Bought tires from Walmart, now I know why they are so cheap

[my86442]

Re: Bought tires from Walmart, now I know why they are so ch

I know what you mean.Ijust got new tires and was going to get them at walmart but theytold me they would have to order.so i go to the store to pay for them,they tell me they cant order them and i would have to go to another store.They would not even call around for me to see which store had them.So i went to another tire shop and they actually gave me a better deal on a set of 4,i ended up saving about 125 dollars.also i have heard they sell factory seconds and that some tires might be new but have been sitting in a warehouse for years.

It's true about the new tires actually being like 6 years old. I always check the DOT code on the tires. It gives you the year and week if when it was manufactured. I saw at Canadian tire they were advertising new tires but when I checked the code they were actually from 2009. So be careful guys about that

I worked at Big O Tires in Louisville, Ky for 2 years back in 08 and 09 and was always told by the customers to never go to Walmart for tires because of how little they last. I got used to looking at the DOT code due to having to write it down on every ticket made for tires that were bought. Last Thursday I bought a set of tires from a local shop here and they came in Monday. When I got there, they were wrapped in plastic but when I checked the date code on them, they were from 2007 I told the owner that since I just paid almost 600 bucks for 2 225/70/15's and 2 255/60/15's that I wanted NEW not OLD NEW. The owner of the store wasnt very happy but I didnt give a sh*t, I told him "I paid for NEW tires, Not 6 year old fossilized junk!" I finally got the "NEW" tires in today and they are dated for 01/2013, after almost 5 hours of waiting, I told them that was the shittiest service I had ever gotten and will definatly let everyone know. Being in a small town has its advantages because it wasnt too long after that was when I found out, I wasnt the only one that felt this way.

 

[Flat Broke]

Re: Bought tires from Walmart, now I know why they are so ch

I owned a little "Mom & Pop's" tireshop for sevral years and for the most part people with specialty needs were/are your customer base for small shops. People I dealt with that owned hot rods, tractors, 4x4, lawnmowers, atv's etc. were usually good to deal with because not everyone will fool with that stuff but with every price you give you are told,"I can get 4 tires at wal-mart for x amount." Big stores blind people with the low price of the tire then get you on the mount/balance,road hazard etc. Small shops can compete with big shops, just have to be a little more understanding because when you order tires for a customer, you don't know the date of the tire until it gets there. So you have to ask the customer to wait another day or two because they sent old tires and run the risk of losing that customer because you were not fast enough with your service. Tires are expensive and don't have a big mark up, having a small shop is expensive with needing to carry the same insurance as a larger mechanic shop. I had a 3 bay 40'x60' building I rented and after rent, electricity, insurance, 1 guy to help me in shop and 1 girl to answer phone and give quotes in the office, a little over $8,000 a month without paying myself. That = a lot of tire repair and sales to make that. What it boils down to is small shops have to give excellent customer service to make a living while the big stores step all over customers and customers keep returning.

 

[DRIVEN]

Re: Bought tires from Walmart, now I know why they are so ch

I think maybe some people get a little too hung up on the DOT date code. Is it worth throwing a tantrum at the tire shop? Not in my opinion. I know they have a limited lifespan but we're not talking about a carton of milk here. There's a big difference between 5 years wrapped in plastic on a shelf in a warehouse and 5 years of under-inflated use in New Mexico.

 

[jae]

Re: Bought tires from Walmart, now I know why they are so ch

I think it boils down to the basic "you get what you pay for". The price is cheap for a "lacking" reason, i.e. lack of quality, customer service, warranty, replacement...combo of the previous. A small shop may be a little more expensive but you get good service majority of the time, even a discount on other services like oil changes.

I used to buy my oil for the DD from them but they are just as expensive as the other places plus their oil is API-rated SN now, so I don't use them. I wouldn't let them, their counterpart SAM's, Costco or any of them other places put air in my tires let alone install them.