Jimmy, I sort of agree that airing dirty laundry doesn't get it clean. But this is the second time this has happened. That is two washes at two locations. I think that this is something that people would want to know. If this is the operating practice of someone in a senior position at the company, why should it be kept private?
SONNY'S DIRECT...Supplier or competitor???
- Thread starter altcw555
- Start date
pitzerwm
Active member
The purpose of the Forum was to give the little guy a soap box. Before I came along, the trade mags protecting their income, never printed anything about a bad company. Since that time, a number of companies have gone away, some because people were made aware of that companies' practices.
I doubt if any one would deny that reading the forum has saved them money and made them money.
I doubt if any of you would be too happy if a competitor put a kid in front of your wash with a sign, telling people to drive a little farther and use theirs. Legal yes, unethical ?? If the owner of that wash/company had sold you your wash or equipment you would be doubly unhappy.
I doubt if any one would deny that reading the forum has saved them money and made them money.
I doubt if any of you would be too happy if a competitor put a kid in front of your wash with a sign, telling people to drive a little farther and use theirs. Legal yes, unethical ?? If the owner of that wash/company had sold you your wash or equipment you would be doubly unhappy.
advancedwash
New member
Sonny's started out as an operator and sold their chain to become one of the leading suppliers in the industry.
Now that they have decided to return to the operator side of the equation, they are simply blurring the supply chain of the industry they represent.
Common sense dictates that any intelligent end user, will avoid buying a product from a potential competitor, ultimately deterring furture investors for that product.
Good luck with that Sonny's.....
Now that they have decided to return to the operator side of the equation, they are simply blurring the supply chain of the industry they represent.
Common sense dictates that any intelligent end user, will avoid buying a product from a potential competitor, ultimately deterring furture investors for that product.
Good luck with that Sonny's.....
my2cents
Member
Interesting situation without a clear resolution as long as we live in a capitalistic society (keep Obama at bay)
If I were altcw55, I would be ****ed.
If I were Anthony, I would be trying to make money (only his own morals should get in the way)
If I were a salesman on commission, and a wash was going in an area with competition, I would try my best to talk the new investor into another location - if that investor was still insistent on building on that lot and a washwas going to be there, I would quote it.
If I was a Manufacturer, wouldn't I want my employee to be dilgently working on my behalf and not dragging my company name through this forum? Any pub. is good pub. eh?!
The old saying goes - if you sleep with dogs you will wake with fleas.
If I were altcw55, I would be ****ed.
If I were Anthony, I would be trying to make money (only his own morals should get in the way)
If I were a salesman on commission, and a wash was going in an area with competition, I would try my best to talk the new investor into another location - if that investor was still insistent on building on that lot and a washwas going to be there, I would quote it.
If I was a Manufacturer, wouldn't I want my employee to be dilgently working on my behalf and not dragging my company name through this forum? Any pub. is good pub. eh?!
The old saying goes - if you sleep with dogs you will wake with fleas.
Go for it Anthony
Business is Business...
Anthony is allowed to advertise when ever and wherever he wants. It's not a Moral or Ethical issue in the slightest.
altcw55 If you didn't want your competition to advertise on the billboard you should have leased the billboard yourself.
If I had the ability to put up a billboard in front of my competition I would do the same without hesitation.
Business is Business...
Anthony is allowed to advertise when ever and wherever he wants. It's not a Moral or Ethical issue in the slightest.
altcw55 If you didn't want your competition to advertise on the billboard you should have leased the billboard yourself.
If I had the ability to put up a billboard in front of my competition I would do the same without hesitation.
Red Baron
Active member
I built my car washes to get away from that dog-eat-dog approach to business (which exists in the roofing industry). It just doesn't work well, for a lot of reasons it doesn't work. Life is too short to think your optimum success is the absolute highest priority.Business is Business...
Anthony is allowed to advertise when ever and wherever he wants. It's not a Moral or Ethical issue in the slightest.
altcw55 If you didn't want your competition to advertise on the billboard you should have leased the billboard yourself.
If I had the ability to put up a billboard in front of my competition I would do the same without hesitation.
Another reason it's a shortsighted business strategy is when you drag people's emotion into the equasion, they do goofy things that can hurt both of you. I've seen millions spent on lawsuits because someone's feelings got hurt because a competitor was hellbent on taking all his business. How long until you step on the toes of a guy with really deep pockets who decides to preside over your demise in business? Happens all the time. How long before you **** off some guy like me whose nephew is a bulldog trial attorney and it will only cost minimal court costs and fees to sue you in to oblivion just because he can?
