Please read this email from my client and Help! Thanks!

Thanks guys. Im going to politely turn the job down. I will explain that he needs to contact a mold specialist and go from there. Really appreciate the feedback! Thanks so much.
 
beamerstrumpet said:
Being a noob, and not a pro, My 2cents is this,
This guy sounds like a fanatic, He also sounds like the equilivant of a hypochondriac but instead of making up illnesses he is smelling what isnt there. Going by what you said, that you couldnt really smell anything when you started, then the car probably wont be any better after they rip out the seats.

When he said the smell returned, was this in his garage? Is he overlooking something obvious? Personally I would wash my hands of it. If you could tell him with out loosing a coustomer that you have gone the distance but you hope he will use you for paint and general interrior detail. I would not get involved with what could possibly be considered fraudulant insurance claims. He can take it and have it all redone at an aupoulsters but Ill bet the ins. will tell him its his own dollar.
I agree with most of this except trying to keep him as a customer. I know I know the $$$$, to me its not worh it, there will ALWAYS Be an issue.


arack said:
Run quickly the other way. This guy will never be happy

Exactly, very fast.

erichaley said:
You don't need anyone to confirm what your own gut is telling you...
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Great advice
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All my life what I see taught by companies and people that teach classes on car detailing goes like this,

"The first thing you want to do is evaluate the condition of the car"


I think that's the second thing to do, the first thing I do and what I teach in all my detailing boot camp classes and actually in any class I teach, is the first thing to do is,

Evaluate the customer

(Can I get a witness if you've ever attended one of my classes and heard me say this?)


There are some people you cannot please no matter what and it's your job to interivew the customer, see what their knowledge base is and if their expectations for the work they want done are based in reality or if they are whacked out.

I think I talk about this in my new book and I know for sure I talk about this in Renny Doyle's book in the section where I talk about,

The learnred art of turning down work


For most people, especially people brand new to detailing, you're so hungry for work you take on any job. That's why you need to "learn" the art of turning away some people and their detailing projects and as I say,

"Let someone else have the blessing"


To the OP, I'm NOT saying the above describes you, I'm posting the above to use this thread as a teaching lesson for all the people that will read this into the future.

Evaluate the customer first... then once you've decied you and the customer see eye-to-eye on things and they are not going to be an unreasonable pain in the butt, then evaluate thier car or whatever it is they want you to work on.

Learn to turn some people away...


At this point I would gracefully bow out of any part of this relationship that you can as fast as you can.


This is alway why I've always leaned more to paint polishing as interior work can become very complicated.


:)
 
statusdetailing said:
Thanks guys. Im going to politely turn the job down. I will explain that he needs to contact a mold specialist and go from there. Really appreciate the feedback! Thanks so much.
Click to expand...

Good plan.

As most have said, just too many red flags are waving in the breeze. Just be glad you only worked on one seat (and it was not in the car), otherwise I think he would doing a 'You ruined my car' dance on you.

I am curious to see how all this will turn out.

Bill
 
Hey Jeremy,

In order to put my 2 cents in, I have to put my primary occupation cap on. I've been an expert witness in MANY depositions and court proceedings (local and federal cases) and my advise follows a few commented posts which is to stick to a signed and sworned affidavit of the exact work that you did. Describe in details the who, why, how BUT do not input your personal judgement, assessment or professional opinion. Not because you don't have expertise or experience, but because others have more expertise than you have and someone (defense or prosecuting) will rip you a new one.

Ask yourself this question before putting your expert opinion on paper (for prosperity and for all to dissect).

1) How much expertise do you have in mold and mildew ?? ie. the types of mold and mildew, growth environment, growth cycle, contributing factor albeit environmental or man made etc, etc....
2) How much expertise do you have in the abatement of the mold and mildew and their spores?? ie. chemical, thermal, mechanical or otherwise.

.... and the list goes on!!

Normally when I take the stand, they take a good 10 minutes dissecting my educational background, licensing, certification, work history, prior cases I testified in etc... THEN the judge recognizes and introduces me to the jury as an expert.

I promise you will be in the middle of a MESS. On one hand you will have a claimant that wants freebies, and on the other a company that does not want to give it and all will hinge on the experts that come to testify. If the defense decides to bring a biochemist and environmental engineer, a CERTIFIED mold abatement specialist etc... I promise that your detailing expertise (which holds no formal license, certification and can be acquired without formal education) won't hold water EVEN if your life experience/expertise makes you more knowledgeable than the college flunky on the stand that barely past his certification courses (but they don't really put those on the stand, they get the big guns).

The main reason to offer an affidavit to your customer is that you don't want to piss him off, not because it will help but because he may be grasping at straws and may want to find fault with your attempt to clean his seat. He may want to introduce you in the litigation.

You did introduce heat and moisture to the equation which does facilitate the growth of mold spores. The direct contact does kill it but does the heat permeate the whole seat? Even if you can testify to the fact that the superheated water does indeed kill the spores etc... you can not deny the fact that moisture was introduce and may not have dissipated from deep within the cushions, and that by re-installing the seat in the Opel (with some residual moisture) may have introduced more moisture, which may have CONTRIBUTED. You are now on the hook!

Sorry to see you in the middle of all this. You are obviously dealing with someone that is a little OCD and definitely on a mission to build his case.

This is beyond detailing and beyond your average restoration. I don't know of one professional restorer that would want to be on the hook for this one, because on 1 spore left behind..... well, you know!
 
Don't agree to anything a third party writes for you. Tell him no, you are a detailer, not a licensed mold abatement specialist and you did what was reasonable in your industry for light surface mold, anything beyond that will require a licensed abatement professional to determine the validity of his further claims.

-Bruce
 
Have someone do a DrivePur treatment on it. If that doesn't work, tell him to take it up with his insurance company. By himself.
 
1970 Opel Gt, humidity controlled garage, $15K on paint alone.. I'm more than sure he can dish out some Gs for an interior
 
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