Desperate Times

[KleanRide]

Just had a regular customer that washes his truck with me 2-3 times a week ($10-12 every time he washes) try to pull a scam on me today.

It involves the stop button on the crypto swiper but the details are too tedious to list. He and his buddy put a lot of thought into their little two-for-one ploy. My cameras don't lie, though, and I offered to show him the footage. Unfortunately, I lost a customer over an $8 refund scam.

I hate Covid, and I hate it that my customers are struggling.

I thought about caving in and giving him the refund he wanted, but I know exactly where that will lead.

Also seeing more and more night creepers that instead of just passing through they're jiggling door handles, fiddling with locks...

Buckle up, I'm afraid it's gonna be a rough ride.

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

I got a feeling this may continue through winter, I have been thinking that today myself. Keep security tight on everything from lights,locks,cameras and take the cash off premises several times throughout the week. Hope it gets better

 

[Randy]

I know how you feel. We’ve been in this business for over 35 years and I’ve never seen it like this. We have homeless bothering customers, more household garbage. The homeless that we’ve asked to leave are more combative, they want to argue about why they have to leave. We are getting more calls from people who say they’ve lost money in the changer or in the bays. We monitor the changers, money in coins out and it’s always right. I got a call yesterday from a customer who said he’d lost $20 in the changer. He wouldn’t give me his address, he didn’t show up this morning for his refund and when we audited the changer it was spot on. We pull the money every day now and keep a minimum in the changer. I think it’s going to be interesting the next 6 to 12 months.

 

[OurTown]

We don't notice too much difference in people at this point which is surprising. Are you able to PM me on the details of the potential scam so we can look out for it? Maybe it would be obvious when it came about but I can't think how it could play out.

 

[MEP001]

We don't notice too much difference in people at this point which is surprising.

I'm also not seeing anything different. If anything, homeless issues are down - could be because I've run off or had arrested or gotten CTWs against a bunch in the last 18 months. I did have someone call a few weeks ago asking for a $20 refund from the changer, and it was legit, they only lied about getting change to use for the wash. I expected a crash in income, but it's been way up. I pull all money almost every evening. The only issue has been people abusing the changer - in just one day I lost $1000 in quarters. Got my tokens today, we'll see how pissed off people get when the changer gives them half tokens.

Are you able to PM me on the details of the potential scam so we can look out for it? Maybe it would be obvious when it came about but I can't think how it could play out.

I would also like to hear the details, please.

 

[KleanRide]

We don't notice too much difference in people at this point which is surprising. Are you able to PM me on the details of the potential scam so we can look out for it? Maybe it would be obvious when it came about but I can't think how it could play out.

Nothing real elaborate, and it's easy to catch if you have cameras.

His story was that he spent $4.75 washing his truck but couldn't get the stop button to work and it charged him $12.75 so he wanted an $8 refund. I checked the cc log and he was charged $12.75, but that was an immediate red flag because it should have run to the max $15 if the stop button wasn't working, as he claimed.

Then I checked the footage and saw him and another car driving in at the same time. The other car waited at the vacs while he washed. Then he DID NOT push the button when he was finished, but glanced at the meter (noting $4.75) and pulled out of the bay. The other guy pulls in behind him and starts washing and ran the meter up to $12.75 while Perp #1 went to the vacs on the other side of the wash. When perp #2 finished, he DID push the button and stopped it at $12.75 and left the wash. Then Perp #1 pulled out behind him and sent me the demand text a few minutes later.

Bottom line: a lot of scheming by two assholes to save $8.

 

[OurTown]

The only issue has been people abusing the changer - in just one day I lost $1000 in quarters.

Holy crap!

 

[soapy]

I though a hundred in straight 20s was bad for coin changer so I turned off the $20 function.

 

[MEP001]

I had $360 in straight 20s, but I'm leaving it enabled because a lot of my customers bring them.

 

[STXCW]

If we know its a regular customer, we will give them car wash time in the bay or auto wash credit but not a cash refund. At the same time we let them know that we have cameras and also explain to them what we think the scam was in a nice way. 9 times out of 10 they will take the credit and will think they pulled a fast one us but they will never try another scam on us but will continue using the wash. The 1% that doesn't give in we tell them to take a hike.

 

[KleanRide]

He was a one-percenter. When I told him I had the entire incident on video from multiple camera angles he denied it and said I was lying. So I offered to meet him at the wash and show him the footage. Then I got the typical reply, "Been coming here for years but I guess I'll take my business where it's appreciated."

Yeah, well, buddy - good luck with that.

 

[Randy]

He was a one-percenter. When I told him I had the entire incident on video from multiple camera angles he denied it and said I was lying. So I offered to meet him at the wash and show him the footage. Then I got the typical reply, "Been coming here for years but I guess I'll take my business where it's appreciated."

