Had a major Brexit fright today

Status
Not open for further replies.
Gone a bit heavy this fun thread
That's the good thing about the internatter. Conversations go where they will...

Susie talking to man in Union Terrace Crediton Eos 100 Ilford Film 1996-14_ 07 copy.jpg
 
Having had one of our cars badly scratched by so called professional valets at a main dealer, I don't let anyone else wash our vehicles. I rinse the cars, then snow-foam followed by another rinse, followed by a two bucket wash with a soft mitt and a final rinse. Afterwards I dry them off with microfibre towels. It takes me a while..........
 
errrrr.................yes - they just rent the space to the carwash.
There is a big difference between just renting the space and providing a space with supermarket branding all over it as well as the price menu.
 
There is a big difference between just renting the space and providing a space with supermarket branding all over it as well as the price menu.
......and are the people that work there Tesco employees?
 
A good efficient hand car wash can process 6cars/hour for a basic wash/dry (ten minutes per car). They charge £6 for this on average, so that's £36/hour. It would take 3 people to process cars this quickly so without any overheads whatsoever that is a maximum of £12/hour wages.
This is assuming the car wash is non stop from the minute it opens untill it closes!
Since there is now one on every street corner none of them will be non stop every day so, if you think it's viable and not a scam you are quite frankly 'away with the fairies'!
 
A good efficient hand car wash can process 6cars/hour for a basic wash/dry (ten minutes per car). They charge £6 for this on average, so that's £36/hour. It would take 3 people to process cars this quickly so without any overheads whatsoever that is a maximum of £12/hour wages.
This is assuming the car wash is non stop from the minute it opens untill it closes!
Since there is now one on every street corner none of them will be non stop every day so, if you think it's viable and not a scam you are quite frankly 'away with the fairies'!
As I said before, i can take my car down to the local jet wash and do a basic wash and dry on my own in 10 minutes, a team of 3 should be able to do it much quicker. The speed they work at our local Tesco one of the inside and out full clean and hovers is done in about 15 minutes with on average 4 people on the car. They usually have 3 cars on the go at any one time and that is during the week when it's quiet, on a weekend they are busier and have as many as 8 people cleaning cars.
This is their price list.
https://wavescarwash.co.uk/car-wash-locator.html.
Should be quite easy to run a legitimate business from that.
 
......and are the people that work there Tesco employees?
Why would they have to be? It's not unusual for companies to contract out some work to other companies to keep their own wage bill down.
 
When I have time later I will tell you about the conversations I have with two associates the I used to chat at length with in the Sauna at my local health spa.
They were extremely rich and ran car washes as the main part of their criminal organisation.
You can be as gullible as you want in respect to hand car washes but I reckon the legitimate ones are few and far between!
The conversations I've had with these guys 'removed the scales from my eyes) and I can see why they crop up everywhere these days.
 
When I have time later I will tell you about the conversations I have with two associates the I used to chat at length with in the Sauna at my local health spa.
They were extremely rich and ran car washes as the main part of their criminal organisation.
You can be as gullible as you want in respect to hand car washes but I reckon the legitimate ones are few and far between!
The conversations I've had with these guys 'removed the scales from my eyes) and I can see why they crop up everywhere these days.

Yeah the criminal underworld always spill all their secrets in saunas.
 
Having had one of our cars badly scratched by so called professional valets at a main dealer, I don't let anyone else wash our vehicles. I rinse the cars, then snow-foam followed by another rinse, followed by a two bucket wash with a soft mitt and a final rinse. Afterwards I dry them off with microfibre towels. It takes me a while..........

That's why mine would take well over an hour to do properly, but less so if it's a "catch up clean" which is what most of these places offer.
 
That's why mine would take well over an hour to do properly, but less so if it's a "catch up clean" which is what most of these places offer.
If you have applied a decent wax or sealant, very little dirt will stick. A minute or two with a jet wash will get rid of any dirt and then it's just a case of dry off any water that hasn't run off, with drying towels. Then maybe a quick polish with a good detailing spray.
My car is black and gets that treatment once a fortnight or once a month. If any water doesn't bead or flow off the car, then it will get another coating. Other than that the car always looks shiny and clean, the only dirty areas being on a flat area of bumper beneath the tailgate or on top of the side skirts, inside the doors. Dirty microfiber cloths are just thrown away and replaced, or just used as a rag to wipe my hands.
 
