Pumpers Laundry - 339 S Pleasantburg Dr, date of visit: Friday, May 17, 2019, 3-5pm
LAUNDRY CARD
You'll need CASH ($1, $5, $10, $20) to get a rechargeable laundry card. Machines do NOT accept debit/credit cards, and they do not accept quarters, so if you do your own laundry (and do not use the drop-off service), you must bring cash. There was a $2 bonus for buying a $20 card via vending machine.
Tip: Insert cards into card readers with the red/yellow (front side) facing the ceiling.
SECURITY
There were no employees on the floor during my visit. I would personally not visit alone late at night for this reason. The facility does have security cameras mounted in the ceiling. I felt safe washing during the afternoon because S. Pleasantburg is a high traffic location.
COST
$10 to do 2 self-service complete loads of laundry (wash and dry); however, some of my clothes were not fully dry after 2 cycles in the dryer and could have used another dryer cycle.
WASH = $4.50 per wash - Maxi load Dexter front-load washers hold approximately 1.5 regular loads.
Time/wash = 1 wash takes ~23 minutes. The machines are old and squeak during the beginning of the cycle, but they do drain well, and I was happy with how clean the machines got my clothes. I used washers 1 and 2 - washer 1 squeaks louder than other machines.
DRY = $0.25 per 8-minutes. After the first 8-minute cycle, all clothes were still damp. After the second 8-minute cycle, most clothes were dry, but jeans, towels, and sweaters were still damp. I used machines 7 and 9. The card reader on machine 9 worked the first try, but machine 7 took three minutes of repeated swiping to read the card.
CART - Two carts with wheels were available in the area where I washed my clothes. Carts do NOT fit under the front load door, so the door needs to be opened before pulling over the cart. I recommend bringing your own baskets.
TABLE - There are a few standing tables for folding laundry. When the facility is not busy (9am-5pm) tables were available. However, at 5pm the facility grew busier, and the lack of carts and tables became an issue.
SEATING - There are hard chairs available for waiting (I would not leave my clothes unattended) but NO tables and NO wi-fi.
OVERALL IMPRESSION - The machines worked, and my clothes got clean, so mission accomplished.
However, the business could benefit from considering customer experience. Having at least one employee on the floor would make a big difference, so would clear/updated instructions. I experienced unnecessary trial and error during my first visit that led me to write this review. The first thing I saw when I entered the laundromat was a broken dollar to quarters machine, so I left the laundromat and went to the bank assuming I would need quarters. After getting quarters, I returned and put my laundry in the washers only to realize that I needed a laundry card. I went to use the vending machine to get a laundry card, but it didn't accept credit/debit cards. I put my laundry back in my baskets, back in my car, and I had to return to the bank and wait in line to get cash, so I could buy a laundry card. If there had been an employee or a sign with clearly marked instructions, or if the machine accepted debit/credit cards, I would not have wasted that time. Large wheels on carts could be replaced with shorter wheels so the carts would fit under the machine doors for ease of use. It would also be a smart investment to purchase more wheeled carts, end tables, and wi-fi to improve customer experience. read more
