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Gas Stations

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dbgpowerwash

New member
I think I will give up on trying to get any work involved with gas stations. Every one I talk to has some one doing it for way low. Several are doing it for $75 and the most I could find was $150 and the guy actually wasnt doing too bad. I just dont see how you could any money at even $150 let alone $75. Besides that, I do a demo and all they say is thats great can you do it for $75? I have had problems with low ballars, but not like this, its like they cornered the gas station market and the owners dont mind a poor job???
 
I understand what you are saying. We have stations here that are so bad I dont even want to step out and fill up because I know I will get diesel fuel all in my truck from my shoes. I fill up at one station more than others and its pitiful. I offered to do it for $85 just so I wouldnt have to stand in it week after week. But I still didnt get the work. Folks just dont care. They dont see dirt and oil like we do. To us its a sore eye. To them, its normal. I'm afraid we are going to have to learn to get by on less and less. I"ve read on this board that some are charging $5 for a day cab in some places. I've not seen anything like that yet but its coming I'm sure. I'm a lowballer myself but not that low. Then again, I just got a cracker barrel for $350 from a guy who charged $200 but he did a bad job. I just dont know.
 
You need to push the education side of our industry to these stations. Remember its not being cleaned for looks because that same old drippy caprice or station wagon that left the large puddle of oil your seeing will be back time and time again. The issue with stations is your cleaning for compliance with the CWA. They are non-compliant when it the present washer rinses that parking lot off and the water runs down into the sewer system. If the owner gets out there with a bucket of water from his little stands near the door that are full of ice and Colt45 when he throws the water down on the pavement and if the water goes into a drain he is non-compliant. Your cleaning these stations for safety reasons as well. No one wants to drop a cigarette in a bucket of oil and fuel so why would you allow it to sit on the surface, I am sure it would be a freak accident if you actually did drop a cigarette on the ground beside a gas pump however if it were to flame up that would raise alot of eyes as well as lawsuits across the board.


Remember all it takes is one freak accident to happen. If a restaurant has an in-house wash being done without the proper training being given as well as safety precautions being used, then if and when that employee gets hurt from a pressure washer the restaurant is liable and can face large lawsuits because of the misuse of their equipment and not being trained. Once it happens expect to see alot more filed soon after from another money hungry employee
 
mobilewashpros said:
You need to push the education side of our industry to these stations. Remember its not being cleaned for looks because that same old drippy caprice or station wagon that left the large puddle of oil your seeing will be back time and time again. The issue with stations is your cleaning for compliance with the CWA. They are non-compliant when it the present washer rinses that parking lot off and the water runs down into the sewer system. If the owner gets out there with a bucket of water from his little stands near the door that are full of ice and Colt45 when he throws the water down on the pavement and if the water goes into a drain he is non-compliant. Your cleaning these stations for safety reasons as well. No one wants to drop a cigarette in a bucket of oil and fuel so why would you allow it to sit on the surface, I am sure it would be a freak accident if you actually did drop a cigarette on the ground beside a gas pump however if it were to flame up that would raise alot of eyes as well as lawsuits across the board.


Remember all it takes is one freak accident to happen. If a restaurant has an in-house wash being done without the proper training being given as well as safety precautions being used, then if and when that employee gets hurt from a pressure washer the restaurant is liable and can face large lawsuits because of the misuse of their equipment and not being trained. Once it happens expect to see alot more filed soon after from another money hungry employee
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Not to mention the lawsuit liability if/when someone slips (or claims they slipped) and claims they hurt their back. Trying to save a couple hundred dollars a months pails in comparison to a lawsuit for a back injury.

The CWA angle is good, but the same station owner that doesn't want to pay $100 a cleaning certainly won't want to hear the additional costs involved with reclamation.
 
With all the Patel's owning the gas stations you can forget making good money from them. I will drop a card with the station but seldom really try to sell the job. I had enough dealings with them when I was in the car business......
Some of them want to know what your rig cost....like it would be worth them going out and purchasing a hot water skid to sit around back so they can clean themselves. When they hear I have over $20k tied up in equipment to just get started they change their minds. But they still dont mind offering to pay you $10 per hr to clean.
I know everyone is in business to make money, and for them to offer something like that for the service I provide is an insult.
We have a saying in our weekly poker game,,,,,You cant fix stupid!!!!
 
I explained to one owner that it would take a minimum of 2 to 3 hours to do a good job. He said the guy that does it for $75 takes 4 hours. I think he is full of it, or the low ballar just doesnt make any money at all.
 
Maybe the low baller just needs something to do. I know we value our time and I would not spend too much time with that station. Just leave on good terms with him and make sure he has your contact info........when the low baller burns up another Lowe's Troy Built he will not be able to replace it with the money he is making.......and Lowe's will only let him return a few of them before they realize he is using it for commercial work and will not replace them anymore......
 
dbgpowerwash said:
I think I will give up on trying to get any work involved with gas stations. Every one I talk to has some one doing it for way low. Several are doing it for $75 and the most I could find was $150 and the guy actually wasnt doing too bad. I just dont see how you could any money at even $150 let alone $75. Besides that, I do a demo and all they say is thats great can you do it for $75? I have had problems with low ballars, but not like this, its like they cornered the gas station market and the owners dont mind a poor job???
Click to expand...


Price on service Stations have actually gone up.
 
yeah now its $75 lol

down here the only gas pumps cleaned ob a reg basis are the valeros and they do a
Sh!tty Job.
 
We do each station at an average of $700 each visit just for sidewalks and island concrete 2 times a year . Then we do the canopy's once a year for $1200 each. I also have the striping contract for all stations 2 times a year.
 
MikeM said:
We do each station at an average of $700 each visit just for sidewalks and island concrete 2 times a year . Then we do the canopy's once a year for $1200 each. I also have the striping contract for all stations 2 times a year.
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Re these and
Nice to see the $ amount with the work. I would like to go after these as there are many around here that could use a cleaning, but until I get the correct chemicals and heat I will keep looking and learning. How many pumps are there or how many lanes are there?
 
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