Bucket Washing

[Red Baron]

An hour ago:

Me: Ma'am, we don't allow bucket washing, especially when someone is waiting (pointed to a car in line the next bay over).
Lady: Well he isn't waiting on this bay.
Me: He's waiting on any bay to be empty and he probably figures you'll be here awhile.
Lady: #$%#, I do this all the time.
Me: This big yellow sign that says "No Bucket Washing," that's what that's for.

 

[soapy]

My wife was working her detail shop next to my wash today. She saw a guy bucket washing a trailer and his pickup. She asked him to leave as we do not allow bucket washing. He said he would not leave. After he was done in the wash he pulled out to dry the trailer and pulled so he blocked our entrance to our wash so no one could enter. She promptly called the cops and 3 cars arrived in minutes, the guy was given a criminal tresspass ticket along with a theft of services ticket. Just to hire the lawyer to fight it will cost him a couple of hundred dollars. That is the price today of being a jerk.

 

[Red Baron]

That is the price today of being a jerk.

That is the price of being a jerk every day at my car wash. I can tolerate stupidity (and I do daily), and I can tolerate lousy drivers, forgetfullness, and selfishness, but jerkedness generally gets a guy a formal introduction to Nasty Tim. I don't even like Nasty Tim.

The plus side is that I only have to deal with the jerks one time each.

 

[lighthousecarwash]

Red Baron, didn't you just post about someone bucket washing in Dodge City? Karma.......karma.


Lighthouse

 

[Red Baron]

Red Baron, didn't you just post about someone bucket washing in Dodge City? Karma.......karma.


Lighthouse

Karma was banned from my property eons ago. She's the biggest trouble-maker I've ever dealt with at the car wash.

 

[Waxman]

Running customers off my property is not something I am inclined to do. I need their business and their money too much.

Some things can obviously not be tolerated and I am not at all shy about handling those situations properly.

However, I must say that bucket washing is not that big of a deal and should, IMO, be handled with a fair amount of diplomacy and tact.

Here's why; a customer represents, to me, a lifetime revenue stream and not a one shot sale of $2-5.

If handled properly, here's what you could potentially gain from one customer who bucket washes:

1. At least a couple bucks cause they do need to rinse at least.

2. Vending sales; armorall (lotsa these folks detail their car out to the max)

3. Soda sales; hey, bucket washing makes you thirsty!

4. Vacuum sales; after all, you could scoop the sand out with your hands, but that's tough even for the ultra-cheap!

5. Repeat business of all of the above.

6. Positive word of mouth:' yeah, the owner said I couldn't bucket wash when others were waiting for the bay but said I could do it when it was slow and no line and he even gave me a free soda!. I like that carwash and you should go there (and spend $$$).

7. Business begets more business. Busy bays attract business, because people think the place must be good; 'there's always someone in the bays, even on rainy days!!!'.

8. Some money is better than no money. Alway$!

I am not saying my way is right and yours is wrong, but you may want to burn some sage around the lot after an altercation involving hostility, anger and the police.

 

[rph9168]

Dave, I know you like to be benevolent and are a nice guy but allowing bucket washing is allowing people to take advantage of you and cheating you out of revenue. Bucket washing can be something like a virus. People see others doing it and they think it is okay. All of a sudden you lose revenue from those who would have used your wash correctly now trying to save money by bucket washing. You may think your logic is sound but I have a feeling in reality it is a loser.

I was in a fast food restaurant the other day when a customer purchased a burger then sat down with his brown bag and took out a bottle of soda and some chips. The manager came over and politely told the customer that only food purchased at the restaurant could be consumed on site. While the customer seemed at bit peeved, he did go out and sit in his truck to eat. The point being that even though this customer bought something, allowing him to sit there and eat things he brought in as well didn't set a good example for the other customers. Did he maybe lose this customer? If he did, by stopping him did he make sure others didn't do the same thing? I guess you have to decide what's best but I don't think it is a good practice to allow someone to misuse your wash and the services offered.

 

[Randy]

A couple of years ago I had a customer who would bring his own water in gallon milk jugs to wash his car, I did think one could wash his car with 5 or 6 gallons of water but it can be done. He never spent a dime on any of the services. I ran him off 3 times and the 4th time I called the police and had him cited for “Criminal Trespass”. Boy was he ****ed, said he was never coming back and he was going to tell all of his friends what rip off place the car wash is. He didn’t break my heart at all. Over the years we've also had free loaders do brake jobs, oil changes, body work and install stereos.

 

[pitzerwm]

Here is suggestion.
Figure out what the average customer is worth, at least then you know how much it is costing you to run them off.

I agree that there are a few people that runoff good customers, that cost you more than they are worth. IMO, its how politely you are able to run this off.

 

[Red Baron]

Running customers off my property is not something I am inclined to do. I need their business and their money too much.

There are some things I won't do to make money. I won't pump septic tanks, I won't work at a feedyard and come home stinking every day, I won't sell drugs, I won't prostitute my body (please, stop laughing), and I won't let inconsiderate tightwads make owning a car wash miserable for me.

