My Discount Tire/America's Tire Feedback Form comment

After reading the comments received so far this morning on yesterday's post, I left a comment on the Feedback Form on Discount Tire's website.  Thank you to Dave for providing me the link. This also explains how I ended up with the wrong tires.  Yesterday's post was really rambling, not my usual style.  This is what I wrote to them:

I had a very unfortunate experience in one of your El Centro, CA stores (it's at 899 Danenberg Drive), and a VERY GOOD experience in the other El Centro store (at 2010 N. Imperial Ave).

I have an RV blog and wrote a post about the three days it took to resolve everything.  If interested, you can read about it here:

http://dewelldesigns.blogspot.com/#axzz3VEfY57Zo

There needs to be a training class for your employees regarding tire stem-valve extensions for dual rear tires.  Whether your company approves of their use or not, some of your customers are going to have them, and want to keep them.  If your techs aren't trained in their removal and how to re-install them, or if you don't want to deal with valve-stem extensions, then you should refuse to serve those people.

Some of your stores also need a seminar on how to treat women and especially older women. We are not children.  We are not senile. We have brains and can make decisions.

I purchased 4 new tires and wasn't asked once what I kind wanted. I had phoned the prior afternoon and was told they only had four tires that would fit my rims - I assumed those were the tires I was being sold.  They were rated BEST, and that's what I wanted.  I ended up with BETTER tires, less expensive, but not what I agreed to on the phone. When I told them my name at the store and that I had called the previous afternoon about four new motor home tires, I assumed a record was kept of the phone call. Apparently there was not. If my salesman was unaware of the previous afternoon's phone call, how could he sell me tires without a conversation about what I was looking for in a tire?  He went outside and checked my existing tire, went back into the office and called Michelin for a warranty discount. I was never told the tire price, just that they gave me a 40 percent discount.

When I asked to see what he wrote on the order, I was given a very brief glance at the tire write-up with my discount for a warranty issue, basically shown what I was SAVING. He quickly pointed to a couple of spots on the paper, which was not right in front of me.  I still thought I was trading up for the Michelin LTX MS2 tires in stock for $182 each, less the warranty discount, that was discussed in the previous afternoon's phone conversation. He pointed out total price of the tires with your store insurance, and without the store insurance.  Then he hustled outside into the shop with the order. 

There is something wrong with that - and I'm not blameless, for sure. As I wrote in my blog post, there are a number of things I should have done, and didn't.

This first shop where I bought the tires - the employees were not overtly rude, they just ran over me and gave me no options. I was treated like a child, or an old lady with no sense. And my technician was young and seemed inexperienced. I have no issue with him, except he needs more training - and that's not his fault, but the fault of the management. He was very polite, just didn't know enough about my set-up to correctly help me.

On the other hand, the second America's Tire on Imperial Ave in El Centro that I visited the next day, Friday, and the following Monday, did EVERYTHING right.  I can't say enough about them.  They deserve an award for outstanding customer service.  Sam, the Manager, obviously trains his staff well, and shows them by example how to provide excellent customer service.

Service, either good or bad, comes from the top. Kudos to Sam!

I hope you take this comment seriously.  I know Discount Tire/America's Tire is the "go-to" company for many, many RVers, and I'm hoping that Sam and his crew at the Imperial Ave. store are still representative of the mission of your company.

NOTE:  As I hit "Submit,"  I received the following message - I'll let you know if I receive a response.  :)

Your eMail has been Submitted

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We generally respond to emails within 1-2 business days.