"Metered time is way off" complaint

[sparkey]

I found a complaint in my complaint box today from someone claiming my timers were way off because they timed them with their cell phone and I should prepare to be fined. The person was even able to correctly spell a couple of the words on the note. I checked all my meters and all seem spot on. Anyways it got me thinking, what if for some reason a meter did start timing funny? Anyone had any experience with this issue? I don't advertise anywhere how much time you get for a certain price. When you put your money in it shows how much time you have left.

 

[Randy]

We use Dixmor timers and we’ve been called on this before and the timers are always right on, so we pass it off as another BS call, we don't call back on BS calls. We took the amount of time decal that the customer is purchasing off the coin box years ago, all it shows is the price, no time. You should count your lucky stars you don't have a car wash in Arizona, they have to have every timer certified by the state every year, costs around $12 - $15 per timer per year. I had one customer rip up one side and down the other because she turned the rotary switch to “Off” and the timer kept running.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I've heard the same thing for my Etowah Valley Timers. Throw a bunch of electrical verbage at them and they usually back down. Try to prove it if you would like is how I end the conversation if necessary.

 

[Eric H]

I've had this complaint as an issue as well. It has always been when someone sees me at the wash, not over the phone..yet. What I ussually do is put the money in and use the stop watch on my phone to prove it. When they take the wand and try to finish washing I make them stand next to me and watch both the phone and timer. "If you're going to call me a cheat you do not get the benefit of washing your car for free. You're going to stand here while I prove you wrong. I do expect an appology when we arwe done."

 

[mjc3333]

Had this complaint happen all too often. Every time I check the timers (Dixmor) they are right on the money.

Some customers have a "feeling" on how much time they should get for money spent.

I've had customers argue that they cannot "finish" washing their car, but always spent the same amount each time.

Unless you, or better yet they, can meet you at the wash in the "broken" bay and watch the timer against a stop watch, you will never convince them they are wrong.

 

[MEP001]

Notice how it's always Dixmor timers where this complaint happens?

I have them set to display XX:IN as the coins are deposited (Might be a bad idea, but I didn't want to "advertise" exactly how much time per coin they're getting). I've had quite a few people say that "It said five minutes and then dropped down to three!" One guy was so bad, even after I put in four quarters and showed him it said 04:IN and not 04:MIN he still argued that it showed five minutes and then shorted him.

It stopped when I replaced the LED-3 timers with the Hamilton D.A.N. system.

 

[mjc3333]

This may be true for some, but my timers will display how much more money is needed not 1 in, 2 in, 3 in etc.

 

[sparkey]

Thanks for all the good replys. Unfortunately the complaint never said which timer was suppose to be way off, and never left any contact info so I didn't have much to go on. I am thinking it may be my fragrance vac where you can flip to fragrance and the time is much less than if you are using the vacuum.

 

[MEP001]

Thanks for all the good replys. Unfortunately the complaint never said which timer was suppose to be way off, and never left any contact info so I didn't have much to go on. I am thinking it may be my fragrance vac where you can flip to fragrance and the time is much less than if you are using the vacuum.

I did have a guy snap at me once about not getting four minutes to vacuum for $1 even though it was priced that way. He expected to be able to vacuum for three and a half minutes and have plenty of time to use the fragrance at the end. I tried to explain how the prorated time worked, but he was such an ***hole about it I just told him it was working properly and walked away.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Haven't had one yet with the LED 7s.

Have had them over the years with gas pumps.

The best is when numb nuts sees the price of $3.99 and gets 10 gallons and claims I overcharged because it came to $39.99 instead of $39.90.

Of course the receipt and sign list the price as $3.99 &9 /10. It's always a coincidence that the inspectors visit a short time later.

HAv also had them claim a short measure on the product based on what their gas gauge shows.

Retail is so much fun

 

[I.B. Washincars]

The best is when numb nuts sees the price of $3.99 and gets 10 gallons and claims I overcharged because it came to $39.99 instead of $39.90.

I know YOU have no control over it, but the numb nuts is the gasoline industry for pricing it that way. I know of no other industry that retails a single unit at fractions of a cent. There is no need for them to chop of that tenth of a cent since it is always 9/10. If it were 3,4,7 or some other tenths I would say that it may be necessary, but when the only reason is deception, they deserve to deal with a complaint every now and then.

 

[JustClean]

Is there a way on LED7 to adjust the timer if it was counting too fast or too slow?

 

[Earl Weiss]

I know YOU have no control over it, but the numb nuts is the gasoline industry for pricing it that way. .......... but when the only reason is deception, they deserve to deal with a complaint every now and then.

No, the reason goes back 80 plus years.

Why do all gas prices have nine tenths of a cent?

Answer:

The extra "tenths" is a very old tradition that's never gone away. In 1935, a Reno Nevada newspaper wrote about "selling third grade gasoline at eight and nine-tenths cents a gallon."

In those times, a penny had considerable value. To raise the price of gasoline from 8 to 9 cents would be more than a 12 percent hike. To compete, gas stations raised prices by tenths of a penny. Around this time, federal and state excise taxes were also introduced in increments of tenths of a cent, so it made sense to keep the decimal value.

Not only do disagree that an 80 year old universal system is not deceptive, it seems to be one of the only items where the posted price includes all taxes.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

80 years ago, I agree it wasn't deceptive. Now, and for at least 50 some years it has only been 9/10, so it is an attempt to make it look like a price it isn't. If you can't make change for it, you shouldn't be able to price it that way. I don't buy into "That's the way we've always done it." always being the right way.

 

[MEP001]

Is there a way on LED7 to adjust the timer if it was counting too fast or too slow?

No. I'm assuming it uses the voltage hertz to time, so in theory if it was hiked to 90 hertz it would time down much faster, but the timer speed itself cannot be adjusted.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I don't buy into "That's the way we've always done it." always being the right way.

Never said it was "right", just not deceptive.

If they are not smart enough to be aware of and understand this concept do you really want to be on the same road they are driving on?

 

[I.B. Washincars]

If they are not smart enough to be aware of and understand this concept do you really want to be on the same road they are driving on?

No, but I don't have much choice. We all drive with much worse every day. Anyway, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the pricing matter.

 

[washnvac]

Sparkey--Do your timers count the coins as they go in? (1IN, 2IN, 3IN, etc.) I had timers set up this way a long time ago, and quite a few folks thought when you put in that 8th quarter, it said 8 minutes (8IN) even though after 3 or 4 seconds it switched to 4 minutes and counted down. I changed it to count value eventually ($.25IN, $.50IN, etc.) Just a thought for you

My current set up is $5 for 30 minutes bay time. And occasionally, I get some fool who says the timer cut off at 15 or 20 minutes. I go to the video and show them in fact is was a full 30 minutes and 10 seconds, to be exact. I have NEVER found the timers to be off. They are always exact--no fluctuations.

If you have video, check it against that. Also, some people think when you turn to "STOP" that the timer stops. Wrong!

 

[Washmee]

Where I live, the county requires all devices like these to be tested every year. Just like they check gas pumps. A county inspector comes out and tests each device with a timer and if it passes a sticker is put on the coin box to certify its accuracy.

 

[jprb]

I have had a timemaster timer count fast in the past. It was counting about double time (2x normal). I'm not sure if the timer would go back and forth from working correctly and countng fast, but I had a complaint, found it, and replaced it!

JPRB