Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Surf Thru Express Car Wash's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Surf Thru Express Car Wash

  4140 N 1st St Fresno, CA 93726-4312

• 

  Surf Thru Express Car Wash

  1421 Herndon Ave Clovis, CA 93611-0504

• 

  Surf Thru Express Car Wash

  1208 S Mooney Blvd Visalia, CA 93277-4436

• 

  Surf Thru Express Car Wash

  701 E Nees Ave Fresno, CA 93720-2182

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:04/16/2025

  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.

  Date of transaction 4/8/2025 Price $14.00 Visited the Surf thru location at ****************************************************************************. During the wash cycle my car was damaged. A piece of trim on the drivers side of my car was ripped off and damaged. I filed a damage claim before leaving the location and was told someone would contact me. I finally heard back from someone and scheduled a meeting to meet in person on 4/16/2025. I was not given a time when the meeting was originally set, so I called today (4/16/25) to figure out what time I needed to be there, and the person I was supposed to be meeting with is not in today. And now have no idea what is happening, I just simply want the damage to my car covered.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/17/2025

  Surf Thru appreciates the opportunity to respond to this complaint. After a full investigation, it has been determined that Surf Thru cannot accept liability for the trim of the vehicle due to the following factors that were considered as a large operator in the Car Wash industry:

  Surf Thru washed more than ****** cars that day roughly 400+ specifically at this location. No other vehicles reported the same issue locally nor companywide for receiving the same services as this customer.

  This issue is a known issue from the manufacturer for vehicles from ***, many of which have no correlation to express car washes being the cause. The customer informed the staff that the issue has already been repaired once by the dealership, further solidifying a deficiency from the manufacturer itself.

  ********* as an organization only accepts liability for issues that are the cause of equipment malfunctions or employee negligence when loading vehicles. After reviewing the video footage for this claim, we can confidently confirm that neither of these variables were the cause of the loss of trim for this customer.
  
  As unfortunate as this situation is, we cannot accept liability for the trim of her vehicle due to the reasons stated above.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/04/2025

  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.

  On March 23, 2025 my vehicle was washed at the Surf Thru Car Wash on ****** and ****** in *******. The Passenger side front door molding was ripped off the car in the car wash. The missing part was identified when drying off the car at home. A call was made to the car wash to report the missing part. My son happened to be at the same car wash to wash his vehicle and he made contact with the manager. The part was found in the car wash lane and given to my son. It appeared to have been twisted and possibly ran over multiple times. A call was placed that same day where I spoke to a Manager named ****. He stated that I could come in later that week to file a damage claim. A damage claim was filed on Thursday March 27, 2025.I was advised that the claim had been reviewed by ownership and it was denied.On April 4, 2025, I received a call from ***** who handles claims. He stated the car wash could not have ripped off the part because it is made from soft foam and that there was no employee negligence therefore they were denying the claim.The part that was ripped off of the door was not damaged previously. It was found inside the car wash lane. There is no other explanation as to how the part ended up inside their car wash and removed from my vehicle other than the car wash brushes pulling it from the car.I would like to have Surf Thru cover the replacement of the part which costs $355.08

  Business Response

  Date: 04/10/2025

  Surf Thru thanks you for the opportunity to respond the this complaint. After a full investigation, it was found that Mr. ******* received a normal car wash with no equipment failure or employee negligence. The door molding blew off during the drying process which indicates that the trim was not attached properly. Hundreds of vehicles were washed that same day without incident with the blowers. Surf Thru denies responsibility for this damage. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/09/2024

  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.

