In Need of a Sanity Check - Tried and Failed to Line Up a Detail at Auto Concierge
05-31-2012, 11:41 PM
#76
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
what if the tables were turned? what if customer visits shop. shop owners spends an hour explaining services. shop owner feels the meeting went well. customer decides not to have car detailed, and detailer vents on this forum. my guess is that there'd be little to zero sympathy from this crew. it's a cost of doing business, etc.
i'm not a fan of airing dirty laundry publicly. what's happened here seems to be an owner of a business tipping the notion of 'the customer is always right' on it's ear - becuase he's earned the right to do so. big deal.....move on.
my guess is that the detail business will continue to do just fine - even with this apparant attempt to badmouth the business.....very poor form on the part of the op - in my opinion.
the op should quit hovering over this thread - somehow looking for validation that he's been wronged.....and go find another shop, there's tons out there - remember, it's not splitting atoms. remember though - it's an art form, and if it was easy.......
if i lived in the bay area......Robert would get my business. if I were a detailer in the bay area, i'm not sure i'd have approached this situation any differently.
i'm not a fan of airing dirty laundry publicly. what's happened here seems to be an owner of a business tipping the notion of 'the customer is always right' on it's ear - becuase he's earned the right to do so. big deal.....move on.
my guess is that the detail business will continue to do just fine - even with this apparant attempt to badmouth the business.....very poor form on the part of the op - in my opinion.
the op should quit hovering over this thread - somehow looking for validation that he's been wronged.....and go find another shop, there's tons out there - remember, it's not splitting atoms. remember though - it's an art form, and if it was easy.......
if i lived in the bay area......Robert would get my business. if I were a detailer in the bay area, i'm not sure i'd have approached this situation any differently.
With regards to my intentions towards Robert, it is not as though I slandered him or said anything untruthful. I simply recounted our transaction (literally verbatim) and left it to the forum to weigh in. I also invited Robert to provide his perspective. Anybody who's read my posts can see that my goal wasn't to malign Robert, but rather to say, "here's what happened to me at this shop. I think I was wronged. I could be wrong." Like I've said, I come to this forum to see this type of feedback (i.e. positive and negative) about businesses.
06-01-2012, 12:32 AM
#78
Banned
FWIW history is littered with one person who thought they heard one thing and the other person thought they said another...I have never met Robert but have corresponded with him several times and really have a hard time believing the OP...I really find the OPs justification process to be rather lacking on many merits...It really is not asofine is it?
06-01-2012, 12:37 AM
#79
Nordschleife Master
As a detailer (part time), it's very hard to break everything down to line items. It's not that we can't, it's just if we do, it opens up a whole other can of worms.
For a badly scratched up beat up car, 25 hours is on par.
Here is typical brake down for me...
1- 2 hours for a wash/prep.
Another hour if full engine is involed
30min-2 hours clay
30min-2 hours tape, badge, light, etc removal
2-12 hours for polish
30min wax
10min-1hr reassemble the car/remove tape
30min clean windows
30min-1hr trim
1hr miscellaneous.
It takes me about 8-12 hours to do a full multi stage exterior.
Now that is just for an exterior. You look at that & say, I can wash my car in 30min, & clay it in 15min. Why does it take you so long? Or How about "I" do the wash & clay at my house, then bring it over? Can you take less time on the polishing? Don't tape it, or remove anything, work around all the trim.
You can beat down on your hard work, for like 1-2 hours less. To make that up, you got to work 2x as hard, and be 2x as careful. If you mess up a badge, or trim, guess what? You got to buy & install a new badge or trim. That comes out of my pocket. You want me to go from 8 hours of polish to 2, but still want 100% correction? NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! If it does, Then you get the car back, & tell all your friends, you were ripped off for the detail, & did a crap job.
I spend a lot of time explaining that what I do is a PROCESS & you can't really pick & choose. If you want result X you pay X, if you are ok with result A, then you pay A. It's hard when you look at Scarlet (my C4S), want me to do what I did to Scarlet when I say my last detail was about 40hours & about 20 was on the exterior only. You want that service, but want to pay for the wash & wax special ( I don't do that kind of service).
