what is it with customers????

March 10, 2008

get this.....

work saturday, had threee cars booked in...

suzuki grand vitara 4x4

vauxhall zafira mpv

vw golk mk5 3dr

all for b pillar back 20% tints

started at 9am, thing is have been ill recently with a vomiting bug,I'm over it now but stomach muscles are very tender so taking my time with things. start on the suzuki, all goes well, customer picks up goes away happy.

zafira owner (who I knew vaguely thru my old work,kind of guy you would say hi to every morning but not really know each other names etc) arrives a few mins late, apologises then leaves vehicle, I go out to get the car,start it up and hear a 'noise' from the cd player as if something is shaking away, anyways, I'm here to tint and nothing else and as I only work limited hours on a saturday I dont have time to sit around, so I reverse the vehicle into my unit and start tinting.

rear doors are manual winders so no need to turn ignition on to tint the rear drops.

tint vehicle, phone customer to come collect.

start on the golf for the local vw dealership, in and out.quick job.

phone dealership, they come,collect and are away, just waiting on zafira customer

he turns up, has a look at the car, says I've done a good job and he's happy with the tint, 'cars looking good' pays then off he goes, I lock up and go home to rest (still not feeling great)

3 hours later I get a phone call, to say his cd player isnt working, there seems to be something jammed in there and there are marks around the cd slot as if I've been trying to get something out of it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I explained as I am only open a certain time on sat and I had 3 vehicles to work on, where on earth would I have the time to 'play around' with his cd player and also WHY would I play around with the cd player??? he goes on to say it was fine when he handed it in, but as I said earlier when I started the car the cd player made a noise which was noticeable. I swear with out any doubt in my mind that I never once went near the cd player in any way shape or form but he goes onto say it my word against his, which it is, but I know in my own mind 1000000000000000% I NEVER ONCE TOUCHED THAT CD PLAYER

also if there was something jammed in a cd player, who is stupid enough to try and pull whatver it is out of it out of the slot area?

then he goes onto to say he's seen a possible scratch on the tint and am I prepared to look at it, which I am, no problem whatsoever, which he then replies he'll be up to let me see the possible scratch within the NEXT 2 WEEKS !!! what the hell????

what I'm getting at is, why am I to blame? I pride myself on doing a good job and occasionaly if I see something wrong with a customers car I used to rectify it but dont nowadays due to the fact you get no thanks if anything you get complained at. I know I never touched the cd player (why in the hell would I)and I've done a good decent tint job, then I get this kind of crap thrown back at me.

March 10, 2008

get this.....
work saturday, had threee cars booked in...

suzuki grand vitara 4x4

vauxhall zafira mpv

vw golk mk5 3dr

all for b pillar back 20% tints

started at 9am, thing is have been ill recently with a vomiting bug,I'm over it now but stomach muscles are very tender so taking my time with things. start on the suzuki, all goes well, customer picks up goes away happy.

zafira owner (who I knew vaguely thru my old work,kind of guy you would say hi to every morning but not really know each other names etc) arrives a few mins late, apologises then leaves vehicle, I go out to get the car,start it up and hear a 'noise' from the cd player as if something is shaking away, anyways, I'm here to tint and nothing else and as I only work limited hours on a saturday I dont have time to sit around, so I reverse the vehicle into my unit and start tinting.

rear doors are manual winders so no need to turn ignition on to tint the rear drops.

tint vehicle, phone customer to come collect.

start on the golf for the local vw dealership, in and out.quick job.

phone dealership, they come,collect and are away, just waiting on zafira customer

he turns up, has a look at the car, says I've done a good job and he's happy with the tint, 'cars looking good' pays then off he goes, I lock up and go home to rest (still not feeling great)

3 hours later I get a phone call, to say his cd player isnt working, there seems to be something jammed in there and there are marks around the cd slot as if I've been trying to get something out of it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I explained as I am only open a certain time on sat and I had 3 vehicles to work on, where on earth would I have the time to 'play around' with his cd player and also WHY would I play around with the cd player??? he goes on to say it was fine when he handed it in, but as I said earlier when I started the car the cd player made a noise which was noticeable. I swear with out any doubt in my mind that I never once went near the cd player in any way shape or form but he goes onto say it my word against his, which it is, but I know in my own mind 1000000000000000% I NEVER ONCE TOUCHED THAT CD PLAYER

also if there was something jammed in a cd player, who is stupid enough to try and pull whatver it is out of it out of the slot area?

then he goes onto to say he's seen a possible scratch on the tint and am I prepared to look at it, which I am, no problem whatsoever, which he then replies he'll be up to let me see the possible scratch within the NEXT 2 WEEKS !!! what the hell????

what I'm getting at is, why am I to blame? I pride myself on doing a good job and occasionaly if I see something wrong with a customers car I used to rectify it but dont nowadays due to the fact you get no thanks if anything you get complained at. I know I never touched the cd player (why in the hell would I)and I've done a good decent tint job, then I get this kind of crap thrown back at me.

