Repeat customers are definitely a catch-22. We appreciate the business and getting to know our clients but let’s be honest. No one wants to have to visit a dent repair shop once let alone enough to make friends with the “dent guy”. This story is one of those. Now, this couple have had a few dent mishaps, and they have a “dent guy”. In this particular case, the wife called in, really upset that her BMW was hit in a parking lot right on the door panel.
She thought that there was a small dent about 2 or 3 inches, and the picture she sent did imply that. But when we got it in the shop and put a light on it, it was definitely a larger area of damage than originally thought.
If you want to send a picture of your damage to us, but are not sure how to get the best shot, you can check out this short video explaining how to get the best possible shot in only four easy steps!
There are 4 easy steps to taking a quality picture for an estimate. 1. Start with a clean panel. 2. Do not take a picture straight on. Stand at a 45degree angle. 3. Try to capture a straight line reflection on the panel. 4. Make sure you’re standing far enough back that we can see where on the panel the dent is located. A lot of times, our clients will say “you can’t really see it in a picture” but many times we can. If you think it’s not showing in a picture, an 8-10 second video panning slowly across the damaged panel most times will show the distorted area. We can provide an estimate with this information to give you an idea of what it’s going to cost to repair your dent.
Back to our customers who did send really good pictures but did not illuminate the whole story. When this happens, we stop and speak with the client. Obviously with this amount of damage the estimate provided to her was not accurate. What do we do when this happens? If the customer is present, we will bring them into the shop and show them first-hand what we see and explain how that changes things. We will provide them with a correct cost of repair and let our customer decide if they want to move forward, reschedule, open a claim with their insurance company, or change their mind all together and live with the dent. 
 But what if the customer isn’t there? What happens when a customer drops their vehicle off during non-business hours? When that happens, we make a video of the damage so we can text or email that to our customer. That is what happened in this particular case. Our lead technician, Dave Fisher was immediately concerned that the estimate and what was in front of him were not even close. This can happen quite often when we are providing estimates from photographs. It can be really difficult to see the entirety of damage, for instance, shopping cart dents, in my experience, are really tricky. More times than I can count, a customer sends a picture of a door panel that came into contact with a shopping cart. There is always the “obvious” dent, sometimes twelve or so inches away is another “tiny” spot where the buggy hit. What is often the case that we can’t see in a picture, and even the customer, having an untrained eye miss, is the buckle between the two “obvious” dents. So, our estimate of two inches of damage has now become fourteen inches. This scenario happens enough that we even made a video about it!!
So this video was made to clarify, that often times, pictures do not give us all the information we need to make an actual “cost of repair” estimate but rather a “starting point”.
One important thing for you to know about Dent Repair Now…..we will NEVER shock you with a bill for repairs that you were not expecting. One of our top priorities for both our customers and technicians (and workers) is that we are all on the same page. We want you to have a clear expectation on our abilities to repair, and what is possible with the damage on your vehicle. If it is anything other than what we have discussed, like stated earlier, we stop and consult you FIRST!
So, once we sent the young couple the video that clearly showed all the damage from top to bottom of the door, we waited for them to give us a call. We spoke to the wife who couldn’t believe how much more damage there was. She went over it with her husband and they decided to move forward. They couldn’t stand the thought of the dents in the door anymore, they’d already made arrangements to drop off and pick up the car, and being repeat customers, they trusted us and knew we weren’t doing anything shady. The repair came out beautifully, and we were able to make the door look as good as new. 
Still not convinced? Check out our google reviews! As of May 2, 2024, we have 190 5 Star Reviews!
If you are in need of an exceptional repair shop, we here at Dent Repair Now are ready to hear from you! You can reach us by phone or text at 724-607-8980. You can also fill out a form on our website and we can call you with a free estimate. If you would rather have an in-person estimate, you can stop at our shop currently located at 2603 Washington Rd, Unit 3, Canonsburg, PA 15317. You do not need an appointment, but we do recommend that you call first so we can make sure we have a technician available.