  On August 30th, 2024 at the Delano Surf’s Thru location, as I was entering the car wash, I was following the direction of the associate lining me up on the belts for my tires. As soon as my tires got onto the belts, my front left tire was popped by the belts. The associate knocked on my window to let me know of what had happened. I filed a damage claim with the manager at the facility, I was not given a damage claim #. I had to take my vehicle to Walmart as it was across the street and bought a new tire. It cost me $170 and I have been non stop following up on the claim I submitted and NO ONE has been able to get me an answer. I am looking for a number to contact to speak to someone in charge. Every number I get they said their area manager will reach out to me and I have yet to receive any sort of call from any manager. My family and I have 3 memberships with the company. At this point I wonder how they treat non members? I am looking for an answer and have decided to reach out to better business bureau to help me get it.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/18/2024

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond. After filing this damage claim, Mr. Canu was asked to bring in a receipt so that Surf Thru could reimburse him. He was contacted again on Nov. 11, and stated he had not taken the receipt in but will. On Nov. 13, the receipt was received by Surf Thru and reimbursement is in process.  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/22/2024

  I am not satisfied with this response as I still have not received a reimbursement. They called me to take my receipt and told me my money would be ready. I went a day or two later and they wanted a copy of my receipt and still no money. A day later they called and said they need a copy of my registration. I did that, and now still no reimbursement of such. What is taking so long? Had I not reached out to Better Business Bureau, this would not have even been progressing one bit. The only reason they responded was because I reached out to BBB. Next week this will have been officially 3 months ago. Ridiculous 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/25/2024

  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.

  Have tried to cancel membership several times via their website, have repeatedly been charged again for a membership I have cancelled.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/27/2024

  This issue has been resolved with customer ******* *****.

  Below was the correspondence and resolution emailed to *** *****:

   

  After looking into your account, I can confirm that you submitted a cancellation for your Monthly Sharecard on July 28, 2024, and that account has been successfully canceled. However, I noticed that theres a second account under your name and payment method that has been actively used, with the last wash on July 28, 2024.
  
  I also see that you were charged for both July and August without any washes being used. To rectify this, Ive processed a refund of $72.00 for the past two months back onto your **** ending in 3962.

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/20/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 have a membership with Surf thru Express, I took my car to be washed and upon exiting I noticed scratches on my windshield. Since their machines are made of soft material; I was told, it must have been the spray wand the young man was using. I didnt have scratches going in, but had scratches upon exiting. I filed a claim with the company and they denied it. I spoke with the management of the Esplanade branch asking for a copy of the denial and he told me I couldnt have it. He also canceled my membership that Ive had for over 3 years. I tried contacting the ***************** but there is no phone number, nor anyway to reach them.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/29/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  On 9/8/2023 I arrived at Surf Thru Car Wash to purchase an advertised promotional monthly car wash plan of $14.99. The plan would be $14.99 1st month and $19.99 after. I spoke to cashier and advised her to sign me up for the plan. I provided my debit card and when she returned with the form to sign I noticed the amount was wrong $34.99. I Let her know I did not agree to the plan and she advised me she had to cancel and start all over again (alot of cars were behind me at this point) She assured me I can return any other day and cancel the plan. I agreed to not be a difficult customer. I returned 9/14 to change the plan. I signed a new form in hopes this resolved my issue. On 11/8/23 I noticed I was being charged $34.99. On 11/10/23 I made a visit to Surf Thru and a different cashier advised me to call ************. On 11/11/23 I was involved in an accident and my vehicle was totaled. The number I called was not helpful and the woman refused to credit me anything back for that month. Please help me find a resolution.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/02/2024

  To Whom it May *********************************** you for bringing this concern to our attention. We have conducted a thorough investigation into the matter raised by **************************
  
   
  
  Upon reviewing the records, it has been determined that ************ signed a recharge card on 9/8, explicitly authorizing our company to charge her card for the initial month at $14, with subsequent automatic recharges of $34.99 each month until cancellation. Attached to this response, you will find the signed agreement for your reference.
  
   
  
  Our records indicate that ************ visited Surf Thru Express on ************ on multiple occasions, specifically on 9/8/24, 9/14/24, 9/19/24, 10/6/24, 10/27/24, 11/6/24, and 11/10/24. On each visit, she received an Extreme Surf Wash, our top-tier wash priced at $34.99/mo. for members.
  