If you have applied a decent wax or sealant, very little dirt will stick. A minute or two with a jet wash will get rid of any dirt and then it's just a case of dry off any water that hasn't run off, with drying towels. Then maybe a quick polish with a good detailing spray.
My car is black and gets that treatment once a fortnight or once a month. If any water doesn't bead or flow off the car, then it will get another coating. Other than that the car always looks shiny and clean, the only dirty areas being on a flat area of bumper beneath the tailgate or on top of the side skirts, inside the doors. Dirty microfiber cloths are just thrown away and replaced, or just used as a rag to wipe my hands.

Neil, please don't preach... I've been looking after my own cars for years. My car has a ceramic coating which was done by a professional car valet company. I'm a petrol head, member of a number of car clubs, I know a thing or two about looking after my car. However I live in a heavy agricultural area, I can't go anywhere without the mud & s*** getting all over the car, even in summer. Moving here was a double edged sword, I have to use great B roads to get anywhere, but those B roads cater for all the farm traffic (including livestock) too.

Anyway, we're off topic...
 
Neil, please don't preach... I've been looking after my own cars for years. My car has a ceramic coating which was done by a professional car valet company. I'm a petrol head, member of a number of car clubs, I know a thing or two about looking after my car. However I live in a heavy agricultural area, I can't go anywhere without the mud & s*** getting all over the car, even in summer. Moving here was a double edged sword, I have to use great B roads to get anywhere, but those B roads cater for all the farm traffic (including livestock) too.

Anyway, we're off topic...
Not preaching at all, the coatings I use are from the cheaper end of the market as opposed to the stuff a professional will use. If mine can last months even in winter (I also have to travel down country B roads every day as the gym I use is on a farm) a professional coating should last 12 months minimum and need no more than a rinse and dry.
 
Hang on, you guys have lost me. You clean your cars???

:tumbleweed:
 
I live in a small village in Hampshire, this time of the year I only have to go a mile down the road and I have half of Hampshire countyside attached to the car. It gets a good clean once a month, by me, with a couple of lights/number plate cleans when required.
 
£4 in Wales and I think there from outside the eu to
£4 in Wales and I think there from outside the eu to

Such as has been said/claimed.....but how many are actually here legally but are being employed under questionable conditions and wages???

Jeff..There’s a few posts re the car washers being exploited. I watched a Chn 5 programme a couple of weeks ago when they teamed up with Trading Standards in a town and they raided a car wash business. Legal Eastern European workers getting below min wage, awful living conditions for which, unbelievably, they had to pay for. Adding insult to injury comes to mind. The TS people said if you’re getting your car washed/vacuumed for less than £8 then your looking at exploited workers. It’s been highlighted on Stephen Nolan’s late evening weekend Radio 5 programme too.
 
I can't go anywhere without the mud & s*** getting all over the car, even in summer.
You wanna see my van after a bit of off roading over a landfill site, no amount of ceramic coating is gonna shift that crap easily :D
I say "My van" I don't actually own it, that's why I'm happy to "take it off road" :D
 
Yep! We are doing our best to keep the shady characters and slave traders out of business and out of the saunas. ;)
I have the same goals which are more easily achieved by leaving it to get dirty. After a certain point any more dirt just falls off under its own weight... :naughty:
 
And for those who don't have access to rural roads or landfills, there's this.
:LOL:
I prefer to get mine the natural way, its far more fun (y)
 
I think it's a bit like the couples you see pushing their trolley round the supermarket, while both wearing green wellies, barbour jackets, and flat caps; image over substance.
 
Better than the horsey bints stinking of horse crap who wander round dropping bits of aforementioned horse poo in the supermarket.
 
