Pirate's Cove Car Wash

I spoke with the manager on duty, [redacted], regarding this incident. He stated that the customer wanted a clay bar done to the vehicle exterior, but we did not have a detailer on staff today for clay baring. It's not commonly asked for (maybe 4 customers a year) and there are only a few of our guys...

who are trained to do it.  He stated this to the customer.  [redacted] said that the customer also had a small amount of mud under/behind the front tires and rear tires, and asked that they wash it off before he went into the tunnel. The manager stopped the tunnel, and they pressure washed the mud off before running him through the tunnel.After the customer exited the tunnel, he vacuumed his vehicle and then left without saying anything. I'm sorry that he wasn't happy with the wash, and I'm happy to rerun the vehicle for him again for free. If he had said something before leaving the wash, they would have run it again at the time or cleaned any missed spots by hand, as needed.
Regarding an alleged scratch, we can pull the security tapes and review his vehicle in the tunnel. But we will rarely consider a damage claim after a vehicle leaves the site, unless it's visible on the security tapes. We have no idea what happens to vehicles after they've left.  I can be reached directly at [redacted], I'll need the last 4 of his cc or the time on receipt to find what time he went through the wash to pull tapes.  Cheers [redacted]

I received a call last week about this issue from the manager on duty, [redacted].  I was told that the customer had paid for a wash and an interior cleaning with armorall, and we had done so, but later the customer was unhappy and stated that he had some amorall that had gotten on the inside of his...

windshield, and that there were 'stains' from the armorall on his dash and speaker covers.  We've put armorall on a lot of vehicles the last 5 years, including many Ford F150s, and I've never heard of a problem with their dashes/speakers or experienced a problem with their dashes/speakers getting 'stained' from the armorall. 
After speaking with [redacted], I had [redacted] call two local [redacted] Ford dealerships, and I called two other dealerships in [redacted].  We received multiple answers from their service departments:  one local dealership said they make a 'special amorall for the dash', and the other 3 dealerships said they'd never heard of such a thing or problem.  I also called three car wash owners, one local here in **, one out of [redacted], and one from [redacted].  I asked them if they'd ever had an issue with F150 dashes or speakers with armorall.  One said no, two started laughing as they said no.
Since the incident in question, I've checked the armorall product and it's fine.  I've used it on my own car repeatedly (2010 range rover) with no issues, and we've used it on approximately 120 other customer interiors the past few weeks with no issues, including other Ford F150's.   Based on my conversations with the Ford dealerships, other car wash owners, and zero other complaints the past few weeks, I feel strongly that there is no issue with the product.  We haven't changed product lines in several years, and we have never had an issue with armorall damaging a dash or a speaker cover.  
After making the calls, I instructed [redacted] to speak with the customer, relay everything that we had learned, and offer to (1) clean the overspray off the windshield, and (2) comp some free washes for the hassle he has to go through to bring the car back to us to fix the overspray on the glass.  I followed up with [redacted], and he said that he spoke with Mr. [redacted], and the customer had said "okay fine" and hung up.  We had assumed it was case closed.
I'm still happy to comp a month of free washes for Mr. [redacted] due to the employees getting armorall on his windshield and not cleaning the interior as well as they should have the first time.  However, based on what I've been told by Ford service advisors, and the fact that we've used the same armorall on other F150's and vehicles for weeks both before and after his vehicle with no issues, I feel strongly that there is no damage from the product. 
Respectfully,
[redacted]

