Change Machine refund

[Walter]

What's the consensus on a good refund policy for an unattended mat? I mean besides being prompt in getting back to your customers. On this board, people have stated a variety of views:

1. To give refunds only in stamps
2. To issue checks only
3. To enclose cash in the envelope (assuming the refund amt. is small) so that customers don't have to go to the bank to cash a check for $3.75
4. To add a buck to the refund amount for the customer's inconvenience
5. To double the refund amount

What's worked for you in terms of retaining your customers' goodwill? Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance...

Walter

[Jim]

I have to admit I don't reconize many "regulars" (customers) in my unattended mat since I am there at different times during the day, but I just take them for their word that they lost money and I refund the exact amount back to them...

On one occasion I did see a woman that I gave a refund to months before and gave her 2 free washes...She was happy...which made me money...

[Kitty]

At the partially unattended car wash in town I had lost money in one of the vend machines at one time, the type you get the cloths or something. I lost a dollar.

At the time I felt it was a pain to fill out the form, but I did take the time to do it. They made it very convenient by locating the forms by the machines. All the changers and vend machines are located in the same area with pencils and paper as well as the drop box to insert the refund slip right there. Within two days, I received cash back for the exact amount as well as a standard apology note for my inconvience. I was impressed at the response time. Prior to this event I was never one to put money in the vend machines for the very reason of fear I would lose money by the machines malfunctioning. But because they were so quick on the refund I have never hesitated to use the vend products they offer since. Machines malfunction, it is a pain to be on the end that doesn't deliver, but the fact they were quick to refund the money made me a more frequent customer and one that does not hesitate to use their vend machines.

In your case Walter, I would only refund the exact amount of lost funds the customer used and wasn't supplied service. I would accomodate customers on a per issue matter if they had situations that were uncommon and far more inconveninet than losing a buck here or there. You should be able to tell by the return slips how aggrevated the customer was by the inconvenience of the malfunction, there wording should tell you exactly how they felt at the time. I would suggest getting a customer number on each refund slip so you could personally contact those that are greatly disturbed by any incident that may have happened in your store.

[Gary C]

if someone requests a refund I almost always give them the amount that they think the machine took from them. The only time I don't is if it is a repeat. If it happens more than once to the same person somthing is not right and then I will look into it a little closer. For the most part they forgot that thay did not put the money in and can't figure out why it won't start. No biggy if I give away a wash once in a while.

Gary

[CharlieS]

Two of my mats are unattended. We leave out refund request slips and process them about twice a month.

We always send out refunds in dollar bills, rounding up to the nearest dollar from the requested amount.

One exception is when I think someone is taking advantage, such as complaining that 4 washers didn't work, or multiple dryers didn't get hot. Usually, these types add a nice comment about complaining to the newspapers and never coming back. I figure that they are no longer customers anyway, or at least, not ones I need, and that their request is bogus. My machines generally work better than any other mat in town.

Another exception is the bill changer. I verify the changers whenever I get this type of request. If it checks out, they get a refund, if not, they don't. If they follow up with a phone call, then I may make an exception.

All this being said, I have never been confronted with a complaint about our refund process, and have had many positive responses.

Charlie

[pete f]

My policy is to never piss off a customer over a couple bucks. Most of them spend about $10 a week, so a customer is a $500+ a year revenue source. I spend "0" per year advertising, so this is my only source of advertising, and it is well worth it.

Everyone gets a refund, even if it is their own fault. I send a combination of cash and stamps, always over the amount lost. You can not send coin unless using a special envelope, at least I was told that by my USPS. People like stamps, they always need one.
If a machine actually broke I round up the refund even more to compensate for the extra trouble the customer had. I have had many comments over time from customers who approach me and thank me for the refund I sent. Some have even used the stamps I send to send back a thank you card! This is the best advertising you can buy.
I send a note saying sorry they had a problem, and most of the time what I found wrong, or that I tried and could not replicate the problem, but will keep and eye on the machine, and thank them for taking the time to fill out a form. I am at my mats 4 days a week, I send out refunds ASAP. I have had people approach me while I was working, maybe say they lost 75 cent in the soap machine,, knowing it is working, I ask when? they might say last week, last month, I always take out qtrs and give them to them.
Most of the time I found them laying around anyway...

