My employee screwed up today

Everybody makes mistakes. If your employee is just there for a check then maybe you should look for someone that is really passionate and eager to learn. It all comes down to what kind of attitude this person has.

Maybe I am looking at this wrong but after you got the scratch to 99 percent did you think to contact the customer and let him decide if it was acceptable. I would think that if you got the scratch to the point where 99 percent wouldn't see it your customer would be ok with the result and a discount on the detail package.

I have to give you credit for being such a stand up guy, I don't know many people in my area in the auto world who would take care of a customer like that.
 
Wow man, that's unfortunate, sorry about the situation - no fun at all. I've debated hiring employees for years, but just don't want to deal with all the hassles involved.

As for a uniform, why not just do something like regular basketball shorts and a company t-shirt and everyone where this ego is working on a car. Very comfortable and and can be adjusted in colder months and near impossible to damage a car. I would want to take the chance. If you supply the shirts, I don't think it's too much to ask an employee to go out and buy some simple plain basketball shorts. It removes a variable almost completely.
 
FUNX650 said:
@OP:

Can't hardly excuse your employee's wardrobe malfunction...
But if you get a chance:
You need to re-read your original posting.

IMHO:
•There's at least three detailing blunders listed, therein,
that you committed yourself. Either you were using them as:
-"training exercises" for your employee;
-or you, yourself, need to be enlightened/re-enlightened...
or trained/re-trained.

-If it's the later:
Doesn't set very good examples for any employee
that's being lectured about their wrongdoings.


Bob
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:iagree:

If you don't put some policies in place and as the owner of your business lead by example it will inevitably happen again. And if it does consider the old saying about how many people an unhappy customers tells vs. how many people a happy customer tells.

Get a few micro fiber detailing aprons and few of the cool clip on cord holders, require they be worn at all times when detailing and you're good to go.

I can't help but think if I were to take my vehicle to a professional to get it detailed I would expect it to look better than it did when I dropped it off. A scratch and burnt through clear coat is far from that. I'd be upset to say the least.

If your too busy to properly train your guy maybe you should consider dialing it back a little and going back to doing it by yourself until you can either train the employee properly or find someone who is already trained. The negative side of not doing this is a potential loss of business and worse the loss of your reputation.

Please understand I'm not saying any of this to be critical, I truly hope this all works out for you.
 
I have been detailing for 20 years. Used to be on these sites all the time. Honestly it has probably been two years since I have been back. Now I remember why stop coming to these things. It is amazing the know it alls that respond. Over the past two decades I have made every mistake there is to make and do my best to learn from them. After reading some responses it seems like many have never made a mistake in their lives. Geesh!

First of all I'm sorry man! That bites. But good for you in calling the customer. Honesty is a tough thing to come by. Second, emoyees usually suck. But if you want to have a shop your gonna need them. Just learn from this experience. Everything will work out. A bit of advice would be to check around for the best body shop. That is brand new paint on the car and we have all seen really crappy paint jobs! Just find the best shop and pay for it. You will forget the money in no time and would rather be done with this nightmare.

I taught myself how to paint cars because I saw so many bad paint jobs and I got tired of telling customers I couldnt fix many of the problems a typical car owner has.

Anyways best is luck to you with your business!
 
FinishingTouchA said:
There's no way I'm forcing someone to wear scrub pants in 105 degree weather. Dickies and a mechanics belt is just fine and looks much more professional.
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I agree the dickies look more professional, however I have wore both in 100+ degree heat. I prefer the scrubs.
 
fergnation said:
I have been detailing for 20 years. Used to be on these sites all the time. Honestly it has probably been two years since I have been back. Now I remember why stop coming to these things. It is amazing the know it alls that respond. Over the past two decades I have made every mistake there is to make and do my best to learn from them. After reading some responses it seems like many have never made a mistake in their lives. Geesh!

First of all I'm sorry man! That bites. But good for you in calling the customer. Honesty is a tough thing to come by. Second, emoyees usually suck. But if you want to have a shop your gonna need them. Just learn from this experience. Everything will work out. A bit of advice would be to check around for the best body shop. That is brand new paint on the car and we have all seen really crappy paint jobs! Just find the best shop and pay for it. You will forget the money in no time and would rather be done with this nightmare.

I taught myself how to paint cars because I saw so many bad paint jobs and I got tired of telling customers I couldnt fix many of the problems a typical car owner has.

Anyways best is luck to you with your business!
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See, this here is what I've been thinking while reading through all these responses. On the grand scheme of things this is very small. Luckily it was a Kia Soul and an understanding customer rather than a 1971 Cuda or a Ferrari. This won't happen again because I'm taking it as a learning experience. June is a $17,000 month for me so $800 is just an unexpected business expense. I know things will happen. But when they do I need to take charge and make changes so that they don't happen again. I'm not just a detailer now, I'm a business owner and manager and I must put that first now. Can't just "get in the zone" anymore, I've got to put lots of efforts into training my employees to put out the exact same work I do.
 