Mr. [redacted] brings up several points which I will try to address.
1. He asked why, if Ford makes a 'special armorall for the dash' we don't use it.  3 of the 4 Ford dealership service departments, when I contacted them, did not mention any such product at all, and flatly dismissed the possibility of this damage claim.  The service department that did mention this 'special armorall', would probably have been happy to sell us a couple ounces of Ford branded dressing for an outrageous mark up.  It's the same thing as getting your oil changed at QuickLube or a Dealership.  If you go to a dealership, you'll pay a lot higher price - when the product is frequently the same.   I've asked other car wash owners and our chemical vendor about a 'special Ford armorall', they laughed and said, "Ummm, ya..."  
2.  I have spoken with both employees.  Neither has said that putting armorall on a vehicle interior would cause damage to it.  We wash and clean thousands of vehicles and F150 interiors each year.  We have never had a claim like this.  Ever.
3. After Mr. [redacted]'s reply, I contacted [redacted], the maker of the dressing in question.  I went over the situation in detail and showed them Mr. [redacted]'s pictures.  The dressing product in question is intended to be used as provided; that is, full strength, no diluting is required or suggested.  We do not purchase it in a concentrated solution that is too strong to be applied as is; hence, the possibility that it was 'too powerful or concentrated and it damaged an interior' is zero.  It was applied as suggested (undiluted), which gives the best looking application, and [redacted] stated that they have never had such a claim.  One of their largest clients is [redacted], who has 80+ stores across the United States.  [redacted] uses the same exact dessing product, applied in the same way, on every car they sell going to auction.  [redacted] has never had one complaint on the product from them, or any of other clients, on this armorall dressing product.
4. I take damage claims seriously, and I have spent several hours on this claim.  I have contacted Ford dealerships, other wash owners, our regional equipment and chemical guys, and even the manufacturer of the chemical.  I know Mr. [redacted] is unhappy that we are denying his claim, but I have done a fair amount of work gathering information and seeing if there's a reasonable chance that this claim is legitimate.  It we did it, we would take responsibility and fix it.  I do not know Mr. [redacted] at all, and I am basing my decision solely off the facts and evidence.  This decision is straight forward - the overwhelming evidence in this case clearly tells me that we did not cause the damage, and we are denying the claim. 
Respectfully,
[redacted]

I spoke with the manager on duty, [redacted], regarding this incident. He stated that the customer wanted a clay bar done to the vehicle exterior, but we did not have a detailer on staff today for clay baring. It's not commonly asked for (maybe 4 customers a year) and there are only a few of our guys who...

are trained to do it.  He stated this to the customer.  [redacted] said that the customer also had a small amount of mud under/behind the front tires and rear tires, and asked that they wash it off before he went into the tunnel. The manager stopped the tunnel, and they pressure washed the mud off before running him through the tunnel.After the customer exited the tunnel, he vacuumed his vehicle and then left without saying anything. I'm sorry that he wasn't happy with the wash, and I'm happy to rerun the vehicle for him again for free. If he had said something before leaving the wash, they would have run it again at the time or cleaned any missed spots by hand, as needed.Regarding an alleged scratch, we can pull the security tapes and review his vehicle in the tunnel. But we will rarely consider a damage claim after a vehicle leaves the site, unless it's visible on the security tapes. We have no idea what happens to vehicles after they've left.  I can be reached directly at [redacted], I'll need the last 4 of his cc or the time on receipt to find what time he went through the wash to pull tapes.  Cheers [redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: The manager stated that I left and the car wash will not assume responsibility because it is a possibility my car was curb checked. In addressing if a car is curb checked, there would be damage to the rim and possibly the tire. I have no damage on my rim or tire; just the tire pressure sensor. In fact, it proves my point that it is also a possibility the car wash damaged my vehicle. Keep I mind I have already paid for my vehicle to be repaired and I am requesting to be compensated for damages incurred by your facility. you may want to peruse the links provided. As am I sure you are aware this type of damage is typical of ca wash tunnel facilities. The links I have attached are of consumers who have also incurred the same type of damages. It is apalling that instead of accepting responsibility or being apologetic; I am having to contact the Revdex.com to resolve my unfortunate incident. I drove less than a block when my tire was deflated and my tires and rims are performance based and purchased through the Dodge dealership. What are you stating is after market? It once again does not state if you leave the car wash premises the car wash is not responsible for damages that were incurred due to going in your car wash tunnel. I have a clean car and do not need to spend extra time drying or cleaning my car, so now you shrug responsibility because I did not walk around my car and inspect my tires before leaving??! This is about principle and customer service which it appears you lack based upon your response!http://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/car-wash-broke-tire-pres...⇄ /> Regards,
[redacted]

