Rant and Frustration

[bigleo48]

So I figured I would pick up where Red Baron left off with his rants and frustrations of owning a wash.

So today it got to me...check out this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOWesdKE93M

This is what the front of the pay station looks like;

Its faster than real time, but for the life of me I can't figure what some people are thinking. This guy is fiddling with buttons, continuously feeding his credit card in the bill acceptor, changes cards and miraculously gets the card in the right hole. The machine talks you through it and is clearly labeled. I mean at one point he is waving his card in front thinking its got wireless pickup! This kind of thing happens daily. I mean WTF?! Some people and the aging population are just downright dumb beyond belief!

Almost daily I need to tell people who complain that the SS bay isn't working and eating their money, that you actually need to make a selection as the machine is not psychic!?!?! I explained to one guy today saying "when you start your car, does it automatically read your mind and take you where you need to go...or do you need to drive yourself!!!???" His reply "can you reset the machine?"...I replied "What?...just push a button dude and we can all stop wasting time!"

I know a lot of people who are way smarter than I am...but some times a meet some very scary people who are just above the Darwin prize and they are frustrating as hell to deal with.

 

[JustClean]

I have a standard Mark7 SS bay meters with a dial and 8 small pictures of each service the customer can choose. You would not believe how many people complained that my machine doesn't work as they can't change the service by pressing those little pictures...

 

[Whale of a Wash]

The nightly news tonight showed idiots fighting over crap at walmart, pulling guns over crap, and fighting, robbing each other, pepper spraying some. The average person is just not that bright. I had that same guy at my wash today - couldn't get the credit card to work and was ticked. I went to the acw and swiped his card- handed it back to him and he went in to wash. I got yelled at last week by a guy who was mad my tokens didn't work, and he had tried six of them. I had to physically show him mine had a whale and his tokens only worked at the movies at the xxx store. No no no i do not go there-- just see enough of their tokens. The comedy never ends does it.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Now, you have to wonder how these people handle difficult situations.

 

[Indiana Wash]

I discourage people who are not smart enough to use a car wash from using mine. I usually make them mad enough that they do not return. I do not want customers who are not smart enough to use a car wash.

 

[Waxman]

I disagree and want em all, dumb, smart, etc. I want their money.

How do you determine 'carwash intelligence' anyway? Too hard to tell. Some doctors (md's) , lawyers, professional types are the worst! Swiping the card in the bill slot, pumping token after token into the CC slot, etc.

I just smile, help them out, talk real slow and get the dollars.

 

[Indiana Wash]

I find that people who are not smart enough to use a car wash typically cause more damage than money they spend.

I watched a lady hit my guide rails, then back up, then floor it and hit my guide rails, then back up, then floor it and hit my guide rails, repeatedly! Each time, she actually launched her car into the air. I directled her when I figured out what was going on. She broke the welds on my guide rails.

I have had other people hit my building. It has been hit in the entrance of the automatics (12 feet wide) and the exit (15 feet wide).

 

[Bubbles Galore]

There have been customers I've "fired" before, but I'm with Wax. It's a great exercise in patience. Some day I will have a child and I consider dealing with the public my pre-game in a sense...God they are dumb sometimes though...

 

[Indiana Wash]

In 4 years, I have discouraged or banned about 6 people. One guy was leaving approximately 100 lbs of stone dust per week in my SS bay. He usually spent $10 but, 100 lbs or more a week was excessive. Another was the lady that kept pulling into the automatic at about 15 mph and crashing into my guide rails until she broke the welds. Another was a guy that came daily, never spent any money and took anything that was not bolted down. Another was a person that complained that the SS did not get her car clean. That may be it. I am sure there were a couple more.

 

[bigleo48]

I agree with both sides. I had to fire a customer who repeatedly hit my IBA. The last time I didn't even let him wash...I just told him he need to wash somewhere else. This was a man in his 50 and from what I could tell an extremely low IQ. I feel for the guy, but breaking a pin on my arm when the wash is lined up creates all kinds of confusion and delays. I also fired an elderly lady who nearly took out my bridge one time (long story), but she moved during the wash, then panicked. I believe that this woman would be intimidated by the painted center line on the road. I don't need or want them...they can wreck havoc somewhere else.