Tell him if he has any problems to send his lawyer to you, and let him take it to court, you would win that case without a doubt? whats he got on you? He thinks u meddeled with his CD player? you didnt, so you win that off case, hes got no proof even if you did touch CD player (which you didnt), and if he complains about a scratch on the tint, ReDo it, although I can near guarantee he will put the scratch on the tint himself, I Think you should photo each window on each customers car after you tint it, that way if they complain u can load up the photos and see was it there before they left with the car :thumb :thumb

carolinatinter · March 10, 2008

yah thats a pretty crappy situation. just tell him that you wont r+r for free unless he brings it back right now. too many factors can be put into place within 2 weeks which would be hard to prove if you put the scratch there or if he did. I guess I have been lucky enough to never have problems with customers like this

March 10, 2008

get this.....
work saturday, had threee cars booked in...

suzuki grand vitara 4x4

vauxhall zafira mpv

vw golk mk5 3dr

all for b pillar back 20% tints

started at 9am, thing is have been ill recently with a vomiting bug,I'm over it now but stomach muscles are very tender so taking my time with things. start on the suzuki, all goes well, customer picks up goes away happy.

zafira owner (who I knew vaguely thru my old work,kind of guy you would say hi to every morning but not really know each other names etc) arrives a few mins late, apologises then leaves vehicle, I go out to get the car,start it up and hear a 'noise' from the cd player as if something is shaking away, anyways, I'm here to tint and nothing else and as I only work limited hours on a saturday I dont have time to sit around, so I reverse the vehicle into my unit and start tinting.

rear doors are manual winders so no need to turn ignition on to tint the rear drops.

tint vehicle, phone customer to come collect.

start on the golf for the local vw dealership, in and out.quick job.

phone dealership, they come,collect and are away, just waiting on zafira customer

he turns up, has a look at the car, says I've done a good job and he's happy with the tint, 'cars looking good' pays then off he goes, I lock up and go home to rest (still not feeling great)

3 hours later I get a phone call, to say his cd player isnt working, there seems to be something jammed in there and there are marks around the cd slot as if I've been trying to get something out of it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I explained as I am only open a certain time on sat and I had 3 vehicles to work on, where on earth would I have the time to 'play around' with his cd player and also WHY would I play around with the cd player??? he goes on to say it was fine when he handed it in, but as I said earlier when I started the car the cd player made a noise which was noticeable. I swear with out any doubt in my mind that I never once went near the cd player in any way shape or form but he goes onto say it my word against his, which it is, but I know in my own mind 1000000000000000% I NEVER ONCE TOUCHED THAT CD PLAYER

also if there was something jammed in a cd player, who is stupid enough to try and pull whatver it is out of it out of the slot area?

then he goes onto to say he's seen a possible scratch on the tint and am I prepared to look at it, which I am, no problem whatsoever, which he then replies he'll be up to let me see the possible scratch within the NEXT 2 WEEKS !!! what the hell????

what I'm getting at is, why am I to blame? I pride myself on doing a good job and occasionaly if I see something wrong with a customers car I used to rectify it but dont nowadays due to the fact you get no thanks if anything you get complained at. I know I never touched the cd player (why in the hell would I)and I've done a good decent tint job, then I get this kind of crap thrown back at me.

Tell him if he has any problems to send his lawyer to you, and let him take it to court, you would win that case without a doubt? whats he got on you? He thinks u meddeled with his CD player? you didnt, so you win that off case, hes got no proof even if you did touch CD player (which you didnt), and if he complains about a scratch on the tint, ReDo it, although I can near guarantee he will put the scratch on the tint himself, I Think you should photo each window on each customers car after you tint it, that way if they complain u can load up the photos and see was it there before they left with the car

Unfortunately, that is not the case. In most states, once the custy drops the car at your establishment, you are resonsible for it. If a cow drops out of the sky and hits the car, you are liable. Check your states law of bailment. Unless any damage is noted at the time you accept the vehicle, the custy can say just about anything, and generally they will win in court. Is this bullshit? Yes, but thats how it is. All part of being in business, my friend!!

This is a prime example of why one needs to go over the car with a check list and the custy. I know that for most, this is not a practicle option, but you have to do SOMETHING to cover yourself. I always check the interior and the radio, wipers, a/c, etc with the custy present. A pain in the ass, to be sure, but either you do it, or be willing to replace things you didn't damage. I have cameras that cover the car from the moment the custy arrives to the moment they leave. The car is on camera while it's in the bay as well. Before I move the car, I photograph the entire car, inside and out with the date and time stamp on. This way, if there is ever a question (usually will happen withing a week), I can show any time the car was touched from the time they get there to the time they leave, and show any damage that was already there.

Now, the custy will have to explain why they did not bring it up at the time they accepted the vehicle, but the courts usually give the custy more leeway than they do the business owner. I had a custy who walked straight to a scratch in his paint, he didn't walk around and then notice it, he went straight to the damage. He KNEW that it was there beforehand. He sued me and won. This was a scratch and a good little dent just below the rear quarter glass. He had just had that window replaced that day. I didn't notice it, and he didn't show it to me.

