Not happy

"Sorry,No Class Tire" would be a better name,.I have to make a trip up north in to BC . My tires are in not bad shape but to be safe a new set of four would be better.I went to "Canadian Tire" here in Airdrie and approached the young clerk at the parts counter. I asked him if they have tires here, He said yes and asked the year and make of my vehicle, size and type of tires that I wanted.The estimate was a bit more than what I had in mind but acceptable,He directed me to see the service person and set up a time to have the tires installed. I was told that their tire service is booked up until the 25th Nov. I explained my trip plans to the north and asked if there was any way I could get in before then.He laughed and said no way.It seems to me that cancelations and no shows could be filled with the dollars that I want to spend but that was not even an option. I wonder how much profit is lost with that kind of poor"Service" happning at times like this? They will have a hard time convincing me to return with my cash.

Whitey Airdrie AB.

whitey said:

"Sorry,No Class Tire" would be a better name,.I have to make a trip up north in to BC . My tires are in not bad shape but to be safe a new set of four would be better.I went to "Canadian Tire" here in Airdrie and approached the young clerk at the parts counter. I asked him if they have tires here, He said yes and asked the year and make of my vehicle, size and type of tires that I wanted.The estimate was a bit more than what I had in mind but acceptable,He directed me to see the service person and set up a time to have the tires installed. I was told that their tire service is booked up until the 25th Nov. I explained my trip plans to the north and asked if there was any way I could get in before then.He laughed and said no way.It seems to me that cancelations and no shows could be filled with the dollars that I want to spend but that was not even an option. I wonder how much profit is lost with that kind of poor"Service" happning at times like this? They will have a hard time convincing me to return with my cash.

Whitey Airdrie AB.

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It's a pretty crazy time of year for getting snow tire work done.

But the store sound ridiculously rigid about the booking times - it's not like they have it timed down the minute, and couldn't possibly squeeze in another customer, if that customer was willing to wait.

It's always an option to buy tires at one business, and have them installed at another. Hopefully there'll be other shops that are offer better service.

Fairly common complaint this time of year. The tough part is, when a shop is full, a shop is full!
All of my bays and guys are booked solid right now for 5-6 days in advance from open to close, and it's not snowing yet.
We've been working with other tire shops in town to handle the load, they send some to me, I send some to them.

The challenge is, if you try to rush, you make mistakes. its important for customers to understand that this is winter tire season, and 3-7 days is common everywhere. I communicate with all of the tire shops here every few days, and we're all the same.

As far as cancellations or no shows, it does happen for sure. The way we handle customers in a hurry situation is that they must leave the vehicle with me, and if we have a no show, we slide it in. If the car isn't there at that minute, it can't be done. By the time you call a customer, they drive in, it's too late. If the customer in a hurry is willing to leave their vehicle for 24 hours, there's a good chance we can find a free slot. They simply can't sit and wait for it, they could wait all day.

Owner 1 said:

Fairly common complaint this time of year. The tough part is, when a shop is full, a shop is full!
All of my bays and guys are booked solid right now for 5-6 days in advance from open to close, and it's not snowing yet.
We've been working with other tire shops in town to handle the load, they send some to me, I send some to them.

The challenge is, if you try to rush, you make mistakes. its important for customers to understand that this is winter tire season, and 3-7 days is common everywhere. I communicate with all of the tire shops here every few days, and we're all the same.

As far as cancellations or no shows, it does happen for sure. The way we handle customers in a hurry situation is that they must leave the vehicle with me, and if we have a no show, we slide it in. If the car isn't there at that minute, it can't be done. By the time you call a customer, they drive in, it's too late. If the customer in a hurry is willing to leave their vehicle for 24 hours, there's a good chance we can find a free slot. They simply can't sit and wait for it, they could wait all day.

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This Crappy Person keeps contradicting themselves, and makes no sense.

If they are booked 5 or 6 days in advance, then how can they take any of the load from another tire shop? Obviously something isn't adding up with their claims.

Besides, if they can take customers from another shop, then this store in Alberta should be able to help out the original poster, except that this crappy store is too messed up.

And since when does Crappy Tire only make mistakes when they rush? We see reports on here regularly of stores that take too long and still screw up.

I don't think we should take the word of a confessed "owner" for anything.

If I can handle a car 3 days from now because i happen to have an opening, and another shop can't for 5 days, they might send them to me. The following week I might have a 5 day booking and them only 3, or they are staying open late, i'll slide one over to them. You see, here in the real world, (not your fantasy world of everything is wrong with Canadian Tire) we work with competitors and they work with us to provide the best service we can to customers in unusual situations, emergencies, etc....
Read what I typed. Right now .... as of today, i'm booked 5-6 days...as in early next week. I then continue to say it's common everywhere 3-7 days.

See?

Basic Steps:

1 - Decide on the tire you want, first.

If you want a really good tire at a good price, consider using Consumer Reports or some other reputable source.

It can be worth a few buck in membership fees to find out what tires are good, and what aren't. Otherwise, it really is a 'crap shoot'.

Price is not equal to performance. Some are better in snow, ice, rain, etc. It depends on the conditions you expect.

Do NOT just take the recommendations of the person selling tires. Especially don't take the advice of the Crappy People on tire selection.

2 - Shop around for price.

Once you've narrowed the field to a few tires that will meet your needs at a losest suggested retail price, call around to different shops. Prices can vary widely among tire sellers for identical tires.

You might find a good deal at Crappy Tire ... but check around just in case. I ended up going to Kal Tire, last tire.

3 - Shop around for installation.

Use someone reputable (which means NOT trusting your vehicle to Crappy Tire). You can buy from one shop, and have them put on anywhere you like. Sometimes they'll give you a better price if you buy the tires from them. But maybe not.

4 - Buy the tires now, even if you install later.

If the tires you want are stocked by Crappy Tire, at the best price around, and they will give you an amazing deal on installation, and you think just this one time it's worth seeing if they can NOT screw up the work, make sure you BUY THE TIRES AHEAD OF TIME.

Since their 1970's-era "green screen" systems are usually NOT integrated, they might well sell your tires to someone else while you are waiting a week or more for your appointment time to roll around.

5 - Think seriously about buying Rims

It's a lot cheaper to switch them twice a year, and less wear-and-tear on the tires, to have both sets mounted on their own rims. Switch-over is quick and cheap. And, they don't take up any more storage space during the off-season.

6 - Consider buying in the U.S.

This is one product where the mark-ups are a LOT higher for Canadians then they are for U.S. consumers. For pricier tires, this could easily be hundereds of dollars.

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That's just my opinion, based on many a season of tire buying and installation.

If enough Canadians continue to buy in the U.S., it will keep pressure on the suppliers to drop their prices, to stay competititve. Supply and Demand.

Keep in mind: the warranty for tires purchased in the U.S. might not be honoured in Canada. But, if the warranty would be pro-rated by mileage and/or age, and wouldn't cover Road Hazards, you might not be losing much.