My wash is 3/4 mile from the only other IBA in town. They're owned by a $250 million/yr truck stop chain, corp HQ nearby. They could squash me if they wanted to. I fly under their radar, I don't make any waves and don't go after their business aggressively. They leave me alone in spite of the fact that I've quietly taken 75% of their car wash business in this town. I have little doubt that if I began running ads in the paper stating that my touchfree is better than their friction because theirs can damage your car, soon I'd see a truck backed up to their bay installing new equipment...
Red Baron
Active member
...I also disagree that it's not about morals and ethics. It is, but from a purely economics/business standpoint, it doesn't make sense to constant poke your competitors in the eye. A good example of my point is, I wouldn't even consider using Sonnys now...not that I wold have been in a position to anyway, but if they operate their business with that "morals and ethics" don't apply to business, I'd want nothing to do with them.
Whale of a Wash
5 Washes 36Bays 2Vectors
There is a wash in my town that is full serve, and I am self serve. He advertises alot at the 10pm news. I don't advertise, and our names are quite different-- they are Don's car washes and I am whale of a wash. I have people all the time saying they seen my ad on tv. The consumer gets the message to wash the car , but i don't think they can remember where. A friend manages a Holiday Inn, and a Ramada put an ad on a billboard next to their property. I guess everyone then thought the Place had a waterslide. So the customer has selective reading when they are driving.
pitzerwm
Active member
IMO the reason this is a moral/ethical issue is that Anthony/company sold this wash/equipment. If that wasn't the issue I would agree competition is what it is.
Red Baron
Active member
I came to the car wash business, in part, to escape the dogeatdogedness of the roofing business - a zero sum game where you have to grow your company at someone else's expense. I'm no stranger to aggressive competition, I'm just hoping to avoid it as much as possible in the car wash business.
In 1989 my roofing company was winning 70% of the coveted large school district reroofing contracts. As such, I was stepping on the toes of 2 oldline 100 year old roofing company who were accustomed to sharing these lucrative roofing projects. One afternoon one of them had all he could take, and the phone conversation ended "kinda" (it's been 20 years ago...) like this:
Him: I hoped I could talk some sense in to you.
Me: No, you hoped you could get me to stop taking your school contracts. This very conversation is probably illegal.
Him: I'll tell ya what, you tell me where we can meet and I'll stomp some sense in to you.
Me: Ok, if you insist. I own Spur Karate and I finish teaching classes tonight at 8:00. Meet me at the dojo at 8:15 and I'll try to work you in.
Him: Click.
In 1989 my roofing company was winning 70% of the coveted large school district reroofing contracts. As such, I was stepping on the toes of 2 oldline 100 year old roofing company who were accustomed to sharing these lucrative roofing projects. One afternoon one of them had all he could take, and the phone conversation ended "kinda" (it's been 20 years ago...) like this:
Him: I hoped I could talk some sense in to you.
Me: No, you hoped you could get me to stop taking your school contracts. This very conversation is probably illegal.
Him: I'll tell ya what, you tell me where we can meet and I'll stomp some sense in to you.
Me: Ok, if you insist. I own Spur Karate and I finish teaching classes tonight at 8:00. Meet me at the dojo at 8:15 and I'll try to work you in.
Him: Click.
Hmm...
There are two completely separate entities in this argument and emotions are blurring the lines. Get rid of the emotion and its a straight forward situation.
Anthony is NOT the Sonny's and Sonny's is NOT Anthony.
My understanding is (and correct me if I am wrong but) Anthony works for Sonnys as an employee... He is not an owner of Sonnys...
If he OWNED Sonny's and profitted personally form the sale of the equipment then I would have an issue.
That said as he is simply an EMPLOYEE (albeit the public face of Sonny's at times)
I am not saying operate your business with out morals or ethics, I am simply saying when it comes to advertising in front of your competitors location THAT is not a moral or ethical question...
That's simply a business decision end of story.
(For the record I have no association with Sonny's I own PDQ equipment so there is no bias here)
First off lets set the record straight....
There are two completely separate entities in this argument and emotions are blurring the lines. Get rid of the emotion and its a straight forward situation.
Anthony is NOT the Sonny's and Sonny's is NOT Anthony.
My understanding is (and correct me if I am wrong but) Anthony works for Sonnys as an employee... He is not an owner of Sonnys...
If he OWNED Sonny's and profitted personally form the sale of the equipment then I would have an issue.
That said as he is simply an EMPLOYEE (albeit the public face of Sonny's at times)
I am not saying operate your business with out morals or ethics, I am simply saying when it comes to advertising in front of your competitors location THAT is not a moral or ethical question...
That's simply a business decision end of story.
(For the record I have no association with Sonny's I own PDQ equipment so there is no bias here)
Red Baron
Active member
I agree with that, Easy.
