More on Complaining Customers

As we have discussed how to deal with a complaining customer is very important in an unsettling economy to retain their business and make them an advocate for your business.

Here are some things you can to when dealing with a complaining customer:

#1. Get on their side. That is the only starting point you need to be on the same side of the customer and it shows them that you care. You need to acknowledge the customer's right to be upset, it is the first step in calming them down.

#2. Thank the customer for expressing their displeasure with your service which lets the customer know you are willing to help them, and will take action.

#3. Make a positive action statement like: "Now that I know what the problem is I can do something about it right away. The customer does not want sympathy or excuses, but want the problem solved.

#4. Ask the customer for suggestions. "Mr Customer, how can I best solve this problem for you." Often the customer will ask for something less than you would offer, in most cases. Unhappy customers often react negatively to solutions that they feel that have not had any say in.

#5. Solve the problem. "Mr Customer thanks again for bringing this problem to my attention. I really appreciate the opportunity to make the situation right. We want to keep youy as a customerand I am sorry you experienced this problem."

#6. Follow up with a thank you not and a small gift of some type. Something that is not branded but rather something that is more personal. A Starbucks card, chocolates or gourmet cookies. Thank them again for allowing you to resolve the problem and for their loyalty. This additional gesture of appreciation will ensure they will purchase next time from you.

#7. Follow up with the customer. Conduct a quick survey to make sure the issue is still resolved to their satisfaction. Wait for about 10-14 days and the make a call. Be sure it is a phone call, emails are too impersonal. This is your chance to reconnect with the customer again in a more positive communication. This will build rapport, enhance trust and gain referrals.

Regards
Bud Abraham

Bud

Here is a thought ? Why not do what the customer asks you to do in the first place, and not what you think he
wants. Then all the other things you suggest will not be needed.

We are in business to provide I hope excellent service and it is our responsibility to protect our personal and business reputation by providing the customer with the best professional advise and solution to the problem. A business can either specialize in one level of service or it can have a range of service where most cars have options but it some cases the customer cannot dictate how you do your work or whats he wants done... Examples are you cannot wax and oxidized paint surface if waxing will not improve the appearance of the vehicle. You cannot wax a vehicle to remove scratches or swirl marks even though the customer is demanding this because most of them think this is the answer. You cannot buff and wax a car ...what about the swirl marks that will appear later because you did not take time to polish and correct the problems caused by buffing... You cannot use the customers products when you are detailing... do you know what is in the bottle? or whether it is any good? You cannot detail a car if the customer say I have washed it myself... that may be so but the foundation to detailing is good preparation..so you have to wash it yourself to ensure all dirt and previous protection is removed properly...

what if the customer tells you (as they often do) I don't want a good job...Well that is what our business is about doing a good job? are you willing to sacrifice your personal and professional integrity and business reputation... Don't you think he/she will tell everyone you did a lousy job...not that he/she did not want it so good.. Can you shampoo kerosene just because the customers says so...

We are in charge here...and the survival of our business depends on our ability to have integrity, to provide the best service and to seperate ourselves from mediocrity and all the other yes vendors willing to do substandard work that reflects poorly on our industry.. A customer might not like to hear what must be done..but they will respect you... if the work exceeds their expectations, they will return, they will tell their friends about you and you business will grow.

Bill

Good thought! But we exist in a fallen world. Humans are not perfect, we are not God. The English languages has words like accident and mistake.

They are something that happens unintentionally with all of us.

So when an accident occurs or a mistake is made we must know what to do.

