Sometimes I fail to appreciate the honest ones...

[I.B. Washincars]

I have had a rash of crime and vandalism lately and am getting somewhat jaded...but not yet as bad as Randy. Anyway, when I got home this afternoon I had a message that I really couldn't follow, so I called the lady back. She said that she was at my wash last week and was having trouble getting the auto to accept her credit card. While fumbling with the ACW, the customer behind her came up to help. She said she told him it wouldn't accept her card. He said "This will work" as he inserted two coins. She said the wash came on and she washed her car. Later, she checked her CC charges and wasn't charged for the wash. She said she felt guilty and also thought I should know about it. The whole thing didn't make much sense. I figured someone before her may have put in $10 and didn't get their wash for whatever reason, and the nice customer behind was just helping her out. Well as fate would have it, the part to fix the CC system was at my back door when I got home, so I decided I would go up there after I ate supper (that's what we call it in Ky.) and put it on. After installing the new CC controller and verifying it worked, I popped in a $1 token. Much to my amazement, it registered $8 credit. I have no idea how long it's been that way, and had she not called I may never have caught it. Ain't it nice when a thief is generous enough to crap in his silver platter?

 

[2Biz]

I try to be the opposite, but sometimes I have to dig deep. Had a guy pull in my outside truck bay with a tractor and hay-bine 2 weeks ago on a Saturday. He washed the hay-bine and even cleaned the concrete by blowing the grass seed off into the side yard. But then he hooked the hose when he pulled out and broke the hose, gun, wand and pulled the SS tube away from the wall and mangled up the brackets welded to the tube. The gun and hose was looped over the top I-Beam 14' up! I'm surprised it didn't pull the arch down!

He called that day and told me what he did and that he would pay for the damage. It was a careless mistake. I thought I had a spare SS wand holder but couldn't find it. So it ended up taking me about 6 hours to replace all the broken parts, straightening and welding the SS brackets back on the tube, and getting it mounted back on the wall.

I guess it was his lucky day. I appreciated him doing the right thing in calling me to let me know what happened and the fact he offered to pay for damage. So when I called him to let him know I had it fixed, I told him he didn't owe me anything, but just wanted him to be more careful the next time he pulled out of the bay. I really appreciated him doing the right thing. There are still a few good one's out there!

 

[mac]

Look, we are dealing with the general public. These are the same people who got Obama two terms. Being a relative new owner I am still having fun with my customers. The other day one came up and asked if I could give him a quarter for two dimes and a nickel. Told him we were having a special that day where we were giving two quarters for that, and gave him two. He looked at me funny and asked how we made money doing that. I told him volume. So for a quarter he has told how many people the good deal he got at my wash.

 

[soapy]

I try to reward the honest ones.

 

[JGinther]

Similar experience: A customer with a van with a top mount ladder rack that's been coming for many years pulled out of a bay and hit the garage door frame and bottom panel of the garage door (a wash with exit side doors only and huge clearance signs). He asked the attendant and the neighboring business on two return trips to talk to the owner to let him know about the accident. There was no damage but scratched paint on the steel frame, and a small dent on the door bottom. After the second time stopping in and talking with the attendant, the attendant explained that I wasn't really worried about it. But then, he became frustrated.... He was wanting our insurance company information because the car wash damaged his van! So... I'm sorry to tell you all this... But you are all wrong! There's no honest ones. Its a scam!

 

[mjwalsh]

Since this thread appears to include self service ...

We have for many years before entering towards each of our six 10'-13' range of height overhead doors ... a dangling sign that they would hit first. The sign states 6" below the actual clearance. The sign also states that the door must be all the ways up. Hopefully, that shifts enough responsibility on customer to be aware of his height & potential height with roof add-ons etc.

Any thoughts from cold climate operators ... for relying on automated door openers on each door for a self service car wash that uses buttons or vehicle presence sensors? The automated door opener would insure that the door would always be 100% open vs the customer manually having that responsibility.

Based on my somewhat incomplete experience ... I would say to use the automated approach other than for the "Canadian Style" where there are only 2 doors would require some very deep pockets or the ability to pass on some "now needed" higher prices to the end customers for the luxury!!!

Anybody try the automated with many bays with individual doors on both ends for their car washes & regretted it? How about automated just on the entrance of the car wash with forcing a back out in order for the customer to exit during their winters???

Since some lower states have higher elevation car washes ... I don't believe this is just a North vs South issue!