As a note, when I get a call about some problem someone is having at a mat ( my cell number is posted to call) I always tell them upfront I will take care of them for a refund, then try to walk them thru whatever problem they are having. About 1/2 end up not wanting a refund. They just like to know it was available to them.

[smellysocks]

i agree with Pete, never let them leave angry, settle it right there. I ask them what would make you happy, free drop off or free wash , i try to stay away from cash but i do whatever it takes to make them happy, i have to much compitition.

[mike]

I agree, life is too short to fight over a buck or two.

[BWJR]

I handle my refunds similar to CharlieS. I have been handling it this way for over 10 years in an unattended laundry. I know most of my customers over the years and very rarely do i have a problem with a refund. We are faithful in mailing back the customers money within a week.

BWJR

[Kitty]

Its fairly easy to accomodate a customer when you are present at the time a machine malfuntions or they lose money somehow in your machines. Walters question was how to handle refunds when you are not present, what happens in unattended stores.
I would guess it is very difficult to maintain a great policy for customers in the unattended atmosphere, but quick returns would be important for those that lose.

[pete f]

Read my post. >>>I would guess it is very difficult to maintain a great policy for customers in the unattended atmosphere<<<

It is quite easy.

[Kitty]

Don't get excited Pete.......

In an unattended atmosphere you don't know if all customers take the time to let you refund them. Many, many customers don't take the time to fill out the refund slips in assumption that it is either not worth their time to do so, or determine it a waste of time that will not immediately fix their problem so they ask themselves whats the point? There is this type of customer out there, and this type of consumer complains about your service and possibly will avoid your establishment on a regular basis. And also could bash the fact they lost money in your place to other customers. Unattended mats are unable to please everyone at the time of dissatisfaction of a machine or the malfunctioning of a machine. My point was that this would be very hard for the unattended mat to combat. Attended mats can immediately assist and eliminate any feelings of dissatisfaction from being the last thing they think about as they leave the store.

You have to think about how customers respond when they receive inadequate services? How many customers tell others of their time in a business that did not measure up? There are many many people out there that bitch about a service while never giving management a chance to correct the problems, same thing here in laundromats. Unattended mats have a disadvantage here, that they cannot ward off problems or even potential problems at the pass.

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by pete f
You can not send coin unless using a special envelope, at least I was told that by my USPS.

I send them exactly what they lost, in bills and coins.
I printed a few dozen forms on heavy stock colored paper expressing my regret for their loss... I just tape the coins to the paper and fold it over with the bills, never had a problem

[pete f]

sure Kitty.

Try owning an unattended mat and see how it works.

You are making a mountain out of a mole hill here.

[Anonymous]

I agree with Pete, its not that big an issue Kitty. If you are unattended it does not make sense to hire an attendant just to please the few people that loose money. People that frequent an unattended mat know there is no one there and either fill out a form and accept it takes a while to get money back or just eat it. The few that get upset are probably ignored if they rant an rave anyway.

Now, in an attended mat they expect a refund within about 30 seconds and can get beligerant if you even question them.

Here is a strange one talking about refunds. Every third full moon (or so) my system will take a bill and not give credit for it. I just verify that the customer really inserted the bill and cheerfully give a refund. The strange thing is I only get complaints about $10 and $20 bills, and maybe once or twice about a $5. I have never gotten a complaint about loosing a $1 bill. My theory here is that they just don't bother to complain about the loss of a single dollar.

[mike]

.. I just tape the coins to the paper and fold it over with the bills, never had a problem

I was told that the machine that grips the letter only holds it by the bottom half inch, so the "taping the coins on the card" removes any problem, unlike putting them in loose, which will jam the machine,

(or upset the monkeys)

......gee, ........I just had a "hylobates flashback"....

[Gary C]

why not just round up to the next dollar? It's much easier to mail. I usally meet them there to refund money. Cuts down on fake claims.