Regards

"A customer might not like to hear what must be done..but they will respect you... if the work exceeds their expectations, they will return, they will tell their friends about you and you business will grow."
Being honest with the customer is always a win win situation... great advice gina

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. A business can either specialize in one level of service or it can have a range of service where most cars have options but it some cases the customer cannot dictate how you do your work or whats he wants done... Examples are you cannot wax and oxidized paint surface if waxing will not improve the appearance of the vehicle. You cannot wax a vehicle to remove scratches or swirl marks even though the customer is demanding this because most of them think this is the answer. You cannot buff and wax a car ...what about the swirl marks that will appear later because you did not take time to polish and correct the problems caused by buffing... You cannot use the customers products when you are detailing... do you know what is in the bottle? or whether it is any good? You cannot detail a car if the customer say I have washed it myself... that may be so but the foundation to detailing is good preparation..so you have to wash it yourself to ensure all dirt and previous protection is removed properly...


Quote:

Good thought! But we exist in a fallen world. Humans are not perfect, we are not God. The English languages has words like accident and mistake.

They are something that happens unintentionally with all of us.

So when an accident occurs or a mistake is made we must know what to do.


My comments:

It may be your business, and you may be in charge. Although, the customer is the one who provides the funds for you to stay in business. If you have complaints that occur over and over, and business drops off as a result. Whether you are not
perfect, or the mistake is unintentional really means little to the customer.

Most of my customers never tell me how the work should be performed. They assume, and pay me for the results I provide them. Every customer has expectations, and they differ. For example: A car dealer may want the cars to look good til the car is sold, or a owner of a exotic car for the next car show. Although, a normal car owner may have far more expectations than that.

Quote:
We are in business to provide I hope excellent service and it is our responsibility to protect our personal and business reputation by providing the customer with the best professional advise and solution to the problem.

This statement sounds good on the surface, but what if the professional advise you give to your customer does not solve his problem in his/her opinion? Say for example a customer comes to you with a car that has swirls all over it, and pays you to remove them. You remove them and the car looks great, but several months later the swirls come back. What do you think the customer thinks of your professional advise, or your reputation when when they paid big bucks and this is the result. Do you really think they will come back?

Most of you here think I dwell on swirls marks as being overboard, but I can assure you that your customers do not want them on their cars.Yes, customers have other expectations such as stains not coming back on seats and carpets, but that can be solved by doing it the right way. Most customers do not have the time, or want to wash their cars with special soaps
to make sure they do not get swirl marks, or loose their protection. They want to go thru a car wash and not worry about it.


The way the car looks on the outside is the greatest importance to the customer IMO. They do not want swirl marks, and they do want to protect their paint. I have discussed the limitations of waxes/ sealants to death, and that using these products leads to swirl marks whether you agree or not. Providing a short term barrier is not real protection,
but is only a layer that collects crap that later has to be removed.

I have been in this business for many years, and I have seen many detailing businesses go under for many reasons. I ask
what is the main reason? IMO it is because they provide little value to the customer. Most of you here concentrate on shine
and beading as what your customers really want, but is that just because that is all they have come to expect from us. Most detailers use pretty much the same products for so- called protection, and as a result detailing has evolved into who is best at fixing flaws and restoring shine. That may be what you think your customers need and expect, but they may have different
expectations.


Unfortunately many here will never figure out that there is a world of customers who are not car dealers, or exotic car owners. Many wonder on forums why people pay car dealers big money for these special sealants. Maybe it is because
they want shine, but true protection also.

Yes, customers do complain about stupid things. Although, my experience has shown that the main reason is the work did not meet their expectations. Maybe stop offering starbucks cards, cookies, or chocolates, and ask this question: WHY ARE YOU UNHAPPY, AND LISTEN.

This may surprise many of you here, but I use to tell all my customers when I started if you are not happy with my work then you do not owe me a dime. I never had one person not pay me. Would any of you here have the guts to make that offer to your customers?

I have no idea why this guy thinks every customer who complains is complaining about bad work....

Cause his agenda is only his, he lives in "his" world and the rest of us, no matter how many years of operating a professional business, are just in his agenda's way.
Who knows if anything he posts has any real base of reality.
Grumpy
(Another case for more bleach in the gene pool!)

