In most cases I would agree but this one is beyond the norm. Some people are always out to "cheat" the system and to give her a wash after 4 !/2 months would be enabling her in her efforts to do so. There is no way someone could think that a clean car guarantee should last for months. I totally agree with Earl on this one.
How much to discount for rainy/cloudy day special?
- Thread starter DivineSuccess
- Start date
smokun
Consultant - Rainmaker
Clarification
I guess more clarification is appropriate. When allowing the tardy re-wash, a full explanaitoon should be given, and a re-wash is extended as a courtesy... since she did come back. I suppose it all depends on the attitude exhibited.
Besides, we do not know the whole story. We don't really know how the CCG is instituted, what is printed on the receipt, what controls are in place for abuse, etc. Plus there are two fundamental philosophical differences in question. I see it as an opportunity, and you appear to see it as a liability.
How about if her car got dirty the next day when a bird pooped on it... but she was unable to come back due to some personal circumstances. She traveled out of the country on an emergency trip and just returned... or she was bed-ridden... or whatever.
You seem to be missing my point, Ron. The opportunity of creating a word-of-mouth ambassador simply by extending a special exception is an opportunity. So even though it may be tough for you to swallow, still avoid making it an obstacle. Instead, be big enough to allow one to be put over you. Look at the actual direct cost... and consider the potential benefit.
Life's too short to be wasted on the negatives. Enjoy!
I guess more clarification is appropriate. When allowing the tardy re-wash, a full explanaitoon should be given, and a re-wash is extended as a courtesy... since she did come back. I suppose it all depends on the attitude exhibited.
Besides, we do not know the whole story. We don't really know how the CCG is instituted, what is printed on the receipt, what controls are in place for abuse, etc. Plus there are two fundamental philosophical differences in question. I see it as an opportunity, and you appear to see it as a liability.
How about if her car got dirty the next day when a bird pooped on it... but she was unable to come back due to some personal circumstances. She traveled out of the country on an emergency trip and just returned... or she was bed-ridden... or whatever.
You seem to be missing my point, Ron. The opportunity of creating a word-of-mouth ambassador simply by extending a special exception is an opportunity. So even though it may be tough for you to swallow, still avoid making it an obstacle. Instead, be big enough to allow one to be put over you. Look at the actual direct cost... and consider the potential benefit.
Life's too short to be wasted on the negatives. Enjoy!
Earl Weiss
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 6,342
- Reaction score
- 926
- Points
- 113
See post #10 for signage. There are 3 of them on the approach. Nothing printed on receipt. Control is as follows. Dup reciepts are printed. 5 slots in cash cage. Lic . Plate # written on dup and it is put in a slot alloted for 5 days out. If customer returns they give orgl recipet and based on date Cashier Looks in slot for that date and pulls dup and staples to original and turns in with cash and coupons for shift. As the tickets left in slot have expired, dups are discarded.I guess more clarification is appropriate. When allowing the tardy re-wash, a full explanaitoon should be given, and a re-wash is extended as a courtesy... since she did come back. I suppose it all depends on the attitude exhibited.
Besides, we do not know the whole story. We don't really know how the CCG is instituted, what is printed on the receipt, what controls are in place for abuse, etc. Plus there are two fundamental philosophical differences in question. I see it as an opportunity, and you appear to see it as a liability.
How about if her car got dirty the next day when a bird pooped on it... but she was unable to come back due to some personal circumstances. She traveled out of the country on an emergency trip and just returned... or she was bed-ridden... or whatever.
Life's too short to be wasted on the negatives. Enjoy!
No info on receipt for customer. When I said "The signs are very clear" she said "I didn't read the sign, He didn't tell me it was only good for 5 days. " I then pointed out the language on the sign and explained it was not a "2 for 1deal".
chadrpalmer
Member
i would have rewashed her, and explained the policy, and told her, now you know for sure! i would definitely have it on the receipt, though, if you have the capability to do so. what do you really lose by washing? 3 or 4 bucks? for a chance to win a customer for life? even if she washes every three months, maybe she tells her friends how helpful and nice you were, how they should all shop with you! dont sweat the small stuff, i say. and isnt it all small stuff?
Earl Weiss
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 6,342
- Reaction score
- 926
- Points
- 113
Probably should have re washed but I was in a bad fram of mind. Customer calls and says car was damaged. Seems she went thru with her Bike rack on the back of an SUV.
