Car washes overcharging on VISA swipes

[mr2mike]

My rant...
I use my VISA at my regular car wash places because it's easy and convienient. However, the past little while, I've noticed that I've either been double charged with two transactions for the same amount or now the latest, I was charged double of what the final cost said on the screen when I ended the wash.

These said places are:
Brentwood Car wash
Spy Hill Car wash

Anyone else with similar experiences?
I have reported both to VISA and will be going back to standard coins for payment.

[spikerS]

yeah, I had this happen to me a number of years back, only once mind you, but ever since, I have moved back to loonies and toonies, and now it is a moot point because Baygirl and the girls got me a nice pressure washer for father's day.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


Can you use that in the city to wash your car? Won’t the bylaw police come and fine you with Nenshi standing behind them squinting angrily?

As long as no detergent is used.

[schocker]

I don't think I ever got double charged at spyhill, but have gone back to coins mainly and now I just go to big bucket because spyhill are always dicks about drying inside when there is no one waiting and the bays are empty.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Dammit those are the only two car washes I use, I better start checking my bill.

[BigShow]

Exact same thing happened to me at the carwash in Harvest Hills, tried phoning the number listed at the carwash and could not reach anyone. Phoned Visa and they got rid of the charges no questions asked.

[heavyD]

Originally posted by Xtrema


As long as no detergent is used.

I do the two bucket was a couple of times a year. If your neighbors are dicks enough to rat you out at least you know it's game on for when they are making too much noise or leaving cars on the street for too long, etc.

Car wash soap is milder than dish detergent and when you consider all the crap the city puts on the streets in the winter I really don't understand the big deal myself as it's not like when you went down any street it was full of people washing their cars as even in the old days it was a very occasional thing. It's bad enough I'm out there every day digging weeds out of my yard and spraying because the retarded weed control act that has basically given all my neigbors free reight to now not give a fuck about their lawns making the place look like crap compared to 10 years ago. I miss Calgary 20 years ago.

[Axe]

+1 about the neighbors and weeds...

Canadian Tire sells a biodegradable car wash (makes me feel better about doing it on the driveway) - Fortunately our neighbors also wash cars on their driveways so I have not had any issues.

[Cyriel]

I got overcharged a few times at my local car wash, now I just go and get a receipt everytime I use it so I have some proof. As soon as I started getting receipts I haven't been overcharged again. This is in Chaparral.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


Can you use that in the city to wash your car? Won’t the bylaw police come and fine you with Nenshi standing behind them squinting angrily?

I pull the truck up onto the front lawn, or onto the gravel parking pad in the back. No issues with bylaw, at least not yet, and they have driven past as I am washing.



Originally posted by heavyD


I do the two bucket was a couple of times a year. If your neighbors are dicks enough to rat you out at least you know it's game on for when they are making too much noise or leaving cars on the street for too long, etc.

Car wash soap is milder than dish detergent and when you consider all the crap the city puts on the streets in the winter I really don't understand the big deal myself as it's not like when you went down any street it was full of people washing their cars as even in the old days it was a very occasional thing. It's bad enough I'm out there every day digging weeds out of my yard and spraying because the retarded weed control act that has basically given all my neigbors free reight to now not give a fuck about their lawns making the place look like crap compared to 10 years ago. I miss Calgary 20 years ago.

Dude, head out to Airdrie or Cochrane or any of the bedroom communities outside of city limits. You can still buy the awesome weed killers there and bring it home. I buy the super concentrated stuff, dilute it to the strength I want in my sprayer, and go to town. If the neighbours lawns are infested, I will go spray theirs as well.

[ercchry]

i had the opposite.

for a while i was just using my cc for parking and car washes... probably a solid two months.

turns out prior to that my card was flagged for a "suspicious transaction" and they failed to inform me.

so yeah, two months of free use :rofl:

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by spikers
Dude, head out to Airdrie or Cochrane or any of the bedroom communities outside of city limits. You can still buy the awesome weed killers there and bring it home. I buy the super concentrated stuff, dilute it to the strength I want in my sprayer, and go to town. If the neighbours lawns are infested, I will go spray theirs as well.

Whats a good one to use?

[mr2mike]

I'm not saying it happens every time. But it has happened twice in the last 9 months.
Always with a total equalling a round number like $5 or $6.

Just keep an eye out on your visa bills is all I'm saying.

Agree'd: Spyhill are dicks about drying off inside when it's 9pm on a Tues and it's dead.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by G-ZUS


Whats a good one to use?

Last one I used was Kill-X and I think I diluted it to around a 10:1 ratio.

Just be careful with it, as it can kill grass and such around the weeds too. I usually shoot the mix right into the roots at the base, and a really quick mist onto the leaves, and it works great.

[jdmXSI]

Is there a chance that you may not be ending the transaction once you finish your car wash? I only ask becasue about 5-6 weeks ago when I washed my car at Brentwood, I noticed that the person before me didnt and by that time it was up to $7 or $8.

[mr2mike]

Yes, I'm ending the session as I like to see what it cost me in total. I make sure of that because I've come across the same thing as you. People not ending transaction.

[artieg30]

i dont mean to de-rail this thread but is anyone able to confirm whether or not we can actually wash cars on our property? I'd like to do a few handwashes on mine during the summer months but was told (a long time ago at least) that city bylaw doesn't allow us to dump the car wash soap into the storm drains, is this still true? If that's the case why does Canadian tire even bother selling car wash soap?

