Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Ernie's Touch-Free Auto Wash's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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Ernie's Touch-Free Auto Wash has 5 locations, listed below.

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  Ernie's Touch-Free Auto Wash

  579 Millbury Street Worcester, MA 01610

• 

  Ernie's Touch-Free Auto Wash

  888 Southbridge Street Auburn, MA 01501

• 

  Ernie's Touch-Free Auto Wash

  114 West Boylston St. West Boylston, MA 01583

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  Ernie's Touch-Free Auto Wash

  One Meadow Road Spencer, MA 01562

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  Ernie's Touch-Free Auto Wash

  215 Grove Street Worcester, MA 01605

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/21/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  01/19/2025 @1:00pm. *********************** ******* ma ***** earnie's car wash. I pulled up to a vacuum station and got out of my truck. When I stepped out I slipped on ice and suffered instant pain in my leg and back. I got back in my truck to drive away and noticed blood all over my pants. I got out and tried to stop the bleeding with paper towels. I drove back around the car wash and notified the employee of the incident and showed him my leg and the blood all over myself. He said "I'm putting ice melt on it". I felt nasious and nervous and drove off. By the time I got home I had blood on the floor of my truck and my leg was still bleeding. I was treated at home by my wife, I didn't want to go to urgent care for treatment. I emailed earnie's corporate multiple times and called corporate multiple times with no response. I wanted to file a accident report to have on file and had no plans on taking this matter any further. The weather was not an issue. ****** maps screen shot verifies my time-line.The employee had long hair but I didn't get his name. I'm sure the employee time clock and schedule will narrow it down to who I notified of the incident.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/22/2025

  In our initial investigation into the matter, we have been unable to corroborate the details of this claim. However, the claim has been duly noted, as requested.
  
  
  If Mr. ******** as he has stated in both his email and BBB complaint, has no plans of taking this matter any further, then we will view the email sent by *********************** (which states Mr. ******* was at our establishment on the 18th),and the BBB complaint (which states he was at our establishment on the 19th), as the duly noted claim on file (requested &mentioned above), and no further action is required or necessary.
  
  
  If the matter is to remain open for discussion, further investigation and or pursuit, it is incumbent upon Mr. ******* to make contact with the manager at our ******* location, as soon as possible, in order to set an appointment to go over all the details of his recent visit, in person, at our ******* establishment.
  
  
  Be advised, our ******* location phone number is **************. The managers name is ****, and he is normally there between ******** Monday through Saturday.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/22/2025

   I feel doubt in the response from earnie's car wash of my visit due to my date of the incident being incorrect. I sent along a ****** maps screen shot to show the exact day and time. Now earnie's can have an easier time narrowing down the timeliness in question.  

   I really don't appreciate being questioned by my incorrect dates. My fault. 

  A simple response would have been sufficient,

  Not offering an apology for the ice not being treated or a wellness check email would have shown earnie's cares about their customers. 

   By the smug attitude of the employee and the response from corporate earnies they really show they don't care about their customers. 

   The dollars spent is all they care about. Maybe if I didn't cut my leg and wasn't bleeding all over myself I would have continued to clean my vehicle, spending money $$ and been a more valuable customer to earnie's car wash. 

  I will never return to earnie's because of the way I was treated. 

  Lack of caring 

  Doubt of my dates of visit

  No response to my emails 

  No response to my phone calls 

  No apology for the ice not being treated.

  No asking how I'm doing after all this.

  I plowed and salted parking lots for over 20 years in my working career, I get it, accidents happen.  Try having a little sympathy and care for your customers.  After all no customers no earnie's car wash.

  Sincerely disappointed 

  **** ******* 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/23/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Our 2022 ***** was brought to Ernies on 10/16 for a touchless carwash. The employees used a brush on our truck and when we got the truck home there are visible swirl/scratch marks all over the trucks paint/body. I contacted Ernies on 10/16 and spoke with the assistant manager at the ****** location who provided me a number for **** in corporate. I left **** a voicemail on 10/16 and 10/17 without a return call. I sent an email with my complaint on ***** and did receive a call back that evening from **** who asked my husband to meet him at the location on 10/18.When **** met with my husband he stated the swirl/damage marks were normal wear and tear and ignored my husbands complaint. We had a 3 year ceramic coat (which included paint correction prior to service) completed in October of 23, which cost $1200 and now needs to be redone to remove the damage caused by the use of their brushes on the vehicles paint.The website states the brush/handwash would not be used on the vehicles body/paint and rather is used on wheels, lights, glass. Why would a touch free carwash place a dirty brush that is used to clean wheels on someones auto body paint? **** has been extremely discourteous and unprofessional in his interactions and I sent an email requesting contact or his supervisors information on 10/18 that has gone unresponded to. As a result, I am unable to reach anyone to get this resolved.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/21/2024

  After meeting with the consumer and inspecting the vehicle in question, on or about 10/18/2024; we were unable to reach an agreement. Upon inspection, it was not clear to me what exactly the claim was implying, as I struggled to see where there was any damage at all. Though there remained the insistence of damage, I had to conclude, and still remain firm, that there was no connection between the business and any implied/suggested damages. Though our position will not change, if the consumer wishes to pursue the matter through their own insurance or via small claims court, they certainly have the right to do so.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/28/2024

  
  ********** ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  The business states there was no damage when it is clear there is. Their response states we can file an insurance claim or pursue through small claims, which is not a reasonable resolution. Filing a personal insurance claim could inflate a personal insurance policy premium. The car wash needs to take responsibility for the damages they caused and wed be more than happy to speak with someone and show the vehicle to someone who is acting I. Good faith of the consumer.
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/06/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered a coupon book of 5 prepaid car washes to this business on their website because it stated touch-free and I have a brand new car that I just had polished and ceramic coated. I wanted to avoid touch car washes so I dont get scratches/swirl marks in my paint after already having to fix the factory swirls. Ernies car wash in Auburn prior to going through their touchless car wash uses big brushes that have been using the same water for who knows how long. Any true car enthusiast knows this is terrible for your paint, at first i thought they were going to just do my windows and next thing you know they are scrubbing every single body panel. I left and now my cars paint has tiny scratches all over the surface. I literally only went here due to the fact it said touch-free. To me this is false advertising, what part of touch free do you scrub the whole car down with the same brushes youve been scrubbing every other car down with.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2023

   

  An email, from ***** was originally sent to ********** on January 30, 2023 in response to the concern at hand. ********** didn't see the email, which ended up in his "spam file". Not realizing **** had attempted to reach out to him, ********** then reached out to the BBB. Upon receiving the BBB email, **** immediately called ********** for conversation on the matter. We are confident the issue will be resolved in short order, between **** and **********. ********** will be able to confirm this once it has been.... ****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/09/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************