Dealing with the customer?s personal property

[DLR Detailing]

I would like to get the opinions and or standard practices of members here concerning customers personal property left in the vehicle during a detail.  I?m referring to more than the usual glove box stuff. 

I know a few of the high volume shops in the city will not touch a door pocket, seat pocket, console, visor or trunk area if there is any personal item present.  Other shops I am aware of have signage to the effect ? Not responsible for items left in vehicle!  If you want it, take it with you now!   

My experience is after informing the customer to remove valuables and personal items when they schedule and then again when they drop off, only about ? will attempt to do so.  Most of the time they apologize because they didn?t have time to clean it out and tell me to ?just put it in a box if it looks important?.  This has always been a nuisance, but it is becoming more common for me to find items I wished I hadn't.

Looking forward to your replys.  Thanks in advance!   :thumbsiup:

     

[Obsessive Detail]

I get this a lot too.  Most of the time I tell people to remove all of their personal items.  If there are items left in the door pockets and center console I usually don't take them out.  Now some of my regular customers I will remove their personal items and put them in a bag, it really just depends who I'm detailing for.

I do keep plastic baggies handy so that I can put change and misc items found underneath the seats and in the seats.

[DLR Detailing]

Sure, the under and between the seat stuff is to be expected.  No real biggie.  It's the overflowing door & map pockets and every available covey hole stuffed with junk that is starting to bug me.  I won't even mention the things that make me blush. 

I am usually able to fill a couple of supermart bags with stuff I don't know what to do with.  After all, are we detailers or storage organizers?  Maybe it comes down to we are viewed as a "car maid"?

[Center Stage Auto Detailing]

if stuff is left in the car my normal practice is:

Glove box and center console is left alone, everything else is baggied with the exception of the obvious (ie napkins, straw covers, etc..)

[Poorboy]

My general rule was just box it and if it was garbage just throw it away... good will will get you more business and loyal customers.  You may also want to only estimate your prices until you actually see the job. Just figure in the time for general clean up before the actual detailing begins.  oh and always wear latex type gloves and watch out for sharp objects !!!

[hwm3]

The first thing I do when starting on an interior is to bag/box up all the customers stuff that is left in the car. When I'm done I place it in the back seat.

[DLR Detailing]

You guys have really helped me out!  I appreciate it.   :thumbsiup:

I will change my practice of worrying where it came from and trying to put it back to just boxing / or bagging it up and placing in the back.   :agree: 

If it looks like trash, out it goes.  Console and glovebox areas will be by permission only. 

[Rockpick]

Similar to everyone else, I'll take the materials that are left here, there, and everywhere and insert them into a gallon (or 2-gallon if warranted) Ziploc.

Within that baggie, I'll always put an additional business card or two along with a hand-written note thanking them for their business.  In my car inspection with the owner before taking it in for the service, I'll explain that I'm going to do this so, if they have anything that they feel needs to be removed BEFORE they leave that they should do it at that point.

Many times, customers will tell you things like "Don't worry about the center console..." or, "...anything that you find, toss it..."

The most important thing -- be up front, honest, and very open with the communications regarding stuff that you have found (ie: I found a back to an ear ring in one car -- I pointed it out to the owner when she picked it up.  Turns out, it was the back to an ear ring that was VERY significant (family heirloom thing).  I got an extra special tip ($50 Gift Card to a local restaurant that we had previously discussed)).

-RP-

[DLR Detailing]

Similar to everyone else, I'll take the materials that are left here, there, and everywhere and insert them into a gallon (or 2-gallon if warranted) Ziploc.

Within that baggie, I'll always put an additional business card or two along with a hand-written note thanking them for their business.  In my car inspection with the owner before taking it in for the service, I'll explain that I'm going to do this so, if they have anything that they feel needs to be removed BEFORE they leave that they should do it at that point.

Many times, customers will tell you things like "Don't worry about the center console..." or, "...anything that you find, toss it..."

The most important thing -- be up front, honest, and very open with the communications regarding stuff that you have found (ie: I found a back to an ear ring in one car -- I pointed it out to the owner when she picked it up.  Turns out, it was the back to an ear ring that was VERY significant (family heirloom thing).  I got an extra special tip ($50 Gift Card to a local restaurant that we had previously discussed)).

-RP-

Thanks!  Good idea about the business cards!  :thumbsiup:
I usually just put 1 in a dash vent to draw attention to them.   

[Rockpick]

Oh... I still do that too.

Biz Cards are cheap.  I don't have a problem handing them out like candy.  I typically jump all over a biz card deal and buy enough to last me a while... :)

Although, as of late, I've been printing my own...

[Poorboy]

my cards are all magnets ..I want people to put it on their refrig or tool box so they don't get lost

[gipraw]

I use the ziploc bag treatment also ..   If there is stuff that I am not sure about, I will sometimes do two bags.. one that is obvious keeper stuff, and one that is questionable .. that way if it is trash, they can just chunk it or leave it with me.

[Rockpick]

my cards are all magnets ..I want people to put it on their refrig or tool box so they don't get lost

Not a bad idea... I may buy a pack of those sticky biz-card magnets and try that on a few...

[Mike2301]

How much more do the magnets usually run?

[Rockpick]

They're not really all that expensive...

I've seen them in packs of 50 or so... they're pre-cut to business card size and are just magnets on one side with a sticky-back on the other.

So, just peel the sticky and stick on a biz card...

Staples, Office Depot and all of those types of places have them...