Jeff..There’s a few posts re the car washers being exploited. I watched a Chn 5 programme a couple of weeks ago when they teamed up with Trading Standards in a town and they raided a car wash business. Legal Eastern European workers getting below min wage, awful living conditions for which, unbelievably, they had to pay for. Adding insult to injury comes to mind. The TS people said if you’re getting your car washed/vacuumed for less than £8 then your looking at exploited workers. It’s been highlighted on Stephen Nolan’s late evening weekend Radio 5 programme too.


Unfortunately there are people like @nilagin & @KitsuneAndy that think it is all legit and above board; not only that but even though 'the numbers don't add up' they aren't surprised to see the owners running around in £100K + cars?

https://oucriminology.wordpress.com...ganised-crime-and-a-view-from-inside-the-nca/

Good, law abiding citizens with no exploitation eh!
 
Unfortunately there are people like @nilagin & @KitsuneAndy that think it is all legit and above board; not only that but even though 'the numbers don't add up' they aren't surprised to see the owners running around in £100K + cars?
I am never surprised to see people driving around in £100k + cars, there's loads of them about.
 
Unfortunately there are people like @nilagin & @KitsuneAndy that think it is all legit and above board; not only that but even though 'the numbers don't add up' they aren't surprised to see the owners running around in £100K + cars?

https://oucriminology.wordpress.com...ganised-crime-and-a-view-from-inside-the-nca/

Good, law abiding citizens with no exploitation eh!

No I'm sure some are dodgy. Just not all of them. And as several people have shown above, the numbers can add up.

The local one to me charges £5 for a wash and it's done in about 10 minutes. Running costs are low. It's just like any other business playing the volume game.

The owners probably have their fingers in multiple pies. So no, not surprised to see them in nice cars.
 
No I'm sure some are dodgy. Just not all of them. And as several people have shown above, the numbers can add up.

The local one to me charges £5 for a wash and it's done in about 10 minutes. Running costs are low. It's just like any other business playing the volume game.

The owners probably have their fingers in multiple pies. So no, not surprised to see them in nice cars.


Nobody has shown the numbers 'stack up' - far from it; just like your example!

6 cars/hour at £5/car = £30/hour if you are flat out all the time for probably 2+ people

It's more unlikely to find a legit one than a dodgy one ;)
 
Nobody has shown the numbers 'stack up' - far from it; just like your example!

6 cars/hour at £5/car = £30/hour if you are flat out all the time for probably 2+ people

It's more unlikely to find a legit one than a dodgy one ;)
Not all the washes are a splash and dash. Some people pay for more than that.
At our local Tesco, one bloke mans the jet wash, whilst he is spraying the first car, which takes him about 2 minutes at most, his mate is following him around spraying the wheels and painting a cleaner onto the tyre walls, the bloke on the jet wash has moved onto a second car and repeats the same process as does his mate, whilst they are on the 2nd car, a third bloke is shampooing the first car, he will be finished shampooing the second car as the first two are finishing the third car. The bloke on the jetwash will rinse off the 1st car and it is then moved to be dried and replaced by another car ready to be jet washed after the other two have been rinsed off. They are not cleaning one car at a time, they will have multiple cars all at different stages, but all being done all at the same time. The figures don't work for you, because you figure only one car is being cleaned at a time, that isn't efficient, it's not even close.
 
Last edited:
Unfortunately there are people like @nilagin & @KitsuneAndy that think it is all legit and above board; not only that but even though 'the numbers don't add up' they aren't surprised to see the owners running around in £100K + cars?

https://oucriminology.wordpress.com...ganised-crime-and-a-view-from-inside-the-nca/

Good, law abiding citizens with no exploitation eh!

I‘ve read the link..thanks. I’ve read the above posts by Neil and Andy too. In between is the fact that crime has morphed and the crime agencies are sort of playing catch up. As ever criminals usually have more resources than law enforcement (in all fields). I recall in one sentence of the article someone said it’s a case of ‘know your enemy’
 
I just want to know what the scam is. I'm intrigued.

