Do you check things out?

DaGonz

DaGonz

Autopia fire/rescue.
Do you check out a vehicle before making an appointment to detail it? The reason I am asking is that this evening I had a "discussion" with the wife...someone had called me ( a referral from another client of mine) and asked me if I would be interested in detailing her 1995 Lincoln Continental... and I said I would love to, and that I would like to see the car first. My wife overheard this and said that I sound "snobbish" and that it is a waste of my time to check out a vehicle before detailing it.



I only do this with new clients...once the cars are done, I know what condition they are in.



I once agreed to detail a car for a friend, who was having her parent's Volvo detailed as an anniversary gift. When she dropped it off, I went to look...the clearcoat and basecoat had failed on the hood, roof and trunklid..there were even spots on the hood that the primer had failed and the metal was rusting.



The car had very low mileage...it was exposed to the elements and had never been washed or waxed!
 
I do that exact same thing - I just don't want someone mad when they make an appointment, then find out their car is beyond detailing.
 
It's always a good idea to check out new customers cars before detailing them. Just to give yourself an idea of what your getting yourself into. Don't want to undercharge yourself.



I always check out the vehicles before agreeing on a price.:up
 
You are absolutely right to diagnose any problems with the vehicle before working on it. Does a doctor operate without diagnosing the problem? I don't think so. Don't be any less professional and charge accordingly for the work that you do.
 
I have been burned enough times that unless I'm doing 'a friend a favor' I always look at a car before I quote a price. If they want a wash and wax and then I find out that their car has recently been on a 30 mile trip across fresh tar then I don't want to be charging the same thing as someone that garages their car 90% of the time. :p Believe me, that has happend before. Now I always at least check the car before quoting a price. I'll make the appointment without seeing it but the customer is never given a price untill I've given it a once over. I don't make many appointments without seeing the car anyway.
 
When I am talking to a new customer, I give them a price range and let them know what kind of condition the vehicle needs to be in for the lower and upper price ranges and I make sure they understand I cannot give them a set price without seeing the car in person. I've been burned too many times by people who have not washed or even vacuumed their cars and it is at the end of their 4 year lease and they are in a panic because the interior is like a garbage dump and the paint is scratched to hell.
 
That's hilarious. All of that advice and experience applies to my business. And I do income tax and I help companies setup and use QuickBooks. I want to see what we are talking about before I set a price. I might not be able to help, if you made too big a mess of your QuickBooks.
 
I typically get " the car is brand new and in very good condition" until I look at a four year old car that has had little to no maintainence. It's the look on their face when they see how bad their car really looked that makes it all worthwhile.
 
I don't ever tell them a specific price over the phone. I'll always say, it might be -- but I'll have to look at your vehicles before I can give you a specific price.
 
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