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What's the most craziest thing that has happened to you! Detail related

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  • #1

    What's the most craziest thing that has happened to you! Detail related

    What's the most craziest thing that has happened to you! Detail related
    Like the title reads, what's the most craziest thing that has happened to you or went on or maybe a payment?

    Mine happened about 6 months ago or so, I just got layed off from work and started back to detailing to help ends meet and one of my buddie's was also drumming up work for me. He would call or text me and ask prices and questions as well as he's buddies.

    I got 2 different guys mixed up and one of them called me and ask me what I would charge him to do a quick wash and wax on his VEHICLE(his word he used) I thought it was another guy that wanted me to wash and do a quick AIO on his mustang before a big race that coming weekend that we talked about a week prior.

    I told him $150 he said OK, next he ask me if I would take trades. TRADES? he said yes he had a brand new still in the box Harier HLP23E top load washer he would give me. I had my laptop out in the garage when he called so I kept him talking while I goggled it up. It was on sale for $349.00 at lowes.

    I told him yeah I quess but going to have to have $50.00 cash to boot. He agreed and told me he would bring his TAHAO! over. WHAT!! He said boy or you going to have your work cut out, it was his wife's and their 3 young kids did a number on the inside. And the outside was swirled pretty bad.laughing: What have I done. Spent about 15 to 17 hours over the next two days buffing and spent about 3 hours or more just on the inside!

    Anyways I'm glad I got the washer as trade in because I would have lost big time on that deal, first time I've ever got two people mixed up and hope it's the last!

    Anyway this worked out great because now I have my own washer for my micro fiber towels and buff pads. This post would be worthless w/out pics so here is my new micro fiber towels washing machine.
    ''USE THE LEAST AGGRESSIVE PRODUCT TO GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT''
    You Don't Know What You Can Do Until You Try '' TECHNIQUE IS EVERYTHING''
    Test Hoods Are Cheap And Most Of The Time Free
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  • #2
    Unfortunately this happens a lot. In an ideal world I would have every customer saved in my phone right away, or at the very least written down somewhere. Which I always do EVENTUALLY. But I'm so busy, many times I'm answering calls while driving, or while another hand is busy cleaning a car. I've def got into the habit of constant confirmation. "and this is jack, right?" "who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" "just confirming so I'm not confused, we are talking about the dodge caravan with the such and such service, correct?"
    Weirdest thing I can think of involves a tahoe as well. A guy wants my basic full detail package. This is a wash/vacuum/aio exterior/steam clean/dressing. He's getting a special discount so he's getting it for $85 already. Problem is he's old and he thinks THATS expensive. I see the the car, and its totally trashed. It looks like cheech and chong invited Barbie's playhouse over and had a taco party. from toys to food to "I don't know what that is". I immediately let the customer know this is going to be a bigger job, and ask him how clean he wants it. He's like what do you mean. I show him, and explain at the very least I'm going to have to charge him an additional $30 to cover my time as an extra soilage fee, and that still would leave a lot of stains to contend with. Some of these stains were huge and deep and would only be lightened with the steam cleaning, explaining that I would need to use chemicals/shampoo and lots of elbow grease. I quoted him a total of $160 to get it out all the way. He tells me no, I quoted him $85 on the phone and he expects me to go the job for $85. I explain that is a general package that gets specific services with a 3-3.5 hour time frame in mind, and I need at least 6 hours to clean up this car correctly. He says "just do the $85 job". So I proceed. About halfway through the interior he pokes his little old head in the truck and says you know I think your problem is your chemicals. If you had the right chemicals you could make this Tahoe look brand new for the $85 price. Then trites to sell me some off brand name super aio cleaner/degreaser. I explain I have my own chemicals that work well, but the package doesn't include use of those chemicals. He leaves the bottle, tells me to use it on the truck, and says "instead if charging me extra I'll let you keep the rest of the bottle" and walks away. I don't want to leave bad impression on this jerk, only because he's a dealer, and was referred by a dealer and seems to know a lot of people/other contacts of mine. I begrudgingly start reading the directions on his bottle cause I'm sure as **** not wasting my chemicals on his car. I double back on my thought process, and decide why should this guy get free work out of me? I felt like he was bullying me into it for free. So I'm going to do it his way.... I did read the directions on his bottle and diluted properly. I soaked everything,I mean everything in this cleaner. I pulled out my pressure washer and started pressure washing the inside of the Tahoe. (I was being very careful around electrical stuff). I had already decided if he came back out while I was doing this I'd explain that he's bullying me into a $160 job for $80 that I'd do it in under 4 hours the only way I knew how. He never came out....I finished, I vacuumed up excess water, never pulled out the steam cleaner (didn't see a point after the soaking). Finished the whole job in just over 3 hours. I told him I was done, he inspected the vehicle, said it looked great, paid me $85. I told him to leave all the doors open overnight in a garage with a fan running, as I had to use a little extra water than normal. He called me a few hours later to say again how great the car looked and if I wanted to buy more of his cleaner...I just left it at maybe, and said see ya later. He has yet to call me back, I hope he doesn't, but I have gotten quite a few referrals from him that were normal minded people

