Capistrano Car Wash is one of two local car wash and detail facilities within a short distance of each other, close to my home. When CCW first opened under new management, I brought my vehicle in, found their staff to be excellent, and their prices competitive. As a result, I have been bringing my car and my wife's SUV into the facility on a regular basis.
Until recently, I had no need to interact with the management; however, on June 20, I visited Capistrano to avail myself of an offer they make to their customers for a free birthday car wash.in fact, the week prior to my birthday, I received a call from a man who identified himself as being from Capistrano Car Wash to remind me to come in for my free wash. Now, my birthday is June 19th, which this year fell on a Sunday, along with Father's Day. I spent the day with my family, and on Monday, I brought my car in for the free wash, and was informed by a young woman that the offer was good only on the day of my birthday. I explained why I had not come in the day before, and frankly I told her, the call I received invited my in for my free birthday wash¬ my free wash good only on that specific day. Like the good soldier she is, the woman held her ground, and made it clear I was not going to get my free wash. So—I paid for my "free" wash and hand wrote a note to the owner, expressing my extreme displeasure at his policy, informing him I would not return to his facility, and I left my contact information, in case he wanted to respond. I never heard from the owner, or anyone representing the owner.
Despite my anger&which subsided quickly, I returned a few weeks later, and on several occasions since, as I really like the service they provide. However, today I went in for a wash and wax, only to experience an other of Capistrano's customer service blunders, and this time, I am through with their nonsense, and will either use their local competitor, or a mobile detail service.
I pulled into the car wash, made arrangements for a wash and wax, and upon entering the building, I was approached by a local realtor who gave me a card for a free wash, just for taking her card and booklet. I went to the desk to pay the difference between my original wash/wax and the free car wash, which is what the realtor had agreed to pay. The same woman with whom I had the altercation on June 20 was at the register, and she became nonplussed, insisting that my wash&a "super wash"—was more expensive than a regular wash, and they wouldn't credit me for the higher amount. At that point, I took the card back to the realtor, thanked her, and informed the staff I didn't want a free wash. I asked if the manager was there, and a young man, who had been standing next to the register the entire time spoke up and identified himself as a manager. That really burned me, as he had not had the guts to speak up until I outed him. I told them to credit the detail portion and just wash the car, and went out to wait for my vehicle.
A few minutes later, I wrote the names of complaint and the BBB on a receipt and brought it back to the "manager" telling him to look for this report later today. He came out a few minutes later, gave me the receipt, and sarcastically said, "Didn't you write that nice note to the owner awhile ago? Why are you still coming back?" To which I replied, I like the job the staff does, but after today, I won't be coming back&ever again.By the way, he didn't offer an explanation why the owner&who was standing two feet away from us inside&had never responded to my letter or, more infuriating, why the owner lacked the guts to speak up and identify himself today.
Finally, if you haven't fallen asleep yet, you must be wondering why I would even bother to take the time to write about this rather trivial matter. So here it is. Customers, clients, guests, are the coin of the realm for all business establishments.in today's tough economy, we all have many choices for where we get our cars washed, buy our clothes, seek our medical care, and purchase our groceries. If every person who experiences poor service would walk away, using a competitor, write a letter seeking a response, and using website like this, the cream of service providers would rise to the top&and those providers who just don't get it would be left to wonder where all their customers went. I may just be a pain in the ass complainer in the eyes of the management at Capistrano Car Wash, and that establishment may never feel the sting of losing my business. But the thing is, it is a fact that people who have experienced poor service tend to relate their story to ten or more other individuals. So they will never know how many current or future customers they lost today. It may not matter to them, but it matters to me and all of us who have a choice!
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