However, I must say that bucket washing is not that big of a deal and should, IMO, be handled with a fair amount of diplomacy and tact.

I will tolerate bucket washing only if the meter is running. The customer is renting my bay and equipment, and allowing him to stay for extended periods of time while the meter isn't running is akin to buying a morning cup of coffee at IHOP and staying thru lunch.

Here's why; a customer represents, to me, a lifetime revenue stream and not a one shot sale of $2-5.

The customers who diliberately ignore my rules, are not my "customer." They are a parasite that will do long term damage to my business if I don't get them to honor our policies.

If handled properly, here's what you could potentially gain from one customer who bucket washes:

1. At least a couple bucks cause they do need to rinse at least.

Actually what you get is one deadbeat cheater who gives the same idea on how to gig the system to countless other customers who might be inclined to bucket wash, but just never thought of it.

This is what I told customers who wanted me to make an exception and allow them to wash their semi in my open top bay: Sorry, but I can't allow ANY semis. While you're washing yours, 10 other semis will drive by and think, hey, they allow semis there. Next thing you know I have grease everywhere.

6. Positive word of mouth:' yeah, the owner said I couldn't bucket wash when others were waiting for the bay but said I could do it when it was slow and no line and he even gave me a free soda!. I like that carwash and you should go there (and spend $$$).

I have had dozens of customers go out of their way to tell me they appreciate me operating the strictest car wash around (they have heard that I chewed out their neighbor) because they know it will always be clean for them.

7. Business begets more business. Busy bays attract business, because people think the place must be good; 'there's always someone in the bays, even on rainy days!!!'.

Cheaters begat cheaters.

8. Some money is better than no money. Alway$!

Nope, not for me. I'd a LOT rather do 5% less business if it means I don't have to lose sleep worrying about what those 5%'ers are doing to my car wash when I'm not there.

And surely you draw a line somewhere. You won't allow an animal control truck come and wash out roadkill leftovers, right? Ok, then we just disagree on where the line is drawn.

I am not saying my way is right and yours is wrong, but you may want to burn some sage around the lot after an altercation involving hostility, anger and the police.

I'm known by some to be the biggest #$&%# around, in the car wash business that is. I also do more volume than any car wash of my type in this area, that I know of. Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe people like the way I run my wash.

 

[Waxman]

Maybe for me it's not that high of a %age of customers to get worked up over.

Maybe I get less because I am on site 6 days/week.

Kudos if you are higher volume than competitors.

I am the new guy around here and I am perhaps too laid back, but I still don't think I would call the cops over a bucket washer. I like to think I can squeeze money out of them and I am pretty sure I am right.

The bucket washer almost always has the meter running at some point.

With all due respect, I think the fast food analogy is not entirely applicable due to the self-serve nature of the carwash business. I mean, where do you draw the line? Folks bring their own wheel cleaner, but I sell it. Call the police? Folks bring armorall wipes from home, but I sell them in my vendor; alert the fuzz? Several people bring a chamois of their own and dry in my lot but I sell drying towels in my vendor, too. ALERT the '5-o!!! Where does it end guys?

I'm going to continue my own policy and reserve the right to change my mind at any point henceforth, but I think it may be awhile before I am that jaded (hope so but some days I wonder).

Again, not saying anyone's policies are right or wrong, just saying in a little town like mine I need to temper my sense of right and wrong with some compassion.

 

[Red Baron]

Maybe for me it's not that high of a %age of customers to get worked up over.

Maybe I get less because I am on site 6 days/week.

Kudos if you are higher volume than competitors.

I am the new guy around here and I am perhaps too laid back, but I still don't think I would call the cops over a bucket washer. I like to think I can squeeze money out of them and I am pretty sure I am right.

The bucket washer almost always has the meter running at some point.

With all due respect, I think the fast food analogy is not entirely applicable due to the self-serve nature of the carwash business. I mean, where do you draw the line? Folks bring their own wheel cleaner, but I sell it. Call the police? Folks bring armorall wipes from home, but I sell them in my vendor; alert the fuzz? Several people bring a chamois of their own and dry in my lot but I sell drying towels in my vendor, too. ALERT the '5-o!!! Where does it end guys?

I'm going to continue my own policy and reserve the right to change my mind at any point henceforth, but I think it may be awhile before I am that jaded (hope so but some days I wonder).

Again, not saying anyone's policies are right or wrong, just saying in a little town like mine I need to temper my sense of right and wrong with some compassion.

I rarely call the cops. I handle it myself unless it seems like it might be getting out of control.

When I was fairly new at this in 1997, I thought Auto Care members like Lisa, Pat H., IB Washing, etc had no clue because the way they did things was so foreign to me. I had no rules and no policies when I started. As time went by, on many of those issues I began to see the wisdom of their experience.

I could have saved a lot of money and stress if I'd have listened when IB said I'd regret building an open bay, but I had to learn for myself. That's an expensive way to learn.

