I've always detailed my own car, yet when Groupon came out with a $200 credit at Derek's, I was giddy in thinking of the 4 or 5 hours I would save by having someone else take care of the nitty gritty.
I have a Lexus GX470 SUV, kids and dogs. Those of you who can relate, know how grungy the inside and outside can become. Yuck!
The detail: MAIN areas clean, well done. Edges, corners, crevices (on the seats for the seat belt buckles, for example) not good. My car has a musty odor from the shampooing...it's been a week of trying to air it out and that hasn't worked. You know it's bad when the kids get into the car and complain, even after sweaty soccer workouts.
What I didn't expect: WHOEVER DETAILED THE INSIDE OF MY CAR TOOK THE ITEMS I FORGOT TO REMOVE FROM THE INSIDE OF MY DOOR CUBBIES AND PLACED THEM ON THE ROOF OF MY CAR. They did not put them back. GOODBYE, BLACK LEATHER COACH CD HOLDER FULL OF CD'S. GOODBYE GARAGE DOOR OPENER. GOODBYE 3RD ROW LEXUS REMOTE.
I discovered this upon entering the freeway after leaving Derek's. To my horror, these items clattered on my roof, then flew off the back of my car onto I90 (Thank God they did not hit any other cars and cause additional damage), and *poof*, just like that, valuable items were run over, smashed and ruined. And I couldn't do anything about it!
In all, I lost money. Even with the Groupon. More importantly, others' safety were compromised. I called Derek's immediately upon returning home, spoke with the same person who checked my car in and out, and received the following: ""Oh gee, those guys! I'll go talk to them."".
It has been one week since the detail was completed and still, no response from Derek's. To say I'm not returning is an understatement. Irresponsible, sloppy, uncaring and unprofessional is my description of Derek's Auto Detail. They blew it big time.
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