Do you tip your detailer?

**SATMAN40** · 04-29-2011, 02:02 PM

A tip line on a detail claim check is a bit much, same for a barber or hairdresser. If you want more money charge more,

I see too many barber and hair dressers stiffing waitress, detailer to me are like car body shop men, or mechanics. they charge a price and you pay them, it's not part of their income, and they are paid a decent wage

I owned a business, and retired, and have seen people give my guys tips, we never expected it, and we were in the service business.

Cleaning a car takes a lot of time, and most in the business do not charge enough, but then the value is not perceived by most.

**Flash Gordon** · 04-29-2011, 02:23 PM

I think the ppl I know tip not because of the detailing necesarlly, but more that they just love me and they have someone they can trust with the many different needs that I perform for them

The money I can save them, more then pays for my services. Its almost like I work for nothing when you think about it

**SATMAN40** · 04-29-2011, 04:01 PM

Well you have summed it up

No one will do business with you unless they trust you and like you.

They tip you because they feel you are not charging what you are worth.

**Bunky** · 04-29-2011, 04:19 PM

Yes.

I gave him a Metro Master Blaster (8HP) as a gift. I think I am generous.

**master detailer** · 04-29-2011, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

Do you tip your detailer?

I actually found a thread on CorvetteForum on this topic and because it's a topic I'm a little bit passionate about I thought I would create a thread on the topic and that way I could share what I posted on CorvetteForum.

If you hire detailers... this thread is for you...
This is mostly for all the people that read AutogeekOnline that hire detailers to detail their cars, it's not really for detailers. So if you're a member or a lurker reading this and instead of doing all the work it takes to detail your own car, you hire someone to detail your cars. Then this is for you and the emphasis is less on tipping your detailer and more on giving them some pro-active word-of-mouth advertising.

The question that came up on CorvetteForum was,

Do you tip your detailer?

And here's my reply...

For whatever it's worth...

I've never paid to have any of my cars detailed as I'm a detailer. But I make it a practice in life to tip generously anytime I get great service and especially if the place I'm at is a place I frequent on any kind of regular schedule, for example a favorite restaurant. I find it insures continued top notch service and if the person taking care of me is genuinely doing their best and usually their very best, I like to recognize it.

When I detail cars, I always pour my heart and soul into the job; I quit doing daily drivers probably a week or two into my detailing career as I was lucky to somehow continually meet owners of "Special Interest" cars and get their business.

Point being while I might pour my heart and soul into a daily driver, it wouldn't be the same as pouring one's heart and soul into a really cool 1959 Corvette for example when you machine compound and polish every square inch of paint on the car...

If it has paint... it gets polished...

This is me wiping M16 off the lower panels of a 1959 Corvette after doing a multi-step rotary buff-out.

But regardless of whether you're paying a detailer to work on your Toy, (whatever it might be), or your Grocery-Getter, even after agreeing on a set price, if they do a good job, give them a tip.

Most detailers I've known in my life detail cars because they have a passion for the craft, rarely do I ever meet anyone that's doing this kind of work only motivated to make a buck.

So if your detailer does a good job, tip them. If they do an out-of-this-world GREAT job, then let them know, not only tip them but make the transaction an over-the-top win/win deal by giving them some word-of-mouth business.

If they do a great job for you, chances are very good they will do a great job for your buddies and if you buddy's cars look like Swirl City, definitely,

Ask your detailer for a few extra business cards and do a little pro-active promotion of their business for them.

A tip is nice, heck I'll do a cartwheel in the front yard if I get a tip, but most detailers live or die by word-of-mouth-advertising and most are not very good about asking for referrals, so step up to the plate and help them out a little if you're in a position to, like at the next club meeting when you notice your buddy Steve's 1972 Corvette looks nice except for all the swirls in the paint.

Pay it forward...

lol I got 100.00 tip last week for doing 38ft fishing boat .Was a 52 hr job and he loves the work the bill was 1350.00 + 100.00 tip 1450 for the week is good to me lol ps all cash

**SATMAN40** · 04-29-2011, 09:12 PM

Had and have my share of vets.

automotiveforums.com

nice car web place for car problems.

**Kristopher1129** · 04-30-2011, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by SATMAN40

A tip line on a detail claim check is a bit much, same for a barber or hairdresser. If you want more money charge more.

Gonna have to disagree with you here. I don't think adding a tip line to my receipt is a bit much at all.

In fact, I thought the same way you did at first...and had my tip line removed. Just about every customer would ask, where can I leave a tip? They wouldn't ask till they saw the receipt and it wasn't there. So they would insist I run their card again for the tip amount.

So believe it or not, it was actually a hassle to not have a tip line cause a lot of people don't carry cash these days.

**SATMAN40** · 04-30-2011, 03:14 PM

You are correct, my business experience is 40 years old we did not even have credit cards when i started...

I will say one thing if you do not ask you will not receive. From the cheap seats, too many on here work too cheap, and so did I, always worrying about being fair, and no one worried about me, and yet I did well, by my standards, and that is all that matters.

We all take pride in our work.

**Mobile detail** · 06-01-2011, 03:09 AM

I don't feel tips should be required. They should be given if outstanding service was preformed. I hate that at food service places the expect a tip even if they don't provide you with tip worthy service. Personally I would rathernot get a tip but have the happy customer give me word of mouth advertising. That is worth way more in the long run. If your great at your job that is why people still come back to you.