Limiting the Types of Vehicles You Do

Ok read the entire thread. I was surprised by some of the comments. You guys quote prices on the phone without seeing the car?

My method will be very simple. I charge 40$/hour for my work. That is what I will tell the customer on the phone. In order to give an estimate, I will have to see the vehicle. It's up to the customer to chose for x amout of work if they want to pay a specific price, or pay the hourly rate and do the job completelly. So for me, if the car is really nasty, I am happy because I know I am booked for the day.
 
Calendyr said:
Ok read the entire thread. I was surprised by some of the comments. You guys quote prices on the phone without seeing the car?
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on some occasions i give an range based of the clients answers. i included any surprises in that range too.
of course " my car is like new" or " in great condition" doesn`t fly with me , i just ignore that part till i see the real condition.
most jobs are quoted after have been seen and a 360 walk

yes, price clean up your schedule , but no more soiled minivans
 
I think what I'll start doing is just giving a price range little cosmin suggested. That way if they show up with a dog hair infested minivan, I'm not really up charging I'm just going with the higher end of the range I mentioned.

The problem with always needing to pre inspect is that it really limits a lot of people. I think you would end up getting less business for sure.

What do you guys think?
 
WOW, i wish all you guys lived in my area. i love doing nasty trashed interiors, LOL.

Maybe because when i was much younger my mom would always make me clean the inside of her van and she would be super happy when it was all cleaned up, haha.

Then again, i have a steamer, hot water extractor, shop vac, and work at discount tire. so i see a lot of wrecked interiors (and exteriors), completely use to it now. i dont mind getting down and dirty. ive done a lot tougher/nastier jobs/activities. so cleaning up a trashed interior that i get payed for isnt a big deal :D
 
thebamboo23 said:
WOW, i wish all you guys lived in my area. i love doing nasty trashed interiors, LOL.

Maybe because when i was much younger my mom would always make me clean the inside of her van and she would be super happy when it was all cleaned up, haha. Then again, i have a steamer, hot water extractor, shop vac, and work at discount tire. so i see a lot of wrecked interiors (and exteriors), completely use to it now. i dont mind getting down and dirty. ive done a lot tougher/nastier jobs/activities. so cleaning up a trashed interior that i get payed for isnt a big deal :D
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And I wish you lived in my area!

I have kind of a deal with another detailer here. I send him all of my crap jobs, he loves it, and makes a bunch of money doing it. This guy has extractors and steamers that I am convinced are nuclear powered. He sends me all of the paint correction stuff he knows he can't do or is afraid of doing.

Capitalism works!
 
I've been telling people for a long time never to quote interior work until you see it. Never have a set price for interior work always say "Prices Start At"! When people call for interior work I always tell them to give any accurate I need to see the interior and prices start at $125.
 
Pureshine said:
I've been telling people for a long time never to quote interior work until you see it. Never have a set price for interior work always say "Prices Start At"! When people call for interior work I always tell them to give any accurate I need to see the interior and prices start at $125.
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Never have a set price for anything. All of the prices listed on my site are "starting prices" which were created based on an estimate of how long it would take me to complete said service on a small car (we're talking like Honda S2000 size) that is in average condition. I then take that time estimate and multiply it by my hourly rate of $40/hr to get a "starting price" since just about every other vehicle should take longer than a small car in decent shape. This system allows me to price every job to fit the amount of time that I will spend on it. I tell my customers I believe it will take me X number of hours and my hourly rate is $40/hour which leaves you at an estimated total of $___.



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^Even though these were similar sized cars, there is clearly a difference in the amount of work required, therefore those who decide to say "Paint Correction for Cars = $300" will get stuck charging the same amount for two totally different jobs... just doesn't make sense to me, yet so many people do it.

Price your services based on the quality of work you provide AND the amount of time it takes you to do it.
 
davisautodetail said:
I just did another nasty MiniVan. I did a nasty dog-hair infested Chevy 2500HD the other day.

Frankly, I'm over these types of vehicles. I didn't even finish the minivan because the lady didn't want me to spend more than 3 hours on it. It was gross, so I was able to steam and scrub the 2 front seats, and the 2nd row, and do the dash, and vacuum and quick wipe down of the rest, but it's way sub-standard of what I want my details to end up like. I needed 2 more hours at least.

I'm doing a huge 40' 5th wheel inside and out tomorrow and Thursday, could be $1000 job, and the client is willing and able to spend that.

I have other sources of income, so I don't need to be super hungry, so to speak, I can be a little more choosy, even if it means only doing 1-2 bigger jobs a week.

I'm wondering how I would go about discouraging these types of jobs? When they call and say "I have minivan that's really dirty," do I just tell them I'm booked up for the next several weeks? Do I price those vehicles at 50% more to make it worth while? I use a lot more product on them, so they are not only miserable, but they are more expensive to do.

I realize I'm not going to just be doing Ferraris and fresh-off-the-lot cars, but I want to actually enjoy this work. If I wanted a job I hated, I'd go work at McDonald's.

Thoughts? Thanks!
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not even reading the pages of replies. just your OP

I turn down work all the time and I'm still booked 1-3 weeks in advance depending on time of year. You're not the corner car wash. You're not obligated to accept everything. Everyone has a problem, you can't solve them all, simple as that. Whatever you tell them it doesnt matter because you're the boss.

I started out doing disaster interiors and polishing minivans. Its how you get started. But you dont have to stay there forever.
 
The one thing you have to be care full of is that word of mouth can get a around that your way over priced. If over price jobs you don't want to do that can get around and people won't call you for business. I'm booked 2 weeks out May-Sptember. When winter comes and business slows down you will wish you had some of those crappy cars for the $$$.
 
I explain to people that I detail part time and can only do a few cars a week. If their car is something I am not interested in I just tell them it would be a while before I could do it. They can usually find someone else to do it sooner. I always felt the big advantage of detailing part time on the side was that you could cherry pick your customers.
 
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