Apparently a typical way a hand car wash is set-up and operated (This is what came from the 'horses mouth') like this:

(1) A new business is registered by the criminal (s)
(2) The person setting up the business arranges for people to be trafficked to the UK (Open borders make this very easy)
(3) the Criminals register these people in the UK before they have arrived (No paperwork required)
(4) A private house is then rented by the criminals
(5) the people being trafficked will not have the money to be transported to the UK - the criminals charge circa £5,000 for the transport with the promise of accommodation and a job once in the UK.
(6) the trafficked people are transported in the back of HGV's etc.
(6) Once the car wash is up and running there are only 2-3 employees registered with that company; all the other people working there are 'self employed' contractors.
(7) The self employed contractors are always the trafficked people and are the ones doing all the hard work.
(8) The private house that was rented is then sub let to a group of the trafficked people; usually up to ten and at an extortionate rate by the criminals.
(9) The criminals present accounts showing that they are only just making a profit and all the overheads are paid legitimately.
(10) Its easy to adjust the accounts because you can show you have contractors working for you who you pay in cash at the end of each day, any surplus money goes into the criminals back pocket.
(11) Because the criminal is only just in profit but has shown a viable business plan (websites, franchises etc) they are eligible for working tax credits which are paid directly into a bank account. They also get a large portion of the rent paid for the house they have rented.
(12) The trafficked contractors also earn to little money (they earn nothing in reality because they are told they need to pay off their debt to travel here and accommodation, there food is purchased by the criminals who again charge ridiculous rates to keep the trafficked people in debt) they are also eligible for working tax credits & paid rent.
(13) The criminals registered these people under false names with false bank accounts before they arrived; the working tax credits for these contractors goes straight into the criminals bank accounts.
(14) The criminals will also offer franchises that poor, unsuspecting gullible people will purchase. It doesn't take long for honest people who do this to realise they can't make money and they pack in - owing a debt to the criminals at extortionate interest rates; these debts aren't collected in a nice, normal way.
(15) The criminals are therefore making money from any surplus cash goes into their back pockets, the Working tax credits for themselves, working tax credits for all the people they have trafficked, double payments on the rent, any money from franchises; it's not hard to see why they are 'popping up' everywhere - its human trafficking and fraud on a massive scale that is making the criminal gangs very rich at the cost of human lives and tax payers money.
 
Interesting. Thanks.

What percentage of car washes are run this way? What other areas of business are used like this?
 
Interesting. Thanks.

What percentage of car washes are run this way? What other areas of business are used like this?


I was told that this was 'riffe'. How many hand car washes give you a receipt? Those that do are legit; there is only one reason you don't get a receipt in the UK ;)
 
I was told that this was 'riffe'. How many hand car washes give you a receipt? Those that do are legit; there is only one reason you don't get a receipt in the UK ;)

A bloke in the sauna told me 99% give receipts.
 
Apparently a typical way a hand car wash is set-up and operated (This is what came from the 'horses mouth') like this:

(1) A new business is registered by the criminal (s)
(2) The person setting up the business arranges for people to be trafficked to the UK (Open borders make this very easy)
(3) the Criminals register these people in the UK before they have arrived (No paperwork required)
(4) A private house is then rented by the criminals
(5) the people being trafficked will not have the money to be transported to the UK - the criminals charge circa £5,000 for the transport with the promise of accommodation and a job once in the UK.
(6) the trafficked people are transported in the back of HGV's etc.
(6) Once the car wash is up and running there are only 2-3 employees registered with that company; all the other people working there are 'self employed' contractors.
(7) The self employed contractors are always the trafficked people and are the ones doing all the hard work.
(8) The private house that was rented is then sub let to a group of the trafficked people; usually up to ten and at an extortionate rate by the criminals.
(9) The criminals present accounts showing that they are only just making a profit and all the overheads are paid legitimately.
(10) Its easy to adjust the accounts because you can show you have contractors working for you who you pay in cash at the end of each day, any surplus money goes into the criminals back pocket.
(11) Because the criminal is only just in profit but has shown a viable business plan (websites, franchises etc) they are eligible for working tax credits which are paid directly into a bank account. They also get a large portion of the rent paid for the house they have rented.
(12) The trafficked contractors also earn to little money (they earn nothing in reality because they are told they need to pay off their debt to travel here and accommodation, there food is purchased by the criminals who again charge ridiculous rates to keep the trafficked people in debt) they are also eligible for working tax credits & paid rent.
(13) The criminals registered these people under false names with false bank accounts before they arrived; the working tax credits for these contractors goes straight into the criminals bank accounts.
(14) The criminals will also offer franchises that poor, unsuspecting gullible people will purchase. It doesn't take long for honest people who do this to realise they can't make money and they pack in - owing a debt to the criminals at extortionate interest rates; these debts aren't collected in a nice, normal way.
(15) The criminals are therefore making money from any surplus cash goes into their back pockets, the Working tax credits for themselves, working tax credits for all the people they have trafficked, double payments on the rent, any money from franchises; it's not hard to see why they are 'popping up' everywhere - its human trafficking and fraud on a massive scale that is making the criminal gangs very rich at the cost of human lives and tax payers money.
So if these people are already registered in the UK before they arrive, why would they need to be smuggled into the country in the back of an hgv?
Multiple claims for tax credits and rents all from the same property, and all being paid into just a few bank accounts.
Their scam has more holes in it than the cloths they use to wipe down the cars.
 
