As they say, good customer service always goes a long way. 

A typical trip to a car wash turned into a heartwarming encounter for one man who found himself at the receiving end of some unexpected warm service from the staff at such a facility in Telok Blangah. 

Jerome Joseph took to Facebook on Tuesday (Nov 29) to share more about his experience with the staff from that car wash at the petrol station.

“While sitting in my car getting it washed…I noticed that all [the staff] kept waving and smiling at me. I was surprised.

“Most times at a car wash in Singapore, rarely does someone smile, wave, let alone even look your way. Their smiles were contagious and I found myself smiling and waving back,” he wrote. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, Jerome — a professional speaker —  said he visited the car wash sometime last week.

Although he lives in the vicinity, that was his first time visiting that car wash. 

“It was like my car was so precious, they cleaned it, and they were so focused on cleaning it…And I thought that was a really good experience,” said the 49-year-old to AsiaOne. 

He said it was the first time that anyone at a car wash had acknowledged him. 

As the team of four washed his car, he said he didn’t realise that they had special needs — until he saw the Minds logo outside the facility. He described the experience as “humbling”.

“I didn’t look at them in any other way. I looked at them as individuals doing a great service,” he said.

Upon returning home, Jerome did some research and discovered that the car wash was run by the Movement of Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (Minds), in collaboration with the Singapore Petroleum Company (SPC). 

“I’ll definitely only be going there from now on,” he told AsiaOne. 

Over in the comments, netizens thanked Jerome for sharing his anecdote, with some remarking that they too would pay the car wash a visit to support a good cause. 

An avenue for employment 

According to Minds’ website, the manual car wash facility at the Telok Blangah petrol station is known as Minds Wash, which was started back in 2004. 

Minds Wash is a long-running collaboration with SPC that aims to give Minds clients an avenue for employment, and act as a platform for members of the public to learn about persons with intellectual disabilities. 

All employees of Minds Wash are “trained to wash vehicles meticulously and ensure that cars leave the washing bay thoroughly cleaned”. 

Prices of their services range from $4 to $12, depending on customers’ vehicle size and the revenue goes towards providing wages for the employees. 

On its website, SPC said that the manual car wash facility at Telok Blangah is operated and managed by about 20 individuals from Minds.

The company added that they have been supporting gainful employment to Minds Wash workers since 2004. And that this is to help them integrate into the society and encourage their development as independent and self-supportive individuals.

No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.