How to remind customers to pay for a detail.

Eldorado2k said:
What did I tell you guys?! Freakin overreacting.

If you have the possibility of getting screwed your mind, you’re likely to be screwed.. Be aware of your surroundings, but if you even have the slightest thought of being screwed over, then you’re just living in fear.

There was alot of talk about taking control of the situation in this thread.. More like damage control, but the way I see it, having control is not falling for such BS in the 1st place. If you’re dumb enough to get ripped off by someone like that in this situation, then you have to factor in how much you yourself are to blame for it.

@Maestro. Good deal, I told you everything was going to turn out fine. Just needed to have a little patience. Thanks for the update.
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It's a detailler thing. Not sure why that is. Many of us only accept cash and are super scared of credit card payments. In one Facebook group I am a member of, there are almost daily pictures of people showing text they received asking if they detailled x type of car or boat and if they accept credit card payment and it's always commented by several people saying it's a scam. I did ask repeatedly what makes them say that and no one answers.

The vast majority of my clients pay by credit card. If I refused to accept that mode of payment, I am sure I would loose a lot of business!
 
That is just an absolutely sky is falling mentality. I've found that the people that are scared of accepting credit card payments are people that are scared of chargebacks for substandard work. A guy I was trying to deal with to do some spot bumper repair advertised that he took credit cards. When he showed up at my house, he said he took cash or check only. Red flag because the postcard he sent out had huge credit card accepted logos all over it. His machine "was down." I sent him on his way because that's a guy that doesn't want you to have any recourse after you pay. That's what you're saying to your customer. You're saying "I offer zero guarantees on the quality of my work."

We're a brand new business. We have taken $2500-4000 in credit card payments per month for the last 6 months. Some people prefer to pay cash, that's fine too. We still give them a receipt through Square via text or email. I've taken two checks since I've been in business. Generally we don't accept checks. That being said, we've had zero non payment, zero chargebacks, zero credit card fraud. We've had one customer that refused to pay for a $40 wash. The car was an absolutely BEAT base model Prius. Never been washed, never been clayed, never been waxed. Bugs etched into the clearcoat of the front bumper and hood. Water spot etching on all the windows of the driver's side. Super dirty inside. We did a fantastic job cleaning it inside and washed it outside to the best of our ability. The "bugs" were not bugs anymore, they were part of the paint. We tried to explain to her that the bugs were now a permanent part of her car's paint. She accused of us making this huge scuff on the side of the car that was clearly already there, was barely noticeable and we clearly didn't cause. We gave her the keys, thanked her for her business and sent her on her way for free. $30k in business and we've been beaten out of $40 by a customer that in my mind never had any intention of paying for a car wash unless we were somehow able to turn back the hands of time with a car wash. Part of doing business.
 
Calendyr said:
It's a detailler thing. Not sure why that is. Many of us only accept cash and are super scared of credit card payments. In one Facebook group I am a member of, there are almost daily pictures of people showing text they received asking if they detailled x type of car or boat and if they accept credit card payment and it's always commented by several people saying it's a scam. I did ask repeatedly what makes them say that and no one answers.

The vast majority of my clients pay by credit card. If I refused to accept that mode of payment, I am sure I would loose a lot of business!
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-Super scared of credit
-Always several people saying it’s a scam
-You repeatedly ask what makes them say that and no one answers

Those people who are scared of credit must not know what it’s like to do a proper detail on a high end vehicle and get paid what it’s worth.

My point is that there’s a good chance it’s going to cost hundreds of dollars, and most people don’t like carrying around alot of cash. [not to mention it’s safer for the buyer to have an electronic record of the transaction vs. handing over a big wad of cash without knowing if they’ll even get a receipt + alot of banks only allow you to withdraw $300 per day from the ATM. What if it costs more than that]? Either ways it’s a hassle. It’s 2018, people like to pay by card.

Those guys who are quik to say it’s a scam are the type of losers who live in fear.
You repeatedly ask what makes them say that and none of them answers? Let me guess, they’re also a bunch of individuals who are scared to show their face on the internet and instead have some cartoon character on their profile, because some crazy person might drive across the country just to stalk them 1 day...


