Rant: customer watched me sand for 20 minutes then asked if it was done

Had a guy in the shop last Tuesday, some BMW 3 series with a rear quarter scratch that went through to metal. I was blocking out the filler, you know, doing it right with 80 grit then stepping up. He's standing right there in the bay, arms crossed, not saying a word. After about twenty minutes he goes, 'Is it done yet?' I looked at him and said, 'No, sir, this is the part where it actually matters.' He then asked why I couldn't just spray over it since he'd be trading the car in next month. That one stuck with me because people think paint is magic, they don't see the hours of prep that decide if a job looks decent for a week or a decade. I told him the clear coat would lift right off if I skipped the sanding, but he just shrugged and walked back to the office. Has anyone else had a customer hover like that and rush you on prep work? How do you shut that down without being rude?

1 comments

1 Comment

the_simon1mo ago

Can't blame him for not caring about a car he's dumping next month.