Hello there!
I am sending this email in response to a letter that I received from your office today regarding a complaint that was apparently filed with your office about my company, Flawless Auto Detail. The notice, which I just received today, states that I have 10...
calendar days to submit a response, if desired. Well, I definately would like to respond, considering the information stated in the complaint I received is 100% FALSE, however, I now have 2 days to submit a response to this claim, and I don't know of any of other way to submit my response quickly, other than the call I just made to [redacted] at [redacted], which was listed on the notification I received today. Unfortunately, I didn't get an answer at this phone number, so I left a voicemail in the hopes that my call will be returned.
With regards to this notification, and the complaint which caused it, I have a very simple, short response...
*There is absolutely nothing in the "Customers Statement of the Problem" that has any truth whatsoever. I'll respond by exactly what the complaint shows...
1. "But I took my car there and it wasn't faded like they made it."...The car absolutely WAS faded when we received it. This customer did acknowledge this on the phone with me personally during our initial conversation, during which she stated this was her first car, and she was buying it after it had been sitting outside for an undisclosed amount of time, which will naturally cause what is known as "sun fading" on any vehicle. Additionally, the clear coat of paint was also beginning to discipate, known as "Oxidizing". This is the "fading" she was referring to when she called initially, and also the "fading" she is claiming (to you) was not there. Oxidation is not a condition which can be caused by human activity, especially in a single business day. It takes time for such an effect to take to any vehicle, and it does spread over time, which is why it's known as "the car cancer". This claim is absolutely 100% false.
2. "They put hot wax on my car"...No. We did not. The service she paid for was an Interior clean/detail service, which does NOT include the application of any wax. Period. And for the customers who would like their vehicle waxed, we do not use any kind of "hot wax". Ever. That isn't even something we've ever bought for our product line. Not once. Our interior detail does, however, come with a hand wash, as a Courtesy, for all customers. For our interior services, we will generally apply a coat of Auto Jet Wax upon completion of the wash, which is exactly what was done to this customers Dodge Neon. Auto Jet Wax is a highly concentrated, ROOM TEMPERATURE, wax, that is mixed with plain tap water before it's used. The exact ratio, if anybody thinks they need to know, is as follows...
.5 fl oz : 1 Gallon of Water
3. "You can see the round circle motions they made while they were waxing it"...This claim is actually one of the most comical things I've ever heard! For anybody who actually knows what they're talking about, these "round circle motions" are called "Swirls", and are caused by neglecting to complete the buffing process correctly, which again, is not something that we did to this customers car because it's not part of an interior, but if we HAD buff waxed this car, those Swirls would not be there because we provide a much higher standard of quality than that. In fact, we did also notice these swirl marks when we had the car, but did not fix them because that's not part of what we were getting paid to do.
4. "Didn't clean the inside"...
Again, 100% FALSE. In fact, we did clean the inside. It was moldy, smelly, full of stains on the seats and the carpet, there was heavy and thick layers of dust and dirt stuck to all of the plastics and vinyl, in the cracks, etc. I PERSONALLY cleaned these areas, and I know, without a shred of doubt, that it was done correctly. I also used a disinfectant on the entire interior of this car, as a COURTESY, due to the customer claiming she was going to put her young son in the car fairly frequently. This is not something we include in our Interior services at no charge on a regular basis. I chose to help this customer due to her claim of being a single mother who simply couldn't afford a more in-depth service.
5. "Stains from the shampoo they supposedly cleaned my seats with"...
