Rip offs

Not a big a deal as "life's not fair", but don't you hate it when you get ripped off for a smallish item?

When I go to the car wash, I always have one of those half price coupons. The exterior gets washed, inside vacuum and windows, dash get cleaned off.

Now, when I first moved to Tx, I got a job as a cashier at a car wash in a nice part of town, where I worked weekends and had days off during the week so I could look for a "real" job. It was actually kind of fun.

Anyway, I learned the cost of a basic wash is maybe a buck or 2 more than what you pay. That's covering labor, supplies, utilities, whatever. The cost to them of putting on the foam wax, tire cleaner, armour-all, etc. is mere pennies, so anything you buy beyond the wash/vacuum/wipe down is about 95% pure profit for them.

I don't begrudge them that. I like to get a mini-detail a couple of times a year, when I could get a special, and I felt good about having a nice clean car afterwards.

But at least kiss me before you screw me.

Last week I clipped a coupon to get a wash deal that was supposed to be 2 different types of wax (why I need 2 types of wax I don't know), tire cleaning, and what I really needed and was willing to pay for, what they called "an interior detail"

So, I order it, pay the cashier and asked "where do the 2 types of wax go on?" Figuring it would be like usual, a spray during the wash, then someone putting a fast handwax on it. Oh no, now you get a wax sprayed on, and 10 feet down the line, you get a "velocity wax"
"Wow, a velocity wax. How is that different than the spray right before it?"
Uh, the manager's right here....uh...mike....what's the velocity wax?

Mike mumbled some crap, I really didn't care. Cars today don't really need much waxing, if at all. I wanted the inside spruced up.

I go outside and my car comes out, and gets pulled up to the guys that wipe it down.
I go back to the cashier and ask her "how will those guys know I purchased an interior detail? That'll take more time, shouldn't they have pulled the car to the side for someone to do?" That's what they did when you got the hand wax.

"oh no" she said "the detail inside was already done. they do it before it goes into the wash" Well, it did take a little longer than usual for the car to come out of the wash, so, ok.

I go back up and walk up to the car while the guys drying it off. I look inside....

There was no detail work done! In between the seats, in the cup holder, a wadded up piece of gum wrapper was still there, there was dust and spilled whatever on the shifter, on the inside door were the 3 drops of ketchep that had squirted out of the packet.

Back I go to the cashier..."nothings been done"
That's when she told me the "interior detail" consists of spraying armour all on the dash, and wiping it down.....I never even use armour all.

"So, you're telling me, that, according to you menu here, I just paid....(looking) FIFTEEN DOLLARS to have someone squirt 2 cents worth of armour all on my dashbord, and wipe it down?"

Uhm....let me get the detail guy.

Detail guy came out with me and proceed to scrap off my ketchup, and get off the other miscellaneous gunk that happens while your driving around.

Drive home, later on go back out while the sun is going down....son of a bitch if the windows aren't all clouded over with velosity wax that hadn't been wiped off! Couldn't see it when the sun was high.

Anyway, some vinegar, water and elbow grease took care of that. Now the cars clean, but don't you just hate rip offs like that?