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Vehicles arriving dirty?
I was just wondering if anyone has a policy on vehicles arriving dirty prior to vinyl application.?
It’s one of those things that really gets my back up.
When I book in a van I usually ask for it to arrive clean, but sometimes I don’t , naturally thinking the customer would make sure it was clean.
I had a van in this morning which was OK but far from what I would say was clean, out came the bucket.!
I know we all have to prepare vehicles prior to fitting vinyl, but I don’t expect to have to have to wash it. I had a large Sprinter in last year for a regular customer, one of staff brought it down and it was caked in mud took 2 of us 30Min’s to clean. After this I decided I would add a £15.00 surcharge if the vehicle was excessively dirty but I never did.
It doesn’t happen a lot but when it does it really niggles me.
Does anyone charge or put anything in writing etc regarding this.? -
7 Replies
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our order confirmation / vehicle booking in form which the customer gets and signs states 2 important items
a) Vehicles must be delivered to workshop by (time) if you are late this may mean vehicle will not be ready to collect that day
b) Vehicles to arrive clean (please do not wax polish panels) if vehicles arrive in a dirty state a cleaning charge (from) £25 pounds plus vat is added
(please note we are not car valeters so dont expect a showroom clean)it works most just pay the £25, i added from £25 as you may get some haulier thinking that a truck and curtain sider is good value for £25
We have a pressure washer with truck wash additive and can be cleaned in less than 10 mins
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Interesting stuff Adrian, I think you have confirmed it for me to put a cleaning clause on the signing off sheet.
The time aspect is food for thought, I know this has been touched on before with people bringing in vehicles no where near the time they were booked in for. -
Gets my back up too Martin. When a vehicle is booked in I always stress that it has to be clean. Needless to say there is the odd occassion where they haven’t bothered their backside and assume I’ll do it for them…..
So just to annoy them and get my own back a bit, this is what I do.
If it’s not completely covered in graphics I clean only the areas where I’m putting the vinyl. When they arrive to pick it up I point out that the van was filthy and that I’m not a car valet, they see the areas that have been cleaned and the filth all around them. The I tell them that they can’t wash their van for a few days to allow the vinyls to bite in and settle. You see their face fall and they say ‘oh I’m sorry I should have cleaned my van’. 🙂 -
It used to annoy me alot also – I must be getting old though as nowadays I am just resigned to the fact that most vans will need cleaning.
I console myself with the thought that there is an even greater transformation to the van after I have finished with it. Not only does it have my lovely signs on it but the vehicle is clean (probabably for the first time in months) and as a result looks even better than the owner was expecting.
Still annoying though 😕
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I know what you mean.
I do a lot of buses, and when they arrive dirty it can take 1/2 a day to wash and dry the thing before I start. I tell the client upfront when it arrives that I may not be able to finish it in the time frame, and I will be charging $35 per hour to clean it on top of the quote.
Most clients will do it once then they always arive clean after that, but I do have one client that never cleans anything, so I have to allow the extra time when I book in the job.
If the client asks me to clean the vehicle, I’ll buff and polish it too, then when they pick the vehicle up, the sign job looks really impressive.
Does get me a bit excited tho when the clients swears blind he has ‘just cleaned it’ and you can write your name in the dirty windows!
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I’ve been considering putting a surcharge clause for cleaning in big print along with quotes as recently every other van arrives baked in mud. I’ll still panel wipe down a van that arrives clean but some clients really take the pi$$!
The worst though, is when a van arrives with two years worth of dried road tar down the sides and back. One customer earlier in the year left a lwb transit for a wrap and it took a full day just to remove the tar. I told him that I would have to charge for removal of the tar and he said OK but when he didn’t realize until afterwards that my time costs a lot more than what he pays his staff. The next van arrived spotless!!!
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i find that most of the vans i do are dirty, because i have no indoor premesis, i usually arrange to meet the customer, wherever they me working that suits us both, and of course weather permitting, i ask them to wash them the night before, but builders being builders etc……
i carry an array of atomiser bottles, always have two or three litres of soapy water, one of clean, and then the pre clean applicator fluids,
simply wash the area i’m going to be working on, several times, then a couple of rinse and wipes, and then the app/ cleaning fluid,
its not so bad on normal vans, race cars are worse when they’ve got polish or wax on them, or worserer still… sticky tyre rubber to get rid of on the rear qrtrs !
had one guy ask me to drive to the garage up the road and jetwash it ! told him it’d be £25 for the hours it’ll take me, he was there and back in half hour !!
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