Discount Tire - Likely losing a customer

[Lytning]

In addition to studying Engineering in college, I also later studied Business. Business study helped me understand the financial and customer service aspects of projects, in addition to the technical aspects. It also helped to take the emotion out of financial transactions. The value / price of a product or service is determined by mutual agreement between the buyer and the seller. The transaction should be a win-win, or no deal. It is not a question of who is "right". You either agree or you don't. If you don't, shake hands in appreciation of the negotiation, and walk away.

Regarding the different approach in different stores, I managed or directed about $1 billion in global projects during my career. I concluded that the single most important factor in determining project success was the project leader's performance. Similarly, I am certain the "performance" of a specific tire store is determined primarily by the person leading it.

So, when buying tires, the seller and I either agree on a price, or I move on. The store I do business with either meets my requirements, or I move on. It is not any more complicated than that.

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[locks66]

As someone who owns a company, while I try to be very polite and professional with customers such as yourself , $220 is perfectly fine and if that shop walks away with $25 profit off you I will be suprised.
Techs are making $40 an hour plus benefits / machines/tech to balance and install are expensive / rent / franchise fees.
Many people don’t understand how much anything really costs anymore and just think $50 is a lot of money these days.

if your that mad at discount tire then I’m not sure they want you as a customer anyway. Your not really a long time customer if your buying tires off Facebook. Your taking away a part of discount tires business then asking them to do better on a price to mount them.

just my 2 cents. I appreciate and respect how upfront you were on this post but I would just say to put yourself in a business owners shoes and think about if a customer came to you and took away a part of your profit then tried to beat you up on a labor price.

It wasn't until I ran a business that I learned it costs way too much money to run a business. You can look for savings everywhere, but it's hard to find any. I'm far more understanding of pricing now.

 

[Wendy]

I've been getting my tires at Les Schwab since I was in college (I'm retired now) ... swear by them, they always offer a hazard warrantee included, free service, take back the old chains that you have to carry in WA when it's Chains Required (but you don't have to USE them since you have 4wd), etc.

 

[cal]

Been a discount tire customer for more than 25 years. Bought lots of sets of tires but I've found that each store seems to run itself many times with completely different approaches to customers. There are two in my town and I will only use one. Won't even give the other store a chance.

Just move on if they aren't right.

 

[PreservedSwine]

Seems like small potatoes to me. If you want a lower price go somewhere else.
Honestly, it sounds like they’ve been nothing but honest with you, and I’m having a really hard time understanding what the problem is, why you feel you’re entitled to a discount, and why you would take it to a public forum.

 

[Monkey]

Discount Tire has always treated me well. The location close to me closed down a couple years ago so I've used a new Les Schwab location twice now to patch tires (no charge both times) and once for a new set of tires on another vehicle. They've been great and the guy managing it is super nice. FWIW, I drive past a Big-O to get to Les Schwab, I've used that Big-O location twice over the past 5 years or so and never again. Total a-holes both times. All comes down to who is running that particular store.

 

[BlueLightning]

As a career “Tire Guy”, I worked for two major tire manufacturers in sales and marketing field positions.

Discount Tire has very strict standards for their stores to follow; they will not compromise safety by repairing a tire with a puncture in an area beyond supported tread face, they will basically refuse to touch a vehicle that has tires that need replacing (they won’t rotate). In this litigious environment, erring on the side of caution is the guiding principle.

Very true and highly posted as soon as you walk in DT store.

Note: Going with Costco or Sam’s read the pages of fine print, miss a rotation and self void your warranty?!

 

[GDN]

So this is behind me - for follow up I got the tires mounted and balanced yesterday for $80 at Discount where I returned. I handed each of the two techs a $20. They engaged me when I could see they were stumped when wanting to lift the truck from the rear axle as they do many. They went back to the mount points. After a short wait they had the truck in and out of the bay in 20 minutes.

 

[NCevGuyF150]

@Discount Tire - Looks like you don't come to or support the forum any longer, so you likely won't care, but I've not a bad taste for you today. You can work 20 + years to keep me happy, but lose me in a day. There is competition and I'm happy to support them.

