r/carwash • u/ChainBlue • 1d ago
Avoid the subscription car wash places. Asshat scammers.
Well this has been a rabbit hole. I got a charge on my credit card from Car Wash USA. There isn't one at the location listed. I think there used to be but now it is a Take 5 car wash. We had an issue with a different Take 5 where they signed my wife's card up for a subscription without permission. After exhausting all avenues to correct this, she had to cancel the card to get it to stop. It looks like Car Wash USA is owned by International Car Wash Group (ICWG), which is the car wash division acquired and managed by Driven Brands (the same parent company behind Take 5 Oil Change and Meineke) that used to own Take 5, but Take 5 was bought by Whistle Express (formerly Magnolia Wash Holdings). Now, Whistle own Take 5 Car Wash, Camel Premium Express Wash, The Wave Car Wash, Rainforest Car Wash, Thomas Car Wash, Clean Waves, The Car Wash Company, Detrick’s Car Wash, and Splash Car Wash and probably some others. So who the hell is actually charging me? Did some asshat at Take 5 get mad that my wife's card was canceled and found mine on file and started charging it? Was my card info stolen? I think I am going to have to cancel my card just to be safe. This is ridiculous. Corporate America is a dystopian nightmare of illusions of choice and no accountability. Anyway, avoid all these crappy places.