What should I do about this shady client?

Cops won't do anything. This is a civil matter, not a criminal one.



I think you got a price shopper on your hands and she's doing it after the detail instead of before.



What I don't understand is why a "premium" detail wouldn't include carpet cleaning. I do understand you don't charge for it but to me, a premium detail would include full interior cleaning and protection and would be priced accordingly.
 
2% of the people will never be satisfied, no matter what you do. after 20+ years in retail i have learned not to sweat the petty things and dont pet the sweaty things.



seriously if she paid you that pretty much constitutes fulfillment of services. if she had with held payment and pointed out the things you did not do, then you would have an issue. namely getting paid without going to court. i always make sure to explain every thing that i can and can not do and i have a witness, usually my son who works with me.



i had a customer once who i did an interior detail only. after getting done she came out looked it over and paid me. well we had discussed the fact i might not be able to get all the stains out completely, the car was a '98 honda and had never been cleaned inside. well her husband comes home and calls me saying i missed this and that. i explained i had discussed this with his wife and she was well aware and was satisfied with the work. he claimed i was trying to intimidate his wife, because she was female and didnt understand how things work. i was floored and stated i had a witness and a signed receipt, so as far as i was concerned we were done. he said he would never refer me any business, funny cause his wifes brother called and asked me to detail his car because he saw what a good job i did.



like i said 2% man, 2%
 
Scottwax said:
Cops won't do anything. This is a civil matter, not a criminal one.
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This reminds me of a news report about a man calling the cops because his local McDonald's was out of a certain item on the menu. The cop literally arrested the man for his action.
 
i had a similar situation when i had my detailing business in Japan. i had a guy who agreed to me doing a full detail on his car but during the consult he was informed that cracks in the bumper paint and chips would not be fixed for the standard price.



long story short, he picked up the car and criticised every flaw in his paint like i was supposed to make the car look perfect when he knew damn well he said not to worry about the chips etc. the car was a piece of junk anyways (88 honda accord).



he then proceded to hand me half of the agreed price and said thats all he had. he was an E-6 and i was an E-4 at the time and he tried to pull rank on me over a detail i did for him...lol



i just laughed and told him to keep his money and never ever come to me for any kind of work ever again..



with some customers i just count my losses and cut all ties with them in the future. being in japan i really couldnt take any real legal action against him being in the military.
 
advs1 said:
2% of the people will never be satisfied, no matter what you do. after 20+ years in retail i have learned not to sweat the petty things and dont pet the sweaty things.



seriously if she paid you that pretty much constitutes fulfillment of services. if she had with held payment and pointed out the things you did not do, then you would have an issue. namely getting paid without going to court. i always make sure to explain every thing that i can and can not do and i have a witness, usually my son who works with me.



i had a customer once who i did an interior detail only. after getting done she came out looked it over and paid me. well we had discussed the fact i might not be able to get all the stains out completely, the car was a '98 honda and had never been cleaned inside. well her husband comes home and calls me saying i missed this and that. i explained i had discussed this with his wife and she was well aware and was satisfied with the work. he claimed i was trying to intimidate his wife, because she was female and didnt understand how things work. i was floored and stated i had a witness and a signed receipt, so as far as i was concerned we were done. he said he would never refer me any business, funny cause his wifes brother called and asked me to detail his car because he saw what a good job i did.



like i said 2% man, 2%
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thats all you needed..



some guys try to come off like car mechanics and detailers even though they know nothing about it...
 
Let her call the cops man. Whata re they going to do? Arrest you? She's probably a local nut that the cops all know and don't take serious anyway.
 
Scottwax said:
Cops won't do anything. This is a civil matter, not a criminal one.



I think you got a price shopper on your hands and she's doing it after the detail instead of before.



What I don't understand is why a "premium" detail wouldn't include carpet cleaning. I do understand you don't charge for it but to me, a premium detail would include full interior cleaning and protection and would be priced accordingly.
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agreed....its all in the wording!
 
What a crappy situation. I say you stop being nice. If she calls the cops, let them. If she brings you to small claims court, fight it. Explain to the judge as you did to us. She paid you which means she accepted the job. Show evidence of what your "premium detail" covers and mention that you made due diligence in trying to appease her with the "hay". He'll realize she's just trying to get a discount.
 
You can avoid her, but it may get worse. The cops won't do anything, so it is up to you to decide how to proceed. As has been stated, your best course is to clean the wheel well and then explain your services. If she complains to much, then you can decide if you want to refund some money or not. There is almost no chance you will ever hear from her again.
 
I would buy a small gift card for local restaurant and send an apology card to her with it and a message that nicely stated dont call me and sorry we could not find a common ground from original deal which she changed after payment.
 
That is all part of being in business. Thankfully, I have never had a customer act like that. If you feel you provided a good service for an agreed upon price, so be it. Let her call the cops. They will tell her she has to go to small claims court, and probably tell her to stop wasting their time.
 
it's amazing, really, how many people want something for nothing. just go to your local big-box store in the fall and watch people return perfectly good lawnmowers (or snowblowers in the spring)
 
LoiG37 said:
Friday afternoon the next day she calls saying shes at Best Buy detailing center and they told her, for the price I charged I shouldve shampooed her interior also. I told her that was not part of the job she hired me for. She then told me " you got 2 options, come finish your job (shampoo her interior) or give me my money back. I told her let me think about it.
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what the best buy detailing department will do and what you will do for a given price is totally different. its not a product where price matching for the EXACT same item comes into play. Different products, different results, different pricing, different services provided...done!



Tell her to kick rocks! Keep the money, your name is already tarnished! Get a pre-detail sign in/work order sheet together!
 
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