ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603280023
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL STAFF WRITER
THE $20 CERTIFICATES promise at-home service. But getting an appointment hasn't been easy.
Some Roanoke Valley residents who have waited through rain, snow and cold weather to have their cars washed will have to hold out a little longer, as a local car wash company copes with the controversy created by a backlog of customers and a change in ownership.
Jennifer Farmer, owner of the new Professional Car Care Services, said Wednesday she will honor certificates sold by VIP Customer Service, the company she bought March 15. But she will not issue refunds to customers, some of whom have been waiting almost two months. Farmer changed the company's name after buying it.
Meanwhile, Roanoke police are investigating VIP's business practices after receiving "numerous" complaints from customers and former employees.
VIP, formed in January by Stephanie Peters and her business associate, Tommy Fisher, hired telemarketers to sell $20 car wash certificates by phone. Customers would set up appointments to have their cars washed, and mobile crews would go to clients' homes or offices to do the job.
But because of its weather policy, VIP began accumulating a backlog of customers almost from its inception back in January, said Heather Mitchell Brodie, a Blacksburg attorney representing Peters and Fisher. The company told customers that appointments would be canceled - without notice - in bad weather.
"Since Jan. 15, how many days have we had that it wasn't raining or snowing or under 40 degrees?" Brodie asked.
About 300 car wash certificates were sold between January and March, Brodie said. About 40 cars have been washed.
Peters, who lives in Christiansburg, said she decided to sell the business because she has small children and the company was taking too much of her time. Farmer, a friend of Peters', had wanted to start a similar business in Christiansburg for some time.
Peters would not say how much Farmer paid for the business, but she did say the contract stipulates that Peters and Fisher will train the new owner and help her honor all the certificates they had sold as VIP Customer Services.
"We will be here until all the cars on the books are taken care of," said Peters, who on Wednesday was calling customers. She said she also will send letters telling customers that their VIP certificates are still valid. No refunds will be issued; Peters said the certificates specify that all sales are final.
Sale of the company was completed March 15, Peters said. But Peters and Fisher were called away on personal business before Farmer could get the office keys from them, Peters said, and that's when the current problems began. The office was locked and empty for a week, so customers and employees who called got the phone answering machine. By week's end, the machine's tape was full and was no longer accepting messages.
Theresa Gentry, a former VIP employee who quit March 14, said she and other telemarketers began to get calls that week from concerned customers - most of whom were friends or family members - who hadn't been able to make appointments. When the employees couldn't locate Fisher or Peters either, Gentry said, they began alerting clients.
"We owed it to these people," Gentry said. "Something had to be done."
She said she was glad to hear that Farmer is willing to honor VIP's certificates.
"If they do that, God bless them," she said. "That was my main concern. As long as that's done and the consumers are protected, that's all that matters."
Brodie said she can understand customers' concern.
"I can see where a person would wonder, if they called the business and the answering machine was full," she said. "But a one-week transition for a new business is not all that ridiculous."
"I would have been concerned myself," Farmer said. "I'm sorry that we had some unhappy customers."
But Peters said neither she nor Farmer intended to make a quick buck at the community's expense.
"If we had started out to do that, we would not be here now and not be responding with courtesy letters," she said. "We live around here, too."
Peters said they hadn't planned to start back to business until next week. But after news media heard of complaints about the company, they set up several car washes Wednesday afternoon. Peters said this was arranged as a "courtesy to [WDBJ] Channel 7," which taped the event.
All telemarketers, with the possible exception of one woman, have been paid for all completed sales, Brodie said. This woman had sold certificates, she said, but no one had been available to collect the money and deliver the papers, so the telemarketer didn't get paid. Anyone who believes he or she still is owned money should call the company's office, she said.
Farmer said it will take her a few days to get all the bookwork straightened out, and then another couple of weeks to alleviate the backlog.
In the meantime, Roanoke police continue to handle complaint calls from customers who have paid for car washes but haven't received any services. Sgt. J.E. Castleman of the criminal investigation bureau said the department must now determine if the problem was due to simple mismanagement or intentional deception.
"We've received complaints from numerous people," Castleman said. "But when you talk about inept management, that doesn't necessarily mean it's criminal."
LENGTH: Medium: 98 linesby CNB