I still have my own way and it's different than others - IB and I differ and how to treat heavy mudders, as an example. That said, I bet in 5 years some of these policies that don't seem to make sense to you now, will become your policies.

 

[Waxman]

Red B

You may be right. I am more strict now than I was when I started a few years back.

Hopefully I'll be alot richer and better looking then too!

I am sure you run a 1st rate operation, just like Soapy and others, but not EricH. Haha. Just a joke from a hillbilly to a cityslicker.

 

[MEP001]

I'm with Red on everything except bucket washers. I don't say anything to them unless someone's waiting for a bay. I've only had to call the cops on one guy who wouldn't free up a bay for a waiting customer, and that was after he started cussing me for asking him to move to the drying shed to finish wiping down his truck. That said, I don't like bucket washers. They're there to get the most out of their money that they can. They don't respect the amount of money it took to build the facility with the intent of turning a profit on selling chemicals instead of just a couple shots of water to rinse off their own soap. They don't understand that the sink and water provided is for rinsing a chamois that's used for drying a car that has had several dollars spent on it being washed and not for filling their pail to wash for free. These people are already just barely "customers" in my opinion.

 

[soapy]

Like I said in an earlier post it was my wife who kindly asked the man to leave when he was bucket washing and I had other people waiting. I have my own way of dealing with a bucket washer at my wash. If I see one in a bay and it is not to busy I watch on the video system. I turn the power to that bay's coin box off so that when he is ready to rinse he can't even buy time. THen he has to pull out and go to another bay or wait for someone to get done in a bay before they can pull in. About that time the power in his chosen bay is turned off and he has to wait again. Eventually they leave with a nice soapy car and I hope they never return. I do not want the $2 or the impression it gives my good customers.
More often than not it is these kind of people who think they deserve something for nothing that will come back and press you for refunds and make goods. I have seen it over and over again.

 

[Red Baron]

Like I said in an earlier post it was my wife who kindly asked the man to leave when he was bucket washing and I had other people waiting. I have my own way of dealing with a bucket washer at my wash. If I see one in a bay and it is not to busy I watch on the video system. I turn the power to that bay's coin box off so that when he is ready to rinse he can't even buy time. THen he has to pull out and go to another bay or wait for someone to get done in a bay before they can pull in. About that time the power in his chosen bay is turned off and he has to wait again. Eventually they leave with a nice soapy car and I hope they never return. I do not want the $2 or the impression it gives my good customers.
More often than not it is these kind of people who think they deserve something for nothing that will come back and press you for refunds and make goods. I have seen it over and over again.

I like that approach.

As much as anything, with me, is that I don't want customers who think our well-posted policies don't apply to them. It drives me bananas when I point to the sign that says "No Pickup Bed Washout" and the customers says "Well this is a car wash, ain't it?" It's like I don't have a right to run my business the way I want?

About that time is when my gasket begins bulging. At that point the guy is likely to get a mini speach which goers somethign like:
Where do you think you are? I built this car wash in the USA where when a guy spends his hard earned money to build a business, he gets to run it as he sees fit. If I want to allow only purple Volkswagons here and you have to stand on your head to wash it, that's my business. The options available to you are to honor my policies or go elswwhere to wash your car. Summarily dismissing my policies because you think they're unreasonable or don't apply to you for some reason, isn't among the options available to you.

Granted, none of those things are the smart thing to say, but once I realize the customer is the kind I don't want, offending him isn't my concern. I don't know why people think a car wash can't have rules/policies. Try to go in the Dairy Queen down the street with no shirt. Try to go in the gym next door with a beer. Try to go into the bank across the street smoking a cigar. All businesses have rules, and car washes are no different.

This concludes today's sermon, everyone now please take out your hymnals and turn to page 175 while we stand and sing Victory In Jesus.

 

[rph9168]

Amen brother!

 

[Waxman]

I find myself agreeing with this all as well as wanting to implement my own 'verision' of 'the mini speech'.

 

[MEP001]

My response to the truck bed washer's comment of "This is a car wash, ain't it?" is "Yes, it's a car wash, not a place for you to blow stuff out of your bed that you're too lazy to sweep out at home with a broom and dustpan."

 

[Red Baron]

My response to the truck bed washer's comment of "This is a car wash, ain't it?" is "Yes, it's a car wash, not a place for you to blow stuff out of your bed that you're too lazy to sweep out at home with a broom and dustpan."

I have varying responses depending on my level of aggravation:

1. Look, if I let people blow nails and screws out of their bed and you came along next and got a flat tire, you'd be standing here now demanding I pay to fix your tire. That's why we don't allow it.

2.:
Goofy: This is a car wash, ain't it?
Me: No.
Goofy: Huh? It's not a car wash?
Me: No, it's not a car wash.
Goofy: What is it then?
Me: It's MY car wash and I make the rules. If you want to make your own rules at a car wash, go grab $500,000 and build your own.