Professional Detailer?

[THE BIG BUFFER]

What makes a person or company a pro? Or the right to call themselves a professional detailer? Recently I have noticed many, many classified ads in my area advetising "I am a Professional Detailer" and am offering detailing for 60 bucks or whatever. I know these guys are not pros and most are guys in their garages making money on the side. I have even seen pics of there so called work that were obviously just plucked from the net representing there abilitys. Some are new shops in town but they that seem to dissapear as fast as the open.. These ads are mainly on a free ad site and seem to be popping up everywhere. The problem is their trying to undercut each other on pricing which in the long run hurt the legit shops profets. Hard to tell a customer it's x amount of dollars when they go on line and see one of these guys has an ad for half the amount or less. I've e-mailed some of these guys and for the most part I'm not impressed with there answers to simple questions such as how long have you been detailing, what products do you use and if they use a DA or rotary. Most won't answer my questions and the replys I do get are not good.
I just feel these guys are hurting the detailers out there that are legit and trying to do a good job at a reasonable cost.
Am I just being a knob or am I right thinking this way? I'm seriously thinking of putting my own ad on there warning the public that they should ask for refrences before they get work done by the fly-by-nighters.

[TOGWT]

Re: Professional Detailer?

Selecting a Professional Detailer

Once you’ve selected a detailer be specific about what services you require (i.e. full vehicle detail, exterior paint renovation, interior detailing, etc) get an agreed upon estimate, a vehicle drop-off and collection time before work commences

A successful outcome will rely on good communication between you and the chosen professional. You want someone that makes you feel at ease with the process, someone that you can easily trust. They should be able to answer your questions in simple easy to understand terms, not techno speak, so that you understand what needs to be done, and the benefits. Listen to their suggestions. The more that things can be explained and agreed upon, the more at ease that they can make you feel, and the more confident that you can be in their ability to meet or exceed your expectations.

Some things you may want to consider
• Professional Detailer should have been in (full-time) business for at least one year
• Should have business licensed and be state registered
• Ensure they have adequate insurance cover and that they are a registered business
• Obtain (telephone number) references from three recent clients and check them
• How long they have been in business
• Check with the local Better Business Bureau
• Request a reputable detailer’s name (s) on one of the detailing forums
• Also ask them where they received their training and what products they use.
• Ask the prospective detailer for photographs of vehicles they have done recently (most detailers have a portfolio)
• Ask them their detailing ‘steps’ this will indicate exactly what you are paying for
• Ask them what detailing products they use (known brand names are preferable)
• Do they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee?
• Do they take major credit cards and / or Pay Pal?
• Discuss a price and if satisfied set-up an appointment
• If they quote a very low price it could reflect the quality of service offered.

After Care

Ask them for tips on avoiding scratches by proper washing and drying techniques and any other tips they can give to maintain the finish on your vehicle. Client education in the aesthetic care of their vehicle should be equally as important as the detailing. The most common cause of surface scratches is washing the car improperly, or using unsuitable washing media, so I would suggest you explain or demonstrate the correct vehicle paint washing technique.


An extract from one of a series of unbiased Detailing Technical Papers, a library of educational materials that has become the #1 reference for car care on the Internet

Chances are you'll learn something about detailing if you read any of these; although these articles will not improve your detailing skills, lead to a successful business or change your life. Applying what you learn from it, however, will. That's where your commitment comes in - you need to make a commitment to yourself right now that you will take action on what you learn.

© TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2010, all rights reserved

[Mary S]

Re: Professional Detailer?

It kind of speaks of the need for some kind of certification, to be able to put some sort of letters behind your name that say you have a certain level of competence that is uniformly measured.

There also is the question, what do you do to become a professional detailer, especially when you aren't even starting with a long history of detailing of your own vehicle and those of family and friends.

And of course what some people call a "detail" is not what another person may call it, in terms of scope. Some will call a wash, wax, and vacuuming the rugs a detail, and of course they can charge less for that.

It would be great if Meguiars would step in and train and certify professional detailers in as far as Meguiars products go If there were such a thing, I would probably have a local Meguiars professional detailer do my car instead of spending hundreds of dollars to do it myself (not that it is a bad thing, because I will be able to keep it nice).

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Professional Detailer?

As with any profession there are good and bad examples, but only a limited number of true superstars. You can make the argument that anyone who is paid a fee for service is a professional, and that those who provide that service at a higher level can command a higher fee.

