Mobile detailers things not to do

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PhaRO

New member
Over the past 15 years I've gotten a good laugh or two at stuff mobile guys have done to loose customers. Below are some of the odd things I've seen people do that probably is a turn off to customers and some stories I've been told on why a customer stopped using the last guy. Some of this are so insane I can't imaging anyone doing it but some have happened multiple times. Please add to this if you want.

1) Don't take time during your detail to eat your lunch in your customers car.

2) Don't ask your customer to make a sandwich for you. I couldn't believe someone did that.

3) At Christmas time don't show up late and ask about your x-mas bonus.

4) Don't listen to the customers radio while you are cleaning the car. This one happens so much it amazes me.

5) Don't detail the car with your shirt off.

6) Don't tell the high powered lawyers wife who is a stay at home mom when she complains about you being late "what is the big deal what do you really have to do anyway".
 
7) Don't take your customers sports car for a joy ride.

7.5) Don't take your customers new BMW M3 for a joy ride that turns into a high speed chase and ends up with a blown strut and a cracked wheel. This situation will get you arrested.

These are both from the same guy. He got bailed out of jail by his boss after the M3 incident, but was immediately fired. He still thinks the situation is funny.


:nono
 
klnyc said:
9: Dont smoke in front of your customer or while detailing.
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I don't even think smokers should be detailers in general, let alone smoking near the car their working on. I hate having the car come back from the dealership service area smelling like a smoker inside because the technician who drove it in the garage was a smoker.
 
zainoshine said:
I don't even think smokers should be detailers in general, let alone smoking near the car their working on. I hate having the car come back from the dealership service area smelling like a smoker inside because the technician who drove it in the garage was a smoker.
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That's a pretty bold statement to say, although I gotta wonder about what type of places you bring your car to, every where I have worked in the last 17 years if you smoke in it, you bought it, and you're fired....no reason to ever smoke in or around a customers car or even a lot car, but the best techs I have ever known as well as detailers are also the heaviest smokers, if they are smoking in your car maybe you need to find a better place is all, or not tick them off in general so they will look to disrespect you.....but what I choose to do on my time has no bearing on what I can do with someone else's car, whether it's for repair or how I can clean it.
 
If you smell of smoke regardless where you smoked at and get into a car some of the smell will likely linger. Same would be true if you had body odor. As a non smoker I can tell if someone that smokes has been in my car recently. It happens usually if I'm getting a repair or oil change done. It doesn't bother me a whole lot in those cases even though I am a non smoker. If however I was getting my car detailed and it happened I'd probably look for another detailer. If you smoke and nobody can smell it then should be no problem. If you are a smoking mobile detailer it might be worth asking a non smoker to get in a car that you sat in for a little and see if they can smell it. If they can then you have something to think about. I've also seen a couple detailers chewing tobacco around a car, spitting all over the place. I'm sure customers are thrilled to walk through that and get in the car.
 
I am a smoker and I am also a detailer.
Usually as we all know you are at the customers house for about 3 hours or so, I usually take a 15 minute break somewhere near the middle of the detail, and eat my lunch. I just sit on the back of my car and eat my lunch, and usually have a ciggarette. Just one, for after the meal. Finish off my water or whatever I am drinking, then have a piece of gum and wash my hands. As long as you aren't sitting there with the smoke permiating your clothes you won't reek, just let yourself air out a little, have gum and wash your hands because that is where the smell is coming from. Never once had a customer even ask me if I was a smoker.

Pharo, I had one women tell me, "you know if you want to take your shirt off it's OK." It was just a little bit creepy, I kept thinking of that Patrick Dempsey movie LoverBoy where he is the pizza delivery guy/gigalo. Creepy, I had no idea what to say to that, so I just pretended that I didn't hear her.
 
I agree. If you smoke.......(yes).......you "do" transfer your cig odors in whatever car your in. And yes, if you "do" take your shirt off while detailing, it's totally unprofessional. Period. It's all about appearance. Your APPEARANCE is to be a PROFESSIONAL. Same goes for blasting someone's car radio while working on the vehicle. No professionalism at all. That's the difference between wannabe's and true detailers. Be a wannabe and make the nikel and dime jobs. Be a professional and deposit $1500 to 1850 a week in your bank account like me. .......nuff said.....
 
Oh.....and don't get caught reloading your own trailer mounted water tank with a customer's water from the house. That can be a bit tough to explain why their water bill went up that day filling your "empty" 200 gallon water tank after you detailed thei car........hehehehe :LOLOL
 
I've filled my tank on occasion but always ask and never more than I need. Times I have done it are when I'm across town and can't get by my house. In those cases I'll take (with permission) what I used on their vehicle. I wouldn't do that with a customer that I didn't have a good relationship with though. Too many people will say sure but really are irritated.

Using a customers water and power can be a problem on occasion even if you have permission so it's probably best to avoid it as much as you can. I had a customer one time that told me to just use the power in the garage at his business. He knew I had a generator but didn't want to hear it or was just being nice. He wasn't real happy when I plugged in and trip the circuit. Apparently he had some stuff on same circuit and didn't have room for my large shop vac. Had to shut down his computers. It worked out though as he found me an outlet on it's own and told me to use that. I cleaned his vehicles for years till he moved. In another case someone said I could use the water outlet. I was happy to use it because my tank was low and I was far away. Worked out great until the valve wouldn't close. Finally got it closed but broke off part of the handle. I offered to pay to have it fixed and he said maintence would fix it that it was old and could have happened to anyone. Still clean his cars today. Always some risk.

10) Knock a rear view mirror off and ignore it. I've knocked a few off in my time and after first one started keeping kits with me. I have though talked to some people that openly admitted they just left it. Sometimes it happens if you bump it accidently, other times it happens if the glass cleaner gets behind where the mirror attachs. I haven't had one fall off in years though as I stopped spraying around the button and clean the front window one half at a time instead of reaching across.
 
I actually got a new customer because the former detailer use to come around all the time and ask for money a couple of days before and that he would come back and detail his car. :beat Now talk about unproffesional. I dont think I would even have the courage to ask for something in that nature.Plus that he was allways missing something and he would have to leave half way in the job and come back. But thanx to him I got myself a great new client and after he saw the diference in my work I am now the official detailer for his whole family. :bigups
 
You might be a bad detailer if.....

You begin your business by hand washing/detailing then move to not even touching the car and just pressure washing it with hot water (ouch!!)!!!

(It's always fun to ask if the client what other detailers have done wrong in the past)
 
MadWax said:
That's a pretty bold statement to say, although I gotta wonder about what type of places you bring your car to, every where I have worked in the last 17 years if you smoke in it, you bought it, and you're fired....no reason to ever smoke in or around a customers car or even a lot car, but the best techs I have ever known as well as detailers are also the heaviest smokers, if they are smoking in your car maybe you need to find a better place is all, or not tick them off in general so they will look to disrespect you.....but what I choose to do on my time has no bearing on what I can do with someone else's car, whether it's for repair or how I can clean it.
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Well Said.
 
I got one.....

Never go inside the house; especially after your customer leaves and his girlfriend invites you in to look at her bathroom plumbing while she is wearing the smallest bathing suit in the world (the house has no pool). :beat
 
delta said:
I got one.....

Never go inside the house; especially after your customer leaves and his girlfriend invites you in to look at her bathroom plumbing while she is wearing the smallest bathing suit in the world (the house has no pool). :beat
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My imagination is going crazy!!!!!! :drool
 
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