SIGN - No use if Meter Not running

[Earl Weiss]

Anyone use a sign notifying people that use of equipment forbidden if meter not running.

Don't know what good it will do on it's own but thinking it would be nice to point to when the 2 hander is using the Wobblehead Brush or weep to clean the car.

Perhaps something along the lines that "People using equipment without the meter running will have vehicles target by local bird flocks."

 

[chaz]

as long as a customer spends at least my $3.00 minimum....I’m ok with them staying in bay to dry, detail etc.....that is as long as no one is waiting. My signage reads: “If timer is not running, EXIT bay, if others are waiting. Most of my customers are pretty good about following this policy. What really bugs me is the very occasional “customer” that thinks it’s ok to tie up my bay, even on a slow day...and not spend any money! I do have a couple of customers that activate the timer and keep it running as long as they are in the bay even while they are detailing...love these customers!

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Earl, I recently added a sign frame above my coin boxes so I can put up a sign - and most importantly easily change it - regularly. I haven't put one up yet about the meter running, but I do have a draft I'm planning to put in for 6 weeks or so during the spring "detailing" rush. Wording is pretty much what chaz said, "Thank you for exiting the bay when the timer is not running."

When I see people washing with the weep I always point out that "you're washing with my anti-freeze solution, thats really not a good idea." Yes I weep water to make sure my lines dont freeze - so I'm telling the truth, & semi-politely achieve my objective. No its not passive aggressive. Aggressive, maybe, passive not so much
LOL - a couple years ago I said this to a customer, his wife started hitting him and yelling the "I told you not to do that you stupid so-and-so..." Still cracks me up.

Sort of related - I have a bucket under the exhaust from my natural gas heater to catch the condensate dripping from the exhaust. A couple times a month a customer "steals" that bucket of water, dips in the FB and starts to get himself a free wash.
(For those of you who had too much to drink with dinner, the condensate is acid.)
Sometimes I write on the bucket "Acid - do not steal this to wash your car!" Sometimes I think they are getting what they deserve. Sometimes I walk into the bay and take the bucket right out from under them and tell them it is acid, go get an adult to help you wash your car.

Yeah, I know, reading that over it kinda sounds like I have bad attitude! The vast majority of the time I am actually quite good with customers,

 

[cityview]

I let customers do it for me...

Any time theres a line and someone is drying in the bay or whatnot, one of the waiting customers always says "Can you go dry over there please?"

Seems to work well. I don't have any signage.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Ah, just remembered - regarding wording, I picked this off the windshield of a guys car at a county park a year or so ago, I thought the wording was very effective, I plan to try to imitate it if I can:

View attachment 1249

 

[MEP001]

I have printed right on the meter door, "Please, NO truck bed washing, NO oil or grease, NO livestock trailers, NO BBQ pits," and still get all of the above. They don't care, I know they see it and do it anyway, but it's something to point at when I have to tell them it's not allowed. What I would do if I had a severe problem with people tying up a bay would have a sign that reads "Occupying the bay without the timer running is theft." I've seen just about everything, including one nice, busy afternoon a guy pull into the only empty bay on his motorcycle to stand and smoke a cigarette in the shade. He said he didn't think it was a problem, I had to tell him it was theft of services.

 

[Randy]

We are at the point in our life that these things don't bother us anymore. We go to the car wash early, 5am so we don't have to interact with any of the customers.

 

[DiamondWash]

Deal with this chit everyday, and the "I didn't see the sign" is getting pretty old. Being we are next to a main highway we get a lot of non-locals that bring their sass with them so I get a new experience everyday .

 

[pgrzes]

How about some kind of a clamping setup that unlocks the gun or the foam brush while its turned on? Has anyone ever tried anything like this? Or just pump 110 volts into anything thats not turned on!!! That'll take care of it!

 

[JGinther]

Hey, I got a good one:

To all those super cheap people who think they are beating the system by using our freeze protection drip water to wash your car... Here's your sign.

 

[Jeff_L]

Ideas I have had:

Install a bay door on each end, requiring a valid credit card to open the doors to let them in.

Use sonars in the bay to detect vehicle presence, then some time after the timer expires, play a pre-recorded message to exit the bay.

Combo of the first and second ideas, start charging card when inserted to open the bay doors, end charges when they pull out. That way they are truly renting the bay.

 

[Earl Weiss]

We are at the point in our life that these things don't bother us anymore. We go to the car wash early, 5am so we don't have to interact with any of the customers.

I luv this. "Don't look and it won't bother you."

 

[MEP001]

Ideas I have had:

Install a bay door on each end, requiring a valid credit card to open the doors to let them in.

Use sonars in the bay to detect vehicle presence, then some time after the timer expires, play a pre-recorded message to exit the bay.

