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winnipeg wash and dent

3K views 32 replies 17 participants last post by  Rayne 
#1 ·
I guess it was going to happen sooner or later, but I would have preferred LATER!!!
Yesterday I took my truck to 'The Chamois' here in Winnipeg, or as I now like to call it, Winnipeg wash and dent. I was in a hurry to get the truck washed, I opted to go there...should have listened to my gut...But NOOOOOOOO I had to take it in there and when it came out there was a huge 6 inch dent on the top of the box. I told the manager, and he told me that NONE of their equipment could possibly have made a dent like that. I told him that was crap and he knew it. I told him this is a brand new truck, I hand wash/hand polish this truck myself. I don't even trust my b/f to wash it. I am extremely anal when it come to my truck.
He asked how I found it. I told him I was finishing cleaning it because they did a crap job on it to begin with.
He told me he would review the video of it.
I told him that I wanted to see the video.
Then he promised to call me today, he didn't I called him back. I explained that there is no possible way this happened before taking it in. He told me that unfortunately this time of year people's vehicles are so dirty that they don't even realize there is damage on it. I again told him I hand wash and hand polish my truck. I know every scratch, every bodyline and every curve on it. I know my truck and that was NOT on there when I brought it in. he told me there was no need to get excited over it, but that it wasn't their fault. He proceeded to tell me that this kind of thing doesn't happen at their facility. I explained to him that it happened to my neighbor ( it did she told them about it and the guy told her stuf like that didn't happen at the chamois) I explained that if this is not taken care of, I do have contacts at the Winnipeg freepress, as well as connections to people at CTV. Not only that but I know a lot of people and they will also not return to this location. His response " with all due respect ma'am (I hate being called Ma'am) Winnipeg is a big city and for the few people you know our business will not be impacted that much"
Bunch of idiots. I have to go in tonight to review the video...UGH!!! NEVER AGAIN!!! WTF now I gotta waste my time when they could admit fault, pay my deductable and carry on with life. But instead I am being told that I am small and insignificant...I will make a bigger deal of this if it is not resolved tonight. no pics yet! iI will once I calm down
 
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#3 ·
yeah I know...I am gonna go watch this video tonight...there is nothing saying it was there before it went in and nothing saying it happened in there...so now what?! it becomes my problem because it is my truck??? FO!
 
#8 ·
LOL I am far to honest for that LOL but great idea none the less..
 
#10 ·
Thanks for that! but if I want them to be honest I have to be honest myself.
 
#31 ·
i feel your pain, i know of a few people around here that have had that problem at hand washes by other people, but i at least urs was a small(er) dent, about 8 months ago..i had to haul some rock for my dad, he didnt want to use his new truck, no prob, so i take mineto the rock yard, pre-weigh it, then go off to get 1 ton on C6 gravel put in the bed...well the guy operating the front loader....missed half of my bed...ran it down the back of the tail gate, then i guess freaked out and smacked the bucket of the bed of the truck.....i was furious....but in the end..i got a new tailgate and rear bumber that they paid for, paint and all...but i will never go back there again
i took my dakota to the chamois on st.james an they scratched it same with my fathers truck...i tell all my friends to stay away from the chamois..i refuse to take my 08 ram there i would have just hit the guy lol wouldn't have solved much but it would make payin the 200 deductable easier. i will hand wash my truck from now on its too big to go in with mirrors open in any car wash. i just got it back from ming two days ago they did the ming finish for 300 and what an amazing shine.
 
#11 ·
Car washes usually have signs that read " car wash is not responsible for any damage to vehicles".
 
#12 ·
oooh that suxs that that happned to you and im gonna have to agree with juice on this one cuz every car wash around has thoes signs so its basically at your own risk type thing but i feel your pain and i wouldnt give up hounding them until it gets resolved and its gonna take a bit because i had a buddy that was in the automatic one and it basically blew up while it was washing his car and they were trapped in there and it did some damages to his car and he had a hard time getting money out of them tight *******s for all the repairs but hopefully that dont happen to you and when you watch the video it will show something hitting your truck and causing this dent
 
#13 ·
OK well....I went to the car wash place...at this car wash they are responsible for damages as someone else driver your vehicle through and cleans the interior. I have been there many times without incident. Well long story short...the video showed nothing....I still maintain it happened there...but their video is inconclusive. I am up the creek....
 
