Lawn mowers and grass clippings

[jloebker]

Gosh MEP you must be clairvoyant. How do you know there coming back, if your not there?

 

[Red Baron]

Funny thing about all this is that a lot of the people I've run off for intolerable things keep coming back when I'm not there, and not to tear things up or wreck a bay, but to wash something expected to be in a car wash. There are other car washes nearby, so why do they come back? Surely it's not because I'm a PR#%.

That's my experience too. Two guys that I know of will make comments to me like: I know, you're the guy who won't let us clean_____ here. They say that as they are washing their car at my wash.

My theory is that nicer newer car washes are generally the ones who don't allow grease or excessive mud. The older car washes - whether because they're paid for or because they need any customer they can get - allow pretty much anything to be cleaned there. I'd be curious to know if I'm wrong about this.

Btw, one of the nicest car washes in Lubbock Texas is owned by a dist, and he has signs threatening a $10,000 fine for excessive mud...the guy definately knows how to run a car wash. I'm hoping this is the trend.

 

[MEP001]

Gosh MEP you must be clairvoyant. How do you know there coming back, if your not there?

I'll answer your question this time despite your sarcasm, but I won't in the future: surveillance cameras, and the fact that I've pulled up to the wash and "caught" them. Sometimes they apologize for having been a problem before and tell me they want to keep coming back because the other washes in town don't work as well or aren't as nicely kept.

This is at least the third time this subject has come up, and each time some of the operators who say they'll take any customer and their money are the ones who usually degrade the thread to childishness. That only makes those opinions less of an influence on me.

 

[Red Baron]

I've pulled up to the wash and "caught" them.

My wife was with me Saturday as we drove to check the car wash. She wondered why the closer we got, the faster I drove. It is a totally subconscious reaction when I get close enough to see a cattle hauler semi in my open bay. Turns out he was next door, but the mere sight of a semi trailer at my car wash gets me wound up. They practically have to run over 3 large signs disallowing them to manuever into the bay, but they do it anyway.

 

[crewchief97]

Respect

I see that there are many opinions on this subject. I don't mind cleaning a little mud or grass, when it's abused is my problem. Ive been in the self serve car wash business for 16 years and still learning. I would never before I owned a wash take a very muddy vechile to someones wash and leave a mess, it's called respect!!! Not much of that around these days!! I also own a small service station next to the wash and have had people use the rest room floor and walls to pee and crap on, just because they bought 3 or 4 dollars worth of gas does that give them the right to leave a mess in the restroom? Same goes for the car wash. I am going to be more aggressive about this because it's not fair for the next customer.

 

[Tom Lee]

That's been my point all along.




I'm also betting you aren't the one cleaning up the mess, and you just repeated here what you've said to your employee(s).

I'll take that bet also.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Seems that most of you are way too worried about a mess which is going to create a little work. I'll bet that you don't **** and moan when a customer's car is just dusty. Take the good with the bad. It's part of doing business.

I'm with you, Tom. I've never understood the operators that get all twisted up over messes. It's part of the deal, always has been, always will be. The sooner you accept that fact the less stressful life is. If you can't accept it, you picked the wrong occupation. And yes, I clean up mud and grass clippings every day. I will add that my washes aren't left unattended for many hours on end. Every wash is tended to two or three times a day. My washes are the cleanest around.

 

[Red Baron]

I'm with you, Tom. I've never understood the operators that get all twisted up over messes. It's part of the deal, always has been, always will be. The sooner you accept that fact the less stressful life is. If you can't accept it, you picked the wrong occupation. And yes, I clean up mud and grass clippings every day. I will add that my washes aren't left unattended for many hours on end. Every wash is tended to two or three times a day. My washes are the cleanest around.

I've had endless debates on a roofer forum with my fellow contractors about the right way to market, the right length of warranties, the right systems to offer, the right this and that. My opinion is always that the roofing industry is not a monolith; there are many "right" ways to run a roofing company as evidenced by the fact that 2 roofers who run their business in very different ways, can both be reputable and successful.

Car washing is not a monolith. If I had to run my car wash like everyone else runs theirs, I wouldn't be interested in the car wash business. I try to be a little different, fill a niche so to speak. It works for me.

 

[Red Baron]

I said something admitedly stupid one day when I ran off a guy who was blasting a large amount of deer corn and deer guts all over my bay and parking lot (where the wand hose won't reach, forcing me to drag out a garden hose). Per my policy, I didn't mouth off until he showed disregard for my property and disrespect for me after I told him he couldn't do what he was doing - which he did. At that point I made the stupid but true statement to him: This car wash is located in Texas, which is in the Untited States of America, which entitles me to run it anyway I want. If I want to put a sign out front that says we only allow purple Volkswagons, that's my business. The two options available to you are to honor our policies or don't come here.

We probably got off the beaten path on this thread. I don't lie in wait for a customer to drop a kleenex so I can pounce on him. It's just that I offer a different service than some car wash owners. I'm not running a maid service, I'm selling my water and chemicals and renting my real estate and equipment. The trashcans I provide are not for decoration. The guy who thinks it's ok to blast grass clippings everywhere is the same guy who thinks his $7 movie theater ticket entitles him to throw his 1/2 empty popcorn cup on the floor when he's finished with it...I don't want that guy's business.

 

[pitzerwm]

That guy is also the same guy that bitches that a $1 start is a rip off. Just like in a restaurant that allows a loud mouth drunk or some kids to run all over are foolish. I get up and leave and I don't go back. I'm willing to go somewhere else and to pay more so that I will enjoy my meal and visit.

 

[Red Baron]

That guy is also the same guy that bitches that a $1 start is a rip off. Just like in a restaurant that allows a loud mouth drunk or some kids to run all over are foolish. I get up and leave and I don't go back. I'm willing to go somewhere else and to pay more so that I will enjoy my meal and visit.

I'm $1.50 to start and I heavily promote my 2-1/2 minutes bonus time when the customer inserts $4 to begin. It both causes the lawnmower guys to leave in frustration, and my good customers to be able to get $6 worth of car washing for $4. A bagain on both accounts.

 

[jloebker]

Gosh MEP you must be clairvoyant. How do you know there coming back, if your not there?

Gosh,if we can't have a little fun with each other on the forum where can we have fun?

May be time to loosen up those Sphincter Muscles.