Colonial Car Wash is now dead to me

A few days ago, I wrote a blog post in which I discovered that my bank credit card had been compromised and that some clown was now trying to buy $100 gift cards at a Shop-Rite grocery store in New Jersey?  Yeah, this blog post.

Well, now it seems I have an idea as to where and how my card was compromised.  And it seems that the target where my card information was poached – was, according to WRGB, Colonial Car Wash in Rotterdam.

I’ve written blog posts in the past about making sure my car is clean, whether it’s with one of those automated car washes, or with a ride-through operation like Hoffman’s Car Wash or Colonial Car Wash.  After I read the WRGB news article about Colonial Car Wash in Rotterdam being the possible focal point for the security breach, I immediately checked my bank statement.

Yep.  I went to Colonial two times in mid-March.  And a few days later came the security breach.

I immediately called the Rotterdam Police Department and filled them in on my purchases and the dates of purchase, as well as when the credit breach took place.  I also called my bank and gave them the info as well.  The investigation continues.  And once they capture this bonkbrain who stole the credit card information – both mine and others whose cards were hacked – I hope this worthless piece of protoplasm spends a long time making license plates in Dannemora.

Yeah.  I’m pissed.  I’m furious.  And I also feel a violation of trust – the trust between a merchant and a customer.

And that means only one thing.

As far as I’m concerned, Colonial Car Wash is now on my permanent ban list.

I don’t care if my car has enough mud on it to enter a Halloween costume as a Woodstock ’94 vehicle, I’m not getting it washed at Colonial Car Wash in Rotterdam.  I can – and will – go to any other locale in the Capital District.

If Colonial Car Wash can’t maintain a secure credit card payment plan, then why should I trust them with my hard-earned cash?  I had some clown trying to buy gift cards (which are untraceable and can be sold for half their value to get tangible cash) with my credit card, and it all got traced back to the faulty security at this car wash.

I’ve been accused of holding grudges and slights for ages.  One of my friends once told me that I hold a grudge like an Iranian Ayatollah.  Doesn’t matter.  The minute I lose confidence in a merchant or a product or even a friend…

Then that entity is dead to me.

And I don’t care if, from this day forward, Colonial Car Wash in Rotterdam employs super-powered 32-terabyte encryption on their credit card purchases.  Their payment software was hacked.  My money was taken.  My privacy was violated.

And for what?  Because I wanted a clean car and I wanted to use their car wash?

Forget it.  You are now dead to me, Colonial Car Wash in Rotterdam.  And that omerta includes all Colonial Car Wash outlets in the Capital Region.

From now on, I’ll either use Hoffman’s Car Wash outlets, self-serve units where I can put cash in the computerized tellers, or I’ll get a bucket of suds and a sponge and a clay bar and wash the Blackbird myself.

Sorry, but that’s the way I roll.

Let’s put it this way.  If you had your credit card compromised at a retailer, would you ever shop at that retailer again?  Honestly, would you?  Or would it always be in the back of your mind that purchasing something at that location actually caused your money to be exposed – and taken – by some criminal lowlife piece of crud?

Yeah.  Thought so.