Just Curious...

[Twodose]

Someone tried to break into one of my coin boxes in the bays, all of mine are cemented into the wall, they look more secure that way and possibly more appealing, but I am beginning to wonder if it is better just to mount the box on the outside of the wall, that way if someone destroys or damages the box it would be easier to replace rather than having to cut the box out of the wall.

Just curious to know if most mount there coin boxes to the wall, or cement them into the wall.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

With 5 washes i have some that are not recessed in the wall,
The key to all of it, is to deter the trouble. CC's, tokens,
cameras, lighting, or attendants. I think if they break in they
will very seldom wreck the case.

 

[DiamondWash]

Just hire some U.S Navy Seals to watch over your wash at night.

 

[Twodose]

I have 15 cameras in this location, today see if I can get .bmp, i'll find them.

 

[Earl Weiss]

You can kind of have it both ways. My masonry extends out around the boxes so they are recessed, and grouted in but the mounting is truly back to back with the bolts thru the wall and inside the boxes.

I have vaults below the boxes. Those are cemented in. However if they are recessed as described above and damaged, if you unbolt them from inside you should be able to push /pull it out of the recess since any morter around the edges wouldn't really be holding it. Then you slide the new ones in.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Just curious to know if most mount there coin boxes to the wall, or cement them into the wall.

Mine are cemented and secured into the wall, side by side.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Video of setup here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPBxcHLP3mg&feature=youtu.be
Coin Box has masonry around it and coins drop into a vault lower down. Bill acceptor flush mounted. Boxes secured back to back with adjoining bay.

 

[bigleo48]

Vac-It Up-System, vacs all coins into a central vault. I wouldn't build a was without it. Coins stay dry as does the box, cheap to make and install, good piece of mind.

I also have a 36 camera system with a plate recognition cam.

 

[Twodose]

Here's the video of the a**h***s trying to get into the coin box. Of course there were wearing hoodies and never got in the right position where I could get a good .bmp of them off the cameras. Still going to give the video to the cops, they may know them, anyone who knows them would know who they are by looking at the video , I wish there was a way to post the video at the carwash and just loop it. Looks like the dude in the shorts is drunk if you watch it. I wish I could put this on a 60" screen on the front of the wash, but u know about how long the screen would be there ! Ha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-4njiPIRxw&feature=plcp

 

[Twodose]

Just hire some U.S Navy Seals to watch over your wash at night.

Funny Ha Ha, are you a navy seal my man?, or maybe you could set me up.

 

[bigleo48]

Twodose,

IMHO your cameras are placed for site maintenance and not security. Even without hoodies, you be hard pressed to identify the thieves.

 

[Randy]

We used to mount the coin boxes flush against the wall. We lost a number of coin boxes that were ripped from the wall. Now we recess them into the wall, the coins/tokens drop down into a vault. Lately the car washes, Laundromats and just about anything that has money in it in the area has been hit. Drilling and crowbarring seems to be the preferred method. The drillers are the best yet, they hit a Laundromat last Sunday afternoon at 4:17pm, drilled the locks out of the front of the changer, took the Hopper, Validator and cash, total time 2 min 38 seconds, all on video, with customers nearby. These are the same guys that have hit us, we’ve got great video plates numbers etc. The worthless Sheriff Department wouldn’t send out a Deputy to investigate, they say to go online and submit a police report online and contact your insurance company. They seem to know that nothing is going to happen to them. We use Tokens, it doesn’t matter they still go after the coin vaults, they get the tokens and come back and buy vending items or sell tokens. We now pick up the coins every day, sometimes twice a day, which is a real hassle.

Twodose, you’ve got pretty good camera system. But you need a couple of these babies to get good face shot http://carwashcameras.com/faceplate-camera.shtml We’ve got some of them in the changers and in the back door.

