TLDR: This gas station has a unique business model (a nearly-full service gas station) that will appeal to some customers but irritate many others due to poor execution of the business model.
I struggled with how many stars to award this Chevron station, because it does offer some unique benefits. Those benefits, however, come at a great cost as the station executes its business model (poorly).
So let's start with the benefits/plusses: When the management and/or ownership changed hands earlier this year, they instituted a "radically conventional" business model that offers unique benefits. Yes, radically conventional. Conventional in the sense that management revived the very old, very traditional concept of a full (or nearly full) service gas station. Now, younger readers here on Yelp might wonder, "what the heck is a full service gas station?" Well, it is/was a model in which an attendant meets and greets you as you arrive at the station, pumps your gas, and sometimes cleans your windshield and checks your tire pressure. This Chevron station tries to replicate that model. Nostalgia immediately sets in as you head to the gas pumps: young attendants in white uniforms politely meet and greet you and offer to fill your gas tank as you remain in your car. You hand him (they were all men when I went there) your credit card and they pump gas, process your credit card payment right there at the pump, then return your card. Great experience ... until the next phase kicks in. Things get interesting. Read on....
The attendant(s) will try to sell you on a car wash subscription, and it's a HARD sell. As of several months ago, when I fell for this deal, subscribers were charged $12.99 per month for the first two months for unlimited car washes. (Note: the credit card that you hand the attendant will be entered in the gas station's database, along with your car's license plate number.) This charge is per vehicle, so if you enroll two cars, you'd be charged $25.98 monthly. After the first two months, your monthly fee jumps to $29.99 per month per vehicle ($59.98 per month for two vehicles). You'd get unlimited car washes every month for the duration of your subscription. If you visit the gas station at least twice per month (per vehicle), the subscription will probably pay off. However, if you don't, I think you won't benefit from the ongoing subscription. Meanwhile, your credit card will be charged monthly, until your subscription is formally canceled.
Don't get me wrong: an ongoing monthly subscription WILL benefit some customers, namely those who plan to visit the car wash at least twice monthly. I think many customers, however, won't benefit. For them, the subscription would be a waste of money. (I'm one of them.)
What I particularly dislike about the station's execution of this business model are (1) the HARD sell of the subscription and (2) the failure of the attendants to disclose the details of the subscription. They don't provide a copy of the written contract (at least didn't for me) that discloses the terms of the contract. In fact, I had never seen the written contract until I ran across another Yelper's review that included a snapshot of the contract. I thank that person, because I wouldn't have otherwise known how to cancel the subscriptions for my two cars, which I ended up doing.
Suggestion for the management: Produce a tiny, colorful brochure that briefly spells out the terms and benefits of the subscription. Hand the brochure to all customers who aren't subscribers. Ask the customer if he/she has any questions, and engage him/her in a discussion ONLY IF he/she does. Stop the HARD sell immediately. You're losing customers and $$$ with constant hard sells of all customers/cars not in your database. Long-term, return customers are a blessing. Actions that annoy prospective customers on their first couple visits isn't good business practice.
I've decided not to return to the station because I don't want to be given the hard sell every time. I don't want to prepare myself to tell the attendant "NO" every time. That would, and did, get old very quickly. read more