I called this Ziebart location to schedule an interior detail for my car. Over time, a lot of dog hair and debris accumulates in the back seat, and I made this very clear over the phone. I wanted to make sure that it was okay and that no one was taken by surprise. I was assured that it would be fine.
When I arrived for my scheduled appointment, I was told that my car was too dirty for them to accept. They said that they really weren't supposed to take cars this dirty but that they could "help me out" by charging me double ($200 instead of $100) and keeping my car overnight. This wasn't an option for me (both because of the cost and because I only have one car, so leaving my car overnight with them would involve me sleeping in their parking lot).
I reminded them that they had interior detailed my car a couple years ago when it was in a similar condition and that it was fine and had been done in a few hours, and they insisted that their policies had changed.
I told them that I really didn't need my car to be pristine--that as long as I had a dog, I understood that my car would likely never be pristine--and that I really just wanted it to be better than it is now. They said again that, no, they could not work on my car. They insisted again that they would have to vacuum and shampoo it twice and that it would cost me double and that they'd have to keep my car for two days. I asked if they could just do whatever they normally do (only vacuum and shampoo once), with my full understanding that the car still might not be perfect afterward. They said no. They said repeatedly that my car was too dirty and they weren't really supposed to take cars this dirty.
It was embarrassing to be told over and over again about how my car is apparently too disgusting for them to clean. First of all, I tried to make that as clear as I could over the phone, and the person I spoke to indicated it would not be a problem. Secondly, this is exactly why I was bringing my car to a professional. If I only had a few crumbs on the floor, I would have vacuumed it myself. In my mind, this is exactly the sort of situation in which you bring your car to Ziebart. And thirdly, I admit that it was very dirty, but I feel that they exaggerated the situation. Yes, there was a lot of dog hair and debris (dry leaves and dust from my shoes), but nothing that couldn't be vacuumed up. There were no stains or spills or anything ground into the upholstery. I wish I could attach photos so that you could decide for yourself how dirty it was, but I can't because my car is currently being serviced by a company who was happy to take it.
I am sure that Ziebart does nice work, and maybe they are a good choice for many or most customers. But in this situation, I felt that their customer service was very poor. I tried repeatedly to suggest a compromise, but their only solution was to create greater expense and inconvenience for me. Instead of leaving with a clean car, I left feeling very embarrassed and ashamed. I won't be going back. read more