Gary

I don't even have refund cards there. If someone wants one they will contact me. Kirby is right most people just don't care about a buck.

Gary

[Kitty]

Originally posted by kirby
People that frequent an unattended mat know there is no one there and either fill out a form and accept it takes a while to get money back or just eat it. The few that get upset are probably ignored if they rant an rave anyway.

People may know there is no one around in an unattended mat, but they do expect to have the machines work, they do not expect to lose money. Let’s see you lose money in an establishment and see the possible scenarios you could think of that may irritate you beyond your patience.

There was no mention of the necessity of having an attendant in a mat to merely cover any refunds, the process can easily be done in an unattended mat with consistency. Walter’s questions were not attended vs unattended he was trying to get an understanding about the refund process in the unattended markets. While the process is simple, there are other things to think about when contemplating the procedures. In an unattended mat, one rarely has a way of knowing your customer's reaction, and since there is no direct and immediate interaction, the owner has to preplan and do your best to anticipate problems in advance.

[Coinwash]

Originally posted by pete f
My policy is to never piss off a customer over a couple bucks.

Bottom line

Are we all in agreement ? ;)

[Gary C]

I don't know about that. I have had a couple I did not want back. It was easy to piss them off.
:)

Gary

How do you do that quote thing? I can't remember.
Thanks
Gary

[Kitty]

Originally posted by Gary C
How do you do that quote thing? I can't remember.
Thanks
Gary

At the bottom right you will see the key that says quote. Pressing that key will bring you to the post reply screen with the html code for quoting. The quote you try to capture must have all {items [ ]:eek::eek: brackets to remain around the exact quote you are trying to capture

[skidrow]

Recently I had a customer fill out a refund slip for my change machine, my mat is attended. She said she put in a 20 and only got 10 in quarters back, the girl who was on that shift put a out of service sign on it. I have a Rowe BC150, when it shorts some one the yellow light goes on, and I can read the internal computer and it will tell me how many quarters it had shorted someone, the yellow light was not lit when I got there, I also checked the last bill that it accepted strangely enough it was a 1 dollar bill, but behind it was a 10 dolloar bill, which I am assuming that was this customers bill, I found the next 20 about 30 bills behind the 10.
I called the customer and explained how I can tell if there was an issue and she told me she was possitive she put a 20 in the machine, because that is what her husband gave her that day. I said I was sorry, and I was not calling her a liar but I can only go by what the machine is telling me and about the fact I did not see any 20's anywhere near the end of the stacker, and was she sure she did put a 20 not a 10 dollar bill. She then told me thank you for calling and would be taking her business elsewhere. I do not like losing any customers, but I also do not need a customer who is trying get one over on me. What are your thoughts.

[KJD]

Customer filling out a refund slip in a attended mat?
Just what is your attendants job?

[MSKLAUNDRY.]

My opinion on this is quite simple. You need to judge your customers. If this is a regular customer I would offer them services in you laundry for the alleged difference. If they did loose it they would have no problem accepting that offer. This would be the first and last time for that customer.

Now I would not say do this for all customers, so you really have to be selective.

Now, for a measly 10 buck you lost perhaps a 500 a year customer. Is it worth it?

[skidrow]

Yes all customers fill out a refund slip how else would I keep track of the refunds and who is getting the refunds, also they are not to give anything greater than $5 until I reveiw.

[Ken]

If your changer has no good audit system,changer refound will be hard.
I have Standard system 500 and 600,they have great audit system,you can check how many bills are in ,quarters out...I also have Standard EC model and American changer AC model,since they are cheap machines they don't have good audit mode.The newer Standard EC can add audit system and the new American changer has audit system too.I don't know much about Rowe.
I had problem with my Standard EC since my customers know I can not audit them so my emplyee were giving refund all the time,I finally stop cash refund,free wash only,still get a lot of them!so I finally set both EC to one dollar only for one year,finally stop!I give customers free wash even I know they lied but no cash refund!My attendant only allow to give $1 cash refund.
If I were you,I would give the customer $10 free service.

