Customer claims dryer damage

[Louise]

Customer claims he heard the dryer in my D&S Super 5000 crease the rooftop
on his SUV. Didn't think anything of it until he got home to detail his car and saw the dents.

He sent photos of the rooftop of tiny little dings (his descrption) but you cannot really see anything in the photos.

I told him to bring the car by next week, but that I have had approx. 60K cars go through without one problem, not even on convertible tops.

How should I proceed??

 

[I.B. Washincars]

A dryer is not going to make dings, he just wants someone to pay for fixing his vehicle. I guess a dryer could cave in a large flat panel, but SUVs and larger trucks have ridges to prevent the air from making the rumblings. It didn't happen at your wash. Tell him that when you see it and let him do whatever he feels he needs to do. The worst that could happen is he takes you to court and you lose. He won't and if he does he won't win. Let him pound sand.

 

[rph9168]

There is no way your dryer put "dings" in the roof of his SUV. Sounds like hail damage or possibly something like a tree limb fell on it. Explain to him that you have washed over 60K vehicles without damage like he claims. Recommend that he call his insurance agent to report hail or damage from a tree limb. Do not settle! Stand firm. If he is reasonable he will see the light. If not, let him try to sue. He does not have a leg to stand on.

 

[Louise]

Sounds like a reasonable guy. I believe he told me that this is a newly purchased used car. Is it possible that this is the result of repaired hail damage??

 

[rph9168]

It's possible but if he just bought it he may now just be noticing the damage.

 

[JustClean]

I learned on this forum to ask him how he thinks the "dings" got into his car... That will make him re-consider his BS.

 

[MEP001]

We had a recent damage claim from a woman who said the foam brush scratched her car. Our insurance guy said that since many tens of thousands of people had used the brushes before her without damage, we had 1) shown no negligence, and 2) would have seen a pattern of damage or claims earlier. I also agree that unless someone threw a handful of ice cubes into the dryer intake, there's no way it could have made dings in the roof of his vehicle.

Have him go through your insurance, who will examine and deny the claim, then you're not the "bad guy."

 

[pitzerwm]

I use to send them to their insurance, telling them that if it were your fault that their insurance would contact you and your insurance would take care of it. It never went any farther.

 

[Waxman]

BS claim. Good blowers will claim the occasional moulding strip, not dent cars.

 

[jprb]

Maybe your wash is the first wash to get his car clean enough to see the previous damage!!

JPRB

 

[JustClean]

That reminds me of my old truck I bought second hand years ago. The paint was in quite a good nick. Until I washed it a few times. That guy had used colored wax that made all the scratched disappear... Few months later they were back and starting rusting....
Hmm, I should have blamed the carwash...

 

[mac]

Well, you know, it is possible for your automatic to do that. I have seen some blowers with steel impellers. It is possible for a piece of the steel to corrode and a big piece of rust to come flying out and ding it. It's rare, but it can happen. If you have a steel impeller and a piece did fly, it should be out of balance enough to notice.

 

[rph9168]

If it was pieces of steel there would be scratches in the paint as well as dents. I think the best is to let the insurance companies deal with this if the customer persists. If he is that convinced that you did it nothing would probably sway his opinion.

 

[bigleo48]

Video helps a lot. I agree with most...dryers don't dent.