   
  
  Additionally, it is worth noting that on 12/1/23, ******** was issued a refund, and the relevant documentation is attached for your verification.
  
   
  
  We understand the importance of addressing customer concerns, and we strive to maintain transparency and resolve issues promptly. If there are any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.
  
   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/07/2023

  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.

  This company damaged my car a week ago and is not willing to provide there insurance information as required by law to have my car issue fixed. I need to make a claim with their insurance due to the damage. The employees as well are extremely unprofessional and do not want to take responsibility for their own behavior. What they like to do is try to turn the tables and blame the customer and retaliate the customer so they don't have to take responsibility for their own actions. This company will be held responsible for what they've done to me

  Business Response

  Date: 11/10/2023

  This letter is in response to the complaint filed by ******************************* on 11/7/2023 concerning her 2023 ****** Prius. Surf Thru appreciates the opportunity to explain the facts of her claim.
  
  In an effort to provide excellent customer service, our greeter;upon the request of ******************, removed the fast pass sticker that had been applied to her front windshield. This was done as a courtesy and would normally place the burden on the guest to remove said sticker.
  
  The reported damage to ******************** dashboard was investigated and the evidence shows that there was no employee negligence upon removing the sticker that could have caused any scratch to her dashboard.  When removing the sticker our greeter only used a towel and some rubbing alcohol. There were no other objects or tools used to remove the sticker. Furthermore, ****************** did not return to the site to file a claim until 5 days later.

  In consideration of all the evidence and facts as explained above, Surf Thru respectfully denied ******************** claim.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/13/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  The company used alcohol and it ate my dashboard as well they need to give me their car insurance by law. Next I will report them to the police for not giving me the information to make a legal claim. Send your car insurance information back as a response to this better business Bureau complaint 
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/15/2023

  We have thoroughly investigated *************************************************** concerns regarding the removal of the fast pass sticker from her 2023 ****** Prius. Our review, including footage from security cameras, affirms that our employee followed the proper procedure using a soft microfiber cloth with isopropyl alcohol.
  
  We maintain our position that there was no employee negligence, and our records show no evidence of damage. Consequently, we respectfully deny this claim.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/15/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  By law you can not directly deny a claim. You must provide insurance by law. This better business Bureau complaint is documentation that you did not cooperate. Dated 11/15/23

  Next you face legal liable with evidence to back it up especially not following laws 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/03/2023

  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.

  On 7/25/2023 at approximately 1:15 pm. I arrived at Surfthru car wash on **** * ***** ** ******* ** ****** As I arrived on the track to enter the car wash. I shifted to neutral like the sign says. Rolled up my windows and I was given my ratchet strap I had on my trucks bed by the employee to put inside my truck. Half way through, the one of the brushes pushed my passenger side mirror out, then the mirror was caught on the blower and broke the mirror and bracket/housing. As soon as I exited I notified management and a claim report was filed the same day. I was told that they would get back to me within 5-7 days it is now 8/3/2023 and I haven’t heard anything back. I called on 8/3/2023 at 10:28am and talked to the manager and was told to keep waiting because they have many claims to get through. I asked for the District Managers name and number. Manager stated he couldn’t give me his information other than his name because the D/M did not have a company cell phone. For the record my vehicle does not have any aftermarket parts, any previous damage to the mirror or on the truck. And I followed all instructions posted prior to entering the car wash.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/07/2023

