That's what a car wash is for

[Red Baron]

Got this as part of a nasty email this morning:
Yes I also washed out the bed of the truck , as that is what a car wash is for.

So help me those are his exact words, cut & pasted.

 

[Whale of a Wash]

In the last month , I have seen hundreds of hunters wash out the truck beds.
Alot of corn,blood, and pieces, while some can be pretty obnoxious on how they do it most are pretty good.
While i am not a fan of it, alot of these trucks cost more than all of my cars together. The king ranchs,platinums and escalades, are usually pretty good customers, and leave a ten spot behind. I am not sure where they would wash, except the truck wash, as our weather doesn't allow much else right now.
As a percentage of obnoxious things to do at the wash--It's not too bad. Some in the winter will shovel out a full box of snow into the bay, also annoying. Mother nature was much more annoying yesterday with 13 inches of snow, and i spent 22 hours in two days in the truck plowing, our holiday week is usually really busy, but expecting 6 inches of snow on thur, and below zero temps so colleges let out a day early, so kids could make it home. One of the best weeks out of the year , will be one of the worst. So on our top 10 ways to **** the carwash guy off, pickup bed washing , didn't make the list, not saying some it isn't annoying, it's just our list is too long.

 

[MEP001]

Got this as part of a nasty email this morning:
Yes I also washed out the bed of the truck , as that is what a car wash is for.

So help me those are his exact words, cut & pasted.

Was that the entire email?

Maybe he only washed his bed along with the rest of the truck and didn't wash a mess out of it.

 

[Red Baron]

No, the guy would have never heard from me for just a single thing. We have to be pretty strict about not allowing people to use our Bug Bug brush (clearly marked for auto bay customers only) to scrub their vehicle then go to te SS bay. He did both, which to me tells me he intends to do whatever he wants and our policies don't apply to him. The erst of his letter told me he thinks that exactly.

He is part of the 1% of customers whose business I don't want.

 

[Red Baron]

Also, I won't get on to someone for just washing out their bed. But if they wash out nails and trash...

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

He is part of the 1% of customers whose business I don't want.

I do not allow washing out truck beds. Whenever I observe it, I politely explain why, and I tell them to go ahead and finish this time only, & I'll clean up. The vast majority are not happy but they understand. For the rare person (such as the one you're dealing with), I tell them that they are no longer permitted to use my car wash, or permitted on my property - I'm filing a complaint with the police ("yes I have done this before and yes this IS private property, I am WELL within my rights to do this."), you can be arrested, cited, and potentially have a restraining order placed against you. Lets not let this go that far.

I know a lot of people disagree with me, and thats ok. Speaking for myself, I'm not willing to allow somebody to bully me just so I can make a buck. My house, my rules.

btw, I've only had to go that far twice. And, MANY of my regular customers tell me they appreciate my doing so in an effort to make my wash better for them. I could tell you many stories about my customers who make slobs clean up their messes, call the cops when they see somebody drop off trash, etc.
It works for me, in my market.

 

[Waxman]

Your rules are fine for you and sound like they benefit your customers.

If you need my blessing to arrest bed washers, blessing granted. Not what I would do but that's why we pay big taxes to own businesses in the U.S.A.: we each can make, enforce and enjoy our OWN RULES. Keep up the good work!

 

[MEP001]

And, MANY of my regular customers tell me they appreciate my doing so in an effort to make my wash better for them.

About half the bed-washers I stop understand (or at least claim to). About half of the ones who get mad and say they'll never come back do anyway, and they're welcome to do so unless they said something to me before that I feel was over the line. For every bed washer that for one reason or another has made himself unwelcome at the wash, I receive probably a hundred compliments on it from regulars. Some will say to me when they see me stop a bed washer that it ****es them off to see someone making the mess or that they hate walking through it. I do NOT want to lose those customers over the slobs.

 

[MEP001]

If you need my blessing to arrest bed washers, blessing granted.

I wouldn't call the police on someone the first time, unless when I explained that it wasn't allowed they threatened me in some way. If I catch someone doing it again after they've been warned before, I'll tell them at that point they're no longer welcome. If I catch them a third time (On video or in person) I will absolutely call the police and have them issue a criminal tresspass warrant. They aren't arrested then, but they will be if they come onto the property again even if I just show video to the police.

 

[Reds]

I would tell him that it is a car wash - not a truck wash and that if he did it again that you would call the police and have him restrained from setting foot on the property. I would be semi polite but direct and to the point.