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A few years ago, I used to work for a petrol station, BP-Supermart (a BP Petrol station but with a Supermart shop, for those that don’t follow me on that one) and we used to get our fair share of suckey customers, but this one really took the biscuit.
Ok, lets set the scene. It’s mid-summer on a Wednesday afternoon. The sun is BLAZEING, I can actually see the heat waves coming up off the road the petrol station sat on the corner of. We’ve got the Air conditioning on maximum, so it’s nice and cool. I’m on shift with a guy called “Snypa” (Sohaib…I have no idea where his nickname came from) and it’s the dead part of the sift, so I am sitting on the counter chatting to Snypa, both of us drinking a coke and not doing any work. There was none to do. For a change, all the equipment was working, the previous shift had done all their work so as a result of that, and it being a quiet day, we had got most of our work done, Snypa just had to stock up the cold drinks.
Our conversation was broken when we heard “Clack! Beep-Beep!” when the door opened. Snypa went back to work and I served the woman (who shall now be referred to as SC) who had just come in.
Me: Hiya. How can I help?
SC: Hi. Is your car wash working?
Me: Yeah. Which program do you want?
SC: The top one please
Me: Ok *Pulls a token out and types it into the till* that’s £4.99 please.
SC: *Hands over £5*
Me: Thanks. Ok. Penny’s your change. The car wash entrance is on the other side. Push the token in, press the start button and drive forwards. When the lights on the wash gantry say “Stop” stop right there and turn your engine off.
SC: Thanks *Walks out*
So, I’m stading there, and I have nothing better to do than either stare at the till as it tells me the solar panels on the roof are working at full power, or watch the woman in the car wash. I chose carwash. It went through all it’s usual motions. High pressure rinse/shampoo, wash with foam, rinse, Wax, dry…done. SC Starts her engine and I turn my head away to reach for my coke. As I do that the SC comes back in
SC: Excuse me
Me: *Mouth full of coca cola* Hmm? *Swallows*
SC: I’ve just paid £4.99 for that car wash and it hasn’t cleaned my car
Me: I was standing here watching it. The wash machine worked, I saw it.
SC: Well I’m not satisfied. It didn’t clean it.
Me: Ok *grabs another token* I’ll come out with you this time and make sure the machine washes the car. Snypa, just watch the till for me?
Snypa: Sure
So we go outside, and I look at the car as I pass it. I should point out that she was driving a new VW beetle. These cars are very round and carwashes stuggle with them but sure enough, it’s clean. I tell her to drive back into the carwash and I’ll start it from where I am.
She gets in her car, drives in up to the gantry and I start the machine. I stay standing there while it runs through the whole program and, sure enough, I can see everything that would happen normally.
The machine finishes, I walk back into the shop. Considering our uniforms are black, so they absorb sunlight and heat up rather quickly, it was nice to walk back into an environment that felt like it was the Antarctic. I get back to the till just in time for SC to come back in again
SC: I’m still not satisfied! The car hasn’t been dried properly. I want my money back
Me: There is a disclaimer on the carwash that states “due to differences in the shapes of cars, simonz nor BP can guarantee perfect results” your car is an odd shape
SC: It should still dry it perfectly
Me: It’s only a blow-dryer. It doesn’t heat the air to evaporate all the water. It literally just blasts the majority of it off the car. I’m not giving you your money back. You’ve had 2 car washes, your car is clean
SC: Is that how you treat all your customers?
My patience is wearing very thin, VERY quickly
Me: Only the ones that have got exactly what they paid for then want more
SC: fine! I’ll never come here again. I get better service at Morrisons anyway
Me: They use the same wash machine as we do, and BP supply their fuel. If you think you can get a better wash there, go ahead.
SC: *Storms out*
Ok, lets set the scene. It’s mid-summer on a Wednesday afternoon. The sun is BLAZEING, I can actually see the heat waves coming up off the road the petrol station sat on the corner of. We’ve got the Air conditioning on maximum, so it’s nice and cool. I’m on shift with a guy called “Snypa” (Sohaib…I have no idea where his nickname came from) and it’s the dead part of the sift, so I am sitting on the counter chatting to Snypa, both of us drinking a coke and not doing any work. There was none to do. For a change, all the equipment was working, the previous shift had done all their work so as a result of that, and it being a quiet day, we had got most of our work done, Snypa just had to stock up the cold drinks.
Our conversation was broken when we heard “Clack! Beep-Beep!” when the door opened. Snypa went back to work and I served the woman (who shall now be referred to as SC) who had just come in.
Me: Hiya. How can I help?
SC: Hi. Is your car wash working?
Me: Yeah. Which program do you want?
SC: The top one please
Me: Ok *Pulls a token out and types it into the till* that’s £4.99 please.
SC: *Hands over £5*
Me: Thanks. Ok. Penny’s your change. The car wash entrance is on the other side. Push the token in, press the start button and drive forwards. When the lights on the wash gantry say “Stop” stop right there and turn your engine off.
SC: Thanks *Walks out*
So, I’m stading there, and I have nothing better to do than either stare at the till as it tells me the solar panels on the roof are working at full power, or watch the woman in the car wash. I chose carwash. It went through all it’s usual motions. High pressure rinse/shampoo, wash with foam, rinse, Wax, dry…done. SC Starts her engine and I turn my head away to reach for my coke. As I do that the SC comes back in
SC: Excuse me
Me: *Mouth full of coca cola* Hmm? *Swallows*
SC: I’ve just paid £4.99 for that car wash and it hasn’t cleaned my car
Me: I was standing here watching it. The wash machine worked, I saw it.
SC: Well I’m not satisfied. It didn’t clean it.
Me: Ok *grabs another token* I’ll come out with you this time and make sure the machine washes the car. Snypa, just watch the till for me?
Snypa: Sure
So we go outside, and I look at the car as I pass it. I should point out that she was driving a new VW beetle. These cars are very round and carwashes stuggle with them but sure enough, it’s clean. I tell her to drive back into the carwash and I’ll start it from where I am.
She gets in her car, drives in up to the gantry and I start the machine. I stay standing there while it runs through the whole program and, sure enough, I can see everything that would happen normally.
The machine finishes, I walk back into the shop. Considering our uniforms are black, so they absorb sunlight and heat up rather quickly, it was nice to walk back into an environment that felt like it was the Antarctic. I get back to the till just in time for SC to come back in again
SC: I’m still not satisfied! The car hasn’t been dried properly. I want my money back
Me: There is a disclaimer on the carwash that states “due to differences in the shapes of cars, simonz nor BP can guarantee perfect results” your car is an odd shape
SC: It should still dry it perfectly
Me: It’s only a blow-dryer. It doesn’t heat the air to evaporate all the water. It literally just blasts the majority of it off the car. I’m not giving you your money back. You’ve had 2 car washes, your car is clean
SC: Is that how you treat all your customers?
My patience is wearing very thin, VERY quickly
Me: Only the ones that have got exactly what they paid for then want more
SC: fine! I’ll never come here again. I get better service at Morrisons anyway
Me: They use the same wash machine as we do, and BP supply their fuel. If you think you can get a better wash there, go ahead.
SC: *Storms out*
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