Told her I have signs that say "Not responsible for non gactory installed parts" She said I didn't have a sign saying no Bike racks and I should have pictures showing no Bike racks and the sign appears too late (It's on the outside of the entrance door, plkus another one just inside) and the atenndant didn't say anything.
So, the next customer wh came in right away with "I didn't read the sign" line appeared after my patience was exhausted.
Told her I have signs that say "Not responsible for non gactory installed parts" She said I didn't have a sign saying no Bike racks and I should have pictures showing no Bike racks and the sign appears too late (It's on the outside of the entrance door, plkus another one just inside) and the atenndant didn't say anything.
So, the next customer wh came in right away with "I didn't read the sign" line appeared after my patience was exhausted.
Earl,
I know it only costs a couple of bucks to wash a car, but as was said, no reasonable person could expect a clean car guarantee to last for 4.5 months.
I used to have a sign that read very simply, "Car Wash $7.00 When You Buy a 5 Wash Book for $35." Eventually had to put up a banner that reads 5 Wash Book $35, that's just $7.00 per wash!" because everyday someone (and several on busy days in winter) would come in and hand the attendant $7.00 instead of $10 and then the agrgument would start because they did not read the entire sign. Now are they just stupid, obtuse
or looking for an argument.
4.5 months later? She is already not a customer. Letting her get over on you on this one is not going to make her a customer - ever - Just make you a sap. Do you really need "customers" (and I use the term loosely) like that? If anything, she'll tell her friends to do the same thing.
Bill
P.S. Hate to say it, but I told you so.
I know it only costs a couple of bucks to wash a car, but as was said, no reasonable person could expect a clean car guarantee to last for 4.5 months.
I used to have a sign that read very simply, "Car Wash $7.00 When You Buy a 5 Wash Book for $35." Eventually had to put up a banner that reads 5 Wash Book $35, that's just $7.00 per wash!" because everyday someone (and several on busy days in winter) would come in and hand the attendant $7.00 instead of $10 and then the agrgument would start because they did not read the entire sign. Now are they just stupid, obtuse
or looking for an argument.
4.5 months later? She is already not a customer. Letting her get over on you on this one is not going to make her a customer - ever - Just make you a sap. Do you really need "customers" (and I use the term loosely) like that? If anything, she'll tell her friends to do the same thing.
Bill
P.S. Hate to say it, but I told you so.
That one is on your attendant, not the customer. If she's a regular or lives nearby, I'd fix it and take it out of your attendant's paycheck over time. Do that and he'll never do it again. He's supposed to be paying attention. There was no excuse for him not to catch that and have the customer remove it before going through. I don't cover stupidity either on the customer's part or my attendant. I cannot tell you how many times I've had customers decide to turn their radio on in the wash, damaging their retractable antenna (after the attendant had them lower it before going through). Or, customers knocking their car into drive and either driving through the tunnel or running into the vehicle in front of them, in some cases jumping the track and damaging their vehicle and/or equipment. We give them verbal instructions, written instructions in or newsletter and have four (4) signs (2 at the entrance and two more as they go through) telling them to honk if they experience a problem and to stay in neutral and keep their feet off the brake and hands off the wheel. Do I pay for them too? Not when I show them the video of them driving through. You can only make things just so idiot proof but you'll always find one.
Bill
Bill
pitzerwm
Active member
In the state of WA you can not take any monies out an employee's check without their permission, even theft.
pitzerwm
Active member
A $25 MISTAKE
The Customer Who Got Away
It wasn’t so much the $25 as it was the principle of the situation. And
I hope it served as a learning opportunity for the folks who run the new
Walgreen’s that opened recently in my neighborhood.
I was one of the first customers to enter the doors of the new
store. I did so with the intent of moving my prescription account from
another drugstore to Walgreen’s. Now, normally, drugstores offer
customers a $25 credit when they move their accounts, so I asked a
Walgreen employee if they were making that offer. The response was that
it was going to do so, but not that day. A $25 coupon would be featured
in an advertisement in the local newspaper in two weeks. (Four weeks
later, I still hadn’t seen that ad in the paper.)
“I’m here now and would like to move my account and get the $25
credit,” I told him. “Can you make an empowered decision and do that
for me?”
The answer was, “No,” but she said she would ask the pharmacy manager
to talk with me. Within a few minutes the pharmacy manager appeared
with the assistant and district managers in tow. They, too, said they
could not issue a $25 credit for moving my account until the ad came
out.
