How in the world do these guys stay in business? I took advantage of their free brake check service on my 2001 Explorer. My front tires were a bit worn, but within spec (easily). They said brakes were fine, but I needed 2 new front tires, and they just happened to have a quote. For 2 off brand 245-70-16 tires they quoted me $435 and change and a second choice for about $475. There was no one else in the store the hour I was there. With those prices and the off brands that they sell, again, how do they stay in business?
Les Schwab experience
- Thread starter JDD
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when i worked at sears they kept telling us how we had to compete with them, i had never heard of them until i was sent to Stockton for a training class that was canceled.
Originally Posted By: JDD
How in the world do these guys stay in business? I took advantage of their free brake check service on my 2001 Explorer. My front tires were a bit worn, but within spec (easily). They said brakes were fine, but I needed 2 new front tires, and they just happened to have a quote. For 2 off brand 245-70-16 tires they quoted me $435 and change and a second choice for about $475. There was no one else in the store the hour I was there. With those prices and the off brands that they sell, again, how do they stay in business?
They sell a LOT of tires. People come back for the service. Crowded like [censored] here sometimes. I didn't buy my summer tires there - you are right, expensive. But I got the snows for my Volvo there. Price on sale wasn't so bad, plus their warranty is top notch.
That said the Japanese made snow tires, each and every one had bulged and failed...and I got a brand new set that is lasting great. So really I've been driving nearly 12 winters on the "same" snow tires! Thank God I checked and found the bulges (one failed each year or so) prior to install.
This doesn't surprise me, I can still hear the marketing guys saying "You won't get a single sale that you don't ask for".
Or the now popular "You'll miss 100% of every sale you don't ask for".
I agree the prices are high, especially for off brand tires. My brother just bought 4 new tires for about the same as your quote for two.
When my son got stationed at NAS Whitbey Island in WA he bought a 2000 BMW and needed front brakes. I had planned a trip to see him within a few days of him discovering he needed brakes. We took the car over to Les. They told us we need rotors, calipers, pads, total to do front brakes $450. I asked for them to simply replace the pads, they wouldn't do the job, stating they couldn't give us their 25,000 mile warranty, and proceeded to B - S us.
We took it to the hobby shop on the base and did the job for under $40. Now my son knows if he needs anything for the car to stay clear of that place.
Originally Posted By: Pablo
That said the Japanese made snow tires, each and every one had bulged and failed...and I got a brand new set that is lasting great.
They are Toyo - but I'll need to go to the shed to get the particulars.
They are OK for studless snows - I go where many other FWD cars dare not - but I have no comparisons to work with. I've never tried other studless snows. I think they are great on snow, meh on ice.
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Is it their house brand or a name brand like Toyo or Yoko? Which model......
Les Schwab has great service. I'm not familiar with their tires, but their brake parts and struts are top-notch.
They do have a policy of selling brake calipers with every brake job, but for older cars, this isn't a bad idea.
Ever since the old man passed away a year or so ago, their buisness attitude toward the customer has changed IMHO. I just went to my local Les Schwab (2 in my home town) and they tried to push a front end alignment on me when my vehicle is tracking just fine. Another time, one of their employees tried to charge me for a tire rotation (they advertise "free" rotations and brake checks.)
Originally Posted By: chewbacca
Ever since the old man passed away a year or so ago, their buisness attitude toward the customer has changed IMHO. I just went to my local Les Schwab (2 in my home town) and they tried to push a front end alignment on me when my vehicle is tracking just fine. Another time, one of their employees tried to charge me for a tire rotation (they advertise "free" rotations and brake checks.)
You get free rotations if you have their tires on your car (or you happen to live in a small town and do lots of business through them). Part of the free services included with purchasing their tires. You also get free balance checks and patches.
Agreed as well. The vehicle doesn't have to be tracking poorly to be out of alignment.
I've done 3 alignments there, never again. The local one in Martinez gets their brake parts from Kragen or Pep Boys.
Costco and America's Tire are 100x better than those crooks. I've noticed Les Schwab sells decent but overpriced for what they are tires.
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I am beginning to wonder about the alignments there too. Have had to have two $85 alignments done in 4 months because the car won't hold it and they don't know why...
Suprisingly, my LS400 held its settings until I undid the front suspension for bushings and shocks.
Our family beater, OTOH was so bad, I could hear the guy in the alignment pit at Big O swear a steady stream. I told him blame Les Schwab.
I and my family members have never had a vehicle out of alignment before, unless something mechanically related was replaced. Heck, even my father's truck (2001 F150) with gosh, 130K or so miles I think, has never been out of alignment and he drives the [censored] out of it. Can't figure this one out. It just gets used mainly to drive from A to B.
Les Schwab has ALWAYS been good to me. The service they provide is superior to ANY other tire shop I've ever been to. They have a policy of not doing any job half-*ssed and this may be why the insist on brake jobs and such being so stringent. They've seen what some idiotic customers can do with a lawsuit and choose to not allow for any excuses for one. The tires they sell have always been good for me...never had an issue like I have with other major brands like Firestone and Bridgestone's that I've had. The employees dress code is exceptional....no goofy looking purple hair or nasty facial scrub and they are always careful not to soil my vehicles interior. And as far as how the company takes care of the empoyees? It's one of the top companies to work for in the nation and provides ALL of it's employees with a big share in the profits (and all without a greedy union). Many larger companies have tried to buy them out but the Schwab family has made a vow that this will never happen.
Yep....I like them allright....they are an institution here in the pacific northwest.
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