I should start by stating that I was an big America’s Tires fan until now. America’s Tires offers free flat repairs, so when they first opened in my town I thought what a great marketing idea… they fix flats for free even if you didn’t get the tires from them! I had a nail in my tire and they fixed it for free with no hassles, just like they advertised, so from that point on I was a big fan of theirs and got all my tires from America’s Tires for years. I was such a big fan, I wouldn’t even consider going to any other tire company or even bother to get any other quotes when I needed tires.
Several years ago, I had a leak in one of my tires while I was traveling and I couldn’t find an America’s Tires in the area… there was a Big Brand Tire Company just around the corner and I decided to go to them and just pay whatever fee there might be for fixing the tire. Much to my surprise, they too offered free flat repairs just like America’s Tires! They were just as friendly, and there were no hassles or attempts to try and sell me any additional services! So suddenly I had two favorite tire places to go!
I recently inherited a car which had hardly been driven. The tires still had tread on them but they were over ten years old. You should note if your tires are over eight years old, even if they still have plenty of tread, you should still get them changed because the rubber tends to become worn and possibly unsafe. This was my situation.
I couldn’t afford to get new tires right away, so I figured I would go to my two favorite places to see which one might have the best deal for me. I went toBig Brand Tires to give them an opportunity to quote a good price. The car is a 1996 Buick Park Avenue and the tires size is P205/70R15.
The tires they quoted me were for Westlake brand tires for $58.99 each. With balancing, disposal, taxes, and extended warranty the total came to $359.42 for all four new tires.
This is a fair price and a pretty decent solution for some new tires. These tires do not have a mileage rating, however, their expectancy is about 40,000 miles and with the extended warranty they should last me just fine for several years… even with my extensive driving habits.
When I told the Big Brand Tires rep that I could not get the tires done that day, he was very professional and gave me a written quote so I could come back any time and still get the same pricing! He did not pressure me to get the tires done that day and even told me if I was shopping for prices, to be sure to come back to them because they would price match for similar tires from their competition.
So at this point I felt I was armed and ready to go. A couple of weeks later when I was getting closer to actually getting the tires, I thought I would see what America’s Tires would do for me. The sales rep gave me a couple of choices and their lowest price tires were about two dollars less than Big Brand Tires, however, they were not rated either but their expectancy was about 35,000 miles – 5,000 less than Big Brand Tires. The total pricing was about eight dollars less than the quote I received from Big Brand. His second choice was about six dollars more per tire but had a 45,000 mile expectancy (not a rating, just expectancy).
The big advantage America’s Tires had was they were offering a mail in rebate of $100. I could immediately see that this would be a better deal in the long run although I would have to wait for the rebate and however long it would take to get back to me.
I asked the America’s Tires rep for a written quote and was told their system wouldn’t let them print up a quote. I was concerned because I wanted to get their offer in writing so I would have proof of their price and mail in rebate since I couldn’t get the tires done that day. When I told him I had to wait, I was told the special was only good for that day and it would expire upon their closing.
So here I am, frustrated, thinking that I could of saved a hundred bucks but because I couldn’t afford to do it that day, I would lose out on the special offer!
Two days later I had the funds to get the new tires. I called Big Brand Tires, since I had a written quote, and told them about the mail in rebate that America’s Tires was offering… I know mail in rebate programs take a great deal to set up so I wasn’t expecting them to throw some sort of mail in rebate program just for me, but I asked if they had anything they could do for me because I wanted to get the tires today.
Sam Jaramillo, the Big Brand Tires rep, offered to give me any additional $50 off the total price from my previous quote as a “Price Match Discount” because of what I had told him about America’s Tires. This was even more appealing to me since the savings was instant rather than completing mail in rebate forms and waiting for some check or credit card to come in the mail a couple months later… provided that I even remembered to mail it in! I needed the savings today, not two months from now so I told him I would be right there.
When I arrived, Sam printed the new quote and the total was now for $309.42 – this still included the extended warranty!
The car went in and I went to wait in the customer lounge (waiting room), which was fully equipped with a large flat panel HD TV, vending machines, free WiFi, and even two computer stations with full Internet Access!
About 20 minutes later, Sam came in and said there was a mix up with the inventory count… NOW, I know what you’re thinking, because the same thought ran right through my mind! Here’s where he reveals the “catch” and tries to jack me up for more money – and what options would I have, since my car was already up on the lift and my tires were already off and gone!
Sam continued by saying that since there was an inventory count mix up, that there was a lack of the Westlake tires I was originally quoted. The next step up would be Delta tires which had a 60,000 mile warranty (mileage rating!) and a retail price of $94.99 – but since the problem was with an inventory mix up in their system, they would put the Delta tires on my car for the EXACT SAME DISCOUNTED PRICE as the Westlake tires which I was originally quoted!
Big Brand Tires is operating with such high integrity and professionalism, that Sam was able to offer me a tire which costs $36.00 more per tire without charging me even one more penny than what I was quoted! That’s an additional savings of $144.00 – I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT!
THAT’S A TOTAL SAVINGS OF $194.00!!! They even gave me the extended warranty without charging me anything extra for the more expensive tires!
An additional note on the warranty… I decided to get the warranty because Big Brand Tires DOES NOT PRORATE on the warranty services. This means, if I have the tires for 50,000 miles out of the 60,000 and need to get them replaced under the warranty program, they will replace them completely for free! Other companies will charge a prorated fee for replacing the tires… for instance, with another company, in this same example, I would have to pay 83% prorated fee for the replacement tires which would equate to $79.00 each! So definately add the extended warranty service – it’s worth it!
Big Brand Tires is now my choice for tire companies, needless to say. If you would like more information about all the services they provide and for their locations, click here to view my first article on Big Brand Tires…