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Who knows if anything he posts has any real base of reality.
Grumpy

Ron, I guess all those videos I have I posted are pure fantasy in your mind.If showing people how to prevent swirl marks is what you consider an agenda, then that is what I am doing.

From what little I know about your experience it seems to me it entails nothing but correcting flaws. You talk about chemicals, and working with car companies. Although, what experience have you had with working with actual car owners?



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I have no idea why this guy thinks every customer who complains is complaining about bad work....

Gina, why do you put words in my mouth? Did you bother to read this statement?

Yes, customers do complain about stupid things.

What are the major complaints that you encounter? It would seem logical that people do not complain about good work.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2012 03:04PM by billd55.

The major complaints I have are people wanting me to do BAD WORK! "
Wanting me to quote prices on the phone for complexed work that must bee seen.
A typical response is I don't want such a good job.. what do they want..!.

They want me to quote prices to fix water leaks
they want me to shampoo flooded carpets...
they want me to get rid of mold by shampooing
they want me to shampoo urine
they want me to quote bio-hazard cleaning on the phone?
they want me to get rid of swirl marks by waxing
they want me to buff of scratches with missing paint...
They call on the phone and ask how much to remove an odor? and when I say we will need to see and smell the vehicle to determine the scope of the problem... they are furious can't you give me a price..? how ?
they want to pay $20.00 to detail a car - that is what the last customer said about detailing
they want to pay $5.00 to renew headlights that is what a customer said yesterday?

Gina
I can only comment from my own experience, and what you say. Honestly , not one customer has
asked me to preform bad work.


They want me to quote prices to fix water leaks
they want me to shampoo flooded carpets...
they want me to get rid of mold by shampooing
they want me to shampoo urine
they want me to quote bio-hazard cleaning on the phone?
they want me to get rid of swirl marks by waxing
they want me to buff of scratches with missing paint...
They call on the phone and ask how much to remove an odor? and when I say we will need to see and smell the vehicle to determine the scope of the problem... they are furious can't you give me a price..? how ?
they want to pay $20.00 to detail a car - that is what the last customer said about detailing
they want to pay $5.00 to renew headlights that is what a customer said yesterday?

These do not seem like complaints, but just questions. Certainly, your labor is a fixed rate, so you should be able
to give a price range over the phone.

Just because that is YOUR experience does not mean everyone has the same... They ask me EVERY DAY NOT TO DO SUCH A GOOD JOB!.. there is a reason behind the statement ...they are hoping a reduced price... I really wonder how many cars a day you see or even how many people call you...

No I cannot give prices over the phone... people do not come to me because they have clean vehicles... they come because they are in need to some serious work.. Often customers are withholding critical information. .. no matter how many times you say its "starts" they hear IT IS! that is just he nature of the market.

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I really wonder how many cars a day you see or even how many people call you...

Gina
As I have said I do not do this full time anymore, and I do not have a location.


Quote:

A typical response is I don't want such a good job.. what do they want..!.

Why not ask them what they want ? If they tell you something ridiculous then tell them you cannot help them.
If they are only willing to pay $ 20.00 for a detail then why waste your time with them.

Gina, people will always have different standards.

If you were one of the budget detailers, you would be getting a lot more complaints. They would be more akin to "I wanted you to do a better job" rather than the "I don't want you to do such a good job" problem you are faced with.

There are a lot of detailers out there who would prefer to have your sort of problems, I imagine. Cheer up. Its the nature of the general public.

Gina-
Be careful about interpreting people's meaning. " I don't need a great job done " can mean, " Relax, I don't expect perfection but want it rectified, so you needn't charge me top dollar and fuss over my car all day ".

The above is a reasonable approach for a customer to take. It is similar to asking a tire store for some cheap tires that will at least get you through the winter.

The unreasonable and belligerent demands are often hard core negotiating techniques . " Can you do it just by shampooing " is a test to see if you were larding your service with unnecessary and expensive steps . Offering $50 for a full detail sets the start point of negotiations low , what my grandfather called " Knock the props out from under them " .