Discount Tire Strikes again

[AZjeff]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
The best defense is to avoid tire chains. They're meat grinders, same as the lube joints. My dealer charges no more than anyone else to mount, balance, and install tires. Patches aren't free but aren't expensive either. They're expedient. They have loaners if your car is new enough/you're a long term customer. They have a shuttle service.


Reasonable advice. But.

My only local tire shop treated me like an no-nothing idiot (might be but not their call) and was over $100 more for a set.

Not everyone bought their car at a dealer or has reasonable access to their brand. Before we moved the Toyota dealer we bought the RAV from was 50 miles away.

I had nothing but great service from DT with the 4 sets of tires I've bought at 2 different locations other than the noted situation that luckily resulted in no damage to the wheels.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted by MasterSolenoid
Try and anticipate any problems that could happen when you drop off the tires (or having any work done).
I have always found it useful to say, "this is my concern".
It lets the employee behind the counter know he's dealing with a customer who does care.


This is realistically what should be done. The flipside to this is when I'd have a customer with an obviously bent wheel, I'd tell them that we could source a junkyard replacement at our cost of $25 to go with their four new tires but it would take a day. They'd freak out and leave and not buy the tires. It leads to a learned helplessness where less communication, on average, leads to better business. If you want to be a well-briefed customer, present yourself as one.

Depending on your ethics you can also tip the guy before the work. While it should be done right regardless, a sawbuck gets a tech's attention.

 

[Kira]

From eljefino above: "... a learned helplessness where less communication, on average, leads to better business."

THAT is the best example of the other-side-of-the-coin I've heard in a long time. People are indeed deeply ignorant so often that it doesn't pay to talk to them. However, the stonewalling of a customer and the fairly automatic shorting of said customer is fed by giving into this reality.

EXAMPLE: Tire dealers will omit model names (just using brand names) when "guiding" a customer to tires.
They often know how to communicate so categorizing all customers as mere ignorant dolts is too easy to do and, frankly, dishonest.


eljefino also said, "If you want to be a well-briefed customer, present yourself as one."
Doing so is smart but be ready to sense some threatened salesman's irritation and walk away.

 

[legandrex]

Originally Posted by Lubener
I have doubts. Why would they use any equipment to actually plug a tire as you put it.


Well they did dismount the tire to patch it and rebalance it. The marks weren't there when I rolled it into the store...trust me.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted by legandrex
Had a nail in the tire on my 16 Jetta GLI and needed to get it repaired fast so took off the wheel last night and dropped it off this morning at our local Discount Tire. Figured I would wait for it instead of running to work then back 30 min later. Wheel was in perfect shape other than a few stone chips from 25,000 miles of use. They plugged it quickly and when I rolled it out I noticed two separate 2 inch scratches on the wheel and immediately turned around to show the manager. He was a little defensive and didn't think where the damage was on the wheel could be done from the equipment. Maybe the wheel tipped over and hit something...who knows. The manager opened a claim and said they would take care of it so hopefully they can repair it acceptably. Should have learned when they narfed my STi wheels about 5 years ago...after this claim I'm done with them.

Lots of techs don't give a crap if they damage your wheels.

 

[DriveHard]

In general I have liked DTD...but my last visit left a bad taste in my mouth...

I have a heavily modded Fiat 500 Abarth. It is as plain as day when you see it that it isn't a "normal" car. I bought four new tires to have installed on the rims on my car, made my appointment, and drove to the local DTD.

First, the guy who pulled the car into the shop had clearly NEVER or almost never driven a clutch before. To the point I could hear my engine screaming and smell the clutch in the waiting room...fun times...

They got it in the shop, and didn't have the right metric socket to fit on my lug nut adapter. They said there was nothing they could do, so sorry...please leave. I had taken half day off work and driven nearly 50 miles to get this done, I was less then happy. I offered to walk across the street (literally) and purchase the socket at the local Wal-Mart. They agreed, and I set off on foot...

I walked across the street, grabbed a discount socket set and came back to the DTD with socket in hand. They proceeded to take one wheel off, then proclaimed they could not work on my car because I have wheel spacers. We discussed the fact that they could clearly see the spacers before I even bought the socket and the fact that I knew about them, approved of them, took liability for them, etc...but no dice, they would not touch my car. Their excuse was that if a wheel came off, they would be liable for the accident. At that point, the tech. had pulled three of my four wheels off the car...so I asked them what the difference between them simply slapping them back on the car, or if they actually just swapped the tires on the car, and then put them back on. Just blank stares and a staunch refusal to swap the tires on my car. They put the wheels back on, and I drove back home...pretty unhappy. I have a lifetime balance on my truck, so I will be back there, but not sure I will take anything back there again. Kind of sad, as they had been my go-to tire shop for the last ten years.