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    • #3
      Re: What's the most craziest thing that has happened to you! Detail related

      You pressure washed the inside?

      This ain't something you do regularly is it?

      At least he hasn't called you back, but one day I bet he'll show up again. This time don't treat him different then any other customer and tell him what it's going to cost, because he already knows that you will charge him a cheaper price and now he's going to try to bargin with you and get a discount.
      ''USE THE LEAST AGGRESSIVE PRODUCT TO GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT''
      You Don't Know What You Can Do Until You Try '' TECHNIQUE IS EVERYTHING''
      Test Hoods Are Cheap And Most Of The Time Free

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: What's the most craziest thing that has happened to you! Detail related

        Random oddities:

        1) Finding a compact of cocaine under a floor mat.

        2) Finding a used condom under another floor mat.

        3) Breaking a Saab gear shift lever--It had obviously been welded previously but I still had to scramble to find one at a parts yard and put it in.

        4) This crazy old customer came into my shop in Costa Mesa, CA (at the time) and without a second question wanted me to detail his stable of 9 cars. I replied that I didn't provide mobile service and he responded that he wanted me to drive up to his house in Ranchos Palos Verdes, pick up his cars (starting with the Testarossa) and drive them back down to Costa Mesa to detail them. After letting the thoughts of driving a $350k Ferrari subside, I finally decided this customer was worth setting up for mobile and went up there to do his cars. This guy drove these cars to his business too. That business was located in the heart of Compton! A 70 something guy drove his Ferrari, Rolls, and Porsche through the heart of Compton daily.
        Brandon
        Custom Cleaning Concepts, LLC
        (435) 249-4CCC (4222)
        "When you want your ride as clean as can be, you need to call CCC!"

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: What's the most craziest thing that has happened to you! Detail related

          Hey Brandon did you get any pics of any of the details, I'd like to see the Ferrari (always had a fascination with the Ferrari, love the sound of them!)

          What did you do about the cocaine?

          And don't you hate it when you break something or when something is about to break and just hanging on my a thread and the customer doesn't tell you and you just barely touch it and it breakes in your possession! There's a call to the scrape yard's to hope to find a nicer piece to replace it by.
          ''USE THE LEAST AGGRESSIVE PRODUCT TO GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT''
          You Don't Know What You Can Do Until You Try '' TECHNIQUE IS EVERYTHING''
          Test Hoods Are Cheap And Most Of The Time Free

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: What's the most craziest thing that has happened to you! Detail related

            Originally posted by stang_krazy View Post
            Hey Brandon did you get any pics of any of the details, I'd like to see the Ferrari (always had a fascination with the Ferrari, love the sound of them!)

            What did you do about the cocaine?

            And don't you hate it when you break something or when something is about to break and just hanging on my a thread and the customer doesn't tell you and you just barely touch it and it breakes in your possession! There's a call to the scrape yard's to hope to find a nicer piece to replace it by.
            Those stories above are all from 1995-1996 so I don't have any pictures. It's been a boring almost 20 years since (in the detailing side of things at least).