  BBB CASE#: ********
  This letter is Surf Thru’s response to a complaint filed by Gerardo Valles on 8/3/2023 concerning his passenger side mirror on his 2019 Chevy Silverado RST.
  When Mr. Valles enters the wash at our First and Ashlan location, the top wraps and the side wraps were retracted. Therefore, any contact with the vehicle was negligble because of the retracts.  There were no mechanical or human errors errors during Mr. Valles’s wash process. Therefore, the damage reported could only have been preexisting or preexisting weakness.
  Surf Thru washed hundreds of vehicles that very day without any reports of damages of any kind.   That includes most of the vehicles that received more wrap contact than this vehicle.  If there was something at the car wash that was causing damage to vehicles, it would have damaged  other vehicles in the same manner.
  As an effort to provide excellent customer service our cashier also asked Mr. Valles if his mirrors and antenna were “Ok” to go through the wash before he entered the wash, which he confirmed he wanted to do.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/07/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  You’re correct the employee asked, never mandated though. Your employee also asked me 2 weeks before, and 2 weeks before that, and so on. But never did my truck receive any damage before. I’m surprised your CCTV system was able to catch bright red letters but not the blower breaking the mirror. The spinner never broke the mirror it was the blower that did not retract. Surf thru should be able to provide customers a copy of their claim and why it was denied with supporting documents such as daily maintenance and repair logs to a report. 
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/09/2023

  BBB CASE#: ********
  This response is to the rejection letter filed by Gerardo Valles on 8/8/2023 concerning his passenger side mirror on his 2019 Chevy Silverado RST.
  Upon reviewing your response, it appears there must be some misunderstanding regarding the functioning of our equipment, specifically the blowers. Our blowers are designed to remain in a fixed position throughout the car wash process, and they do not have a retractable feature. As such, it is important to clarify that the blowers themselves could not have been the cause of the damage to your mirror, but infact the reported damage could only have been preexisting or preexisting weakness.
  After a thorough investigation into the matter, including again reviewing our camera footage and discussions with our management and wash attendants, we have found no evidence to suggest that our equipment was the cause of the mirror damage. Many vehicles with mirrors larger than yours come through our washes daily without any problems or damages reported.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/17/2022

  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.

  My vehicle was damage from one of the top rollers. Upon management review, 4 days later, they claim I put the vehicle in drive and caused the damage from the video footage. Such BS!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2022

  Surf Thru appreciates the opportunity to respond to this complaint. Mr. **** claims that his vehicle was damaged by Surf Thru equipment. After investigation, it was determined that the damage was caused by the actions of Mr. ****. First, he failed to keep his vehicle in neutral as he was instructed at the front of the tunnel both by the attendant and a large sign in plain view and then second, he placed his vehicle in drive which caused him to advance on the conveyor at a greater speed than normal. Video evidence confirms these facts. Video evidence confirms that Mr. **** accelerated during the wash cycle, which caused interference with the timing of equipment and resulted in Mr. **** hitting the top brush. The video clearly shows Mr. **** advancing on the conveyor and not pushed by the conveyor rollers as normal. The only way this can occur is if Mr. ****’s vehicle was not in neutral and in drive. There was no malfunction by Surf Thru equipment, in fact hundreds of vehicles were washed during that day without incident. Because Mr. **** ’s actions caused the damage, there is no liability by Surf Thru and his claimed is denied. It is recommended that he contact his insurance company for repair.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/28/2022

   I am rejecting this response because: the response from surf thru regarding how it happened is false. There is no good reason for me to accelerate as such. The purpose is to let it run its course in Neutral. I was instructed from staff to put in reverse and put in drive due to machine getting caught and stopping the whole line. The event is false unless they are able to show me proof that it was cause by me with their video surveillance. 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2022

  Type:Billing 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.

  Charged my account for more than was authorization

  Business Response

  Date: 11/18/2022

  Surf Thru appreciates the opportunity to respond to this complaint. Due to increased business costs, a price increase for all car wash memberships went into effect on 11/9/22. Surf Thru posted price increase notification signs at each car wash site weeks prior to the effective date. Surf Thru apologizes for any inconvenience, but Mr. ****** was not over charged. In fact, the membership agreement Mr. ****** signed states "Monthly membership prices are subject to change from time to time, prices will be listed at the car wash location."  Mr. ****** was contacted and offered a new membership plan at the original price he chose, however, he declined. Mr. ****** chose to object the new charge through his bank rather than accept a refund from Surf Thru and his membership has been cancelled per his request.