[spikerS]

Originally posted by artieg30
i dont mean to de-rail this thread but is anyone able to confirm whether or not we can actually wash cars on our property? I'd like to do a few handwashes on mine during the summer months but was told (a long time ago at least) that city bylaw doesn't allow us to dump the car wash soap into the storm drains, is this still true? If that's the case why does Canadian tire even bother selling car wash soap?

1) it is true
2) people buy it, so Canadian tire sells it.
3) As long as you prevent the soapy water from entering the storm drain it is fine. many people wash on their lawns, or on gravel pads like I do.

[DeleriousZ]

Good to know, I'll check my bills!

[powerslave]

Happened to me at the Midnapore Centex carwash, the one time I didn't have any toonies or loonies. Never using a credit card for a car wash again.

[cam_wmh]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


Can you use that in the city to wash your car? Won’t the bylaw police come and fine you with Nenshi standing behind them squinting angrily?

Nice dig at Nenshi. Bylaw is older than him FYI.

[cam_wmh]

Originally posted by heavyD


I do the two bucket was a couple of times a year. If your neighbors are dicks enough to rat you out at least you know it's game on for when they are making too much noise or leaving cars on the street for too long, etc.

I miss Calgary 20 years ago.

Yeah this. Too many pansies that don't get along, or yet aren't social with their neighbors.

My folks street rules for neighborly comradery.

[bh87]

Originally posted by spikers


Last one I used was Kill-X and I think I diluted it to around a 10:1 ratio.

Just be careful with it, as it can kill grass and such around the weeds too. I usually shoot the mix right into the roots at the base, and a really quick mist onto the leaves, and it works great.

Make sure you read the label of the weed killer you buy, if the weeds are on your lawn make sure it states that its safe for lawns. With Kill-X there is two types: concrete (kills pretty much any plant life, broad or thin leaf) and Lawn (kills broad leaf plants only).

Several years ago when I was still a student I worked for ULS Landscaping for a summer and they used Kill-X for "driveway and concrete" weeds and Roundup for lawn weeds.

[clem24]

Originally posted by artieg30
i dont mean to de-rail this thread but is anyone able to confirm whether or not we can actually wash cars on our property? I'd like to do a few handwashes on mine during the summer months but was told (a long time ago at least) that city bylaw doesn't allow us to dump the car wash soap into the storm drains, is this still true? If that's the case why does Canadian tire even bother selling car wash soap?

You're allowed to wash cars as long as nothing drains into the storm sewers. So wash it on your lawn, in your backyard, whatever. As long as the run off stays on your property and out of the drains, you're not breaking any laws.

Having said that, I hand wash on my driveway. A pressure washer alone, even with hot water that I pipe from inside my house, is not enough to get rid of Calgary road grime.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[89s1]

Fairly sure this has happened to me as well.

[mr2mike]

Ok, looks like I jumped the gun on the last overcharged transaction:

Note back from VISA on the transaction:
You used an automatic terminal and what you saw was a fixed amount of $10 for the purchase authorization that was processed however, once the charge was confirmed by the merchant they corrected the amount to $5. This is common when using automated terminal where the services used may change from one client to the next, the merchant authorizes a fixed amount and then bills the correct amount at the time of billing.

At this time there is no further action to be taken in this matter as the merchant has billed you for the correct amount.


However, the double charged one at Brentwood was reversed by VISA. So it does happen, I guess I was just too quick to judge the Spy Hill transaction.

[DeleriousZ]

Bumping this thread, just checked my cc bill and saw that I got charged for 4 washes on one day from the Big Bucket car wash down in the SE. Do I go thru the CC company or contact blue bucket to fix it?

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by DeleriousZ
Bumping this thread, just checked my cc bill and saw that I got charged for 4 washes on one day from the Big Bucket car wash down in the SE. Do I go thru the CC company or contact blue bucket to fix it?

I would go straight to your CC, they'll fix it in short time, where-as a lazy owner could takes some hassle to get it done.

[gyromonkey]

I'm not sure how many guys are out in Cochrane but the Mountain View car wash (next the the Shell) has rapidly overcharged my credit card, It has a 15 dollar max charge and I wash my Company Truck (GMC Canyon) every week for work, usually 4-5 dollars and when I get my credit card bill I'm billed the maximum I have confronted the owners and they deny it, sadly by the time i get my credit card bill its been to long to prove that i did not spend the 15 dollars. Now if I have to use it I make them write me a paper invoice just in case

Just wanted to let guys know

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by heavyD


I do the two bucket was a couple of times a year. If your neighbors are dicks enough to rat you out at least you know it's game on for when they are making too much noise or leaving cars on the street for too long, etc.

Car wash soap is milder than dish detergent and when you consider all the crap the city puts on the streets in the winter I really don't understand the big deal myself as it's not like when you went down any street it was full of people washing their cars as even in the old days it was a very occasional thing. It's bad enough I'm out there every day digging weeds out of my yard and spraying because the retarded weed control act that has basically given all my neigbors free reight to now not give a fuck about their lawns making the place look like crap compared to 10 years ago. I miss Calgary 20 years ago.

You can get good quality biodegradable car wash soap too. If you care, lol.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by clem24
[B]

You're allowed to wash cars as long as nothing drains into the storm sewers.

Is this for real? I wash mine at home all the time and it doesn't drain to the street, just to my back lawn.

[relyt92]

Originally posted by DeleriousZ
Bumping this thread, just checked my cc bill and saw that I got charged for 4 washes on one day from the Big Bucket car wash down in the SE. Do I go thru the CC company or contact blue bucket to fix it? I had this happen with Centex on 52nd. Did a ~$5 wash, got charged for that wash and for 3 other washes between $5 and $10 the same day. Just called Visa and they dealt with it all.