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Marcus & DIAL · Season 2, Episode 6

Mobile detailing late fee: give 15 minutes grace, then charge $25

Give 15 minutes of grace, then charge a $25 late fee, and put that line in the confirmation text so nobody is surprised by it. In the episode Marcus waits on “five minutes away” until 45 minutes are gone and the foam has dried on the paint — a $180 leak. With the late fee stated up front, Fiona turns up 20 minutes late, pays the $25, and Marcus still makes his 2 PM. The fee is not really about the money: it is what stops the waiting.

Late Fee for Mobile Detailing? Charge $25 | Marcus & DIAL S2E6

S2E6 · “Five Minutes Away” · 45 sec

What happens in this episode

Customer of the Week: Five-Minute Fiona. The foam is already on the car when she texts “almost there!!” Marcus says “no rush”, and she is still in line somewhere. Forty-five minutes later the foam has dried and the day is behind. DIAL puts one line in the confirmation text instead.

  1. Marcus has the foam on and Fiona is “5 min away”.
  2. Forty-five minutes burned, the foam dried, $0 made.
  3. She texts “almost there!!” Marcus texts back “No rush!”
  4. She is still in line. The waiting is the whole problem.
  5. Money leak: −$180.
  6. In the rerun, the confirmation text says 15 minutes grace, then a $25 late fee.
  7. Fiona is 20 minutes late, pays the $25, and Marcus still makes his 2 PM. +$205.
  8. Van jar: $1,700 of $6,000.

DIAL’s fix

  1. Give 15 minutes of grace. Everyone hits traffic, and charging at minute one makes you the bad guy.
  2. After that, a flat $25 late fee. Flat, not per minute, so there is nothing to argue about.
  3. Put the line in the confirmation text, not in your head. A fee nobody was told about is a fight; a fee they agreed to when they booked is just the price.

Copy and paste this

Heads up: 15 min grace. Then a $25 late fee.
Transcript
  1. Mobile detailers: foam’s drying. She’s “5 min away”
  2. 45 min burned. Foam dried. $0 made.
  3. Customer of the Week: Five-Minute Fiona ⏰
  4. almost there!!
  5. No rush!
  6. Still in line. Watch her pay for it
  7. MONEY LEAK: −$180
  8. Let's run that back. ⏪
  9. Screenshot this text Heads up: [15] min grace. Then a [$25] late fee ⏰ Put it in the confirmation text.
  10. 20 min late. Paid $25. Made 2 PM
  11. MADE 2 PM · +$205 Van Jar $1700 / $6000
  12. Late fee goes in the confirmation text
  13. Know a detailer still waiting in parking lots? ⏰ Send them this

Where this fits

Free: the Mobile Detailing Pricing Kit →

Every leak Marcus has, DIAL fixes.

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