You gotta admit Bubbles & Waxman, people who break stuff due to carelessness or stupidity are not worth the money. Why make $3 to $10 when they stuff coins in the credit card chute that then prevents the rest of the customer base from using credit cards and so cost you multiples of what you get.

But I am also extremely patient with them. Had another lady today looking for the attendant (me) and I was looking right at her with my company jacket. She looked away and started looking all over. I then had to walk towards her and ask if I could help. She said "Do you work here?" (I'm wearing company clothing clearing stating that I'm an employee)..."I put $3 in the machine in and it isn't working!" She expected the SS bays to start automatically without selecting anything. "I said with a half smile "did you make a selection?" and she shamefully admitted her stupidity and that she use the machine regularly?!?!...she just forgot?!?! Then I just dropped a couple of tokens in to refresh her time and walked away.

We get all kinds and it's all part of the business...but the astoundingly stupid ones get to you after a while.

 

[Indiana Wash]

Yeah, I don't run the ones off who complain, "I put $1 in SS #2 and it won't do anything". The sign clearly states $1.50 to start. I just help them with the sign.

 

[Waxman]

There have been customers I've "fired" before, but I'm with Wax. It's a great exercise in patience. Some day I will have a child and I consider dealing with the public my pre-game in a sense...God they are dumb sometimes though...

Dealing with john q public is a little more like hitting the weights and running laps than pre-game when compared to raising children. I agree, though, that learning to be more patient in life is a worthwhile endeavor. Helps with customers, employees, kids, relatives, self, friends.

But wait, what is pre-game, exactly??

 

[pitzerwm]

Bigleo IMO has the right attitude. When I approached a "stupid/lost" person, it was their attitude that decided how I handled them. If they were using 4 letter words, or blaming me, oppressively, I 86'ed them, otherwise, I "trained" them.

 

[JustClean]

I love this one at the IBA: "Which side of the guide rails do you want me to drive?"...

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Bigleo IMO has the right attitude. When I approached a "stupid/lost" person, it was their attitude that decided how I handled them. If they were using 4 letter words, or blaming me, oppressively, I 86'ed them, otherwise, I "trained" them.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

 

[Indiana Wash]

Bigleo IMO has the right attitude. When I approached a "stupid/lost" person, it was their attitude that decided how I handled them. If they were using 4 letter words, or blaming me, oppressively, I 86'ed them, otherwise, I "trained" them.

Yeah, I forgot the guy in his late 50's with a pony tail the other day in his rusty mid-80's ford tempo that looked like it had never been washed. He was cussing up a storm. The SS hi pressure hose broke on the roof and the HP was LP. I offered to move him to another bay and put time on or give him a free automatic wash (I usually will give them a free auto wash for their next time too!) He just stayed there and cussed more and asked why I hadn't fixed it even though it just broke. I walked away. When I came back past, he cussed some more.


I finally asked him how things work in his world where he knew and repaired things that broke before he was aware they broke or were going to break. I so wanted to ask him how his attitude had worked for him in life.

 

[MEP001]

I had one like that too, only it wasn't even about something broke. He thought he'd figured out he was getting ripped off on the time. I think he just wanted to belittle someone he thought wouldn't fight back, but he picked the wrong person. I never even got a chance to ask why he thought it, he just ranted, told me he was "tired of getting ripped off" and turned around. After I followed him to his car and said he wasn't going to call me a thief and needed to find someplace else to wash his car, he looked like he was going to cry and said "But I like this car wash!"

 

[Randy]

After 29 years in the car wash business I could write volumes about the things that go on at car washes. Here are some of the things we do to prevent a lot of problems
We NEVER give a cash refund, Token refunds only
We NEVER tell anyone we are the owners, we are employees
We NEVER give out a phone number when asked for one
We NEVER talk to anyone who is yelling or swearing, smile and walk away.
We always do our maintenance/cleanup work early in the morning. We start at 4 am and are done by 9 am, this way we very seldom have to speak to a customer.
We don’t have attendants or on site managers. One of the car washes in the area tried to have an attendant, he wanted a city contact to wash the city cars and trucks and he had to have an attendant to get the contact. It lasted about 6 months when found out that he was losing money on having the attendant.
If you want to hear horror car wash stories, I’ve got thousands of them. You name it I’ve seen it at least once.