So if these people are already registered in the UK before they arrive, why would they need to be smuggled into the country in the back of an hgv?
Multiple claims for tax credits and rents all from the same property, and all being paid into just a few bank accounts.
Their scam has more holes in it than the cloths they use to wipe down the cars.

'They' are not registered; just a fictitious person.

Cheapest way to get them here - numerous are from outside the EU.

They do get closed down but the resources and time involved to do this means several more have been set up in the meantime.

The workers are far to scared to talk about the criminal gangs that got them here - they left families behind who are threatened.

Do you get a vat invoice from your hand car wash?

I'm really not sure why you keep denying it's happening when it's in the news about it, people trafficking is a big problem and the NCA explain hand car washes are a big problem?
 
Last edited:
'They' are not registered; just a fictitious person.

Cheapest way to get them here - numerous are from outside the EU.

They do get closed down but the resources and time involved to do this means several more have been set up in the meantime.

The workers are far to scared to talk about the criminal gangs that got them here - they left families behind who are threatened.

Do you get a vat invoice from your hand car wash?

I'm really not sure why you keep denying it's happening when it's in the news about it, people trafficking is a big problem and the NCA explain hand car washes are a big problem?

No one has said it isn't happening.
 
'They' are not registered; just a fictitious person.

Cheapest way to get them here - numerous are from outside the EU.

They do get closed down but the resources and time involved to do this means several more have been set up in the meantime.

The workers are far to scared to talk about the criminal gangs that got them here - they left families behind who are threatened.

Do you get a vat invoice from your hand car wash?

I don't use hand car washes. I have already stated I clean my car myself.
Depending on which jetwash I use, one machine takes money, the other takes prepaid tokens. Neither gives receipts.
As posted above, not all car washes are crooked.
All our local ones are operated by eastern Europeans and the workers are also eastern European. From what I have seen of the workers they all frequent the gym and are built like brick sh!?houses. They certainly aren't going to be frightened of any criminals or traffickers.
You obviously get a different breed where you live.
 
Last edited:
I’m still looking online for information on car wash employment because I pass them as I drive around, some in rural areas...ie...at a garage ‘way out’ in the countryside along with the current spotlight on them and the ‘slavery’ issue and the most comprehensive and readable is this research carried out by the University of Nottingham. It addresses all the points brought up in this thread.

The page number is top left and I scrolled through to page 5 to start. I was going to highlight the most interesting pages..ie pages 5-6-9-10 but as I read on I found myself reading most of them. For those with speed-reading skills it will be less onerous. I tend to read each and every word of articles in reports like this or in newspapers. Without going back to it and risk losing this page I think it was on page 13..Health and Safety where it stated that the skin of some of the employees resembled that of people with leprosy and another employee was killed by electrocution . On the positive side some employees stated they were satisfied with the wages. Re the status of self-employed which allows employers to avoid certain rights..sick leave -paid holidays etc and not paying NI I read (not in this report) that one practice is the employee supplies his own chamois leather to qualify him as self-employed.

https://www.antislaverycommissioner.co.uk/media/1238/labour-exploitation-in-hand-car-washes.pdf
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top