#14 ·
Ouch, that would really piss me off. I actually went into one of those touchless washes back in December. As it was washing I was concerned it might hit my truck however all was well. I try and steer clear of the automatics now completely, took mine to a soft spray hand wash bay several times this winter. Hope you can get some proof however like Juice said, most automatics have those "Not responsible for damage" signs. Good luck and I hope they come clean with you (no pun intended). Keep us posted.
 
#15 ·
Let me guess, between the ultra high resolution camera and the completely clear distortion free high tech camera lens, you could barely make out the difference between a Ram and little red wagon, let alone a 6" dent in the making.

I tried 'Chamois' once....in 2007....that was enough for me.

Good luck in getting your truck back to proper condition. I wish I could offer encouragement, but in all honesty, I doubt you'll ever get any satisfaction out of them unless you are able to get your media contacts to do a story on this.....that'll get their attention, and the manager may have to recognize that 1 person 'can' make a difference. :)
 
#16 ·
I feel your pain, been there and have fought the battle. Do go go the press and have the press show up with you do do the story in front of the place. Just showing up with a film crew might be enough for the management to get things made right.

Good luck.
 
#17 ·
i say go to the papers....put a add on kijiji...make up your own flyers and stick them all over town....do everything you can to put your word out how crocked they are
 
#22 ·
Nice a fellow Winnipegger!!!! Hello!!!

It was at the St James location. My neighbor also bought a new car and took it there...she has a big scratch down the side of her new car after being at the chamois on St James.
The fact he admitted that vehicles will 'bump' into each other and they do admit fault for it, is enough to make me tell everyone NOT to go to the chamois.
 
#19 ·
You can pretty much count on not getting money or repairs out of these people. The best they could do for me was a couple free wash coupons!!
 
#20 ·
Welll again we watched the cameras and if I go to the press they can very easily sue me for defamation of character as their cameras are in conclusive, and in court you are innocent until proven guilty....there is nothing I can do.
I went to the manager, I brought my b/f in with me to have him watch the cameras as well...he also saw nothing...I still maintain that it happened there. When the manager looks at you and says "we have had it from time to time that cars will 'bump' into eachother we have no problem admitting responsibility but I cannot take responsibility for the damage to your vehicle as it was not doen by another car, and none of our equipment could make damage like that'" then turns around and says "dents just dont happen here at our facility" I have a hard time swallowing that. He told me he hopes that I will still return and that I will come back and perhaps next time he and I can go over the truck and check for damages before going therough the wash...Gee thanks *******!!! That made me feel so much better.
He was decent but again there are places that there are no cameras so I know my truck didn't have it before it went in. but really is it worth a huge court battle over a dent that I can probably have removed for like a couple hundred as oppsed to all the court stuff and more time off work...meh I will just go have it repaired.
This place does accept responsibility for damages to a vehicle while in their care because it is NOT just an automated wash...it is a full service place...you pull up someone will open your door you get out, and they immediately go to work vaccuuming, and washing the carpets, then they drive it forward YES THEY drive it...wich is why I didn't want to go there...
They pull it up to a conveyor, they get in it it goes through a wash as they are inside still cleaning...then they pull it up for drying, they dry it and dress the tires...and pull it out the other end for you. So yes your vehicle is in their care....
 
#26 ·
That sucks. I'm sorry to hear about the damage. I would be sick. I had a guy come in our shop with a near perfect truck and he loved it. (it was a cheby but he loved it anyways) He started into a carwash (one with brushes) and he noticed the truck that left in front of him had a ratchet strap come off in the brushes. The ratched beat the crap out of the whole drivers side of his truck. He said it was horrible all he could do is watch as it hit again and again. They actually ended up going after the guy who left before him and the damaged was deemed to be his fault. (the strap was loose on the truck somehow)
 
#29 ·
I had a similar thing happen down here in Texas. I tried one of them Simoniz car washes. They will usually let you sit in the truck as it goes through the automatic wash. There is also a caution sign right before you go through to make sure your antenna is down or removed. But this last time I opted to let them take it through. Guess what happened, the antenna was bent over at the fender(yes, dented around the mount). So, i go back in to talk to the manager and he was nowhere in sight. They said to return later that day to talk to him. Well, later that day I did go back to see the manager. He said that they were not responsible for the damage and I could not prove that the damage was not already there. I asked if they had removed the antenna like they always do, and he said they never remove customers antennas. Well, I took him around to the entrance to show him the sign and the sign was magically gone. I had visited this car wash once a week for the last 5 years, and this is how they treat there loyal customers. So, moral of the story is, if you want it done right, do it yourself.
 
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