FALSE. The stains were in the seats to begin with, which is why she wanted the seats cleaned! She stated, during our initial phone conversation, that she needed the services to be completed within the same day, as this was her only vehicle and she needed it for work, at which time I did clearly advise her that there is NO WAY we could shampoo the seats and have them dry to give the car back to her within the same day because of the time it takes for the seats to dry fully, which is something we require with every vehicle due to the risk of mold and/or mildew, and the guaranteed effects it will have on a persons health, if we did not ensure proper drying of such fabrics. She DID acknowledge this information when I provided it to her. I then offered her the alternative solution to the stains in the seats, which is to dry clean them. Neither process is ever a 100% guarantee that the stains will come out completely, due to the variables, such as what the stains are caused from, how long the stains have been there, the fabric used by the vehicle manufacturer to make the seats, etc. She accepted the option to dry clean the seats, and that's exactly what was done. The dry cleaning process is not exactly "dry", as most people know, so the moisture that is used for such processes will still have a similar effect on any stains or underlying contaminants of any fabric. It is very common for there to be some "bleed back" after cleaning fabrics, which is what happens when the cleaning solution is extracted from the fabric. More often than not, the extraction of fabrics will bring out contaminants from deep in the seats, which may or may not have been visible previously, and may not always come out completely. This is "bleed back", and it's extremely common. The only way to completely fix this problem is to make sure the fabric is clean, and re-dye the fabric.
6. "Really bad Service"...this is a matter of opinion, which every person is absolutely entitled to. However, when poor customer services are experienced, it's generally an act that is fairly well known due to repetition on the service providers part, without cause. That is not the case in my company. EVER. I have spent over 20 years providing customer services, and have enjoyed doing so. So much that I literally go out of my way, above and beyond, sometimes to the extreme, to make sure that every customer I've ever had contact with is completely satisfied with their entire experience. I have not changed this practice at all, nor will I.
7. "They totally were rude to me"...Not at all! I again, went to extremes to make sure this customer was satisfied, which is apparently not even possible.
8. "Were not nice when I needed that money back I paid too much for"...This is 100% a pure LIE. To this day, NOTHING has ever been mentioned to me about this customer getting her money back. Not once. She did call me after the car was returned to her, only to complain that the "back window area wasn't vacuumed". I explained to her that it was, in fact, vacuumed, as I did it myself and I know it was done, but with dust and particles that get blown around with the wind, I'd be happy to take care of that for her by simply re-vacuuming that area. Her response was quite simple. She giggled, stating she wasn't worried about it, she could do it herself, and "it's not a big deal". I did offer several times to make sure this was done to her satisfaction, however, she did deny my offers each time.
*This is the same customer who, several times, called me to change the plans for the specific plans with her car. First she was going to drop it off to us. Then she called stating something came up and asked if I would be able to pick the car up, which I advised her we'd be happy to do for her, as we do offer Free local pick up and delivery services anyways. Next, she called to let me know that her boyfriend and his friend would be dropping the car off, which is what ended up happening. Once the car was here, she called me several more times. First was to tell me that this boyfriend was asking her to allow him to get his personal belongings out of the car, while it was at my facility, which I did allow. During this conversation, she made it very clear to me that I was not to release the car to this boy under any circumstances. To which I informed her that I don't do that no matter what, without a customer signed document stating who I am authorized to release the vehicle to, and the person who is authorized to pick up the vehicle must provide me with Valid Photo I.D. before I will release the vehicle. No exceptions ever. It's called "Liabilities". She seemed to be comforted by this, stating that she had been having some problems with this boy recently, and continued to needlessly explain her self-enduced drama. This customer did end up having her mother pick up the vehicle and bring it to her place of employment, which is literally a block from my facility, so I brought the vehicle to her place of employment, with her mother following me, and I then walked back to my shop from there.
My response to the "Desired Settlement":
Absolutely Not!!! There is no way this customer is getting a single red cent back. Not only did I, and my detail specialists, go exceptionally beyond what this customer paid for, with SEVERAL courtesies, but now this. NOPE.
In my opinion, this customer is an extremely childish, underexperienced member of society who honestly believes that she should get something for nothing, as so many others do also. She clearly does not appreciate all the the things that were in fact, done for her, as she requested, but also the things that were done simply because we understand what it's like to struggle with children to provide for.
"I still have receipt and would like my money back"...
