Looking For A Detail – Value In The Beholder

I want to start by saying no one should be telling another small business owner how much they are allowed to charge.  Whether unfair or cruel, business owners accept the challenges of the market.  This autonomy goes both ways.  I find it inappropriate and childish to take someone’s pricing decisions personally.  It would be no different if I went to a potential customer’s place of income to question his or her value, suggesting that person should make less money.  There is something we all have in common, aside from being human beings, we are consumers of goods and services.  But if you are unhappy with pricing, choices of services, or quality, there is a business for everyone!  If it is a combination issues that you cannot resolve, there is the DIY approach.

Be a nice person. My article on the dangers of using an automatic car wash somewhat surprising to me became somewhat polarizing.  In hindsight this is not surprising.  It is a big arena, creating real genuine value to a large segment of the population.  The owners of this operation should apologize for nothing.  I also stand by the context and the meaning behind the content of everything I wrote.

“But really how can I find a quality detail?”  $600, maybe more or less, with research that involves more than asking how much.  I have $3,200 invoices, for a detail.  I have $400 invoices.  This is my reality.  It is not that you cannot find someone to provide a service that you like for $150.  The truth is you cannot give $300 to a $100 detailer who has been doing $100 details for years and expects that person to break cheap and fast habits and processes.  Different types of operations exist for a reason.  This might make you feel uncomfortable.

Detailing professionally is a luxury service.  It is a luxury service, not to look down on or scam people.  It is expensive because it is an expensive business to invest in premium resources, TIME, and even other little things that fall into the category of customer service.  But fast food restaurants are also referred to as restaurant, that serve majority of people.  If something is important to you, then choose wisely.  Especially with the negative perception of detailing and LOW BARRIER to entry, it is significantly easier to try to game the system, tell customers what they want to hear, and play the numbers game with customer satisfaction.  In the industry we call these people fly by night detailers.  In 2025 that includes people with shops.  That includes people who are accredited ceramic coating installers.  That even includes paint protection film installers.