Cars or Ice Cubes?

[Waxman]

Man, these customers are crazy. Anyone who studies consumer trends or attitudes must be half nuts in doing so, too!

Today it started here out at below zero (6 below). Now it's 1p.m. and maybe in the low teens. Customers are Self-Serve washing and IBA washing. I opened late and they were wanting to get into the bays.

I don't know about you guys, but I almost feel it's a disservice to allow customers to ice their cars all up. To me, the threshhold for washing is about 20 degrees F. Sure, I open the bays at lower than that. Heck, I'm open right now. But I know for certain some of these folks have no heated garage and will be iced out of their cars later on.

Even the IBA customers dumbfound me. Like today there are several going thru after selecting my bottom package; 1 presoak, no underbody, no blow dry. For $1 more they get 2 presoaks, underbody, wax and blowers.

Somebody please explain this to me. Thanks.

 

[bigleo48]

Waxman,

First, cheap customers don't make any sense whatsoever (except for bottom dollar). I hace customers who bring a pail of soap/water, dump it on their cars and then rinse. They call it prewashing?!?!

Second, people washing in this weather are like the rain washers...god bless them

However, I do feel your pain...I find these extreem cold days very stressful.

 

[ScottV]

I am as amazed as the both of you are. Although I had a message on my phone from a customer that washed yesterday (it was 5 degrees F) and complained that there was frozen soap on her car when she got home and walked around it in her driveway. She wants a refund.......

What are you going to do with people like this?

 

[Waxman]

I think I'd explain the science involved in freezing water/soap. I'm waiting for a complaint like that; I know it's coming!

 

[jprb]

I had a guy call me and tell me that my wash ruined the window on his BMW. It would not roll down after he washed it. Temperature was less than 25 degrees. I didn't even bother to return his message. He didn't call back, so I guess he figured it out.

JPRB

 

[galen]

I wash clear down to zero. As long as I'm on site. They will come in. Not many but a few. At 15 degrees, I have them lined up. But we have had three weeks of cold and salt. Cars are REALLY white with salt residue. I think its a little like taking a dip in the ocean. You have that crusty feeling. When people see the white salt on their cars they can't stand it, they don't care if the streets are still wet, or how cold it is. They just want it off. We hit 40 today but the ground still has 4" of snow.

 

[Ben's Car Wash]

I think I'd explain the science involved in freezing water/soap. I'm waiting for a complaint like that; I know it's coming!

Dude.... they don't teach science anymore.... God doesn't make it cold.... that's a myth brought on by Al Gore!

Idiots!

Someone here posted a long time ago about opening below freezing there tunnel. They sent a VW bug down the line.... the wraps beat the hell out of it and pulverized it! I only had about 4 hours of freezing on Thurdays moring... and my brother-in-law was my only causuality! He first tried the SS (it was 27 degrees) and the foam brush was like sherbert! So he gave up and drove over to my tunnel... as he went thru.. my wife was lecturing the staff about using caution on mirrors that moring because the cold makes the plastic brittle.... yep... the brother-in-laws mirror breaks off the jeep (it was srewed in with dry wall screws) going thru the tunnel.

But the SS did freeze up for 4 hours. I did maybe $50 all day.

 

[lag]

You know what the farmers say about the stink around their farm "smells like money"

 

[Waxman]

Bens car wash;

at 27 degrees you were frozen up for four hours??? That's prime washing temp in the Northeast!