I'm tired of feeling like an inconvenience to the employees at Zip's Arden, I pay over $30 a month…read moreto feel like I'm bothering them. On 08/13/26, I got a car wash and went to pull in to the vacuum area, as I was pulling in to a parking spot to use the vacuum and courtesy towels and older employee with gray hair and a goatee threw his hands up as if I was doing something wrong. He then walked to my driver's window and said the vacuums shut down a "7 til 8 PM" (sic), I looked at my phone and it said 7:49 PM, so his lie didn't even add up time wise as it was 11 minutes before 8 PM. If it wasn't a lie then why couldn't I just use them until they turn off? Why would Zip's deliberately shut the vacuums off "7-minutes before the posted operating hours (8 AM to 8 PM), that's just setting your employees up to piss people off. When you first sign up for Zip's monthly wash plans (I'm paraphrasing) the "fine print" clearly says you have access to the facility for use within specific location operating hours, legally you and Zip's enter in to a contract, because if you fail to make payment Zip's uses that fine print to cancel service and sue for any monies due. It says NOTHING about "even though you're within the posted business hours, you must first check-in with employees at that location to see if your presence at that location meets their personal schedules."
If true, which is in doubt, why weren't his comments just an FYI so I would know why the vacuums shut off? What harm was I going to do using the vacuum until it powered off? Why wasn't I allowed to park and at least dry my car off with courtesy towels Zip's provides? The totality of events makes it VERY CLEAR this had nothing to do with the vacuums powering off, obviously! Oh, I'm sorry, not that I myself had been at work since 7:45 AM and just wanted to get home, but my car was in severe need a wash and vacuum with all the rain we've had 4 out of the past 5-days. I worked retail and in the restaurant industry while in college, so I certainly get wanting to go home and being frustrated with people walking in the door at the very last moment. But this isn't retail or the restaurant business where service is needed, my presence at 7:49 PM in the vacuum area required nobody to wait on me, bring me items, cash me out, etc...It takes 5-mintues or less to vacuum my car and I still would've been gone BEFORE the listed closing time of 8 PM. There would've been ZERO INTERACTION between myself and the Zip's employees, not like I was creating extra work for someone...
My wife and I switched backed to Zip's from Hurricane Wash just because we use Airport Rd. more frequently, it's not as if Zips offers an exceptional service. In fact, Hurricane Wash actually offers the better wash experience, they actually take a soapy broom brush to ALL four wheels and always look great awards. Zip's however, I'm lucky if I get someone to just spray my vehicle with a wand before entering the wash, only about 15-20% of the time will someone take the effort to actually do so. As mentioned, we only switched back to Zips for convenience but we should have listened to our gut and remembered the Arden location has NEVER been known for its friendliness to begin with, all you have to do is look at the 1.8 out of 5 customer rating as the reviews speak for themselves.
We are over the feeling of being an inconvenience to Zip's or should I clarify, we are tired of PAYING to feel like we're inconveniencing someone and tonight was just one more reason to cancel and switch back to Hurricane Wash. Poor customer service played a role the first time we left Zip's and I guess we were the dumb ones to think things may have changed. There are (2) other competitors to Zip's Arden that are within 2-miles; Hurricane Wash & Dr. Detail, both of which have as good and better full-service washing facilities and actually attempt to be friendly...
