noting previous damage

[zachb]

I was wondering what kind of form or how you note previous damage to the vehicle in order to be sure that the customer can't claim that you damaged their vehicle. Also do you only tell them verbally or on the invoice do you use some kind of disclaimer informing the customer of your personal guarantee.

[streekyd]

There are several things you can do.
1. Draw a stick figure of a car; Left side, Right, front back and top. have them printed with your logo, or make it part of your invoice, doen't have to be large, Have a stamp made of a car and stamp it on the invoice.

2. Preform a walk-around the vehicle with the customer and have them sign off on the existing condition, like you would when you rent a car. Or drop a car off at the dealorship.
3. Invest in a video camera and photo graph the car with the date and time on. Save those videos and number them to an invoice.

I knew this guy in Canada that used a vidoe camera and kept every cassette. He said it saved him several paint jobs because he could prove the damage existed before he touched the car.

This is dramatic but if it saves you problems......

[GlassStarz]

I dont take note of anything but even if they did try something A hey sparky i dont touch the paint only the glass should do it. my theory is trust em till they prove to be untrustworthy then growl at em

[DaRookie]

Dow put out a courtesy checksheet that fits the bill. The video camera is a great idea, especially now that digital video is getting cheaper.

[johnnyone]

Glass is right, growl before you bite

[Mike Allen]

I've been carrying my camera with me on the off chance that I'll get a gut feeling something may not be kosher.

It's also good to bring it to take before and after shots for a website or examples of your work.