This is hilarious! Ummm...NO. Not only are you not getting your money back, but you're welcome to keep the receipt. I have both of my copies, which ARE signed (stating satisfaction of services rendered), so I won't need your copy. Frame it if you'd like, or make an airplane out of it, or use it as a suppository...I don't care. I am extremely upset about this completely FALSE and disgusting claim. I run a very honest, ethical business, regardless of what it takes to remain as such. I will never do any kind of business with or for this particular individual as long as I live, and quite honestly, I find it somewhat strange that this complaint wasn't filed with the Revdex.com until June 22nd, 2015 when the customer had her experience with us well over 6 MONTHS ago!!! That's an awful lot of time to fabricate a completely ficticious story of so called "wrong doing" by a business of any kind. It also shows how much time this particular person has on their hands...she needs a hobby.
I know if I had a bad experience, with any company, that upset me so much that I spend my valuable time whining at the Revdex.com about it, it would be done immediately. Just a thought...
So if there's anybody at the Revdex.com's office who would like to contact me regarding this matter, I'd be happy to hear from you! You're welcome to call me at[redacted] Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm (PST).
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to clear the air, and provide the TRUTH, regarding this customer and her desperate search for drama. I truly do appreciate it!
P.S.: By Definition:
Auto Detailing: the cleaning and/or reconditioning of the interior and/or exterior of a vehicle.
**Please Note: We are Auto Detailers/Reconditioners. We are not Auto Body Specialists. Our job is to clean and recondition vehicles, which, unfortunately for some, does ENHANCE preexisting damages and/or flaws in any given vehicle. Our job is NOT to repair damages caused to the vehicles! The ONLY exception to repairing damages is if WE caused the damages, which we did not, we have never, and if someday we did cause any kind of damages, we would be happy to repair, but our customers would never know to begin with because the damages would be fixed before the customer ever saw it!
Sincerely,
Robin ** C[redacted]
Flawless Auto Detail
Owner/Office Manager
Hello there!
I am sending this email in response to a letter that I received from your office today regarding a complaint that was apparently filed with your office about my company, Flawless Auto Detail. The notice, which I just received today, states that I have 10...
calendar days to submit a response, if desired. Well, I definately would like to respond, considering the information stated in the complaint I received is 100% FALSE, however, I now have 2 days to submit a response to this claim, and I don't know of any of other way to submit my response quickly, other than the call I just made to [redacted] at [redacted], which was listed on the notification I received today. Unfortunately, I didn't get an answer at this phone number, so I left a voicemail in the hopes that my call will be returned.
With regards to this notification, and the complaint which caused it, I have a very simple, short response...
*There is absolutely nothing in the "Customers Statement of the Problem" that has any truth whatsoever. I'll respond by exactly what the complaint shows...
1. "But I took my car there and it wasn't faded like they made it."...The car absolutely WAS faded when we received it. This customer did acknowledge this on the phone with me personally during our initial conversation, during which she stated this was her first car, and she was buying it after it had been sitting outside for an undisclosed amount of time, which will naturally cause what is known as "sun fading" on any vehicle. Additionally, the clear coat of paint was also beginning to discipate, known as "Oxidizing". This is the "fading" she was referring to when she called initially, and also the "fading" she is claiming (to you) was not there. Oxidation is not a condition which can be caused by human activity, especially in a single business day. It takes time for such an effect to take to any vehicle, and it does spread over time, which is why it's known as "the car cancer". This claim is absolutely 100% false.
2. "They put hot wax on my car"...No. We did not. The service she paid for was an Interior clean/detail service, which does NOT include the application of any wax. Period. And for the customers who would like their vehicle waxed, we do not use any kind of "hot wax". Ever. That isn't even something we've ever bought for our product line. Not once. Our interior detail does, however, come with a hand wash, as a Courtesy, for all customers. For our interior services, we will generally apply a coat of Auto Jet Wax upon completion of the wash, which is exactly what was done to this customers Dodge Neon. Auto Jet Wax is a highly concentrated, ROOM TEMPERATURE, wax, that is mixed with plain tap water before it's used. The exact ratio, if anybody thinks they need to know, is as follows...
