Hi DB I have this customer who sign up for a 6 month maintenance plan for 1 car and 2 trucks. The package includes a exterior wash and a quick vac & wipe down twice a month on the trucks and once a month on his baby. now he calls me this morning telling me, how great the exterior looked but wished the interior were better. We agreed on a wipe down and a quick vac. but apparently a quick vac suppose to clean up all the sand from the beach and all the hard surfaces?? Im jus as unhappy as the customers when they're complaining. so im thinking of dropping the " Quick vacuum and wipe down " from my menu, and just offer full interior detail only. because to me a wipe down and quick vac is like a half ass job. His paying me very little for 3 cars, I won't discuss the numbers ( PM me ) if you like to know I like to hear your opinions
So did he mention certain aspect of the interior that he was not happy with? Could those be addressed next time around with not effort on your part? I see nothing wrong with a quick vacuum and wipe down of the panels. Most of the time that alone makes a big difference in the interior of the car.
He just said I need to do a better job on the interior, maybe I should of asked what is he unhappy with:doh: no I won't do more than what I'm doing now for what his paying,..I don't think its worth it for my business if I do. and my partner agrees.
Sounds like he is "assuming" the quick wiped down and vacuum is "clean up his mess" in that case I would be doing a full interior cleaning, to me its too much of a grey area. Either do it all the way, or leave it out. Makes it easier....... just charge according, and it will be fine. But I would ask the customer too, when you do his cars next time around "is there any specfic area you would like me to pay attention too"? just so there is clarity in what he expects, and what you are willing to do......
I would ask him what his goal for the interior was and tell him what the extra price would be, can you mybe delete a step from your exterior and spend more time on the interior?
Thanks Karl we agree on quick vac and wipe down ( nothing crazy ). couple things I did extra.....He calls me while washing his car and said did I clean the engine ( its not part of the deal ) but since its his baby, I just did a wipe down with ONR to give him something to smile about. He also asked me to apply sealant to the truck, which I also did for no extra. I just find that its not worth it for this type of trouble for a small check.
here are the steps for exterior, please choose a step in your opinion you would leave out clean wheels, inner wheels, wheel well, tires foam vehicle via foam cannon, pressure rinse 2 bucket wash dry with QD blow dry treat bug and tar QD remaining spots
You should explain to him that quick vaccum will NOT remove things like beach sand completely. And offer him FULL VAC service in this case, that can cost a little extra...
I did ask him to upgrade today and that if his not happy with the service- I will refund his money. He was speechless after I said that and I just said " just let me know, what you like to do from here" with a positive polite attitude of course
You should remind him of the agreement and let him know that you cannot continue to perform these additional functions like engine cleaning and applying sealant for free and your not in business to give away your services. Quick vacuum is just that. Tell the customer quick means quick if you want a full vac service that is no problem just a little extra $$ for your additional time and labor.
I agree with everyone else above. It sounds like the original agreement for specific work is slipping into more work for the same price - this is never good. I would leave off the extensive wheel cleaning,( just basic cleaning of the wheels, tires, fenderwell lips, and shoot water in the rest of the fenderwells), and the foam washing, and give them a straight good wash, clean up any obvious tar, etc., quickly, QD it down for the quick, temporary, shine, and let it go. Also agree the quick vacuum and wipe down is just that and if he wants to upgrade to a more extensive inside cleaning, this is the extra charge... Cant believe he would tell you he is disappointed with your inside work, when its been the same level of work each time... Good luck, make it work for your needs first, and then decide how much if any, work you want to "donate" to the cause.. Dan F
Zack I would also remind him(and stick to your guns) that the purpose of a maintenance plan is maintenance of expected light cleanings so the car stays in post prep shape, not for other customers to take advantage of it by thinking they are locked into a contract regardless of what the service could entail.. If it was that easy, then he should have been doing it himself, that way he would understand it from a professionals point of view. Just inform him with the number of hours(whether .5, 1 or 10) how much time correct removal of said sand will take and what "time" his maintenance contract is built upon. Mike
I think you are handling it, in customer service and in business its about "wowing the customer" its ok sometimes to take a little time and do something extra they did not ask for, and make sure you point it out, and I guarantee you they will be happy and you will have a good relationship with the client. Even if its something as simple as "hey I notices a small scratch, I took that out for you at no charge" not only will they appreciate it, but they will remember you when it happens again. I did a clients headlamps the other day, took me half an hour or so of my own time, and she was blown away......... business is a fluid learning experience and it sounds like you are doing the right things. Oh yeah, a money back guarantee is HUGE in a clients mind too. You probably will not have to use it, but it gives them piece of mind that you stand behind your work. But yes, if this becomes a "more work, for the same price" then its a slippery slope. Make sure you can get them to maybe sign a contract, if not a contract outline in writing what you are doing for X price, and maybe even point them towards your website for additional services you offer. They need to know everything has a price..... and you are not some chump kid trying to buy a video game with weekend money. This is your job, and your company. I would also establish something in the lines of "this service encompasses this type of work, anything above this requires an additional hourly charge" so if they go out and trash their car your "maintenance" package will not cover that and you will be charge accordingly. I have that agreement with my HVAC company that maintains my HVAC system at home, they do bi yearly maintenance and if I neglect to maintain the system ( replacement of parts etc) the recharge in 5 years costs me full pop. Contracts are golden, but so are "invoices" maybe even get a receipt book with carbon copies so you can write down the service to be performed and they get a copy as you do. I do not think the client is being out of ordinary, but it does sound like they are trying to see what they can get away with.........
It is always good to speak with the owner prior to doing work on what their expectations are with the "level" of service you are providing to make sure everyone is on the same page. Miscommunication tends to be the cause of most issues I come across wether be on my end or the customers end so discussing these things beforehand really cut down on the headaches. It does seem like he is trying to get you to do a lot of extras. Generally the little things that I do at "no cost" are things that have higher perceived value to the customer but in reality do not take much more time to do on my end. Wipe down on "dusty" engine, ok...but certainly not a full waxing or sealant. also, he might not be unhappy with the work you performed per say but possibly that he wants a higher level but doesn't know what you offer above it. I had a customer who I had serviced and was always pleased with the "maintenance mini details" that we did on his car. One day he said he felt like he was just getting a glorified car wash and that he wanted to step it up. I could've taken offense but we offered to do a full paint correction and that solved that!
Take it out of your services. That way, if you do it anyway you can count it as an extra and you're not really expected to do it.
i Knew that(I did), I am sorry Frank. My name is Mike, but you can call me Idiot a few times to make up for it LOL.
I think you should leave it in but label it differently. "Quick" can still mean a thorough job, all it has to do is with time. What you should do is express the quality/extensiveness of the clean up, such as "minor" or "light".
Thanks for everyone's thoughts!! I will be dropping the quick, light, minor vacuum ( whatever you like to call it ) off the menu. Im just going to do it as extra when a customer ask please or just do it for smiles. I gave the guy a full refund BTW, his very happy now and will let me know when he need his baby polish again.
