Discount Tire Experience? I have one or two to share.

[the_invisible]

Re: Discount Tire Experience? I have one or two to share.

I've had nothing but good experiences with the local (red/white) Discount Tire in Regency area of Jacksonville. They always get it done quickly, are courteous, and I've never seen any damage they've caused to my truck (and I would have noticed it, unless it was a scratch on the side of my truck bed...there's too many there from the previous owner to even count them!). I've always paid the extra $10 per tire for the insurance, and I've had to use that insurance probably 2-3 times now, and it's no hassle at all..each time they've replaced the tire and never put up a stink about it at all. I guess like any other place, it depends on the employees at the individual one you go to.

I think the location has ALOT to do with the quality of services being offered. I notice that you are in Florida, and I could imagine that competitions among shops and technicians are immense in that area. Heck, if your local Discount Tire scratches a customer's wheel, the shop could simply fire the tire installer and hire another one. Florida has a very competitive labor market. I am not sure if the Discount Tire shops in Washington has such labor market to grab quality workers from.

I think I WILL get my worth of balancing services from Discount Tire by taking the weights off my wheels, cleaning them from old adhesives, and then let them recalibrate the wheels on a clean slate.

[the_invisible]

Re: Discount Tire Experience? I have one or two to share.

Apparently Discount Tire has public-relation specialists reading the internet for complaints. They have read this thread and I got a call back from Discount Tire. They are going to REPLACE the wheel they damaged. While that is all fine and such, I have two concerns.

I am worried about the quality of the wheel they are replacing with. It may be a replica wheel, a reconditioned used one, or a used one that is in acceptable condition. The quality of the wheel they are replacing is unknown, it could be bent or previously repaired. With my luck I could end up being in more of a hassle than I originally started.

I told the nice, well mannered manager that I could have the wheel repainted locally for $170, which could save us both time and money if they could just send me a cheque for the bill. That's better than replacing a wheel for easily over $240. I rather fork out the $170 + 20 installation/balance if I were to risk receiving a wheel of unknown condition.

Either way, feel free to post your experience on any public forum. Big companies have people on the look out for threads like this. If your complaints are valid they would probably accommodate you.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Discount Tire Experience? I have one or two to share.

Either way, feel free to post your experience on any public forum. Big companies have people on the look out for threads like this. If your complaints are valid they would probably accommodate you.

It probably also helped that your complaint was voiced here in a rational and intelligent manner and that you didn't just come across like a raving lunatic, spouting all manner of insult and innuendo. Funny how companies don't take kindly to that, but if you have a legitimate complaint, even if it escalates beyond the local retailer, they'll step up. At least a good company will - everyone can make a mistake, but it's how that mistake is handled that sets one company apart from another.

Discount Tire as a whole obviously can not be blamed for your experience as each facility seems to be independently run. Lydia obviously has great things to say about them, and I might interject my own experience here: I, too, have the Falken 912s on one of my cars, but while having them installed they managed to break a couple clips off the back of a center cap on my aftermarket wheels. The installer handed it to upon delivery of the vehicle and said he was not comfortable installing it as it may come loose. OK, fine. But after driving 20 miles to my destination, I noticed upon exiting the car that one other was missing and a third was about to come off. Seems these center caps are a two piece affair and their removal process was a bit too harsh for the pieces. So I took off the remains of the broken one and stopped by the shop on my way home. I asked to speak to the manager, showed him what happened and before I could do anything more than that he apologized and asked if I could get him contact info for the wheel manufacture, specs on the wheel, etc. A week later I had 4 brand spanking new center caps in hand, and ultimately on the wheels.

Now that is how you handle things when they go wrong.

[the_invisible]

Re: Discount Tire Experience? I have one or two to share.

I totally agree. I have no experience with any other Discount Tire locations other than the two I listed, so I cannot comment on the other ones. I am sure the quality of their service comes down to the team of workers that are on shift at the moment. A shop has a diverse array of employees; each with experience level that differs from one another. Sometimes you just have to have your fingers crossed and hope that the people that are working on your wheels are more adept in the task than some of the others in the same shop.

To my surprise, Discount Tire had everything setup and all I needed to do was to drop off my wheel at the specified wheel shop. I just dropped off the wheel at the local wheel repair shop 30 miles away. It's a little far, but this shop has dealt with Discount Tire before and the shop could charge Discount Tire directly. It's not the most preferred shop of choice among local enthusiasts, but the shop that is working on my wheel is one of the most reputable shops around, specializing in sports cars and exotic cars wheels. I have heard some bad things about this shop, but that is NONE of Discount Tire's fault. The employee at Discount Tire did his absolute best to solve the problem for me, without any hesitation. I am surprised I am able to get the wheel fixed in less than three days after filing my complaint. That is pretty quick. The cost of the repair is a whopping $300. I wonder if that is a fair price at all... if the staff was more careful they could have saved the $300.

Now, I just hope that the wheel turns out alright. I have read on the BMW forum that this shop that is working on my wheel had wrecked some wheels and damaged some tires in the past. I am kinda worried...