Your carwash scratch my car!

[Earl Weiss]

What's a reasonable protocol or policy to put into signage to protect us from the bs'ers without losing the good customers.

I am dealing now with someone who washed his car two months ago and said we broke his sidemirror.

Simple.

Once the vehicle leaves the premises, we are not responisble for any claims of damage. any number of things are more likely to happen off our premises than on. These things may happen even before the car gets washed.

Couple of common items. Customer notices a ding or scratch on their new clean car on the passenger side as they now circle or dry it. Most customers get right into the driver side and don't look at the passenger side at all let alone something that is dirty and couldn't be seen thru the dirt. Of course they claim "I check my car".

Have had some doozies like "I left the wash and was only 2 blocks away when my window shattered".

 

[pitzerwm]

IMO I don't think that on the signage you need to put a time frame. Common sense is that within 24 hours a claim should be made, preferably immediately.

I always told them (if it wasn't immediately evident that we did it) they needed to turn it in to their insurance company and their company will contact your company. "That is how it is done now days"

 

[Earl Weiss]

FWIW I don't have a sign. I just simply tell them it's common sense.

If anyone could come in whenever and claim I damaged their car, and I would fix it , I would have a line of people waiting, longer than the car wash line on the busiest day.

My partner told a customer once about the policy and she asked to see it in writing,. He told her we did need to have it in writing. When she insisted that we did, he took a piece of paper and wrote it down for her. If we had to have signs for everything, we would look mort like a sign shop than anything else. Examples. Have a sign that we are not resposnible for non factory orgl equip. Lady had her Bike rack damaged and claime we needed sign saying "No Bike Racks". I said then we would need to have one saying "No ladder racks, no Ski Racks.....''

We messed up one of the bad Taurus Bumpers years ago and went to court with the ICA reports about them only comiong off if they were loose. Judge said I should have had a sign. Could you imagine a sign listing all the defects we know about?

 

[JustClean]

Could you imagine a sign listing all the defects we know about?

I would have signs that take out MOST of the crap, like: "only factory-fitted accessories permitted" that doesn't mean "dealership-fitted" or "best-buddy-fitted".
Another one would be: "Undamaged vehicles only with all parts securely attached." If it was securely attached it wouldn't have come off.
I know customers don't read and finally we can take advantage of this because usually there is not problem with "dealership-fitted". But in the worst case scenario it is up to you what to offer.

 

[Earl Weiss]

You must know my customer. His POS plastic aftermarket hubcap breaks. Show him the sign that says Not reposnibel for non factory original equip. He says "Well, it's originaly from the walmart Factory".

After I got done laughing i gave him a couple of freebies and he was happy.