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Animal Trailers

Rodebaugh1

New member
While working at my other job yesterday, I happened to glance over at my car wash cameras. There was a lady with a broom, sweeping out a horse trailer. I was only a mile away, so I took off to go stop her. When I got there, the husband was up inside the trailer washing out all of the horse crap into the bay. I shut them down immediately, told them to get their trailer out of there and don't ever come back. I walked away to collect myself. When I walked back over to the bay, the lady was washing all of the horse manure into the pit. I asked them again to quit and leave. They could not figure out why I was so upset. Said they always wash out their trailers at car washes. Some people just live in their own little world.
 
They will probably just go someplace else and do the same thing, people are so inconsiderate of anyone or anything else, thats why they act like it is not big deal. If they were decent people would sweep it out before washing it out, if they have horses, they have land, and a place they could sweep their trailer out, but why do that, it is easier to just bring it to your carwash...LOL < not funny, and I Know you never will, but try to get used to the ignorant things people do.
 
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People don’t have much of a clue when it comes to running or operating a car wash or any business for that matter. I used to get really pi$$ed off and rip them up one side and down the other. Anymore I just grin and bear it because like what 2Biz says “There are everywhere” you can’t help stupid. I call them “Head shaken dumb”. If you let every little thing get under your skin at the car wash it will eat you alive and you become hard, bitter person. I’ve known a few operators who gotten out of the car wash business because it’s eaten them up mentally. It’s not an easy business to be in, if it was everyone would be in it.
 
We had the PD and FD show up at one of our washes last week because someone reported a gas leak. Place was shut down and gas company came out and we were cleared. The place smelled really bad and did smell like natural gas. One of our guys showed up and said, that smell is from rotten onions. Sure enough, some jack ass dumped spoiled onions in one of the pits.
 
I tell people with animal trailers and grass covered landscape equipment the same thing... wash all that crap off in your driveway, not on my property. Feel free to come back and soap and wax your equipment once the "trash" (emphasis on the word trash) is removed.
 
I see your point. But what can you really do? I take the good with the bad, a lot of my good car wash customers bitch to me about how people dirty up the bays and leave trash. Most of the time they will tell the person doing it themselves to clean up their mess. But I agree with Randy.. this business will make you an angry person if you let it. Clean the bays and enjoy the compliments from the "good guys" using the wash. That's what I take in not the negative. Just my 2 cents.
 
I hate putting up signs saying what people can't do. It looks unwelcoming and they don't read them anyway. But at least the assholes who tell me "Well, you need to put up a sign!" turn really sheepish when I point to it.

If someone is washing out a bed or trailer, I decided a long time ago that if it's something they put in there, they can't wash it out in a bay or especially out on the lot. If it's just leaves that have fallen onto or into it, I let them be. I never get angry with them unless it's oil, grease, or paint, and even then I don't go off on them, I turn the meter off and ask how they plan to get it completely cleaned up before the police get there.
 
I decided years ago that I’m in the trash and gunk business. When I see a big mess in a bay I figure it cost them $10-$15 to leave it for me. I can rinse down the bay in 5 minutes. If I catch them “in the act” I give them 3 tokens and ask them nicely to please rinse down the bay when their done. I’ve always been thanked.
 
I decided years ago that I’m in the trash and gunk business. When I see a big mess in a bay I figure it cost them $10-$15 to leave it for me. I can rinse down the bay in 5 minutes. If I catch them “in the act” I give them 3 tokens and ask them nicely to please rinse down the bay when their done. I’ve always been thanked.

I have been known to do something similar but for me there is definitely limits .... by way of level & type of mess etc.
 
I decided years ago that I’m in the trash and gunk business. When I see a big mess in a bay I figure it cost them $10-$15 to leave it for me. I can rinse down the bay in 5 minutes. If I catch them “in the act” I give them 3 tokens and ask them nicely to please rinse down the bay when their done. I’ve always been thanked.

Of course they wash it all down the drain, then you have more problems.
 
I get oil driller crews every week come by and wash their trucks. I walk thru and they tell me they did their best to wash the bays down. I tell them don't worry about it, I'm used to mud and grass everywhere. Some people are courteous and some are plain slobs. Especially the ones that clean lawn mowers and get grass all over the walls and even the ceilings and don't bother spraying anything down.
 
Soooo how much money are you keeping from the customer who spent $4-5 to destroy your bay then you have to spend that money plus a lot more to clean up their mess not to mention the revenue you've lost because the bay is unusable until someone shows up to clean it.
 
Soooo how much money are you keeping from the customer who spent $4-5 to destroy your bay then you have to spend that money plus a lot more to clean up their mess not to mention the revenue you've lost because the bay is unusable until someone shows up to clean it.
The ones who trash my bays the worst don't spend much more than the start-up. Every time I've raised prices, messes have gone down. The most dramatic was many years ago when I went from 50¢ to 75¢, and the only guy who complained was one that a week before I watched from across the street while I was getting gas who dragged a bunch of brush out of his bed which he left in the middle of the lot, then rinsed out the leaves.
 
It doesn't really cost me maybe .25 cents in power and water to wash it all down. It's just me and my son so there is no hired help to pay to clean it all up. Our motto is "Mud is Money"
 
Soooo how much money are you keeping from the customer who spent $4-5 to destroy your bay then you have to spend that money plus a lot more to clean up their mess not to mention the revenue you've lost because the bay is unusable until someone shows up to clean it.
How are you going to stop them? Do you hang out at the car wash 24/7 and inspect every vehicle before you allow them to wash.
 
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