I charge per job, based on car, & condition. I tell you my expectations, & price plus the time involved. A lot of people go else where, get less of a service, & pay twice as much.
For a badly scratched up beat up car, 25 hours is on par.
Here is typical brake down for me...
1- 2 hours for a wash/prep.
Another hour if full engine is involed
30min-2 hours clay
30min-2 hours tape, badge, light, etc removal
2-12 hours for polish
30min wax
10min-1hr reassemble the car/remove tape
30min clean windows
30min-1hr trim
1hr miscellaneous.
It takes me about 8-12 hours to do a full multi stage exterior.
Now that is just for an exterior. You look at that & say, I can wash my car in 30min, & clay it in 15min. Why does it take you so long? Or How about "I" do the wash & clay at my house, then bring it over? Can you take less time on the polishing? Don't tape it, or remove anything, work around all the trim.
You can beat down on your hard work, for like 1-2 hours less. To make that up, you got to work 2x as hard, and be 2x as careful. If you mess up a badge, or trim, guess what? You got to buy & install a new badge or trim. That comes out of my pocket. You want me to go from 8 hours of polish to 2, but still want 100% correction? NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! If it does, Then you get the car back, & tell all your friends, you were ripped off for the detail, & did a crap job.
I spend a lot of time explaining that what I do is a PROCESS & you can't really pick & choose. If you want result X you pay X, if you are ok with result A, then you pay A. It's hard when you look at Scarlet (my C4S), want me to do what I did to Scarlet when I say my last detail was about 40hours & about 20 was on the exterior only. You want that service, but want to pay for the wash & wax special ( I don't do that kind of service).
I charge per job, based on car, & condition. I tell you my expectations, & price plus the time involved. A lot of people go else where, get less of a service, & pay twice as much.
06-01-2012, 01:51 AM
#80
Nordschleife Master
Robert, stand your ground ... this detailer will suffer a loss of business based on his poor communication skills 
06-01-2012, 08:01 AM
#81
Three Wheelin'
I am from Belgium and would use the detailer 
In fact, his reply's give the impression of a proud guy who is very particular about what he does. I would think he would do well on my car.
The OP shows immaturity but I wouldn't hold that against him. We all have or will at some point, we are merely human.
His feelings got hurt, it'll pass and he will move on. No big deal.
In fact, his reply's give the impression of a proud guy who is very particular about what he does. I would think he would do well on my car.
The OP shows immaturity but I wouldn't hold that against him. We all have or will at some point, we are merely human.
His feelings got hurt, it'll pass and he will move on. No big deal.
06-01-2012, 09:00 AM
#82
I live in Germany and would use this detailer .
The OP had no services performed and therefore no damages to complain about but feels it necessary to air this out on a forum. If anything you wasted the detailer's time and now you are attempting to damage his reputation IMO. To me it is all very transparent and nothing more than a cheap shot. Leave what few independent businessmen that still exist in the US alone to seek out an honest living, strap some class on, and move on.....
.The OP had no services performed and therefore no damages to complain about but feels it necessary to air this out on a forum. If anything you wasted the detailer's time and now you are attempting to damage his reputation IMO. To me it is all very transparent and nothing more than a cheap shot. Leave what few independent businessmen that still exist in the US alone to seek out an honest living, strap some class on, and move on.....
06-01-2012, 10:21 AM
#85
Rennlist Member
06-01-2012, 11:04 AM
#87
Still plays with cars.
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Folks, I'm closing this thread. Bashing a vendor for not accepting a job is a far cry from a complaint about a botched job.
Secondly, we frown on posting private communications. Had those emails been Private Messages on Rennlist, Adam would be enjoying a vacation from Rennlist.
Regards,
Secondly, we frown on posting private communications. Had those emails been Private Messages on Rennlist, Adam would be enjoying a vacation from Rennlist.
Regards,
