'That scratch wasn't there when I dropped it off'
The customer walks round their newly repaired car and stops at the passenger door. There is a scratch, a light one, a few inches long. They are sure it was not there before. The accident damage was on the other side, and every photo you took was of that side. Your technician says it was there on arrival. Nobody can prove it either way.
The same happens with kerbed alloys, chipped windscreens, stained seats and missing items from the boot. Sometimes the customer is mistaken, sometimes they are testing, and occasionally something did happen on your premises. Without evidence, you usually pay.
Photos are taken for the insurer, not for the handover
Image capture in a bodyshop is driven by estimating. The photos show the damage the work provider will pay for, along with the VIN and mileage. The rest of the car's condition is not the insurer's concern, so it is not photographed. When the car arrives on a recovery truck or is left early in the morning, nobody walks round it with the customer at all.
- Cars dropped off out of hours are never checked with the customer present.
- Recovered cars arrive without their owner and may be moved several times before inspection.
- Existing damage is noted on paper, if at all, in general terms like 'minor scuffs'.
- Contents such as child seats and tools are not recorded.
What each dispute costs
A small scratch is quick for your paint shop to fix, but it takes the booth and a painter from paying work. A kerbed wheel refurbished to keep the peace is a sublet cost. A customer who leaves unhappy may say so in the work provider's survey, whatever the truth was.
The time spent arguing is a cost too. A manager spends an hour on the phone, the technician feels accused, and the work provider may ask for your side of the story.
How we build a vehicle arrival check
- When a car arrives, the job is opened on a tablet by registration. The check guides the user round the car: each side, each corner, each wheel, the roof if reachable, the windscreen, the interior and the boot.
- Existing marks are tapped onto a simple car outline and photographed close up, so there is a picture of each one, not just a note.
- Mileage, fuel level, warning lights on the dash and contents are recorded.
- If the customer is present, they review the check on screen and sign. If not, the check is still completed and a copy is sent to them by email or text.
- Out-of-hours and recovered cars are checked at the first opportunity, with the time recorded, and marked as 'checked without customer'.
- At handover, the arrival photos are one tap away, so any question can be answered while the customer is still there.
| Arrival route | Check done | Customer involvement |
|---|---|---|
| Customer drop-off | Walk round together | Signs on screen |
| Out-of-hours key drop | First thing next morning | Copy sent to customer |
| Recovery truck | On unloading, before moving | Copy sent to customer |
| Collection by your driver | At the customer's address | Signs on driver's phone |
The check does not decide who is responsible for a mark. It gives you and the customer the same evidence to look at.
Handovers with nothing to argue about
When a customer raises a mark, the conversation starts with a photo from the day the car arrived, often with the customer's own signature on the check. Most disputes end there, politely. When there is no arrival photo of the mark, you know you need to take the question seriously.
Customers also notice the care. A thorough walk round at drop-off reads as a shop that pays attention.
Signs your shop needs an arrival check
- Customers have blamed you for damage you believe was already there.
- You have fixed marks at your own cost to avoid an argument.
- Recovered cars are not photographed on arrival.
- Arrival notes are on paper in general terms.
- Photos of the whole car are not stored with the job.