Now, some people say I’m cheap and they aren’t off the mark in that
assessment, but I also enjoy pushing employees of businesses I frequent
to test them on their customer service skills and to determine whether
or not they are empowered. In this case, even though everyone I dealt
with was kind and patient, not one of them could make an empowered
decision.
In a perfectly empowered world, here is what should have occurred.
The manager would have said, “We are not offering that promotional deal
at this time, but because you are here now and we really want to have
you as a customer, I’m going to give you the $25 credit to move your
prescription account to Walgreen’s.”
The Customer Who Got Away
It wasn’t so much the $25 as it was the principle of the situation. And
I hope it served as a learning opportunity for the folks who run the new
Walgreen’s that opened recently in my neighborhood.
I was one of the first customers to enter the doors of the new
store. I did so with the intent of moving my prescription account from
another drugstore to Walgreen’s. Now, normally, drugstores offer
customers a $25 credit when they move their accounts, so I asked a
Walgreen employee if they were making that offer. The response was that
it was going to do so, but not that day. A $25 coupon would be featured
in an advertisement in the local newspaper in two weeks. (Four weeks
later, I still hadn’t seen that ad in the paper.)
“I’m here now and would like to move my account and get the $25
credit,” I told him. “Can you make an empowered decision and do that
for me?”
The answer was, “No,” but she said she would ask the pharmacy manager
to talk with me. Within a few minutes the pharmacy manager appeared
with the assistant and district managers in tow. They, too, said they
could not issue a $25 credit for moving my account until the ad came
out.
Now, some people say I’m cheap and they aren’t off the mark in that
assessment, but I also enjoy pushing employees of businesses I frequent
to test them on their customer service skills and to determine whether
or not they are empowered. In this case, even though everyone I dealt
with was kind and patient, not one of them could make an empowered
decision.
In a perfectly empowered world, here is what should have occurred.
The manager would have said, “We are not offering that promotional deal
at this time, but because you are here now and we really want to have
you as a customer, I’m going to give you the $25 credit to move your
prescription account to Walgreen’s.”
pitzerwm
Active member
The above is a little off the subject, but thought its good for a "food for thought"
I agree with Earl, and others that it would be a stretch to give her a free wash, maybe an offer to do it at half price would have saved the customer. Thing is that you deal with these issues everyday and IMO you need procedures in your head for about any thing. Of course empowering the employee with those procedures is a smart thing to do too.
I screwed up a lot when I was running my empire, and learned from most of them. But now I try to never tell a customer NO, you can them an option that enables them to say no. i.e "Yes, we can wash your car with that bike rack on it, but we need to do it be hand and the cost would be $25, will that work for you"?
I agree with Earl, and others that it would be a stretch to give her a free wash, maybe an offer to do it at half price would have saved the customer. Thing is that you deal with these issues everyday and IMO you need procedures in your head for about any thing. Of course empowering the employee with those procedures is a smart thing to do too.
I screwed up a lot when I was running my empire, and learned from most of them. But now I try to never tell a customer NO, you can them an option that enables them to say no. i.e "Yes, we can wash your car with that bike rack on it, but we need to do it be hand and the cost would be $25, will that work for you"?
Earl Weiss
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 6,342
- Reaction score
- 926
- Points
- 113
Same here.
Also, I cannot fault the attendant because it was an SUV with the rack on the back. Could not bee seen from the attendant's booth. She guides on the car, takes the $ and enters the transaction. As the vehicle passes, her attention needs to be focused on the next car, guiding them on safely, not following each car down the tunnel.
Earl Weiss
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 6,342
- Reaction score
- 926
- Points
- 113
Well, you know what they say, : "when you think things are fool proof, the fool always seems to be bigger than the proof."
I have this system in 3 places. Only one I recall like it so far.
Same with Bike rack. Only the second so far.
We include this authorization as part of our employee manual which employees agree to as a condition for employment. We include as reasons shortages in the register as well as failure to follow company policies (contained in the manual) such as negligence that results in damage to a customer's vehicle. This includes items like power antennas that are not retracted, conversion Minivans with TV antennas, and vehicles with California mirrors and/or open bed pick-ups which we do not wash at all due to contamination of our Lammscloth, or items blowing out of the bed or any other actions or inaction on an employees part that results in vehicle damage. We pay well $10-12per hour and we expect our employees to be on the ball
Last edited:
