How To Deal With Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) Technicians to get the best repair at the cheapest rates
09/02/20 09:25 Filed in: Paintless Dent Repair Near Me | Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) Pricing | Dentless Paint Repair | paintless dent removal tech
How to get the cheapest rate for Paintless dent repair near me, when dealing with a retail dent on your personal vehicle.
Ok so you come outside from the grocery store and you notice that you have a dent or ding on your vehicle. The most natural thing to do is start calling every single Paintless Dent Repair company in the phone book frantically, trying to get someone to give you a price for repair services. You start searching to find out, "does paintless dent repair work?" You see amazing photos of before and after on hail damage repairs, small dents, and several large dents. But the question remains, "how much does it cost to repair my dent?". So you keep calling: Immediately you find some resistance, so you keep calling anyways, asking anyone who will just give you a price over the phone.
You have no idea how much Paintless Dent Repair costs, so you just won't find out right now. Well, I have a solution for you. If you follow this link on my website, you will find a DIY calculator where you can determine pricing yourself. It is true that much of this data you will not know the answer to but for the most part, you will be able to determine your pricing yourself.
Here are things that you can do to save yourself money and get the fastest service.
#1. Be patient.
Realize that high-quality Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) technicians are in demand for a reason, and they are worth waiting for. Yes, I know that it is frustrating, but trust me, it's even more frustrating for them, trying to service those in the front of the line, while you keep knocking.
#2. The squeaky wheel does not get the grease.
Those customers go to the end of the line. Especially, if there is some kind of form that the customer refuses to fill out and they insist on just sending the information via a slow trickle of information.
That is, let's suppose that the form requires, you provide: Address, Name, Number to Contact, Series of Images Into the Dent, Which Body Panels, Videos of your dent, and Original Paint?
Now instead of providing that information in that one form, you spread that over a series of questions and text spacing 30-40 interactions in a text, that could have been resolved in that one form, expect that your price will increase, for the same repair.
#3. Fill out any online forms they request that you do.
Yes, it is a hassle and its something that you must do, if you wish to save money and time. I realize it is the last thing that you want to do when all you really want is a price right now! Dent wizards are hard-working blue-collar men and women: processing between ten to fifteen dents like yours on a daily basis. If they have to stop and deal with you multiple times, it's costing them more than your repair is worth.
#4. When a technician arrives be prepared.
- If you can have the vehicle inside, do so.
- Have no other vehicles in the driveway, so they can get their tools to your dent quickly
- Don't expect to haggle overpricing. We always give the biggest discounts to customers that are easy over complex ones. If you make that technician's job easier, they will remember it, when it comes to checkout. Also and more importantly, if your dent was going to cost a lot more, and there were some hidden problems, they probably won't charge you more or even let you be aware of the real problems. You are probably going to simply get the original quoted rates.
- Basic Courtesy: always ask them if they want a glass of cold water or if they need to use the restroom. Most will refuse, but I can tell you now. Running around from dealership to dealership fixing dents, then landing at your house in a rush. The last thing that we want to do is resort to using a water bottle in a parking lot.
#5. Be polite, not a know it all.
If you know more about Paintless Dent Repair than your technician, you wouldn’t need their services. Your hiring a professional for a reason. They have something that you don’t have, skill, knowledge, and tools. If you come out of the gate telling them how much you know and how easy the dent is going to be to fix. You might find yourself wondering why no one will answer your calls.
#6. Don't minimize the size or ease of your dent repair.
That is, don’t call and tell the technician all about how small and easy your dent is to repair, hoping to get a lower rate. Literally everyone does this and its very annoying to technicians, especially the ones that have been repairing dents for twenty-five years. That means they have been hearing that line at least five times a week for twenty-five years, it's almost like hearing nails on a chalkboard. In their mind, thousands of repairs are flashing before their eyes, that started with those words and ended in terror.
#7. Ask for a discount, not an ultimatum.
If you give a technician an ultimatum on pricing in your driveway, for your dent, they will probably leave. This may not be a bad thing if it was a deal that you were not ready to make, but you also may have pissed off the best or only technician in town. Try to think past your current dent. Think of the dozens of dents that you're going to have over the life of your vehicles.
A good technician is like having a good accountant, they will save you thousands over the life of your vehicles. You may not agree with this pricing, but if you call around, you may also find that no-one else can or will fix this specific dent.
If you ask for a discount they may say no the first time, however, while in the middle of the repair they may have a breakthrough, that’s going to save them an hour for that repair. Ask again after the dent is complete. I can't tell you how many times, that I have shaved off 100$-200$ for a repair at this point. I was able to make the dent go away, the customer was nice, and I was able to make a fast repair.
#8. Never go to a dealership or body shop to get a Paintless Dent Repair.
They are using the cheapest Paintless Dent Repair technician to do the job, and often you are going to pay forty percent more for that repair. Its never in your best interest.
#9. Always be with your vehicle when the repair is happening.
Don't leave it to your wife, son, secretary or whatever. You make an effort to meet with and be there for the technician. This is huge for a number of reasons. If repair decisions need to be made, you are present to help solve the problem, not at some distant location, trying to do two things at once.
#10. Don't leave in the middle of a repair, or come up with a reason that the repair must go faster.
The dent guy is there and he has started working. You need to go and you need the process to now move faster. This is my biggest personal pet peeve and it happens all the time. Here is the most common line. I have an appointment that I forgot, don’t worry about it though, take your time. But I have to be there in an hour.
Right out of the gate, you went from being a Retail quality customer to being an auction car. I'm rolling, and no way that pricing is coming down. We want to give you a perfect product at a reasonable rate if you deny us that we will roll it out.
In conclusion: use common sense. Don't assume that all technicians are created equal. If you are getting really cheap quotes from one sector and can't seem to reach the higher more acclaimed technicians there is a very reason. Be Patient, follow the narrow gate, give them what they ask for, and follow these rules. If you do, you will get an amazing repair, far cheaper than you expected.