FinishingTouchA said:
See, this here is what I've been thinking while reading through all these responses. On the grand scheme of things this is very small. Luckily it was a Kia Soul and an understanding customer rather than a 1971 Cuda or a Ferrari. This won't happen again because I'm taking it as a learning experience. June is a $17,000 month for me so $800 is just an unexpected business expense. I know things will happen. But when they do I need to take charge and make changes so that they don't happen again. I'm not just a detailer now, I'm a business owner and manager and I must put that first now. Can't just "get in the zone" anymore, I've got to put lots of efforts into training my employees to put out the exact same work I do.
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:props:
 
aim4squirrels said:
Do they make microfiber one-sy jumpsuits?
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:haha: :laughing: :dblthumb2: :iagree:


THEY SHOULD TOTALLY MAKE THESE!!!!

on a serious note.. thank you for posting this story. Sometimes it takes the mistakes of others to remind us that things can go wrong very quickly if you don't pay attention; and sometimes, it's the best way to learn.

I hope it all worked out for you in the end.
 
FinishingTouchA said:
See, this here is what I've been thinking while reading through all these responses. On the grand scheme of things this is very small. Luckily it was a Kia Soul and an understanding customer rather than a 1971 Cuda or a Ferrari. This won't happen again because I'm taking it as a learning experience. June is a $17,000 month for me so $800 is just an unexpected business expense. I know things will happen. But when they do I need to take charge and make changes so that they don't happen again. I'm not just a detailer now, I'm a business owner and manager and I must put that first now. Can't just "get in the zone" anymore, I've got to put lots of efforts into training my employees to put out the exact same work I do.
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I tip my hat off to you! For you to repair the Soul on your dime just shows you are here for the long term. Regardless of any of the opinions (mine included); I commend the fact that you went above and beyond to take care of the customer. Your customer service is second to none.

We ALL learn from our mistakes and I am sure you will have established an excellent policy ALL of your employees agree upon and an incident like this will probably not happen again.

I guarantee you that you will actually get MORE business from this kind act!! And it will more than likely be from this customer!!

Kudos to your company and your professionalism!!

:dblthumb2:
 
It's kind of funny to me that all of you are so impressed that I admitted fault and am taking care of the customer. Honestly I never thought of the option of ignoring it or saying it was already there. Yes, I'm in this business for the long term. And customer service/quality of work is my top priority being the only detail shop in this small town.
 
FinishingTouchA said:
It's kind of funny to me that all of you are so impressed that I admitted fault and am taking care of the customer. Honestly I never thought of the option of ignoring it or saying it was already there. Yes, I'm in this business for the long term. And customer service/quality of work is my top priority being the only detail shop in this small town.
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Your integrity will take you far in life. I appreciate that you took care of your customer, but also were big enough to share it with others world wide. Now others will hopefully learn from this and can avoid it themselves.

I would let you work on my car
 
I would've presented your fixed panel to the customer (since you said most probably wouldn't notice it) and offered them the option of monetary compensation for the mistake or a body shop fix. In many cases, the owner will realize it's not a Ferrari and just their daily driver. A couple of free details (depending on your prices) BY ONLY YOU may be more cost effective than 800 out of your pocket for a body shop. Think value for value, not dollar for dollar. However, if he insists on the body shop repair it, then happily oblige. And I second on showing your employee respect through any discipline for his mistake. He learns from YOU as an example and your written rules. Mistakes will be made so avoid being a hot-head or demeaning since this will be your personality that is shared among your employees.

Remember this much: Your reaction and disciplinary action will dictate whether they approach you with future mistakes or cover them up and hope a customer doesn't notice.
 
I detailed at a local auto auction a couple of years ago and I wore a mf towel over my belt buckle to prevent scratches. I was aware that metal buckle can poke through the towel so I kept that in mind. I looked a bit hokey with the yellow towel over my mid-section but it was better than getting scratches in the paint.

Does anybody wear an apron? I thought about getting a couple to make things easier and help protect the car's finish.

Bottom line is I need to wear a belt or you'll be seeing my "bottom line".
 
I use an apron, especially when working on horizontal panels that I have to lean to get to.

Walter

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk
 
I used to work as an auto technician at a Lincoln/Mercury dealership and I used to wear my belt buckle on the side of my waist as I was allways leaning over a fender working under the hood , we used fender covers allso but it was an added safety measure.
 
Sorry to hear this, but props to you for doing the right thing.
My concern is this, your employee is cleaning and maintaining cars, shouldn't he know the basics of anything at all touching paint let along let it scratch all the way through?

I'm sure it was a mistake that a little education and training can't fix; While at it include a gentle reminder about other basics such as not letting the polisher's or buffer's wire make contact with the paint, etc.

On another note, this is why I go full out fleece/sweat pants without any zippers, buttons or clips anywhere.
 
Man, that sucks.

But, this is what it is like when you have people working for you and when you are training people to do a job. It is, however, refreshing to see that you owned up to it and took responsibility.

Nothing bites me harder than telling a patient a mistake was made when it was something one of my team members (resident) did while I was supervising.

Integrity, apology and clearly laying out steps you will take to ensure it doesn't happen again are critical. It appears that you have done that.

Everyone f's up.
 
jwgreen6 said:
I detailed at a local auto auction a couple of years ago and I wore a mf towel over my belt buckle to prevent scratches. I was aware that metal buckle can poke through the towel so I kept that in mind. I looked a bit hokey with the yellow towel over my mid-section but it was better than getting scratches in the paint.

Does anybody wear an apron? I thought about getting a couple to make things easier and help protect the car's finish.

Bottom line is I need to wear a belt or you'll be seeing my "bottom line".
Click to expand...
I detail my car in boxer shorts and a tee shirt. No ring or watch on, so nothing to scratch the paint.
 
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