You live in the real world, they live behind their keyboards. Lol.
 
Might be, i don't know. For instance, Darren Priest doesn't accept credit cards and his company seems to be doing very well. Not sure what is the motivation of refusing credit cards... There is a transaction fee, so on a large payment it does represent something like 10$ which is annoying to have to pay... but still, it's a business expense that is deductible so for me that is not that bad.

As for garantee of workmanship. asking for a refund because you are not happy with the work is not legal. The company could sue the heck out of you for doing that. I believe it falls under the Fraud umbrella.

But as a customer, if a company refuses to accept credit cards or bank cards, I am simply not doing business with them.
 
Calendyr said:
Might be, i don't know. For instance, Darren Priest doesn't accept credit cards and his company seems to be doing very well. Not sure what is the motivation of refusing credit cards...
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I believe his reason is because most of his customers are long timers so it’s just a way of keeping things easier. He stays busy enough with his maintenance clients, and if and when he details a new customer they have to pay cash or they can choose someone else, no sweat of his back.

He doesn’t carry a steamer, a pressure washer, etc. for the same reason.
 
Calendyr said:
In one Facebook group I am a member of, there are almost daily pictures of people showing text they received asking if they detailled x type of car or boat and if they accept credit card payment and it's always commented by several people saying it's a scam. I did ask repeatedly what makes them say that and no one answers.
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The scam emails are pretty easy to spot:

Broken English, first and last name are swapped, come direct to your email versus through your website. They start pretty much the same.

Hi, I am mr keen Joe, I would like to know, do you do auto detailing and accept credit cards?

So you reply yes. Then poor keen Joe says he's in the hospital and can't talk on the phone, but wants to send you 2 escalades and a mustang for the works. But his vehicle shipper doesn't take credit cards. So if you could just pay the shipper for the cars, he will include that when he pays your bill.

Or mr keen Joe is sending his boat up here so his family can go for a cruise and it need to be clean for them. Because, you know, when dad is on his deathbed, the rest of the family is going for a boat cruise.
 
Another obvious sign is the use of the word “mum” instead of mom.
 
Ya, those I know about. People wanting to send multiple cars by towing... ROFL just ridiculous ;)
 
It's not illegal to ask a company for a full or partial refund if you're not happy with the work. If a customer came to you and you guaranteed them, for example, that you could remove all the stains 100% from their seating surfaces and you delivered the car without doing what you said and charged them full price, their recourse would be to ask you to perform the work as promised or give them a refund. I don't think that's out of line. It's certainly not illegal. If after all that, you tell them "too bad I couldn't get the stains out and I'm not giving you a refund", their recourse is to contact their credit card company. If they can prove you made certain promises and then failed to do the work, and they can prove that they gave you an opportunity to correct the issue, they have more than a fair chance of getting their money back.

Requesting your credit card provider intercede on your behalf after you've exhausted all other options is not fraud.
 
During the Initial look over the vehicle and agreement of services I would cover all basis.

During agreement process whether you have a preliminary evaluation sheet (a report that you filled out with noticeable damage, defects in paint, condition of vehicle, etc...) I would share it with the customer and discuss with the customer your payment options in advance (so that puts the thought in their mind that you need the money ASAP). Many customers will pick up a vehicle and state they do not have cash or they have a check, blah blah (some make excuses to get the keys and drive away). If you get burned more and more by customers not paying. Either set up a promise to pay agreement (at the bottom of your preliminary evaluation sheet) that they sign, though charges might change by the end of your detail job if you word the state that you will need payment the payment within 24 hours of service (what ever you feel is best for your business).
 
Do a lot of you guys actually get "burned" by customers not paying? The OP got paid. Eldorado didn't sound like non payment was an issue. I've not been paid once and it wasn't because the customer "forgot" their wallet, they just refused to pay. I'm not taking you to small claims court for $40, you win if you need $40 that badly. Is non payment really an issue? Or fraud? I haven't experience it at all, although my customer base tends to be more affluent than average.
 
