credit card count-up; large timer display?

[PaulLovesJamie]

For those of you with in-bay credit card acceptance, if you use count-up do you have a large timer display such or jus the small timer at the coin box?

Do you think the large timer display would be worth the $ ?

 

[MEP001]

The large timer is most useful if you want something to set your wash above your competetion. By itself, I see no reason to believe that it could do anything but hurt revenue. Why spend so much to make it even easier for the customer to see how much they're spending?

 

[Mitch]

We put a large display in one of our bays. Our customer liked it so much he took it home with him within a few days even though it was out of reach. We are not in a high risk area, either.

 

[jjw]

Big display. I use credit cards in all bays and it's count down, to much trouble with count up. It displays after the swipe, Validating and after acceptance it counts up to six minutes and starts the count down when finished it displays how much the charge will be, no printing of receipts. My plastic acceptance is around seventeen percent of gross and suprisingly eighty percent is debt. Who would guess. Go with the big one a high output is the best.

 

[Jeff_L]

JJW, why is count up too much trouble? I'm looking to install credit cards in my bays and have my mind pretty much set on using count up. Is it really 6 in one hand half dozen in the other?

 

[jjw]

I guess it's in the training. The customers have been trained for years that it counts down. They don't shut it off, the big red button and large print instructions. So they get charged ten dollars the max charge and the person next in line just got a free wash. A person could put a loop in the exit and approach that would shut it off. That would involve cutting the concrete and maintaining that part of the system, the loop. You will get longer washes for sure and the calls that go with the drive offs without pushing the big red button. Compaired the count up and the down, the count up will generate more time in the bay, but not that much. The count down is locked in, so if they buy nine minutes, that's it, done deal and they drive off. Again keep your wash simple, twenty percent of Americans are illiterate, let's see how do you spell illiterate, hum. Have a great day. jjw

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Why spend so much to make it even easier for the customer to see how much they're spending?

I do have a concern about the residual effect of credit - ie will my customers change their behavior after seeing "high" charges on their credit card statements. People where I live are very frugal - it could have an impact. Also, it does frustrate me (personally) when I have difficulty figuring out what something is costing me. I would want to know, therefore I think I should be telling my customers how much they're spending.

But I agree the big timers are expensive, & am questioning the value. Thats why I'm asking.

 

[Jeff_L]

JJW, how do your customers determine how much time they buy? What is the interface? Do they swipe then type in the amount of dollars they wish to spend? Or do you just charge a flat rate per swipe? If it's a flat rate, doesn't the cost per transaction kill your revenue?

Absolutely not being advisarial (sp?), just being very inquizative (again, sp?).

 

[MEP001]

Also, it does frustrate me (personally) when I have difficulty figuring out what something is costing me. I would want to know, therefore I think I should be telling my customers how much they're spending.

With most systems I've seen, the display will show how much they've spent, just not in giant numbers. I could certainly be wrong, but I wouldn't spend close to $1,000 per bay so they can watch it count up as they wash. I say let them wash leisurely, press the STOP button and see the final charge on the smaller display there.

 

[jjw]

Bubble: A sign next to the CC reader attached to the coin box. The sign states first swipe three dollars for six minutes and following swipes are one dollar for two minutes. IE: swipe swipe = four dollars. After card swipe about five seconds it's accepted or rejected. Big time will display Validating and then will add up six minutes and two more minutes for second swipe. When time expires Big Time will show charge of four dollars. Yes the merchant services are steep. On Feb. plastic $9800.00 the charge was $514.00 or about five and quarter percent. Don't like it but it's the cost of doing business. This system verifies the card everytime, don't have some bad guy stealing before it's processed, just the merchant services people after it's processed. The system is advertised on this forum. I looked a the different systems made desision on ease of use and verification before services rendered. Have a great day! jjw

 

[jwfox369]

For my experiace with SS credit cards and Big timers has been great. We have big oversized bays and I wanted my customers to beable to see the timer from any where in the bay. We charge a minimum fee of $5 and a max. of $15 per swipe. The instructions are plan as day next to the meter box. Once the card is swiped the timer counts up, and they go at it. We have been open for 4 months know and have had no complants. The few people we have delt with, just didnt read the sign. Its up to them. More money for me if they dont read. And yes thier is a few people that get free washes. Its up to them to read the instructions if they use there CC. For us it was really easy to set up the Large timer to count up of the meter boxs small timer. Counts up with CC, counts down with cash.

