Episode #5 – Reputation, Reality & Reviews That Miss the Mark

We’ve talked a lot about the wins — and a fair bit about the lessons too. But there’s one part of running a business that every owner comes across at some point: A review that doesn’t quite tell the full story.

Not the five-star kind (though those are always nice).We’re talking about the other ones — the ones that sting. The ones that feel unfair. The ones that miss the mark.

We had a guy — let’s call him Rick.

From the very first message, something felt off. You know the type: a bit too pushy, vague about what he wants but very clear he wants it done exactly right. Still, we said yes. Because in the early days — and honestly, sometimes even now — you say yes to jobs you probably shouldn’t.

The booking went ahead. We turned up early, worked hard, and gave it the same care we always do. But by the time we were finishing up, you could feel it — that tension in the air.

Throughout the job, he’d been speaking to us in a way that didn’t sit right — referring to my partner as “boy” more than once. Dismissive. Disrespectful. But we stayed professional and kept our focus on the work.

As we were wrapping up, he hovered. Not in a curious, interested way — more like he was inspecting our every move. And then, to our disbelief, he pulled out his own microfibre cloth and started rubbing at the panels himself.

We asked - politely - if there was anything he wasn’t happy with. Told him clearly that if there was an issue, we’d be more than happy to sort it there and then. He said no. We asked again, more than once, because we had a feeling. Each time: “Yes, I’m happy.”

So we left the job, trusting his word.

A few hours later, the review landed.

That’s the thing we’ve come to learn: perception is everything.

You can do two identical jobs for two different people and get completely different responses. One sees it and says “Wow, that's incredible - it looks better than the day I got it!” The other picks out a speck of dust and can’t see past it.

That doesn’t mean one of them is wrong. But it does mean we’ve learned to manage expectations from the start. Be clear. Set the standard. Say what’s included and what isn’t - even if it feels like you’re over-explaining. Because it’s better than under-delivering on a promise you didn’t even mean to make to begin with.

So Rick left his review. Not brutal, but not great either. And in this line of work - especially when you’re building your name - those words sting.

We replied calmly, professionally. Gave a respectful explanation and shared our side of things. But he came straight back - doubling down and claiming all our five-star reviews were fake.

At that point, we knew there was no reasoning with him. It didn’t matter how the job had gone or how many chances we gave him to speak up. Whoever turned up that day, it wasn’t going to be good enough.

So we drew a line under it. Not every job ends with a handshake and a smile — and not every customer wants to be pleased.

Then there was another guy — this one didn’t even book in.

He showed up unannounced, parked outside our house, looked around for a bit… and then drove off.

No message.

No call.

No idea he’d even been.

A few hours later, we spotted a one-star review from him: “No car wash here.”

We figured he was expecting a drive-up car wash. Not a mobile detailing business that runs by appointment, with scheduled bookings.

We didn’t touch his car. We didn’t even speak to him. But there it was, sitting on our profile like we’d completely dropped the ball.

And the truth is — if that had been the only review people saw? It could’ve been damaging. It would have been damaging, back when we were just starting out.

These days, we’ve built a solid enough reputation that one or two off-key comments don’t rock the boat. But it’s a reminder: some people will never see the full picture.

And maybe that’s the hardest part of working in a trade you take pride in. Someone with no context, no understanding of the time, skill or effort involved, can leave a few careless words online that carry more weight than they realise.

Because detailing isn’t a hobby. It’s not something we do on weekends for fun.

It’s our name.

Our income.

Our future.

We’re so proud of what we’ve built — and while we’re always open to learning and improving, we’ve also learned to filter out the noise.

Not every review tells the truth. Not every customer is the right fit. And not every piece of feedback deserves to be carried with you.

If you’ve ever stared at a one-star review that felt like a punch to the gut, taken a deep breath, and carried on doing good, honest work..

Welcome. You’re one of us!