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Call 11 for Action resolves customer's dispute over local car wash subscription service

Mark Buckenmeyer was asked not to bring his truck through Russ' Car Wash anymore, but he said the business kept charging him.

TOLEDO, Ohio — A Swanton man who was having trouble getting his money refunded for a car wash subscription service came to Call 11 for Action for help.

Mark Buckenmeyer said he was asked not to return any more to the car wash where he had a subscription.

He said he had been going to Russ' Car Wash on Plainview Drive, off of Central Avenue in Sylvania Township, for nearly ten years, taking his modified construction truck, "a couple times a week if that, maybe four times a month."

He liked it so much that he decided to purchase the subscription service.

"There's a monthly subscription where you can pay $40 roughly," Buckenmeyer said.

Buckenmeyer said all was well until August 2023, when the owner told him not to come back.

"He said that he thought my truck was damaging his car wash," Buckenmeyer said. "I said, 'Okay, fine. I'll stop coming to your car wash, but I think you should reimburse me for the month I just paid,' and I think I went through once or twice that month, not positive, but he agreed, 'Yeah,' he would get his son to cut me a check to reimburse me for that month." 

Buckenmeyer told Call 11 for Action that he tried calling the owner to get his refund several times to no avail and eventually stopped into the car wash to speak with him.

"He and his wife were there," he said. "They tried to show me on the computer that I'd gone through there, so they weren't going to give me my money back, so I washed my hands of it."

That is until several months later when Buckenmeyer saw charges for $39.68 to his checking account, dating back to August.

The charges were from "Sparkle Kleen" in Toledo.

"I had no idea what 'Sparkle Kleen' was because the name of the auto wash is Russ' Auto Wash," Buckenmeyer said. "So, I started looking into it. I was Googling what Sparkle Kleen was."

He could not find any contact information.

It was a full-blown investigation to get his money back, which totaled about $240. His bank then informed him that the charges were from Russ' Car Wash.

Text messages shared with Call 11 for Action between Buckenmeyer and the owner's son dated April 8, 2024, show that Buckenmeyer was offered two options: to dispute the charges with his bank or take a free year of washes, though the owner already told Buckenmeyer not to bring his truck to the car wash eight months earlier.

The owner's son also stated at that time that he was canceling the subscription.

"The biggest thing that I'm frustrated with is all their customer service outlets on Google or anything, there's several different numbers I came across," Buckenmeyer said. "Not one of them goes to them, most of them say 'the call can't be completed' or whatever, but then there's other links that lead you to auto detailing shops and they say they have no affiliation with them, so obviously they don't want to be contacted."

Buckenmeyer's bank refunded him, but only for four months of payments, because a representative said the bank could not look further into past charges than that.

Call 11 for Action talked to the Russ' owner's son. He apologized and refunded Buckenmeyer an additional three months of payments totaling $120 in cash.

Call 11 for Action delivered that money to a thankful Buckenmeyer on May 6.

If you have a problem, contact Call 11 for Action to get a solution by emailing 11investigates@wtol.com.

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