Rude customer? or just me?

I have one . About a year ago, this older guy comes by the shop and wants a basic in and out. I was busy but agreed. Well the car was a fairly new Taurus. Overall fairly clean, except covered in tree sap(heavy). Well for $40 he got a hand wash, tire scrub and bug removal. Interior he got a quick detail, windows, dash and vents, vacuum, door jams etc. What i normally do for a basic.



Well i started to talk to him, i found out that he used to clean cars back in the 40's or 50's and a wash back then was $2.25. I thought right on, and start to talk about the tree sap. I explained that it would probably take a couple of hours and that i always wax after. Gave him a reasonable estimate and said i will do his windshield right now, for nothing. Well it took 15 or 20 min. and he was happy. Then he shows me a big scrap on the back bumper and he has touch up paint with him. So another 20 min. later and it looks better. He pays his bill and leaves. Happy



The next day his wife phones and tears a strip off me. She starts by saying the door hinges are still dirty, the trunk wasn't cleaned and that the tree sap removal price is way too much. She won't let me talk, she just keeps rambling, and lastly she said they will not be back.



I should have known when he said he used to clean cars. I mean if he would have asked for these things cleaned, no problem. If she would have let me talk, maybe she would have received a free clean, her way. For $40 she expected quite a bit.



I bet the tree sap is still on the car.
 
turbomangt said:
Yesterday I got a call while from a woman asking me if I did hand washes. (To be honest, I don't) But I had some time that day so I asked what kind of car, she said it was a mini van. I knew the Turtle wax down the street charges $25 for a normal size car, so I quoted her $35. Her response was rude. She went on saying" are you crazy, for a hand wash? $35? you must be kidding, before I could get a word in she hungup. Was I out of line? I never like to see a customer upset, but I thought that price was fair. Gary
Click to expand...



I'm not a pro at detailing, but I am a professional contract software developer. And I do know rudeness when I see or hear it. She was extremely rude!



The problem with the "unwashed" (pardon the pun) is that most don't have the time, energy or skill to do their own work. But... They somehow seem to think that a professional will do the work at a price that they themselves would not accept. That's self-centered stupidity.



Your price was very reasonable. But...



That's the unfortunate problem with "little" jobs. Almost invariably, the "little" jobs are much more hassle than the big ones. Job logistics take up far more time than the complex stuff - getting to a location, finding out what the customer wants, getting set up, working out payment terms, collecting the money, etc, etc.



You can't win with minor jobs - whether it's detailing or software development. People perceive that it's trivial, even if it's a fair amount of work. And, it's almost impossible to get them to understand otherwise. If you get it done on time, their response will be "Here's your money, bye!" If ANYTHING goes wrong, their response will typically be "What the %$#@ is taking you so long!" I hate little jobs.



It's tough, but try to move on. Think of it this way... Tomorrow the incident will be a dimmer memory. You handled it well and have gotten a lot of support from your compatriots here. You're a better person for it! And she will still be a jerk. :D



Best regards,



Dan.
 
A big part of the problem with people like this is they have no appreciation or comprehension of what detailing is all about. They may have whipped through the local carwash and now associate that price with all "cleaning" services for their vehicle. I have tried in the past to reason with a person who has this kind of mentality and it is a complete waste of time. I once had a lady tell me I was "crazy" and my prices were "highway robbery" because she felt a basic handwash should be $5.00 because she could go through the drive through for around that price. Gary, forget about her and move on - not worth your time or energy.
 
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