 

[blurdgman]

Credit card use in our bays is 28% of the total. These customers leisurely wash their cars and seem to be very content. Why would anyone want to put visual timers in the bays that would only cause stress to the customer, the same stress that a token user has in hurrying to finish washing before the time runs out and he/she has to put another coin in.
Nix on a visual timer. In fact we're offering 10% bonus time if a customer uses their credit card in the bay rather than using tokens.

 

[Wally]

This would be just too complicated for my customers. One wash is a dollar to start (mostly hispanic) and the other is a buck fifty (middle to upper class). Well marked meters, display timers. Every week I get a couple of calls saying car-wash won`t start so I ask what are the number displayed on the timer they tell me and I tell them to drop another quarter. The only thing they read is the phone number posted on the door. The timers are not defective. I can`t imagine having a credit card swipe and instructions posted on how to use it.

 

[MEP001]

Wally, the only two problems I have with customers understanding how to use the credit card system are having them forget to press the "STOP" button (which can be solved with a loop switch in the floor) and actually getting them to realize that we take cards.

I'm eliminating the old Dixmor timers that say "05:IN" then display the time as "03:20," which had customers telling me "It said five minutes then dropped down to three!" I had one guy who persisted to the point that I had to put a couple quarters in and ask him to show me where it said minutes, and had to tell him "How does 'IN' mean minutes?" when he pointed to it.

 

[blurdgman]

Some people still put quarters in the credit card slot. God Bless Them! We haven't had quarters for 4 years.

 

[Austin]

We accept credit cards in all of our ss bays and our display starts at $2 which we set it at and clicks up in .25 cent increments. There is no time involved what so ever. If you think about it people aren't really interested in how much time they spend in the bay but rather how clean their car is and how much money they are spending. With the meter clicking up .25 cent at a time they are not really trying to beat the clock, they are more relaxed in the bay and try more functions. We are averaging 25% cc sales at one site and 18% at the other site so cc sales are pretty strong. We changed the max out from $10 to $15 b/c some customers were still washing as their bill went past $10 and the wash would stop on them and they thought it was broken. We changed it to $15 and have had no issues. Been open at both sites for over a year and have only had 1 call where someone drove off and forgot to turn it to the stop position and it charged $15. Gave her a code for a $10 autowash and she was happy. We also have air dryers in all the bays which help our average time. When wash is over it shows amount spent then if they want a reciept we have 1 central receipt printer next to the changer and vending machine that they can swipe at and it communicates with the bay they were in and gives them a printed receipt. This goes over well with with County/work vehicles that hand wash and need a receipt to turn in.

 

[Ric]

We accept credit cards in all of our ss bays and our display starts at $2 which we set it at and clicks up in .25 cent increments. There is no time involved what so ever. If you think about it people aren't really interested in how much time they spend in the bay but rather how clean their car is and how much money they are spending. With the meter clicking up .25 cent at a time they are not really trying to beat the clock, they are more relaxed in the bay and try more functions. We are averaging 25% cc sales at one site and 18% at the other site so cc sales are pretty strong. We changed the max out from $10 to $15 b/c some customers were still washing as their bill went past $10 and the wash would stop on them and they thought it was broken. We changed it to $15 and have had no issues. Been open at both sites for over a year and have only had 1 call where someone drove off and forgot to turn it to the stop position and it charged $15. Gave her a code for a $10 autowash and she was happy. We also have air dryers in all the bays which help our average time. When wash is over it shows amount spent then if they want a reciept we have 1 central receipt printer next to the changer and vending machine that they can swipe at and it communicates with the bay they were in and gives them a printed receipt. This goes over well with with County/work vehicles that hand wash and need a receipt to turn in.

What system are you using?

 

[Austin]

Jim Coleman

 

[blurdgman]

If you're counting up or down you're missing the boat. People wash leisurely and spend more time with no counting. They push STOP when they're finished and that's it! Besides, counting adds stress to a customer, shortens their life and therefore reduces the number of customers available. WAKE UP!

 

[LisaLyons]

Paul,

I recently did a remodel and decided at the last minute to buy the big display timers. I was already spending a bundle and one of the deciding factors for me was the flexible features they had, but really it was just the "look" of them. Modern, flashy, new... I bumped out the wall to add my new meter boxes and with the large displays you can see them from the street, especially at night. I added loyalty cards and credit cards and upped my price so it was a lot of change for my customers and I wanted to make sure they were able to understand clearly what was going on. I've had nothing but compliments on the remodel and the big timers are a big part of the "experience" people are getting at my wash now. I think they are worth the money.