might also refer them to a reputable detailer in the area that can handle the job. The customer will appreciate it and the detailer might even return the favor later down the road.
    That`s what I do if it`s possible. Stuff like motorhomes, I have zero interest in doing. No longer have any ladders big enough anyway. Used car dealers, I have zero problems telling them no but I do it by giving them a price per car and a lack of my availability that I know they can`t live with. Besides, I`d be turning down full priced business to do their crappy cars anyway. Issues like vomit, spilled milk, etc, I tell them I am booked solid for 3-4 weeks. People with problems like that can`t wait.
    www.scottwax.com

    Certified Opti-Coat Pro/Pro 3 installer
    Likes 4u2nvinmtl liked this post

  10. #25

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    Quote Originally Posted by Scottwax View Post
    That`s what I do if it`s possible. Stuff like motorhomes, I have zero interest in doing. No longer have any ladders big enough anyway. Used car dealers, I have zero problems telling them no but I do it by giving them a price per car and a lack of my availability that I know they can`t live with. Besides, I`d be turning down full priced business to do their crappy cars anyway. Issues like vomit, spilled milk, etc, I tell them I am booked solid for 3-4 weeks. People with problems like that can`t wait.



    I had a "My Kid Vomited" AND "My Dog Had An Accident" call(s) within hours of each other yesterday



  11. #26

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    we`ve done 3 cars in the past 2 weeks where kids threw up. no problem here, the extractor doesn`t know the difference. they all clean up the same way, takes the same amount of time, and the checks cash just the same, too.

  12. #27

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    Quote Originally Posted by MooreImpressive View Post
    we`ve done 3 cars in the past 2 weeks where kids threw up. no problem here, the extractor doesn`t know the difference. they all clean up the same way, takes the same amount of time, and the checks cash just the same, too.
    What city are you in? Would be happy to send you this sort of business if in mine

    I`ve turned down 2 callers today



  13. #28
    Detailers Workshop The Driver's Avatar
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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    Quote Originally Posted by 4u2nvinmtl View Post
    All the detailers I called about Orange Peel removal said NO, plain and simple, altho if they had done it in a different way I might have become a future customer.
    You do realize that sanding or polishing oem cleqr is probably the biggest liability a detailer can take on. Ive taken on big projects and I would pass on that instantly. Unless you have a respray theres no way. All the uv protection sits at the top of the clear, by removing the orange peel your taking a huge risk, it might look ok but you might have a paint job that looks great for year an then goodbye. Watch some videos on mike phillips about show car sanding.

  14. #29
    House of Wax's Avatar
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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    Quote Originally Posted by Trouble View Post



    I had a "My Kid Vomited" AND "My Dog Had An Accident" call(s) within hours of each other yesterday


    Yeah, no thanks. I have a hard enough time dealing with it if one of my own kids gets sick

  15. #30

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    Re: Telling a Customer No

    haha, no thanks. I have read several of your posts... I`m the kind of person that doesn`t just care about the almighty dollar but cares about PEOPLE. the world is full of hate. part of my overall goal in life is to help spread some joy, to give back, to go out of my way to see my client smile, to raise the bar, after all, the name of my business is Moore Impressive, and that doesn`t just apply to the visual condition of the vehicle, it applies to our conversations and how much I truly CARE about doing the right thing for human beings. the world needs so much more of that. its called KARMA, and its REAL. I actually handed a $20 bill back to a client today because I felt like she was paying too much. she was fine with paying it, I wasn`t fine with accepting. it felt REALLY GOOD. I wont miss that $20 at all. trust me, doing business like that has proven to pay off in a much greater way in the long run. everyone in town knows me as that kind of guy, and it has opened doors and given me opportunities that are a lot bigger than cleaning cars. that feels WAY BETTER than telling my clients that I`m too busy or too good to clean their dirty vehicle, and that feeling is worth WAY MORE than $20. you wont meet too many people like me in your entire life.

 

 
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