As an add-on, the DTD I usually visited was booked solid. This DTD was a tiny bit closer to home and had an opening. I do realize it is most likely just the location, and am considering going back to the original shop I used to have good experiences at.

 

[geeman789]

Originally Posted by DriveHard
They got it in the shop, and didn't have the right metric socket to fit on my lug nut adapter. They said there was nothing they could do, so sorry...please leave.

That was your first hint (actually, your 2nd. The clutch burning was the first ... ) Didn't have a metric socket ? C'mon guys, really? That just sounds painfully amateurish to me. You are probably lucky they never actually worked on your wheels ...

 

[pezzy669]

I have had always very good service with Discount Tire across 3 different branches in 3 different cities in 2 states and is why I keep going back. Consistently excellent service across all of the branches (including the one I have now been visiting for 7 years) is what keeps bringing me back. Never any issues and I have had I think 6 maybe 7 full sets of tires installed by Discount over the past 12 years.

Pros: They torque lug nuts/bolts to vehicle spec, free repairs and rotations for life (the have actually made repairs on cars I have not previously had there - just because I was a long term customer), consistently high customer service, clean waiting areas when you want to sit around, etc.

Cons: maybe? For some reason when installing new they will inflate to the manufacturer recommended specs that you can typically find in the owners manual, when doing the free drive through pressure check they inflate up to the max load weight in the door jamb. Never understood this but one time I asked they told me it was required to fill up to the door placard. This would be really the only "bad" thing I can say I have found - prob some liability thing but really the only inconsistency I have found with them.

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted by legandrex
Originally Posted by Lubener
I have doubts. Why would they use any equipment to actually plug a tire as you put it.


Well they did dismount the tire to patch it and rebalance it. The marks weren't there when I rolled it into the store...trust me.

You said originally they plugged it. Trust me, a plug is much different than a patch as you now mention.
As it was once said, "failure to communicate".

 

[NormanBuntz]

On the contrary, my experience with Discount Tire in Chesapeake, VA yesterday was positive. I had four A/T tires and four new TPMS sensors installed on my Ridgeline. The service advisor was knowledgeable, and the technician was careful. Total time at the store was less than one hour. The Kumho Road Ventures were discounted to $109 each, and the sensors were $60 each installed. It was a nice deal. I was surprised that the store had no hydraulic lifts, only floor jacks, but they had a long window for customers to watch the services.

 

[grampi]

DT is no different than any other place. Who cares about doing a good job anymore? Apparently no one...

 

[AC1DD]

Originally Posted by grampi
DT is no different than any other place. Who cares about doing a good job anymore? Apparently no one...


Sadly for the most part what you say is true, with a few exceptions, and from my experience the amount of money you spend doesn't
guarantee you better quality service at all.

 

[tbm3fan]

Discount Tire and America's Tire are the same I believe. I have used America's Tire for five of my cars in the last 12 months. Not a problem but I will say I am the one in there removing wheel covers when needed and then replacing them. I also do not ever sit in the waiting area. I sit in the car and usually end up driving the car into the stall. I then stand there and watch the entire process to the end. Last month the 91 626 went it and apparently two of the stock snowflake aluminum wheels had slight bumps in the past before I had the car, Told them to balance the best they can and put them on the rear as these unique wheels are irreplaceable today. Things have always gone fine for me.

 

[K20FA5]

I have used Discount for years and only had one incident with them. They left black marks all over my old Frontier's wheels when they put on new tires. It was from the rubber/plastic piece that they have to put over the Nissan wheels to make them fit on the balance machine. I complained to them and they refunded the installation costs. A little elbow grease and it came right off at home.

I also drive past 2 other Discount Tires to go to the one that I have always gone to. I just like the service that I get from them better, so to me it's worth it.

When we put tires on my wife's 4Runner recently, I ended up using Sam's Club because they were SO much cheaper than Discount on the Michelins I wanted for it. They did a fantastic job, no complaints at all. We just got a Sam's card, I know living under a rock, and I would use them again in a heartbeat.