.5 fl oz : 1 Gallon of Water
3. "You can see the round circle motions they made while they were waxing it"...This claim is actually one of the most comical things I've ever heard! For anybody who actually knows what they're talking about, these "round circle motions" are called "Swirls", and are caused by neglecting to complete the buffing process correctly, which again, is not something that we did to this customers car because it's not part of an interior, but if we HAD buff waxed this car, those Swirls would not be there because we provide a much higher standard of quality than that. In fact, we did also notice these swirl marks when we had the car, but did not fix them because that's not part of what we were getting paid to do.
4. "Didn't clean the inside"...
Again, 100% FALSE. In fact, we did clean the inside. It was moldy, smelly, full of stains on the seats and the carpet, there was heavy and thick layers of dust and dirt stuck to all of the plastics and vinyl, in the cracks, etc. I PERSONALLY cleaned these areas, and I know, without a shred of doubt, that it was done correctly. I also used a disinfectant on the entire interior of this car, as a COURTESY, due to the customer claiming she was going to put her young son in the car fairly frequently. This is not something we include in our Interior services at no charge on a regular basis. I chose to help this customer due to her claim of being a single mother who simply couldn't afford a more in-depth service.
5. "Stains from the shampoo they supposedly cleaned my seats with"...
FALSE. The stains were in the seats to begin with, which is why she wanted the seats cleaned! She stated, during our initial phone conversation, that she needed the services to be completed within the same day, as this was her only vehicle and she needed it for work, at which time I did clearly advise her that there is NO WAY we could shampoo the seats and have them dry to give the car back to her within the same day because of the time it takes for the seats to dry fully, which is something we require with every vehicle due to the risk of mold and/or mildew, and the guaranteed effects it will have on a persons health, if we did not ensure proper drying of such fabrics. She DID acknowledge this information when I provided it to her. I then offered her the alternative solution to the stains in the seats, which is to dry clean them. Neither process is ever a 100% guarantee that the stains will come out completely, due to the variables, such as what the stains are caused from, how long the stains have been there, the fabric used by the vehicle manufacturer to make the seats, etc. She accepted the option to dry clean the seats, and that's exactly what was done. The dry cleaning process is not exactly "dry", as most people know, so the moisture that is used for such processes will still have a similar effect on any stains or underlying contaminants of any fabric. It is very common for there to be some "bleed back" after cleaning fabrics, which is what happens when the cleaning solution is extracted from the fabric. More often than not, the extraction of fabrics will bring out contaminants from deep in the seats, which may or may not have been visible previously, and may not always come out completely. This is "bleed back", and it's extremely common. The only way to completely fix this problem is to make sure the fabric is clean, and re-dye the fabric.
6. "Really bad Service"...this is a matter of opinion, which every person is absolutely entitled to. However, when poor customer services are experienced, it's generally an act that is fairly well known due to repetition on the service providers part, without cause. That is not the case in my company. EVER. I have spent over 20 years providing customer services, and have enjoyed doing so. So much that I literally go out of my way, above and beyond, sometimes to the extreme, to make sure that every customer I've ever had contact with is completely satisfied with their entire experience. I have not changed this practice at all, nor will I.
7. "They totally were rude to me"...Not at all! I again, went to extremes to make sure this customer was satisfied, which is apparently not even possible.
8. "Were not nice when I needed that money back I paid too much for"...This is 100% a pure LIE. To this day, NOTHING has ever been mentioned to me about this customer getting her money back. Not once. She did call me after the car was returned to her, only to complain that the "back window area wasn't vacuumed". I explained to her that it was, in fact, vacuumed, as I did it myself and I know it was done, but with dust and particles that get blown around with the wind, I'd be happy to take care of that for her by simply re-vacuuming that area. Her response was quite simple. She giggled, stating she wasn't worried about it, she could do it herself, and "it's not a big deal". I did offer several times to make sure this was done to her satisfaction, however, she did deny my offers each time.