Yeah, well, buddy - good luck with that.

When I get poeple who try to scam me I tell them we'll do an internal investigation and take there phone number. If they are scamming me I don't call them back, if it's something wrong with the equipment or something that our fault I'll call them back and give them a couple of free washes or some tokens, we never give back cash. When they say "Been coming here for years but I guess I'll take my business where it's appreciated" or "I'm never coming back here again" I say "Please don't break my heart and have a lovely day"

 

[Greg Pack]

yeah, I've had a few more refund requests or "can you start the automatic remotely, I lost my money" calls than normal. I try to give them a benefit of a doubt. I would have likely not taken the time to review the video and see what happened, but often a simple, "here's what happened, I'll refund your money this time but please make sure to turn the meter off in the future" is what it takes to let them know this isn't going to work but keep them coming back. If it happens again I'm a little harsher.

It is humorous how some people describe themselves as much better customers than they actually are. I had one bucket washer tell me he was my best customer. The other day one "regular customer" gave me a little attitude about towels not being out for use. I told them they haven't been out in four Months since the whole covid thing started.

 

[MEP001]

The other day one "regular customer" gave me a little attitude about towels not being out for use.

Isn't that great? You offer something extra for free and they don't say anything, you take it away and they complain.

 

[Waxman]

One recent detail shop customer refused to pay the $30 we charge as part of the detail we do; we sanitize with an ozone generator and steam machine. Swears she: "sanitized it herself". When we held firm she started blaming us for some interior damage on the dash. Rather than argue on a 100 degree day, I added her to the "do not serve" list.

 

[Keith Baker]

I though a hundred in straight 20s was bad for coin changer so I turned off the $20 function.

One of the things I like about my Rowe changer is the "fast feed" shutdown. I have it programmed to turn off for 3 minutes if someone puts in two twenties in one minute. Different values for tens or total bills, too. I'm also dispensing dollar coins so I can mix in 10% tokens with them.

 

[MEP001]

One of the things I like about my Rowe changer is the "fast feed" shutdown. I have it programmed to turn off for 3 minutes if someone puts in two twenties in one minute. Different values for tens or total bills, too. I'm also dispensing dollar coins so I can mix in 10% tokens with them.

I finally got my tokens in and mixed 10% tokens to quarters, and boy did it stop the abuse fast. I watched the video from the first day and saw a guy go to the changer with a plastic bin and a wad of bills, but he stopped after the first couple once he realized it wasn't giving him only quarters. The SOB had the nerve to sit in his car blocking a bay to sell the tokens back to a customer.

 

[Kimberly Berg]

Nothing real elaborate, and it's easy to catch if you have cameras.

His story was that he spent $4.75 washing his truck but couldn't get the stop button to work and it charged him $12.75 so he wanted an $8 refund. I checked the cc log and he was charged $12.75, but that was an immediate red flag because it should have run to the max $15 if the stop button wasn't working, as he claimed.

Then I checked the footage and saw him and another car driving in at the same time. The other car waited at the vacs while he washed. Then he DID NOT push the button when he was finished, but glanced at the meter (noting $4.75) and pulled out of the bay. The other guy pulls in behind him and starts washing and ran the meter up to $12.75 while Perp #1 went to the vacs on the other side of the wash. When perp #2 finished, he DID push the button and stopped it at $12.75 and left the wash. Then Perp #1 pulled out behind him and sent me the demand text a few minutes later.

Bottom line: a lot of scheming by two assholes to save $8.

I think you did the right thing by NOT giving him $8. If you've got the video to prove it, you don't need customers like him!!

 

[Sequoia]

Nothing real elaborate, and it's easy to catch if you have cameras.

His story was that he spent $4.75 washing his truck but couldn't get the stop button to work and it charged him $12.75 so he wanted an $8 refund. I checked the cc log and he was charged $12.75, but that was an immediate red flag because it should have run to the max $15 if the stop button wasn't working, as he claimed.

Then I checked the footage and saw him and another car driving in at the same time. The other car waited at the vacs while he washed. Then he DID NOT push the button when he was finished, but glanced at the meter (noting $4.75) and pulled out of the bay. The other guy pulls in behind him and starts washing and ran the meter up to $12.75 while Perp #1 went to the vacs on the other side of the wash. When perp #2 finished, he DID push the button and stopped it at $12.75 and left the wash. Then Perp #1 pulled out behind him and sent me the demand text a few minutes later.

Bottom line: a lot of scheming by two assholes to save $8.

I would have asked him: "were you driving the green Ford escort or the white F-150?" lol

 

[slash007]

So if I camp out one night at the car wash and catch the homeless crew breaking into my vacs, what can I do? Can I shoot them? Beat them with baseball bats? Hold them at gunpoint until the police come? It's getting bad and I need to figure something out.