The judge was pretty cool and went over in great detail my responsibility in this type of situation, and explained why. The why didn't make much sense, but it was the way things are done.

It really sux, because it is more in the custys favor that the business owner, but then we have all the hack, uninsured, and otherwise irresponsible business owners out there to thank for it.

I will not even wipe down soap streaks from paint. It clearly states this in my work order/receipt. I had to repaint the entire rear quarter of a car that had swirl scratches, some down to the primer. This particular vehicle was one that I DID NOT wipe down. I was STILL held responsible. I explain to the custy that I won't wipe the car down, and tell them why. For the most part, they understand and are OK with it. Those who aren't ok with it, I look at it as dodging a bullet.

I know that money is money, but you have to balance the need for a sale, and your liability. One custy claim could wipe out a weeks worth of profits. It's a tough call with no easy answers, but we as business owners HAVE to limit the scope of our liability

Fiveofeen · March 10, 2008

homeboy is in scotland, not sure if US conusmer laws apply there... :thumb

March 10, 2008

homeboy is in scotland, not sure if US conusmer laws apply there...

My bad. Hopefully not!! :thumb

March 10, 2008

Fimmo I feel your pain! I was up ALL night Thursday vomiting. Muscles were still sore yesterday!! Thats a hell of a bug I tell you!

March 10, 2008

lol cheers s & s

update....

customer came in tonight at 4 pm,standing in the lovely scottish rain he showed me the scratch which turns out is on the outside and runs along the window almost central so no way was it me, its just the tint showing it up.

then...

his wife was out of the car, she says... so do you want the cd player when we take it out,I reply what do you mean? I already explained to your husband on the phone that I never once touched the cd player or had any reason to do so, I got nothing but aggresion from her as far as she's concerned I damaged it and its purely my fault.

I swear on my familys life I did not in any way whatsoever touch that cd player

then AND HERE IT IS GUYS.... she then accuses me of phoning their family home at around 10 pm on the saturday to give a malicious,threatning crank call,!!!!!! seemingly the voice was just like mines and its too coincidental that they've never had one before and now after all the trouble they've gotten from me they get one so its been reported to the police and the call is getting traced.

I stood there dumbstruck, I swore blind that in no way did I touch the cd player or give any kind of phone call, but as far as she's concerned and I quote 'there just no talking too me'the husband got a bit aggresive but basically told me that if it wasnt me then I have nothing to worry about, and since it wasnt me in any way shape or form then I'm not worried just sick that I'm getting the blame for all this and not one part of it is anything to do with me.

smookee408@yahoo.com · March 10, 2008

Like the old saying "no good deed shall go unpunish " . Never do anything extra for the custy out of the kindness of your heart you will pay.

March 10, 2008

lol cheers s & s
update....

customer came in tonight at 4 pm,standing in the lovely scottish rain he showed me the scratch which turns out is on the outside and runs along the window almost central so no way was it me, its just the tint showing it up.

then...

his wife was out of the car, she says... so do you want the cd player when we take it out,I reply what do you mean? I already explained to your husband on the phone that I never once touched the cd player or had any reason to do so, I got nothing but aggresion from her as far as she's concerned I damaged it and its purely my fault.

I swear on my familys life I did not in any way whatsoever touch that cd player

then AND HERE IT IS GUYS.... she then accuses me of phoning their family home at around 10 pm on the saturday to give a malicious,threatning crank call,!!!!!! seemingly the voice was just like mines and its too coincidental that they've never had one before and now after all the trouble they've gotten from me they get one so its been reported to the police and the call is getting traced.

I stood there dumbstruck, I swore blind that in no way did I touch the cd player or give any kind of phone call, but as far as she's concerned and I quote 'there just no talking too me'the husband got a bit aggresive but basically told me that if it wasnt me then I have nothing to worry about, and since it wasnt me in any way shape or form then I'm not worried just sick that I'm getting the blame for all this and not one part of it is anything to do with me.

I am quite sure that the phone system there isn't much different then here, and they DO have the ability to pull records of the time and date that either they say you made the call or that they recieved the call. Thats easy enough to prove or disprove. I wouldn't lose one minute of sleep over it, and for sure wouldn't let it upset me to the point of knots in the guts. The CD player issue is different. At my shop, we have a policy to NOT use the custys radio/cd player/system period. It's policy strictly enforced with ALL installers. It helps in court if you could prove that you had that policy in effect at the time. You MIGHT just have to buck up and buy a cd player, and move on. but it sure as hell isn't worth your health and well being fretting over it.

I don't know how long you've been in business, but you'll come to realize that when it comes to custys, NOTHING suprises me anymore!!! Don't talk to them any more. if they contact you aain, tell them to have thier attorney/solicitor contact you directly. If they keep contacting you, you might then have a case for harrassment against them. That will in all probability solve the problem. I very seriously doubt they will sue you or take you to court over it. But be prepared in case they do.