Do you let customers hangout in your shop / garage whiel you do their car?

I

imported_kgb

New member
We do our work out of a small garage and some of the customers, mostly younger guys, want to hang out and wait for their car to get done instead of going home and coming back. I could see if I had a shop with a waiting room but we don't. I don't know what to tell these customers. I hate to tell them no but I also hate having them standing around, gettign in the way, and looking over out shoulders asking 300 questions.



Suggestions?



Thanks
 
What I mean is that I would hate to have this happen. Not that it does happen. Nobody goes into my garage but me and my partner. I am asking what others do. You are getting a little cocky with your answers and I don't appreciate it.
 
A little harsh on those responses quamen, he is just asking for some feed back, not for a SWOT analysis of his business.
 
Quote: Do you let customer’s hangout in your shop / garage while you do their car?





~One man’s opinion / observations~



You might try to tell them that due to your liability insurance customers are not allowed in/around a work area.

I detail a lot of classic cars and their owners like nothing more than to stand around and talk cars and ask a thousand and one questions. I usually ask them if they have any questions when I doing the check list and then tell them I’ll call when it’s ready. If they still want to ‘talk’ I use the (true) liability…..





~Hope this helps~





Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/



justadumbarchitect * so i question everything*
 
quamen - you are stepping on toes and continuing with those types of replies is going to make others not want to help you in the future. Why don't you just leave this post alone since you are contributing NOTHING to it any longer.



civic - the liability issue is the best and only explanation that a customer should need. Good luck.
 
Gentlemen, please. There was a misunderstanding in the communication. This is starting to sound "un-Autopian". Time for a beer.



So...**changing the subject**...what works better, foam pads or terry?
 
during my fundraiser only a handful of customers hanged out when I was working. All of the "lookers" had nice cars, e.g. BMW, S500, etc. It didn't bother me too much but it definitely slowed me down. Why? So many dang questions :). Plus I had to carry a pleasant conversation the entite time, except when the PC was humming away.
 
how about making a lil booth near the washin area wit a tv in and a biggish window for customers to look at if u want....have like a couch in case ppl wanna stay watch tv and stuff while u clean their cars..
 
Well, when we do get a bigger place we plan on having a waiting room with glass between the waiting room and the shop so customers can watch from a safe distance. My luck though they will burn themselves on coffee and still sue. :lol



But, until we get a bigger place there just is no room for this. Thanks for all the replies fellas.
 
If they are really that keen and interested to find out how to care for their car, tell em to come here ( and dont forget to add "use the search button!" )

Easy fixed.
 
THIS THREAD GOT HYJACKED!!!



I removed the snippy posts because they contained personal attacks and did not add to the thread. The original question is a good one and needs reasonable discussion.



BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PROGRAM ALREADY IN PROGRESS...
 
TOGWT said:
Quote: Do you let customer’s hangout in your shop / garage while you do their car?





~One man’s opinion / observations~



You might try to tell them that due to your liability insurance customers are not allowed in/around a work area.

I detail a lot of classic cars and their owners like nothing more than to stand around and talk cars and ask a thousand and one questions. I usually ask them if they have any questions when I doing the check list and then tell them I’ll call when it’s ready. If they still want to ‘talk’ I use the (true) liability…..





~Hope this helps~





Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/



justadumbarchitect * so i question everything*
Click to expand...



I agree.
 
I usually wear my headset/earphones when i know that the customer has the tendency to ask too much or something... it really works, if you're listening to something, they usually won't bother asking you anything coz you won't be able to hear them unless they tap you or something, and most people just dont do that...
 
2001civicex said:
We do our work out of a small garage and some of the customers, mostly younger guys, want to hang out and wait for their car to get done instead of going home and coming back. I could see if I had a shop with a waiting room but we don't. I don't know what to tell these customers. I hate to tell them no but I also hate having them standing around, gettign in the way, and looking over out shoulders asking 300 questions.



Suggestions?



Thanks
Click to expand...



2001civicex,



You should be very thankful that you have such good customers.



What is wrong with having the customer right there while you are working? You certainly don't have anything to hide. And after all the customer is really the only person that matters. Hey, without your customer you would not be able to afford the shop that they are standing in. After all it is your customer who is really paying for that space. Hey, I'm not making this up. Wait, there's more.



Here's something else to think about. And this is very important too.



What better way is there than to spend a couple of hours talking with someone who is really your best form of advertising. What do I mean by this? If you take the time to talk with your customer you just may get a new customer referral out of it. And hopefully that new customer will be just as talkative. And then you will gain even another new customer. And another and another. And before long you will have your new shop with a luxury waiting room.



Hey, was that a cool story or what?



I hope this help...
 
I do a few cars that the owners don't let the car leave there sight :)



heck ya, what mirrorfinishman said is about all there is to say about this:)
 
I once was detailing a Dodge Ram pickup and had to use some 2000 grit sandpaper to level out a few deep scratches. The owner came by just as I finished the wet sanding process... I thought he was going to have a coronary!



I explained to him that this was all a part of the process and that he would love the results. I likened it to walking into an OR during brain surgery...yes, it looks bad now, but when we are done... everything will be fine!
 
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