 

[bigleo48]

Randy,

If they steal tokens and come back to buy vending items (not sure why you allow tokens in vending...but anyway) or sell them, they are small small time hoods. So I would use the plate info to find out who they are and pay them a visit. I think you can fill in the rest yourself.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

not sure why you allow tokens in vending

Why would you not? Seems kinda silly. I wouldn't dispense them if everything at the wash didn't accept them.

For the record, I do dispense them and everything I have accepts them, including my soft drink machines furnished by Pepsi. I wouldn't let them install it until they made it compatible.

 

[bigleo48]

IB,

For that to work you would need to be 100% tokens for everything and not sell bulk tokens a discount in the vending machine. If you didn't, how do you deal with return change...tokens? If so that works. But if you don't, people can put a token from your place (or worst another competitors) and get real money back.

In my area people hate tokens. We only use them for testing coin mechs, very little for bulk sales (vacs only). Going to tokens only would be a death sentence.

 

[Kevin James]

Randy,

If they steal tokens and come back to buy vending items (not sure why you allow tokens in vending...but anyway) or sell them, they are small small time hoods. So I would use the plate info to find out who they are and pay them a visit. I think you can fill in the rest yourself.

That’s about one of the stupidest things I’ve heard on the Forum. Property crime, which most carwash related crime is, is classified as a victimless crime. Finding out where he lives doesn’t give you the right to go over to his house and beating him to a bloody pulp, even thou it might be what your emotions tell you to do, it’s not the thing to do. By going over to his house you could say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing and then find yourself in jail or being the victim of a long drawn out lawsuit.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

IB,

For that to work you would need to be 100% tokens for everything and not sell bulk tokens a discount in the vending machine. If you didn't, how do you deal with return change...tokens?

I don't know where you get those ideas? I'm not 100% tokens. I also dispense a combo of dollar coins and quarters out of my other changer. I do sell discounted tokens for tens and twenties. I give customers "real money" change if they use them in my vending machines. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know if I sell them discounted tokens and they get change from my vendor I don't make quite as much, but the trade-off is that they bought a large quantity of tokens. I can set my vendor to "force-vend" so they can't cash them out. I've been doing this for 12 years now and none of the things you mention have ever been an issue.

 

[bigleo48]

IB,

Never said you did...but just because it worked for 12 years means that nobody figured out the flaw. By that I mean they get tokens the same size and metal make up and empty your coin changers. It's not that you'd lose that much, but it would create a headache for your customers as you temporarily suspend the use of the tokens until you came up with a fix.

Just like counterfeiters, they are only really interested in cash...they don't want the product. That's why anything that can dispense cash in every wash/casino (back in the day) or arcade I have ever known, doesn't accept tokens. I suppose the only exception would be ones with secure tokens.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I use secure tokens, Van Brook CTX. I have never gotten a "rogue" token.

 

[bigleo48]

That’s about one of the stupidest things I’ve heard on the Forum. Property crime, which most carwash related crime is, is classified as a victimless crime.....snip

Now Randy...you have drawn the incorrect conclusion. First, I have never had a criminal record, haven't been in a fight since early High School (not much of a fight at that). I don't own a weapon and come from a long line of Police Officers (My grandfather was the second highest ranked police officer in the country).

Next, I am well aware of what police and the courts think about vigilantism.

However, this does not mean I roll over easy. I, like everyone else has had something I worked hard for taken away. I NEVER take that lightly...and I ALWAYS figure out a way to get back. I'll give you a simple example; A few years back I purchased some furniture from a company that filed for bankruptcy the very next day! They would not refund...so I set up some telephone switch emulator test equipment and had it dial all four lines into their offices simultaneously...so as soon as they hung up, the line would ring again, and again, and again...24/7. I also set up a fax machine to constantly send black sheets (to use up their cartridges)with my contact number on it. Sure this contravenes many laws, but 2 days later I got my money and they got to use their phone lines again. Personalty, I thought that was rather smart I have a few more of those if your interested.

In the OP case, I would need to gather more info and see what direction I would take. Sure I would muse about beating them to a pulp, but any of us could come up with something better (and more fun) very very easily. After all, from the description...they got to be idiots.

Big