Can They Get Their Code? Nein!

I work at a gas station with a car wash. Some people get confused as to how buying a wash is supposed to work. You can pay three ways. You can drive right up to the machine kiosk and use your credit card — but ONLY your credit card — and it can be a little tricky. Most people either like to pay inside by cash or pay at the pump while they’re getting gas. This is easier. Then, they’re given a code number on their receipt to enter at the kiosk, which will start their car wash.

An already inconvenienced old man comes to the counter.

Customer: “My receipt didn’t print out! I couldn’t get the car wash that I paid for!”

This happens commonly enough that I know well that I can just call up the pump transaction on the register and reprint his receipt with his car wash code on it. Naturally, the first thing I ask him is:

Me: “What pump number are you at?”

Customer: “Nine!”

I’m not getting any readout from pump nine. Now, this can happen, too; sometimes the network is slow. He’s getting more and more upset that his car washing wants aren’t being instantly gratified.

Customer: “I’m going to send in a complaint!”

And off he stormed to his car in protest.

It wasn’t too busy, so I looked out the window after him and noticed that there was NO car at pump nine. This irate old man was heading to pump eight, where his vehicle was waiting. I called up the screen to pump eight, and there was his car wash code. I printed it out, and I even had a trainee run out there and give it to him, but he was still determined to be cranky as he accepted it.