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I went into the carwash yesterday never having paid for a full-service detail in my life. Most of my vehicles tend to go unwashed for years at a time - basically because I just don't care about a...
I went into the carwash yesterday never having paid for a full-service detail in my life. Most of my vehicles tend to go unwashed for years at a time - basically because I just don't care about a clean vehicle.
I had to get a car cleaned up for sale, so I asked the front desk for some options. They showed me a menu of services, and also explained some packages they had which were not on the menu.
As the front desk explained, one package was $99 and included four of the services in the menu. Another was $55 and included three of those same services. The difference was an interior shampoo, which ordinarily cost $20.
I didn't understand how I could get all four services for $75 by purchasing the shampoo separately, but they charged $99 for the same work in a package. The front desk couldn't adequately explain this, so I was referred to a salesperson who I found outside smoking.
He appeared nervous. Partly because he had a twitch that he probably couldn't control, but he also talked very fast - almost too fast to keep up with. I didn't get much farther understanding the difference between the two packages, so I gave up and got the $55 one.
So I paid $60 (after tax) for a wash, wax, and shine, a wheel cleaning, a polish of the interior panels, and a general cleaning of the interior. I returned to the store to find a teenage kid waiting to show me back to my car.
The exterior looked great (aside from some scratches which were less noticeable before the shine). I sat down in the driver seat and marveled at the heavy but cute polish on the dashboard. Then I opened the back door and the car looked like it hadn't been touched. There was debris and lint all over.
I asked for it to be re-done, and the kid with me said he'd "go over it again with a shop-vac". I said OK, and walked over to the bank to get some cash for a tip. Walking across the lot, I overheard another kid lamenting about the hour and a half he spent on a vehicle, and the tip he failed to receive.
I got back and there was still some lint remaining on the seat, but not enough to give the kid any more grief. He offered me some choices of complimentary air freshener. His recommended choice was "Pina Colada". I went with "New Car". Then he came back and told me all they had were strawberry and orange, which weren't among the ones he listed the first time. The kid who complained about the tip earlier came over and applied some "New Car". I tipped my guy $5 and went on my way.
I give this place three stars because basically I got what I came for, which was a car that looked ready to sell. $65 may have been a decent price for that, but for that price I also expected to receive the "professional treatment", which I definitely didn't.
On the other hand, they would have needed to make quite a first impression in order to receive the full five stars anyway, since I really have nothing to compare it to in terms of service. Realistically they probably couldn't have earned more than four unless something about the place was just incredible.
The opposite is true as well - I wouldn't dare go too low because the finished product could have been alot worse
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Nowhere else in Knoxville can you get 40 taps and pizzeria-style pizza. Beer selection is incredible. Atmosphere is ethereal. Pizza is one of the top 3, if not THE best in Knoxville. Beer + pizza =...
Nowhere else in Knoxville can you get 40 taps and pizzeria-style pizza. Beer selection is incredible. Atmosphere is ethereal. Pizza is one of the top 3, if not THE best in Knoxville. Beer + pizza = crazy good times.
I will not be completely one-sided though. I gave it four stars instead of five for two small reasons. One and a half, really. The main reason is, outside of pizza, the food is kind of blah. I did go recently and discovered that they had a great nacho appetizer, but my opinion about the menu as a whole remains the same. Nothing remarkable about it. They also eliminated the option to purchase a single slice during dinner hours. That was lame.
The other is rather minor. I consistently find myself waiting at length for my order. Let me clarify this because I believe it's the kitchen that's slow, not the servers whom I usually find to be quite attentive even while covering a large area. This is usually not a big deal because the reason I usually go is to chat and have a good time with several others. The atmosphere almost makes up for the long wait. But sometimes I am just downright hungry and if I'm not having the beer, I really miss the pizza even more.
There is usually good entertainment late at night, and I like to go when I can afford to stay up. During the summer (when school's out) you can usually see a great performance without getting crowded out. It tends to be a little loud though. I would prefer the music be in the background instead of the place turning into an auditorium at 10:00. But the place books great talent, and you can't complain about that. After all, you can always go upstairs where there's no cover and the noise gets drowned out a little bit. It's quieter up there but there's less seating.
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Every time I've been to this place, the service has been ridiculous. That's not why I go back.
I do enjoy the low-profile atmosphere and plenty of choices on the menu. They usually have some...
Every time I've been to this place, the service has been ridiculous. That's not why I go back.
I do enjoy the low-profile atmosphere and plenty of choices on the menu. They usually have some great happy hour specials too. It's a good place to go to watch a game and not be distracted by other customers, or by the servers for that matter!
The first few times I went, I made the mistake of trying to have a nice casual sit-down lunch or dinner with friends and family. That is not what this place is for, although that's how they present themselves. The orders come back wrong half the time, and the servers are very unprofessional and often not very pleasant. You can't get their attention, they sometimes spend 20-30 minutes at a time in the back of the house, and forget about ever spotting a manager.
I sent e-mail to several managers hoping to get their attention on the service. After all, I kind of like the place and I want it to get better so it stays open. But I never heard anything back.
You want a manager's attention? Try walking out without paying. Once I went in to meet a friend for a beer or two after work. I think it was a $1.50 special. I got there before my friend and ordered my drink ahead. Before I finished, I realized I left my wallet and cash in the truck. Left my unfinished drink and went out to get it. When I turned around to come back in, there was the server with an older guy staring at me. And that's my story of the time I spotted a manager at Quaker Steak and Lube. It's an unconfirmed sighting though because I never actually found out for sure he was a manager.
Bottom line - go on a weekend afternoon, or evenings early in the week when the normal customers aren't there, just order your beer, a sandwich and some onion rings, or wings if you're feeling lucky. Don't expect them to go out of their way for you. Leave well enough alone and they'll do the same. Watch your game, pay your check, and don't get too attached to the place, because it might not be around much longer.
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I thought they were a little pricey. I would go shopping if I had to do it all over again. When I figured up the labor cost per hour, it was really too much.
Nevertheless, they were in and out in...
I thought they were a little pricey. I would go shopping if I had to do it all over again. When I figured up the labor cost per hour, it was really too much.
Nevertheless, they were in and out in 24 hours and didn't even have to work past 5:30. I had to wait about four weeks for them to get around to my house, but they do alot of jobs around Knoxville.
The job was pretty professional. There was one place in the back of my house where I thought they should have used step flashing and they didn't, but I haven't had any problems and it's been two years since the work was done.
To their credit, they could have really upped my cost by claiming alot more re-decking work than they had to do. I probably wouldn't have contested it. I consider this honorable.
My main regret is that I probably could have found someone closer to my home that could have done it sooner and maybe even cost less. But that would not cause me to steer people away from them. They minimized the risk of water damage by only having to leave the job unfinished for one night.
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