The story - Over the years I have purchased 3 or 4 sets of tires from Discount. I'm not the best at keeping my tires rotated, and that's on me. I've never asked them for anything they didn't owe me. The last set of tires was just 3 years ago for a Model 3, added road hazard, all of it. Ended up selling that car just a few months later and they never had to pony up a penny in rotations or replacements for that good sale.

Now with the Lightning - front tires wearing bad on the outside, 20K miles, never rotated. I got an alignment and then stopped to have them balanced/rotated at Discount. They wouldn't do it based on the outside wear. I'll take that lame story, but the rest of the tires still had about half the tread, they are in good shape. I had them price replacement tires, but for a set fully installed I decided I wasn't in for $1300 right now. I was going to rotate them myself in the garage and get the fronts on back.

Then I decided to hit Facebook Marketplace and found an exact match for the Hankook take offs, 4K miles on them for $400 (came off an ICE F150). Sign me up, loaded em up. The guy I bought them from told me he'd upgraded at Discount just a bit after he had the truck. Gave me the guys name he has bought tires from for 20+ years and I should go see him he'd probably take care of me and get them mounted, just tell him who sent me.

Sure enough, stopped at the Discount Tire he sent me to, talked to Keith in McKinney, about 30 miles from where I live. They were swamped - probably 30 cars in the lot, not one empty space and it is a BIG store. People swarming everywhere. I introduced myself, told him the situation and where I got the tires, that he had sold their replacements and taken these off. I asked him what it would take to get them put on and how long the wait. It was over a 4 hour wait, it's a usually $150 or so for mount and balance outside tires, he'd have to check. But since he knew the other guy and had sold the replacement set he'd make it a good deal - he gave me a number and indeed a good deal. For that he asked that I come back during the week when they weren't so busy. I agreed and told him I also had a Discount I'd dealt with closer to the house and I might check in with them, otherwise I'd be back next week.

I drive 30 miles back to my neighborhood and pull into the DT that had priced me the tires yesterday. It was a strange site at 2 in the afternoon. There was not one car waiting in the lot. There were no cars in the bays being serviced and not one person inside waiting. All the technicians were hanging out inside. So I was up front, gave them the story, and asked what it would take to get them mounted and balanced. This was a different guy that had given the quote. He threw every line item he could get, and ended up quoting over $220 to mount and balance the 4 tires. I asked him if truly that was the best he could do when he had no business waiting and I'd been a long customer and the guy I got the tires from had been a long time customer. He wanted none of it. I asked if it was really over $200 labor for the 20 minutes it would have taken 2 or them to do the work. He said he wouldn't work his guys for less.

I get that everyone is in business to make money, but first the over $220 seemed really high and he had no concern to even want to make a deal, keep me happy or watch me walk away when he had no business. Maybe I'm starting to understand why he had no business.

So I left - I'll go see Keith back in McKinney, and I may take my business back up to him, or I may just have to buy at Costco or any of the other competition down the road after this set of tires gets mounted.

I'd be interested to hear if you all think I'm crazy for thinking it could have been a better deal at the local store or that they might have wanted some business when there was none. To say the least it left a bad taste in my mouth and may have cost them a long time customer.

Find yourself a good independent tire shop. Where I live in North Carolina we have several of them their owned by private and the individuals and would do you a great job. I’m sorry you’ve been through this but big companies are very greedy.

 

[Drayday55]

As someone who owns a company, while I try to be very polite and professional with customers such as yourself , $220 is perfectly fine and if that shop walks away with $25 profit off you I will be suprised.
Techs are making $40 an hour plus benefits / machines/tech to balance and install are expensive / rent / franchise fees.
Many people don’t understand how much anything really costs anymore and just think $50 is a lot of money these days.

if your that mad at discount tire then I’m not sure they want you as a customer anyway. Your not really a long time customer if your buying tires off Facebook. Your taking away a part of discount tires business then asking them to do better on a price to mount them.

just my 2 cents. I appreciate and respect how upfront you were on this post but I would just say to put yourself in a business owners shoes and think about if a customer came to you and took away a part of your profit then tried to beat you up on a labor price.

My opinions have changed ever since I started a business. Every move a business makes must generate a profit or the business will eventually close.

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