Customer Offers Detailer $35 for 5 Minutes of Work. Is He Being Cheap?

For a Lubbock, Texas car detailer, a haggling hassle with one customer went from annoying to absurd. So, Devin, of Devin’s Auto Spa LBK (@devinsautospalubbock), took to TikTok with a question: Why do “the cheapest customers always have the most to say?”

Over on-screen captions that read “Detailer problems” and “I got $35 for ya,” Devin recounts his recent interaction with one penny-pinching regular.

Regular Customer Regularly Nickels and Dimes

Devin says he has a regular who gets his work van detailed once a week and tries to nickel and dime on the price. And this last time, “he tried to tell me I didn’t know what I was doing because he used to have a mobile wash,” Devin explains.. 

“Whatever,” he shrugs off..  

That’s not the end of it, though. 

 After the customer tried to get the price down by negging Devin’s technique, he still says to the detailer, “Come back once a week. I like it.” 

Devin says the day he filmed the video, he called the customer to confirm he still wanted the exterior of his van washed. The customer tells him to come, but adds, “Let’s skip the outside; I’d rather do the inside.” 

“OK,” Devin says, staying professional, “I appreciate you telling me.” 

Then comes the squeeze. “I’ll give you 35 bucks,” the customer says. 

Is Car Interior Detailing a 5-Minute Job? 

Devin’s reaction says it all: a slow head tilt, raised eyebrows, and an expression that asks, “Are we really having his conversation again?”

But the guy doesn’t let up, insisting that the job will only take 10-15 minutes—or even as little as five. 

The two go back and forth (probably for longer than five minutes), and Devin finally says, “You’re gonna have to find somebody else.” 

But he’s left wondering a couple of things. So, he takes his questions to the Internet. The first: Is he, Devin, “trippin?” And the second: “In any business, do you, the customer, make your own price? Do you just call people and say, ‘I’ll give you this much; I’ll give you that much?”

Pertinent questions–especially considering the client owns his own cabinet business. 

Gallery: Maybach S-Class 100-Hour Detailing

Not All Business Is Good Business 

Fellow car dealers are quick to share snark and tips in the comments section. 

“If he says its easy, and it’ll take 5 or 10 minutes, tell him to do it himself since its easy,” pens @EnjoyLife. 

While another detailer (@verduzcoautodetailing) doesn’t mince words: “I don’t do anything for under 100$ gotta put your foot down time is money.” 

Still, others say, “do a 35 dollar job lol.” 

How Much Should Mobile Detailing Cost?

In the comments section, Devin says that his interior details typically start at $150. A quick online search shows that prices start at about $100 and can climb as high as $500, depending on the services requested. Of course, this can vary by region and the car’s condition, says Autotrader.   

Motor1 reached out to Devin via his TikTok. This story will be updated should he respond.