Do you have a lot of people cancel do to weather?

**Bob** · 06-17-2004, 10:01 AM

Ok, we do all of our details buy appointment only. Seems if it is raining or just looks like it is going to rain these people cancel and say, "It is going to rain!" This weekend we had a guy coming for some scratch removals on a quarter panel. Not a detail, just scratch removal. He calls and cancels cause it was sprinkling out. Makes no sense to me at all. I mean, we are not doing a full blown shine it up detail, just scratch removal. But we also get a lot of cancels and reschedules do to rain and weather. We were thinking about giving free hand washes to those cars that were done during rain.

Any of you experience this? It just gets anoying when you are waiting for a car and then it is a no show.

**wifehatescar** · 06-17-2004, 10:09 AM

I have heard of people offering 10% off if it rains the day of a detail....... :dunno

**Woob** · 06-17-2004, 10:12 AM

Rain sucks!

I can`t even detail cause its so cloudy everyday. Scary considering you never know when it happens

**Bob** · 06-17-2004, 10:17 AM

The 10% off or so might be a good idea as well. I think I would rather give them some cash off than to spend time washing it another day.

**denverdetail** · 06-17-2004, 10:20 AM

It happens to me all the time. This week has been a killer. If I feel I can do the deal and there is foul weather comming, I`ll call to confirm the appointment and tell the customer about rain follow-up, I tell them if it rains 48hours after their detail, I`ll do a free clean up within one week of their detail.

In the case of your scratches guy, I would have just told him that the rain will not affect me working nor will it affect the results. I have set aside this time in my schedule to help you, lets go ahead and stick to our appointment. I do PDR work and people call to cancel when it rains. I don`t care if I have to ware a raincoat or put up a canopy. I think people assume that rain will stop us from working. Sometimes, yes it does, but not always.

Sometimes in these situations, when people call to cancel, make the assumption that they will keep the appointment if you are willing to work. "lets go ahead and keep our appointment" not "is that ok with you, or do you really want to reschedule?"

**Bob** · 06-17-2004, 10:23 AM

The killer is the ones that don`t show up at all. We are sitting there waiting and then no show. Then I will see them the next day and ask, "Where were you?" and they reply, "Oh, it looked like rain."

**denverdetail** · 06-17-2004, 10:56 AM

When I schedule people, I always, always tell them as a last note. "Well great, I have you scheduled for ....... at 9am. The only thing I ask is if anything changes, please give me a call 24 hours before our appointment."

It doesn`t always help, but I think it makes people realize that your time is valuable. I never hang up the phone until I say this.

I`ve also been known to charge a cancellation fee. $10 I rarely charge but when I have people who cancel 1 hour after their appointment, I ask if they would like to reschedule, if they say yes, I reschedule and tell them about the extra $10 for cancelling, they usually have something to say about it, some don`t and feel bad about cancelling. I respond with, I`d like nothing more than to help you but now there is a risk with me setting this time aside to work on your car. I`ll be happy to waive the fee if you can assure me that you will not cancel.

I know some of you may think this is bad business, I don`t think so. I`m a business man and my schedule is just as important to me as a Surgeon`s schedule is to him. I feel my customers need to understand this, especially if they are to be regular customers. I`ve never pissed anyone off so much that they didn`t do business with me. More than anything, I try to make them feel guilty.

**denverdetail** · 06-17-2004, 11:10 AM

Another reason I think this step is important.
How many times have you had to tell a regular account that you couldn`t do work because you are booked?
Turn down a regular account enough and they will start looking for a new vendor. If our schedules were always rock solid, which they never are, we could better manage our businesses. Anything we can do to better manage our schedules will help us in the long run.

I even confirm appointments 24 hours prior if they were scheduled more than 5 days ago. People forget about us much more often than their doctors or other appointments.

**dr_detail** · 06-17-2004, 11:57 AM

A 24hr rain guarantee I thought was just an unwritten given in our industry... I wouldn`t offer it on just a wash, like almost any car-wash does, unless a client was sceptical, but any wash and wax or above without a doubt-- a wash will fix it right up. With the overhead that a shop entails, I would definitely offer up even more than 10% off as well -- I would go as high as 25 or 30 as "todays rainy day special" and work with a skeleton crew. Of course as a Mobile Detailer, are you gonna go out in a parking lot, stand in a puddle with a buffer in your hand, and give good service?

We gotta accept that rain is one of those hazardous risks of our occupation.

**EZ Boy** · 06-17-2004, 04:33 PM

PB`s is great in the sun, so why not in the rain

Maybe the British have a range of products that can be used in full rain

**rollman** · 06-17-2004, 05:03 PM

Originally posted by denverdetail
When I schedule people, I always, always tell them as a last note. "Well great, I have you scheduled for ....... at 9am. The only thing I ask is if anything changes, please give me a call 24 hours before our appointment."

It doesn`t always help, but I think it makes people realize that your time is valuable. I never hang up the phone until I say this.

I`ve also been known to charge a cancellation fee. $10 I rarely charge but when I have people who cancel 1 hour after their appointment, I ask if they would like to reschedule, if they say yes, I reschedule and tell them about the extra $10 for cancelling, they usually have something to say about it, some don`t and feel bad about cancelling. I respond with, I`d like nothing more than to help you but now there is a risk with me setting this time aside to work on your car. I`ll be happy to waive the fee if you can assure me that you will not cancel.

I know some of you may think this is bad business, I don`t think so. I`m a business man and my schedule is just as important to me as a Surgeon`s schedule is to him. I feel my customers need to understand this, especially if they are to be regular customers. I`ve never pissed anyone off so much that they didn`t do business with me. More than anything, I try to make them feel guilty.

I personally think your idea of charging $10 extra is a good one. Doctors charge for cancellation not made 24 hours ahead. Why can`t and shouldn`t the Detail industary do the same. Time is money, wasted time(from cancellations or a NO show) is money lost. People need to be made aware of that fact, making them feel guilty is a good why of getting this done ,charging them works to.

**jason rawls** · 06-22-2004, 05:44 PM

If the car has already been detailed and it rains shortly thereafter, a little QD and a microfiber goes a long way. No need to re-wash in my opinion.

**Intel486** · 06-22-2004, 05:52 PM

It really depends on the customers. I`m not going to go into too much detail there though.

But, in the end people will cancel because of rain. They need to give me advance notice before I show up at the job site though. Also, if they need to cancel for a reason other than rain, they need to notifiy me the day before or I charge them an extra $10. I can`t be driving across the city to show up and have them not be there.

**bigron62** · 06-22-2004, 06:05 PM

if it rains i expect to spend the day on detail city...gotta rack up them posts when you can ...if it rains the next day after a detail ill wash the car for them ...