Need to vent a little and ask advice on how to deal with the idiots.
We run a simple waterless car wash & detailing shop at a local shopping center. Yesterday we get in a Tahoe with Chrome wheels. I literally spend about 5 minutes with every new customer explaining how the system works. In my "speech" I explain that just like a typical car wash, we will remove the loose dirt from the vehicles paint and provide short term protection from our water based polymer spray wax. I also explain that embedded dirt and contaminants would need extra work, and that they need to choose one of our details.
Anyways, so after carefully explaining the packages, the owner chooses our second package, which is the most basic in&out service: Wash/wax, rims/tires, door jambs, inside windows, full vacuum to the trunk, interior dash/console dust, & tire shine. Package costs $45. The customer asks if we clean his running boards and says the tunnel car wash he goes to never does despite him repeatedly asking.
His Tahoe was in 6/10 condition for the year, interior was all dirty and stained from his 3-4 boys that piled out, his chrome wheels were pitted and stained, the outside trim was old and dry.
So we do our thing, call the guy when its done and he comes out to inspect & pay. First thing he says is "the wheels aren't clean!", I look down and sure enough, i see one inside spoke had some remaining dirt. So I clean it up and apoligize. Then he points to his pitting chrome and asks why this doesn't come out, he's paying for a car wash and that it should come out.
I show him my rim rag, which has flakes of his chrome on it and tell him that no car wash is going to fix his rims and Neglect has taken its course. He didn't like that too much but moved on. Then he points to his water spotted windshield and says "Isn't that all supposed to come off? What am I paying for here??" 
So now I start to explain to him again what he's paying for, and that once again a car WASH removes the loose dirt, and what he sees is calcium deposits left over from tap water and that they require abrasives to remove. We offer the service, but its not included in the package he chose. I can see on his face he doesn't believe me, and Im getting agitated. I go grab my wash and wax & MF, spray it, and with as much force as i could i proceed to scrub the glass while he watches. And of course, the water spots DONt BUDGE! I offer him 50% off a glass water spot removal, but he's not looking to spend any more money. I gave him 20% off the service, handed him his keys and told him to have a nice day.
But this has been bothering me all night.. a way to explain to the customers that there is a difference between a car wash and a detail. But I know, no matter how much explaining I do.. it goes in one ear, out the other. Its like, automatically they assume if they're spending $10 more than the tunnel wash, they're car should come out like brand new. They see my sign that says "Wash & Wax" and think the wax is going to fix their scratches, remove their water spots, remove paint transfer, fix oxidized and pitted rims, etc.
Also, 2 weeks ago we had a work truck come in. Obviously used for construction work by his magnetic sticker and tons of tools and stuff in the bed. He chooses the cheapest, basic wash & wax. I explain to him like everyone else, but he's a hot shot and in a hurry not paying attention. Afterwards he comes and insists on paying before inspection. He then calls me over, and as i walk up he asks me "This don't come out?" and proceeds to use his thumbnail to scratch off what looked like to me as some kind of hard glue, like crazy glue or something that came out from the truck bed. I could hear his nail grinding into the glob and not even a FLAKE come off. I explain to him once again, LOOSE DIRT, and that if his nail isn't taking it off then no car wash on the planet is going to remove it. He gets loud and says "IS THAT A YES OR A NO", and i said NO, but i CAN get it off with more work but I will have to charge you for the extra service. Meanwhile, once again this is a work truck, there's scratches and dents and dings everywhere. It looks like he cleans it every 6 mos. But now that he spent $25, all of a sudden he cares about his truck???
/rant
We run a simple waterless car wash & detailing shop at a local shopping center. Yesterday we get in a Tahoe with Chrome wheels. I literally spend about 5 minutes with every new customer explaining how the system works. In my "speech" I explain that just like a typical car wash, we will remove the loose dirt from the vehicles paint and provide short term protection from our water based polymer spray wax. I also explain that embedded dirt and contaminants would need extra work, and that they need to choose one of our details.
Anyways, so after carefully explaining the packages, the owner chooses our second package, which is the most basic in&out service: Wash/wax, rims/tires, door jambs, inside windows, full vacuum to the trunk, interior dash/console dust, & tire shine. Package costs $45. The customer asks if we clean his running boards and says the tunnel car wash he goes to never does despite him repeatedly asking.
His Tahoe was in 6/10 condition for the year, interior was all dirty and stained from his 3-4 boys that piled out, his chrome wheels were pitted and stained, the outside trim was old and dry.
So we do our thing, call the guy when its done and he comes out to inspect & pay. First thing he says is "the wheels aren't clean!", I look down and sure enough, i see one inside spoke had some remaining dirt. So I clean it up and apoligize. Then he points to his pitting chrome and asks why this doesn't come out, he's paying for a car wash and that it should come out.
I show him my rim rag, which has flakes of his chrome on it and tell him that no car wash is going to fix his rims and Neglect has taken its course. He didn't like that too much but moved on. Then he points to his water spotted windshield and says "Isn't that all supposed to come off? What am I paying for here??" So now I start to explain to him again what he's paying for, and that once again a car WASH removes the loose dirt, and what he sees is calcium deposits left over from tap water and that they require abrasives to remove. We offer the service, but its not included in the package he chose. I can see on his face he doesn't believe me, and Im getting agitated. I go grab my wash and wax & MF, spray it, and with as much force as i could i proceed to scrub the glass while he watches. And of course, the water spots DONt BUDGE! I offer him 50% off a glass water spot removal, but he's not looking to spend any more money. I gave him 20% off the service, handed him his keys and told him to have a nice day. But this has been bothering me all night.. a way to explain to the customers that there is a difference between a car wash and a detail. But I know, no matter how much explaining I do.. it goes in one ear, out the other. Its like, automatically they assume if they're spending $10 more than the tunnel wash, they're car should come out like brand new. They see my sign that says "Wash & Wax" and think the wax is going to fix their scratches, remove their water spots, remove paint transfer, fix oxidized and pitted rims, etc.
Also, 2 weeks ago we had a work truck come in. Obviously used for construction work by his magnetic sticker and tons of tools and stuff in the bed. He chooses the cheapest, basic wash & wax. I explain to him like everyone else, but he's a hot shot and in a hurry not paying attention. Afterwards he comes and insists on paying before inspection. He then calls me over, and as i walk up he asks me "This don't come out?" and proceeds to use his thumbnail to scratch off what looked like to me as some kind of hard glue, like crazy glue or something that came out from the truck bed. I could hear his nail grinding into the glob and not even a FLAKE come off. I explain to him once again, LOOSE DIRT, and that if his nail isn't taking it off then no car wash on the planet is going to remove it. He gets loud and says "IS THAT A YES OR A NO", and i said NO, but i CAN get it off with more work but I will have to charge you for the extra service. Meanwhile, once again this is a work truck, there's scratches and dents and dings everywhere. It looks like he cleans it every 6 mos. But now that he spent $25, all of a sudden he cares about his truck???
/rant