Imagine the plumber who comes to your house, fixes the problem, but leaves a huge mess behind. Hey, he's a plumber, not a maid service, right? Would you be willing to pay more for a plumber who not only did his job as expected (fix the leaking pipe, for example) but then left no trace that he had ever been in your house? Most people probably would, but then most people understand the difference between their kitchen floors being spotless or a disaster area. Most people do not know the difference between a properly detailed vehicle and a poorly buffed one. NOTE: MOL members are not considered "most people" when it comes to detailing, so you have an unfair advantage here!

So, it is expecting too much that a "pro" you hire for any job, whether plumbing, detailing, legal or medical services (ooh, now that gets us into some really interesting stories!!!) or anything else is actually good at what they do? Of course not. But the buyer of those services has to first understand what "good" or even "great" really encompasses.

[Mary S]

Re: Professional Detailer?

But the buyer of those services has to first understand what "good" or even "great" really encompasses.

Two months ago, I had no idea that detailing could actually do anything restorative to the car. My mouth kind of dropped after watching some of the Meguiars videos on Youtube.

A number of years ago I had my car (at the time) repainted the same color just because I wanted to make it look good. If I had known, it is likely that a good detailer could have done the same thing for me for less.

I bet there are a lot of other people out there that don't know what can be done to a car's finish, who would be potential customers if they did know, and willing to pay for the service.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Professional Detailer?

Mike, brings up some very interesting points.

So like everything in life. It is on the consumer to do his/her homework. To be sure you are comfortable with the work the person you are hiring. If you feel good about it, hire them If not walk away.

You really need to take the time, to understand the basics of all services you are hiring out to do. Be it home repairs, car detailing, or even picking out a Doctor.

In this day and age, if the consumer did their homework, the businesses doing less then acceptable work, would close down rather quickly.

Just typing out loud.

[Mary S]

Re: Professional Detailer?

Just to play devil's advocate here, what about finding a cardiac surgeon to do a heart transplant? The consumer really can't know what it takes to do that well, what technical questions to ask. What they do have available is the information regarding the surgeon's credentials, his medical degree, the residencies and fellowships he has completed, his board certifications. He can even access what complaints if any have been filed against the surgeon. The consumer can get recommendations from other doctors on what surgeons are the best in the field. Ultimately, it is the medical profession that polices its own people, through the AMA and the professional boards of examiners. It is in fact the doctor's peers that are most qualified to judge his qualifications.

And ultimately, it would probably be a professional association of detailers who would be best qualified to set standards on what the training or qualifications are needed to perform detailing at various levels, what tests or examinations are required to be certified at a particular level. They could also set standards on definitions of what constitutes a particular level of service that could be applied uniformly.

As the process of learning the profession doesn't presently require any formal training or standard preparation, this might never happen. But the cost of this is that detailers must rely on word of mouth from satisfied customers, and the buyer does have to beware. And a lot of consumers will probably fall victim to shoddy workmanship in the process if he is in fact ignorant of the nuts and bolts of detailing and can't be an informed consumer.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Professional Detailer?

The heart transplant would not be a over night condition. You undoubtedly would be having some type of heart troubles for a period of time. You would be seeing cardiologists already. Doing any type of recovery you would run into other patients not necessarily from the same cardiologist. You talk, compare notes and go from there. There is part of your research. Then check for complaints, education, qualifications.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Professional Detailer?

I know that there are a lot of VERY skilled detailers who only detail cars for a side job, second job, or mostly as a hobby.

At the same time, there are plenty of full-time legal "professional" detailers who I would never let near my cars.

To me, a proper knowledge of products and process as well as a reasonable understanding of value and business interaction makes a professional detailer - not logos, length of business or the amount of money they spend OR make detailing.

[dave_from_here]

Re: Professional Detailer?

The heart transplant would not be a over night condition. You undoubtedly would be having some type of heart troubles for a period of time. You would be seeing cardiologists already. Doing any type of recovery you would run into other patients not necessarily from the same cardiologist. You talk, compare notes and go from there. There is part of your research. Then check for complaints, education, qualifications.

I agree, while we are not all professionals at doing various tasks, we should all be experts at spending our hard earned cash.

P.S. Mike I like your example since I used to detail cars for a living and I am now a certified plumber lol !!!