The Snake in the Grass...(a copycat story)

[Showmob]

Two days ago a "customer" called and asked about getting his three vehicles detailed. That's pretty normal so I gave him all of the details and let him know when I would be available next. He then said that he was going to look around town and see what other business's prices were for a similar detail which many customers do. He then called back later that evening and said that he was most likely going to go with me and asked if he could meet me and I said sure, he came to my home with his wife and they were curious about products that I used and how I cleaned things. He said that he did a ton of research on my website and compared it to other business's. After a while they left and the next day I was looking on Craigslist in the automotive services section and found that he owned a detail business and had copied my detail packages word for word and even copied the price...
I was irritated by this because I try to be nice to the competition and refer a TON of work out because I cannot keep up with demand. Anyway that's my story I look forward to competing with such an "honest" businessman.

Has anyone ever had this happen to them? I just feel like a sucker for not being able to see he was lying the whole time also what should I do? I don't think legally I have any ground to stand on. Im trying to make this into a better situation by calling some of the other shops that I refer to often to let them know and even some of the others so that they do not fall victim like I did and hopefully I can pick up some extra biz for looking out for them.

Anyways I'd love to retaliate however I think that would just get me in trouble so I guess I will just have to dominate him detail wise to punish him for his actions cause I know he cannot get a shine like this!

[Please Wash Me Detailing]

That socks.
I'm always cautious of competition.
I think I smell them out.
I don't trust anyone.
Myself, I wouldn't have gone as far as you did with them.
Next time don't give away any secrets to a potential customer or a customer.
A real customer acts like a real customer, anything else always raises a red flag for m
Sorry to hear about that but there are ways to "return the favor"
The detail community is very small, no matter where you live, and his sneaky reputation will be exposed.
Just be the best detailer you can and keep taking the high road.
It will all pay off in the end.
Actually today I had a run in with my customers wife and she said she knew me from a job I did last month.
I set up my work area in her parking lot and she didn't like me there. I was very pleasant with her and she let me stay. And this morning I was at her house.
So if I was unprofessional with her in the past I would have lost a thousand bucks today!!
So you friend will get his in the end.

[Andy M.]

Thats a pretty low down dirty thing to do. One thing I have learned though is that Kharma is a biT%$! As was already stated the detailing community is small and word gets around. He will get his in the end. I think you have the right idea in taking the high road here and just keep doing the best detaling you can. Your results and reputation will carry you through.

Andy

[Selectchoice]

Sorry to hear about your experience.

Keep in mind that your results generate repeat business, and no matter how much he copies your marketing material, he has to match your quality of work to be a real threat. Something tells me that someone who takes the underhanded approach more than likely has little idea how to take the next step marketing-wise, let alone be smart enough to be trained and experienced in producing quality work.

[Michael Stoops]

Sorry to hear about your experience.

Keep in mind that your results generate repeat business, and no matter how much he copies your marketing material, he has to match your quality of work to be a real threat. Something tells me that someone who takes the underhanded approach more than likely has little idea how to take the next step marketing-wise, let alone be smart enough to be trained and experienced in producing quality work.

Absolutely nailed it.

Anybody can put up a slick looking website with stolen pictures, stolen copy, stolen price schedules. But apparently he couldn't even quite do that so he just put an ad on Craigslist. Now he has to be able to actually make a neglected car look better than new, and he won't be able to fake that. His customer's will determine whether or not he succeeds, based on the quality of work he provides. Who knows, some of his customers may actually call you to fix the problems he creates.

[jarred767]

Just as others have said, it seems unlikely that his work will be able to back up "your prices and packages." I'm not sure if there is anything that you can/should do except continue to do what you do and let your work speak for yourself.

When I was about a year or two into my business (so about four years ago) I was still using Craigslist a lot to find customers as this was just a part time gig then. I actually had the exact same thing happen to me (well the guy never met me or anything, he just copy and pasted the ad I had on there). It really felt weird and really cheap that someone would do that. I sent the guy an email, calling him on it and asking him to take it down, but I never heard anything back from him. In the end, I think I just forgot about it and worried about my own business as I realized that the time and energy that I spent dealing with him could be used much more usefully in other areas of growing my own business. Copycats will probably always come and go, but if you're constantly looking to get better yourself, then you'll easily leave them in the dust. Good luck with everything.

BTW, I was just down in Bend last weekend on vacation. Really great town, I definitely want to take the wife back for longer next time and enjoy more of what the city has to offer.

[Showmob]

Just a follow up. The guy has been texting and calling however I haven't answered any of them. I think why I was targeted is due to my yelp reviews and position on google.
Also Jarred67 let me know when ur back in town I can give you the run down on all the good stuff to do! And the good bars!

[Please Wash Me Detailing]

give me his info, my gf has a boring job and is on the computer all day. She can do "nice things" for his web presents, lol.
Well something good came of this. I just had my website locked up. no one can steal anything from me! I hope. So maybe you prevented further hacking of some peoples sites.

[jarred767]

Also Jarred767 let me know when ur back in town I can give you the run down on all the good stuff to do! And the good bars!

Will do, thanks for the offer.

[Showmob]

Got an update for you all, he has sold all of his equipment on craigslist victory