I`m sure there are a lot of nightmare situations, but the other day I had that sinking, sick-to-the-stomach feeling when I noticed burn through on a ridge of a car.
When I had met with the owner to assess and quote the car I was informed a little about the history. The car is 14 years old and he is the third owner and has had it about 6 months. The previous owner had the car detailed, full correction.
Long story short; one area I made worse before discovering it. I went back to the video I took as I took paint measurements and, sure enough, can see (barely) that the damage existed before. I hadn`t noticed because my lighting all reflected off that ridge, so it looked like just reflection. As I went along I discovered other areas where paint had been burned through or clear was thin. Some areas had been touched up, some areas had blending from repairs, etc. I`m not sure whether the owner was previously aware of these areas.
My question is: How do you approach a customer about issues found with their car that they were likely not aware of? How do you handle the skepticism as to whether you are responsible or it was pre-existing if you didn`t notice or document it prior?
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