Combo of the first and second ideas, start charging card when inserted to open the bay doors, end charges when they pull out. That way they are truly renting the bay.

I've heard of something similar, the customer pulls in and the door will only close once the timer is started. The bay is then heated as long as they keep the meter running, and the door opens either when they choose or when the timer is idle for however long it's set for.

 

[Eric H]

I luv this. "Don't look and it won't bother you."

Sometimes I have to remind myself that things happen when I'm not at the wash that I will never know about.

Sometimes when I see someone using the foam brush with out the meter running I will say "I know it isn't your intention, but you are using the item that I sell the use of. If the meter isn't running while you are using the equipment you are technically stealing. I'm sure you wouldn't intentionally do that." Sometimes they apologize and say "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't think of it that way" and other times they get angry and say "Don't worry guy, I'm going to buy a carwash!"

 

[Kevin James]

I luv this. "Don't look and it won't bother you."

I luv it to Earl. We aren’t going to hang out at the car wash all day and police the stupid, low life car wash customers who come to the self-serve car washes. Most Self-Serve car wash customers aren't the cream of society. If we didn’t own self-serve car washes, we’d never go to one.

 

[dukeofsuds]

They may not read even if there's one sign. But, I feel that every sign that someone puts up, dilutes the rest of the signs up there.

I do agree that most of the waiting customers can do the work of that specific sign to exit the bay. An evil eye from them is more effective than a sign anyday. Plus, if we're not busy, I don't mind it as it makes us look like we're having more activity with them in there, even if they're not paying. If it's really bad, maybe raise the pricing? That'd also be better than a sign.

 

[JustClean]

I've got a signs that says:
"Use of bay only while meter is running"
I was thinking a long time about an "automated bay-cleaning system" that comes on if the meter has not been used for a while...hahahaha..

 

[Earl Weiss]

They may not read even if there's one sign. But, I feel that every sign that someone puts up, dilutes the rest of the signs up there.

So much for my idea of a sign saying "Read the Sign"

 

[pgrzes]

I was thinking a long time about an "automated bay-cleaning system" that comes on if the meter has not been used for a while...hahahaha..[/QUOTE]

I thought about this also! I have at times started to wash down a bay with someone in it that would not leave after being asked to leave! It usually doesnt go to well! When its slow and I see people spending hours in a bay I always tell them the rules, and explain its fine right now but if I get 3 of 4 bays with cars in them they need to pull out! Most do! As we all know some are just plain douch's!! I have been in shoving match's, argument's and had police come in because some just feel that once they pay its their bay for the day!!!

 

[mjwalsh]

pgrzes,

I have never had to resort to actually having a police officer come down to get them to go for the specific "no using no go situation". Close to it but never had to. I'm curious how did the verbal exchanges go at that point when the officer came down. Some officers IMHO have almost no empathy for the business owner ... my luck that would be the one who would respond. From experience ... either the police's phone number or the 911 operator will ask ... what's the problem or emergency: Then from experience on other calls ... after you explain to the dispatcher the need ... it is very likely they will be a serious delay on the response to the call!

I remember about 3 years ago ... I called because some known criminal tried to run me over ... good things my advanced age legs (former star cough cough athlete) moved quickly enough. Law enforcement basically shot themselves in the foot so to speak when the officer delayed coming down by about an hour ... it turned out the license plate I gave them was one they were frantically searching for on "a hit & run" case that happened just before or just after the criminal gunned his car with close proximity & towards me. The guy also had warrants out on himself & I had even given the dispatcher the guy's name. Ever since, I avoided stepping in front of someone's vehicle who is potentially angry for some reason or another. Unbelievable, the guy came later in the laundromat washing clothes (sober???) making a holy show about how I cost him over $500 in court costs or whatever. At that point I let my much larger physically than me ... main manager & former Air Force policeman deal with him ... no physical violence but my man somehow was able to get his point across better.

Even though permanent "no trespass" was warned ... the guy showed up with a friend(???) washing clothes about 6 months after the $500 mad loud verbal outbreak. I asked the friend if it was "so & so" when they were apart not sitting together for a moment or two. The friend said that he was sober & that he was OK as long as he is not drinking!!!! Not sure how other drugs effected him though. No trouble since ... my fingers are somewhat crossed though. I never believed that permanent "no trespasses" were a panacea like some business people believe. Will the criminal become a stealth killing sniper from a distance because he was pushed over that specific edge of anger??? Stay tuned ... sometimes the truth is harder to swallow than fiction!

This happened in one of the so-called touted safest cities in the USA ... I can just about imagine what some of the rest of you have to deal with. Could there be a reason why insurance policies have in their fine print ... riots not covered???