How to Reduce Customer Complaints at Your Laundromat

As a laundromat owner, you’ve probably run into at least a few customer complaints. No matter how hard you try and how much effort you put in, you can’t please everyone. Things are bound to happen. 

While they can be frustrating, these customer complaints can help you to adjust your laundromat to suit the needs of your customers and make your business more efficient and effective. 

“The atmosphere is uninviting.” 

Dim lighting, lack of ventilation, outdated decor, and an overall unwelcoming and uncomfortable environment will often lead to customers not returning to your laundromat. 

How to Fix It:

Create an inviting atmosphere by developing a modern laundromat design that is welcoming for all your customers. Your laundromat should feel like a home away from home, keeping customers comfortable and at ease while they wash their laundry. 

Guests typically enjoy a clean, well-lit space with ample seating and tables. People are busy, so it’s nice to have a place where they can do some work, study, or read while they wait for their clothes to finish.

By investing in the ambiance of your laundromat, you can create a positive and welcoming environment that contributes to increased satisfaction, loyalty, and referrals. Plus, encouraging customers to stay longer means they’re more likely to throw in an extra load or pay for cycle upgrades or vended items, increasing your revenue.

“I don’t have enough cash.”

One of the biggest frustrations for laundromat customers is collecting coins to do their laundry. Oftentimes, customers will run out of coins and need to convert their cash into change. And in today’s fast-paced, connected environment, many don’t carry cash at all, which means they have to make an extra stop before the laundromat. 

How to Address This Complaint:

To prevent your customers from becoming frustrated, implement cashless payment options in your laundromat. Modern customers increasingly prefer the ease and efficiency of digital transactions. 

Cashless payment systems offered through Coin-O-Matic include smart phone apps, credit and debit cards, and smart cards. These electronic, secure payment solutions are more convenient not only for your customers but also for you. Say goodbye to collecting coins from machines and individually sorting them. 

By adapting to these cashless payment systems for your laundromat, you are enhancing your customer experience, attracting a broader customer base, and staying competitive in the laundry industry.

“The laundromat is cramped.” 

Limited laundromat space poses a challenge for customers since it directly impacts the efficiency and convenience of the laundry experience. 

Insufficient space leads to crowded conditions, making it difficult for customers to navigate through the building or find available machines. It also limits the number of machines you can have and how you can expand your business. 

Not being able to find open machines or waiting for one to open is one of the top complaints of laundromat customers. 

Fix This Issue:

By developing a laundromat design that has an open floor plan, you can trust that your customers can easily navigate through the space, making it convenient and efficient for both you and your guests. 

If you’re short on space in your laundry facility, consider stack tumble dryers to maximize space and productivity in your laundromat. You can get double the number of machines in the same amount of floor space. 

Speed Queen offers time-of-day pricing, which gives you the power to adjust laundry prices based on your peak hours of operation. When your laundromat isn’t as busy, you can lower the cost-per-load to increase foot traffic to your business.  

“Laundry equipment is always out of order.”

Nothing is more annoying for customers than when they go to the laundromat and machines are out of order. When washers and dryers are consistently non-functional, it prolongs wait times, impacts revenue, and disrupts the overall efficiency of your laundromat. 

How to Fix It:

To prevent out-of-order equipment, purchase high-quality equipment that you can trust and stick to a regular maintenance schedule. As the laundromat owner, you’ll want to prioritize proactive laundry equipment maintenance and implement efficient repair procedures when necessary. 

Maytag is the most trusted brands in the laundromat industry since the early to mid 1900s. Since then, laundromat owners have trusted their commercial washers and dryers to provide the best cycles for their customer’s laundry needs. 

With Coin-O-Matic in your corner, you can also rely on our experienced service and parts team to repair and maintain your laundromat’s commercial laundry equipment. We’ll help you far beyond the initial sale, keeping your laundry business up and running to keep you and your customers happy. 

“The machines are hard to use.”

Issues with machine functionality can lead to frustrating experiences for customers trying to complete their laundry tasks efficiently. 

When they encounter regular difficulties in understanding machine instructions or experience inconsistent washing or drying results, it can hinder the overall usability of your laundromat.

Solve This Problem:

To prevent issues with machine functionality, you’ll want to choose laundromat washers and dryers that have user-friendly capabilities. 

Maytag commercial laundry machines have intelligent controls such as full-color screens that are easy to read and custom cycles that allow customers to find the best cycles for their loads of laundry.

Not only do these features keep your customers in control as they use your machines, but they also keep you as the business owner in control with easy programmability and intuitive interfaces that have self-diagnostic services so you can catch any machine issues before they grow into a bigger problem. 

“Poor customer service.”

When your customers don’t receive good customer service when they’re at your laundromat, it can lead to complaints. Unhelpful or unfriendly staff, lack of assistance during issues, and poor communication regarding laundromat policies and machine breakdowns can contribute to customer frustration.

How To Fix This Issue:

Friendly and knowledgeable customer service is extremely important in the laundry industry if you’re running an attended laundromat. Guiding your customers through any challenges and ensuring a positive experience leads to greater customer satisfaction and overall brand loyalty. 

By providing excellent customer service – through ongoing staff training, visible signage that directs your customers to their goals, and repeatable processes and checklists – your laundromat can not only resolve issues promptly but also create a welcoming environment that we had previously discussed as a must in your business.

Choose Coin-O-Matic as Your Laundromat Equipment Partner

Coin-O-Matic is committed to helping Midwest laundromat owners choose the best equipment for their laundromat while providing comprehensive support in setting up their laundry business with this year’s top-of-the-line equipment. 

If you need assistance selecting the best commercial laundry equipment for your Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, or Wisconsin laundromat or are looking for a trusted laundromat partner, don't hesitate to contact Coin-O-Matic today.