We have a Genesis controller from Etowah Valley in a Rowe bill changer. I want to start dispensing $1 US Coins rather than quarters. Does anyone know how to do this conversion? The manual states "There is a jumper wire built into the controller circuit board which can be cut to change coin value to $1. Call for instructions if you need to change this." Etowah Valley doesn't seem to answer any more so I am asking here. I wanted to ask for advice before I start cutting stuff. Hoppers can dispense the larger $1 coin so I am set there.
Bill changer conversion to $1 coins
- Thread starter CWI
- Start date
edredtop
Well-known member
My first break-in attempt gave me religion.
I sought out a token vendor and had the great fortune of speaking with Virgil Vance from Van Brook Tokens a few years back.
He enlightened me to the existence of high security tokens that use a unique metal signature and sent me some samples for my IDX accepters
They worked flawlessly and we did the switch.
Lessons learned:
* we stopped supplying the local poker games, collectors, etc. with $1 coins. (it was the laundry mat when we dispensed quarters)
* greatly reduced our trips to the changer and the bank, which reduced our risk exposure as well.
* we didn't have XX dollars <-- (I'm not filling this in for the bad guys) hanging on the wall 24/7 as a target.
* I now have access to that cash that used to hang on the wall, meaning I can now spend it.
* gained the ability to control how much cash is in the bill changer because it's not a 1 for 1 exchange. If an operator has twenty $1 dollar coins in the changer, there will be twenty dollar bills when it's sold out, the value/risk never changes. With tokens you can increase or decrease your collection times to control the amount of cash you're willing to risk in the changer.
* you can put your car wash's name on the token ensuring a return visit because it can only be spent with you (an advertisement).
* you can run specials during slower times of the year, or if larger bills are desired. Ex. 11 tokens for a $10 bill or 23 tokens for a $20 bill
* People lose them. When you sell a token, that's the transaction. We buy 10K tokens every year due to attrition. When you pay .40 cents for each token and they sell for a dollar, that's easy math.
* I don't know why, but people just don't get as upset when they lose a token in a malfunction, but get pissed when a dollar coin is visibly jammed and just out of reach. That's when the picking and prying starts with the customers and transients. I can't tell you how many transients we had that came by our location on a regular basis, in the hopes we had a jam, or would shove a foreign object in to cause a jam. Then they would start their destruction just to get at a few gold dollar coins. Not so with the tokens.
* At one of our locations we went tokens only at all of the equipment because of (costly) attempts to get at the cash. Changing over has greatly reduced the damages we suffer. A few thieves apparently can't read and still try, go figure...
I honestly can't think of a reason to hang cash on the wall as change that outweighs these benefits, but I'd be willing to listen..
Last edited:
We have used dollar coins for years. Customers really like the legal tender aspect. I have customers that come and get the coins and not use my facility at all. People use them for a variety of other things and like the idea they can be used anywhere they would like, not just the Carwash itself. Il give dollar for dollar. I regularly ask customers what they would prefer and it’s dollar coins. I have customers that travel a bit because I give dollar coins. I do have to order them from my bank but I’m there weekly anyway. Now, all my bays do take dollar bills and quarters as well as dollar coins. Some people bring bags of quarters and I’ll gladly take those also. My prices are $2 for 4 min wash and $1 vacuum for 4 min as well. Located in Tucson Arizona
GoBuckeyes
Self-Serve and Automatics
When the gold dollar coins were introduced in 2000 or so we switched to them. It was a no brainer. However, around 2004 when the boxes of dollar coins were no longer coming from the mint and started being supplied by the bank or brinks etc we started having issues. Each box has 1000 coins in it, wrapped in rolls of 25 (which are a pain in the ass to open btw). While breaking open the rolls we would always find at least 5-6 Canadian Loonies or Japanese Yen. The banks coin sorters, as well as ours, could not distinguish between the foreign coins. The 5 or 6 foreign coins that we caught were just that, the ones we caught. How many didn't we catch? Let me tell you...when you spit out a Yen for a dollar bill your customer is not happy! Back then we had eight washes, so we didn't have the luxury of time to dig through all the coins and look for foreign coins. If you have one wash then it may not be an issue. We ended up going with custom $1 tokens which has worked out very well.
D&D U-Wash
Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2020
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction score
- 32
- Points
- 18
GoBuckeyes
Self-Serve and Automatics
I thought about accepting bills in our bays for about a half a second. Bay/vacuum bill acceptors are not a viable option in any urban location!
MEP001
Well-known member
You two really need to stop pushing this. It works for you, but that doesn't mean it will work for everyone. There's no money in my meter boxes and I end up with one damaged every few months. In this one everything was destroyed, door/timer/coin acceptor, tore up the wiring to the switch, the decal was just replaced a few days prior. Asshole got no money and still went to another bay and tried to get it open too. The next night literally 15 seconds after I got this bay back running I caught someone else about to break into another bay. Run your wash how you like, mention it when asked, stop spamming it.
[/QUOTE]
D&D U-Wash
Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2020
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction score
- 32
- Points
- 18
If ya'll want to PUT your pants on backward that's your PROBLEM! We are trying to help!! (YOU CAN"T FIX STUPID!)
I.B. Washincars
Car Washer Emeritus
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2007
- Messages
- 4,289
- Reaction score
- 1,171
- Points
- 113
- Location
- SW Indiana melon fields.
Oprah for president!!!
There ya go, name calling is usually the best way to persuade people to agree with you.
[/QUOTE]
That's the primary reason we don't install bill validators in the bays anymore. As they fail we don't replace them or fix them. I think we have 3 left and when they die it'll be a happy day.
D&D U-Wash
Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2020
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction score
- 32
- Points
- 18
No name-calling going on ...I call it as I see it. If you take it that way, it's not my problem.
D&D U-Wash
Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2020
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction score
- 32
- Points
- 18
If you don't try new things, you can't go forward. You have to spend money to make MONEY.
