As an American Hispanic who recently moved to the Vancouver area, I had a very uncomfortable and…read moredisappointing experience at King Car Wash in Vancouver, Washington. This happened on two separate occasions, and it made me feel disrespected and unwelcome as a customer.
The first incident happened about three weeks before March 5, 2026, while I was washing and vacuuming my car. A younger employee/manager came up to me in a very aggressive and cocky way about my music. My radio was not extremely loud, but instead of speaking to me respectfully, he came over with an attitude and even reached into my car and touched my radio knob. I felt that was completely inappropriate. Nobody should be touching a customer's car or belongings without permission.
After that, he kept circling around me and staring at me while I was trying to finish cleaning my car. It felt like he was trying to intimidate me. I stayed respectful and told him there are bigger things to worry about than music at a car wash, especially when the car wash is open to the public.
The second incident happened on March 5, 2026, around 8:38 PM, when I came back to ask about their monthly wash prices. Before I could even wash my car or continue as a customer, the same employee told me I was banned from being there. He said it with a cocky attitude while smiling and laughing, which made the situation feel even more disrespectful. When I asked why, he claimed I cursed at him, which I did not. I never cursed at him.
As I was leaving that same night, around 8:38 PM, he put his middle finger up at me, which was extremely unprofessional and disrespectful.
I also want to say that during the first interaction, I heard him mumble something that sounded like "you dark people." I do not know exactly what he meant, but it made me feel like there may have been a racial issue involved. Being new to the Vancouver area, that made the experience feel even worse.
A business that is open to the public should treat every customer with respect. This employee appeared younger, but he did not act mature enough to be running or representing a business. The way he acted was disrespectful, immature, and bad for the business.
I'm sharing this because nobody should have to go through that while simply trying to wash their car or ask about monthly prices. Customers deserve respect, fairness, and professionalism.