If I were an owner at Sonnys I would sit Anthony down and tell him to rethink his marketing strategies as they're affecting Sonnys. Employees aren't excused from hurting the company image. We don't allow employees to smoke on the customer's property, or to use foul language around the customer - it reflects on the company and they can't do that.
I admit that when a billboard came available that sits a couple hundred feet from my competitor, it was tempting. I elected instead to rent 2 billboards on both edges of town, well away from my competitor so as not to wake a sleeping giant.
I evetually reached the conclusion that billboards aren't necessary for me - that most of my customers use me because they can see I bust my butt long hours to keep things up, whereas the c-store clerk doesn't care if you buy a wash or not, and probably doesn't want to be bothered with it.
If I were an owner at Sonnys I would sit Anthony down and tell him to rethink his marketing strategies as they're affecting Sonnys. Employees aren't excused from hurting the company image. We don't allow employees to smoke on the customer's property, or to use foul language around the customer - it reflects on the company and they can't do that.
I admit that when a billboard came available that sits a couple hundred feet from my competitor, it was tempting. I elected instead to rent 2 billboards on both edges of town, well away from my competitor so as not to wake a sleeping giant.
I evetually reached the conclusion that billboards aren't necessary for me - that most of my customers use me because they can see I bust my butt long hours to keep things up, whereas the c-store clerk doesn't care if you buy a wash or not, and probably doesn't want to be bothered with it.
JMMUSTANG
car wash owner
Easy if you have an employee, no matter if he is somewhat the public face of your company, and he/she is causing a large discussion (32 post and counting) of mostly negative comments what would you do?
Me, I would tell the employee to resolve the issue NOW (TAKE DOWN THE DA** BILLBOARD) or be fired.
Then I would sit down and confront those customers concerns immediately and at this point to this blog.
I believe it is to the industries benefit for mfgs. to have a wash or two to get new ideas for better products.
But build the wash far enough away from your competitor to not have these issues. Or better yet buy a wash that is for sale.
Me, I would tell the employee to resolve the issue NOW (TAKE DOWN THE DA** BILLBOARD) or be fired.
Then I would sit down and confront those customers concerns immediately and at this point to this blog.
I believe it is to the industries benefit for mfgs. to have a wash or two to get new ideas for better products.
But build the wash far enough away from your competitor to not have these issues. Or better yet buy a wash that is for sale.
Stop doing business and marketing your $3M+ carwash becuase a couple guys on a chat board are complaining?
Are you kidding?
and... If they fired Anthony for not removing the billboard he would have the MOTHER OFF ALL wrongfull dismissal cases.
If altcw555 doesn't like Anthonys tactics so be it but he needs to stop acting like a Victim here becuase he is not.
altcw555 If you don't like it strike back:
1) have you contacted the billboard leasing company and outbid Anthony?
2) contact your local community newspaper and tell them about your competitor "un-ethical advertising" get your story in the paper that will go a lot further than complaining to Sonnys.
Just stop complaining and figure out how you are going to out wit him
Red Baron
Active member
Why would $3MM be part of the equasion, unless that's the price he put on the value of his reputation/conscience?
Unless they're total morons, I'm sure they could find a downsizing type of reason for his termination that is less prone to a suit. Course, that strategy may not belong in a discussion of morals.
Most are 6-12 month contracts with automatice right to renew.
You shouldn't have to outwit a person who should be on your side. I bought an interest in a roofing company from relative once. A few weeks later I see him roofing a building in a town where he was bound by our noncompete agreement. The last thing on my mind was how to outwit him in the roofing business - the first thing on my mind was WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HE DOING COMPETING WITH ME HERE AND HOW CAN I FORCE HIM TO STOP?
robert roman
Bob Roman
Here's an interesting tidbit to add to the controversy. Apparently, the referenced business and its sister site are up for sale.
http://www.carwashforsale.biz/info.php?id=205&i=1
http://www.carwashforsale.biz/info.php?id=205&i=1
JMMUSTANG
car wash owner
That's one way to "resolve" the issue.
Holy cow. It's one thing to see a neophyte come into the business and build close competiting washes. But this guy is susposed to be associated with an industry leader. Some freaking leader. BTW, you still have to press 1 to speak to them in English.
nascarwash
New member
I spoke to sonnys about my carwash issues and got no responce as a matter of fact i am still waiting
JMMUSTANG
car wash owner
It's been almost 5 months now maybe easywash idea of contacting the billboard company and see if you can lease the billboard is the thing to do.
If the lease is not up yet at least you can find out when it's coming up.
Are the washes still for sale?
If the lease is not up yet at least you can find out when it's coming up.
Are the washes still for sale?