*This is the same customer who, several times, called me to change the plans for the specific plans with her car. First she was going to drop it off to us. Then she called stating something came up and asked if I would be able to pick the car up, which I advised her we'd be happy to do for her, as we do offer Free local pick up and delivery services anyways. Next, she called to let me know that her boyfriend and his friend would be dropping the car off, which is what ended up happening. Once the car was here, she called me several more times. First was to tell me that this boyfriend was asking her to allow him to get his personal belongings out of the car, while it was at my facility, which I did allow. During this conversation, she made it very clear to me that I was not to release the car to this boy under any circumstances. To which I informed her that I don't do that no matter what, without a customer signed document stating who I am authorized to release the vehicle to, and the person who is authorized to pick up the vehicle must provide me with Valid Photo I.D. before I will release the vehicle. No exceptions ever. It's called "Liabilities". She seemed to be comforted by this, stating that she had been having some problems with this boy recently, and continued to needlessly explain her self-enduced drama. This customer did end up having her mother pick up the vehicle and bring it to her place of employment, which is literally a block from my facility, so I brought the vehicle to her place of employment, with her mother following me, and I then walked back to my shop from there.
My response to the "Desired Settlement":
Absolutely Not!!! There is no way this customer is getting a single red cent back. Not only did I, and my detail specialists, go exceptionally beyond what this customer paid for, with SEVERAL courtesies, but now this. NOPE.
In my opinion, this customer is an extremely childish, underexperienced member of society who honestly believes that she should get something for nothing, as so many others do also. She clearly does not appreciate all the the things that were in fact, done for her, as she requested, but also the things that were done simply because we understand what it's like to struggle with children to provide for.
"I still have receipt and would like my money back"...
This is hilarious! Ummm...NO. Not only are you not getting your money back, but you're welcome to keep the receipt. I have both of my copies, which ARE signed (stating satisfaction of services rendered), so I won't need your copy. Frame it if you'd like, or make an airplane out of it, or use it as a suppository...I don't care. I am extremely upset about this completely FALSE and disgusting claim. I run a very honest, ethical business, regardless of what it takes to remain as such. I will never do any kind of business with or for this particular individual as long as I live, and quite honestly, I find it somewhat strange that this complaint wasn't filed with the Revdex.com until June 22nd, 2015 when the customer had her experience with us well over 6 MONTHS ago!!! That's an awful lot of time to fabricate a completely ficticious story of so called "wrong doing" by a business of any kind. It also shows how much time this particular person has on their hands...she needs a hobby.
I know if I had a bad experience, with any company, that upset me so much that I spend my valuable time whining at the Revdex.com about it, it would be done immediately. Just a thought...
So if there's anybody at the Revdex.com's office who would like to contact me regarding this matter, I'd be happy to hear from you! You're welcome to call me at[redacted] Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm (PST).
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to clear the air, and provide the TRUTH, regarding this customer and her desperate search for drama. I truly do appreciate it!
P.S.: By Definition:
Auto Detailing: the cleaning and/or reconditioning of the interior and/or exterior of a vehicle.
**Please Note: We are Auto Detailers/Reconditioners. We are not Auto Body Specialists. Our job is to clean and recondition vehicles, which, unfortunately for some, does ENHANCE preexisting damages and/or flaws in any given vehicle. Our job is NOT to repair damages caused to the vehicles! The ONLY exception to repairing damages is if WE caused the damages, which we did not, we have never, and if someday we did cause any kind of damages, we would be happy to repair, but our customers would never know to begin with because the damages would be fixed before the customer ever saw it!
Sincerely,
Robin ** C[redacted]
Flawless Auto Detail
Owner/Office Manager