            I didn't know what to do about the coke. I was 19 at the time and not 100% locked in on my values. I just ended up putting it back and not saying anything to the customer. Even today I think I'd be slightly conflicted on what to do. 90% of me says I'd call the cops, the other 10% says to leave it alone and not interfere in the paying customer's life.
            Brandon
            Custom Cleaning Concepts, LLC
            (435) 249-4CCC (4222)
            "When you want your ride as clean as can be, you need to call CCC!"

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: What's the most craziest thing that has happened to you! Detail related

              Yeah I quess that's one of them situations where you really can't say unless your in someone else's shoe's. But I would have vaccumed it up and put a bug in a cop's ear (if you know what I mean) Imagine a child getting ahold of that stuff.

              I bet them cars were fun to work on specially when you were 19!

              I worked all of 3 weeks as a detail manger some years back at a GM dealership (really after a week in a half I told them find someone else) and the owner had a black mercedes or ? that had 600 HP or something like.

              He drove it to a airport and took a trip somewhere and they wanted to fly me in his small plane to go get it and drive it back to the dealership but I told them noway (the owner didn't like being turn down, and didn't look at me to kindly the last week I was there!) I kindly wished I would have went to drive it back the 130 miles but I think I made the right decision.

              Brandon I'm taking it that were both starting to get up there in age!
              ''USE THE LEAST AGGRESSIVE PRODUCT TO GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT''
              You Don't Know What You Can Do Until You Try '' TECHNIQUE IS EVERYTHING''
              Test Hoods Are Cheap And Most Of The Time Free

              Comment

              • #8
                Lol, referring to the interior pressure washing. No, I def don't do that. I've never done it before or after.

                It was sort of a spite thing. Like, F this guy, he wants half off..ill give em half off, lol.

                I don't know why he got under my skin so bad...I come from the hotel industry and have dealt with much much much worse customers with a smile on my face the whole time. But I guess that why my story was "crazy" because I lost my cool and pressure washed an interior of a family car. I'm lucky it turned out well...

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                • #9
                  Re: What's the most craziest thing that has happened to you! Detail related

                  this was before i start the business but i was detailing on the side.
                  after the job i put all the buckets and the box with the sprayers in the trunk , to find out later i had a LIZARD in my trunk , i guess was sneak in the bucket )

                  i jump few ft in the air when i saw it , i have to let the trunk open for 2 h to get it out.
                  proreflection
                  *Ceramic Coating * Protection Film * Car Wrap * Paint Correction

                  Detail Luxury and Exotics in Austin area

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                  • #10
                    Re: What's the most craziest thing that has happened to you! Detail related

                    Originally posted by owendavidj View Post
                    Lol, referring to the interior pressure washing. No, I def don't do that. I've never done it before or after.

                    It was sort of a spite thing. Like, F this guy, he wants half off..ill give em half off, lol.

                    I don't know why he got under my skin so bad...I come from the hotel industry and have dealt with much much much worse customers with a smile on my face the whole time. But I guess that why my story was "crazy" because I lost my cool and pressure washed an interior of a family car. I'm lucky it turned out well...
                    I see where your coming from, my last job was dealing with the public and on 2 occasions I didn't care what I said or how they took it, just caught me in the wrong mood. But I've dealt with each one of them for 2 years or longer and man were the butts!!!!

                    Originally posted by Cosmin View Post
                    this was before i start the business but i was detailing on the side.
                    after the job i put all the buckets and the box with the sprayers in the trunk , to find out later i had a LIZARD in my trunk , i guess was sneak in the bucket )

                    i jump few ft in the air when i saw it , i have to let the trunk open for 2 h to get it out.
                    I would have too, and screamed like a little girl!!!
                    ''USE THE LEAST AGGRESSIVE PRODUCT TO GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT''
                    You Don't Know What You Can Do Until You Try '' TECHNIQUE IS EVERYTHING''
                    Test Hoods Are Cheap And Most Of The Time Free

                    Comment

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