I think it really depends on many factors (i.e. what kind of clientele you have, area in which you do business, etc.) A few years ago when I first started, I was getting my feet on the ground detailing. Between networking and gathering clients, I was contacted by a individual who was very nice during the first few conversations. I did what we both agree upon. She handed myself a personal check, which I thought nothing of it...until I went to the bank and the check bounced (big headache). I contacted the client, no response.

My previous post was to the first statement, page 1, is to basically cover yourself. There are customers out there that do not have good intentions and if you see that it is happening to you, that a customer takes foreverr to pay and you are just starting out in detailing by yourself..cash is king. Basically, Adjust your thought process on how you want to handle payments. Let your customer know what you accept as payment from the start, have a procedure in place on how you would remind customers.

I completely agree with you sudsmobile, I am not going to cry about $40 lost, it would more of a head ache just to get the money back. If it was a job that required a few hours and costed a couple hundred, I would be very disappointed, knock on wood that hasn't happened yet.
 
Maestro Sam said:
Hey guys sorry for the late update! Busy for me paint correcting alone and had no chance to get back on the forum! After the initial text, the owner came to my house, handed me a check, and a $100 tip for doing a good job and for the late payment. Her husband is booked with me for a full interior/exterior detail. It is great to share these stories knowing that the autogeek community has your back. Thank you all for the support! I was paid $400 for the 12 hours of work for those that are curious!
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I love this.

I also think you handled this perfectly. You could have gotten aggressive/pushy, as some in this thread have implicated would be the best way to go about it ("putting on your business owner pants"), but you didn't; You went the high road and kept things courteous, professional, and customer-oriented. In return, your customer not only remains a customer, but has rewarded your patience.

IMHO, had you gotten pushy, you would have lost this customer and any future business that would have come your way.

Also, IMHO, high-end detailing is something that generally draws loyal and honest customers. It's not the same as a corner "wash-n-wax" shop.
 
SirTanon said:
Also, IMHO, high-end detailing is something that generally draws loyal and honest customers. It's not the same as a corner "wash-n-wax" shop.
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This exactly.
How did we seem to forget that.
 
sudsmobile said:
It's not illegal to ask a company for a full or partial refund if you're not happy with the work. If a customer came to you and you guaranteed them, for example, that you could remove all the stains 100% from their seating surfaces and you delivered the car without doing what you said and charged them full price, their recourse would be to ask you to perform the work as promised or give them a refund. I don't think that's out of line. It's certainly not illegal. If after all that, you tell them "too bad I couldn't get the stains out and I'm not giving you a refund", their recourse is to contact their credit card company. If they can prove you made certain promises and then failed to do the work, and they can prove that they gave you an opportunity to correct the issue, they have more than a fair chance of getting their money back.

Requesting your credit card provider intercede on your behalf after you've exhausted all other options is not fraud.
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I am talking about asking the credit card company to reverse the charge. Unless the business owner as agreed to it, you can get in a lot of troubles having a charge reversed when it was a legitimate payment and the company can prove it.
 
Simply untrue on it's face. Of course you can "get in trouble" trying to fraudulently reverse the charges, although I'm not sure exactly what kind of trouble you're imagining besides having the reversal "reversed" back on you and being forced to pay including interest from the time of the original charge. A chargeback is a legitimate course of action for the consumer when other remedies have been exhausted. Further, a business owner doesn't agree to a chargeback, he would simply issue you a full or partial refund. My original statement is true. A lot of business owner's don't accept credit cards because they're fearful of giving the customer a legitimate option to recoup money when the business fails to deliver on its promises.

You seem to be implying that customers would commit fraud to avoid paying because every statement you've made has involved the customer committing fraud. I think we've covered the fact several times that for the most part (99.9%), customers are just as honest and trustworthy as we all seem to think we are. You said you accept credit cards. You had any chargebacks? I haven't had any.
 
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