I understand that you are upset and feel strongly that the car wash damaged your vehicle. However, we have to go off the evidence at hand when we make our decision. In this case, we have run over 200,000 cars through that tunnel and had zero damaged tire stem complaints until now. We examined the equipment at the wash and nothing is malfunctioning. We examined the tapes and see nothing wrong. We know that nothing was caught in any brushes as no cars are scratched.  All of the evidence indicates to me that nothing malfunctioned in the wash.  Every car in front of yours and behind yours is fine;  nothing has been adjusted or changed in the tunnel since you ran your car, and every other car has no tire stem damage.It's not an expensive part. If the evidence suggested to me that we did it, we would cover it. However, it's an aftermarket part, the car left the site, and all evidence points to the tunnel operating correctly. I apologize but we will not cover it.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: The manager stated that I left and the car wash will not assume responsibility because it is a possibility my car was curb checked. In addressing if a car is curb checked, there would be damage to the rim and possibly the tire. I have no damage on my rim or tire; just the tire pressure sensor. In fact, it proves my point that it is also a possibility the car wash damaged my vehicle. Keep I mind I have already paid for my vehicle to be repaired and I am requesting to be compensated for damages incurred by your facility. you may want to peruse the links provided. As am I sure you are aware this type of damage is typical of ca wash tunnel facilities. The links I have attached are of consumers who have also incurred the same type of damages. It is apalling that instead of accepting responsibility or being apologetic; I am having to contact the Revdex.com to resolve my unfortunate incident. I drove less than a block when my tire was deflated and my tires and rims are performance based and purchased through the Dodge dealership. What are you stating is after market? It once again does not state if you leave the car wash premises the car wash is not responsible for damages that were incurred due to going in your car wash tunnel. I have a clean car and do not need to spend extra time drying or cleaning my car, so now you shrug responsibility because I did not walk around my car and inspect my tires before leaving??! This is about principle and customer service which it appears you lack based upon your response!
http://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/car-wash-broke-tire-pressure-sens...⇄ /> http://www.mazda3club.com/wheel-tires-67/car-wash-damaged-my-tpms-valve-stem-fil...⇄ /> Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
This is is not an acceptable resolution. The damage was indeed caused by your location on [redacted]. instead of concentrating on lengthy email responses with false information Mr. [redacted] needs to accept responsibility. I will not stop until he accepts responsibility and makes this right. 
The fact that he states that both of his employees said that the damage was not caused by then is bogus. The pictures that I submitted in the last response clearly show the damage caused by the product used. If the overspray was sitting on the interior. and your own employees wiped off the excess residue and the stains were left there then obviously caused by the product used.   [redacted] and the other gentleman working that Sunday saw the damage first hand and the over spray on the vehicle. Once agin, Mr. [redacted] has made no attempt to see the vehicle firsthand. Let's have a meeting to discuss this face to face so he can see the damage firsthand. 
Please own up to the damage caused and quit trying to drag out the inevitable. Once again, I will not stop until this situation is resolved to my satisfaction. I have the before and after photo evidence to substantiate the claim. 
Regards,
[redacted]

I appreciate the opportunity to respond to this claim.  We take damage claims seriously and try to consistently deliver excellent customer service.  I apologize for the managers not answering the phone, but they are frequently outside with customers and checking/running the wash, not...

inside at the desk.We are unable to cover the alleged damage in this incident for several reasons.  (1) As the GM previously stated on the phone, once a vehicle leaves the site, we have no idea what happens to it.  In this case, the wheel could have been curb checked after leaving the tunnel/site - if an air stem was ripped off IN the tunnel, one would think the wheel would rapidly go flat before it even left the site?  It's hard for us to determine if damage was caused on the site after a vehicle has already left the wash.  That said, if we see clear evidence in the security cameras that our equipment malfunctioned, we would still cover the damage. (2) As stated on the sign at the entrance to the wash, see attached, we do not cover aftermarket parts.  Aftermarket parts/moldings/modifications run the gambit - some are high quality, others are Chinese junk and barely held together.  We have no idea if they're well made and how they're attached to the vehicle - hence if it's not original equipment, we do not cover it.  Again, that said though, if our equipment in the tunnel clearly malfunctioned, we could cover the damage.  In this case, no cars in front of or behind the car in question had any tire stem damage, scratches, or any other damage.  The tapes show nothing wrong in the tunnel.  Nothing is caught in any brush or wrap in the tunnel - there would be scratches on the subject vehicle and other vehicles.  The equipment was fine, there is nothing visible in the cameras, and it's an aftermarket part.  Unfortunately, I know the customer won't be happy but we won't cover it.   Respectfully, Kevin