[Neil]

Marc has it right. Giving back an equal amount in services should be fine for the customer. If it isn't they may be scamming you. While there is no doubt in my mind that she did put a $10 bill in the machine, she may not realize it. She may really believe that it was a $20. If she is a regular, it's best to give her the free services and keep her. If she does it a second time, then it's time to put your foot down.

[Neil]

I have an unattended mat and I have gotten a couple of refund requests. On the other side, I have gone in and had a customer tell me they lost money an hour before and I gave them a refund. She was not going to bother to fill out a refund slip for such a small amount.

Most of the customers know me as I go in 2 - 3 times through the day so they just tell me the next time they see me.

[Andy]

One mat i was in had a sign on each changer that read "please ask the attendant for assistance when inserting $5, $10 and $20 bills." This way the attendant can verify the bill if there is a problem. They said they do not give refunds unless the attendant saw what happened. You could word the sign also to say something like refunds will not be issued unless an attendant has witnessed the problem.

I know this is useless for unattended mats and very busy mats where it would not be practical for the attendant to witness each bill going into the changer. But it may cut down on fraudulant claims and you can use your discretion with regular customers who you believe had a legitimate problem.

[Neil]

If you are going to do that, why not just program the changer to only accept ones and have the rest changed manually by the attendant?

[SudsMan]

Hi Folks, haven't been on line in several months but I just HAD to weigh in on this one. I agree with Marc. But I'd also add that , if it is a regular customer whom you like to see, give back the $10. I'd also explain that you usually don't give back money in such a situation, but since the customer is a regular, you are making an exception just for her as a way of making her happy. What's $10 in the overall scheme of things.

[SudsMan]

Always write a personal letter, on our company letterhead, expressing our sorrow for their problem, what we found was the root cause of the problem (if there was a cause found), tell them what we did to fix the problem, send back double the money (rounding up so I can send only bills), thank them for using our store and hope that we see them again soon.

The only exception I make to the double the money back policy is if the bill changer malfunctions. In that case I send back exact amounts.

I've picked up several new customers from this practice, when my existing customer raves about how nice we are. (Of couse I don't advertise the double the money practice. )

I also keep all refund requests. I also keep a copy of the letter on my computer, filed by last name. This way I can detect repeat requests. BTW, I've also found that requests for refunds can be an early indicator of a potential large machine problem.

[MichaelCa]

Coinwash(Jonathon's) question is rejoined by an amen from me.

even though 95 % of my refunds are ALWAYS for the same thing:
@#!% no-spin/wet .

I usually include a brief note explaining about over-soap, and thanking them for their business.
BTW, i do keep a file of their complaints, to recognize duplications.

As to form of payment - Cash.
No stamp, no USPS, all my customers live within 2-3 blocks, so i just drop off at their apartments.

[pete f]

I thought this was anwered by me in another post. Don't piss off a customer over a few bucks.

The key here is CUSTOMER.
Change machines can do anything, lucky most of the time they work fine. Same goes for customers themselves.

My first question is always are you doing laundry? ( mine are unattended) If they say yes, I try to find out if they have been there before, ie, have you had trouble with the changer or washers before? If I figure they are a regular, I take care of the problem, even if it is thier fault. In your case it would have been real easy to give $10 worth of free wash, as you have an attendant. That might have cost you about $3 in water. Where can you advertise for that cheap and get a $500 a year customer from? And you might get another one or two from the "goodwill" becuae they tell a friend. The flip side is say no, piss them off, they tell 10 friends.
Giving away money is not that hard, consider it public relations expense.

Marc, Sudsman, and others say it well also.

[Gary C]

I don't advertize at all so I consider the good will of refunds the same as advertizing. Pete is right they will tell alot of people that you treated them well.

Gary

[goingtoarizona]

It's not that they don't complain about the $1 bill, it magically turns into a twenty. We are unattended, and issue refunds on the spot etc.But far too often a customer will mis-count coins, and be one (and sometimes 5 or 6) coins short, and claim they put $5.00 in quarters in a $2.25 vend machine. Luckily this seems to happen right after we pull the coins out. We'll open the coin box, and voilla, there's only eight quarters, where did the other three dollars go????