ComplaintsforThe Tire Depot, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  08/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a set RoadTour 655 MRE, Aug 2021. The warranty on Hercules website states this tire is good for 65,000 miles and if this tire becomes unserviceable due to a flaw in workmanship or materials, we will replace it at no charge during the first 50% of tread life. And this warranty is good for up to 36 months. The car began to drive poorly. The care was taken to The Tire Depot on July 29. On this visit I was told, the back tire was bad. And I had to buy another one. I would like to be financially reimbursed for this tire because it has the same workmanship damage that the others have. They would not replace it for free. The car was still driving badly so I took it to my mechanic and he told me the problem was the tires. I took it back to Tire Depot on Aug.11 and this time they told the front 2 tires were bad, excessive tread separation. Why didn't they identify this on the previous visit. It is impossible under normal wear and tear for the tires They told me they would not honor the warranty. Today, I took the car to another tire shop for an assessment. They stated the remaining 3 are in terrible shape, abnormal tread separation, unsafe to drive. I would like replacement tires for the same or better quality. I was taken advantage. The warranties were not honored. This is an unethical business. I do not recommend anyone to do business with them.

  Business response

  08/17/2023

  Your complaint centers around us not being willing to replace your tires under the manufacturer's warranty due to defects in materials and workmanship. Unfortunately tread separation, which means broken rubber tread layers with air between them, is caused by impacts (with potholes, curbs etc) and this is not a manufacturer's defect issue but rather a road hazard warranty issue. No tire manufacturer will cover separated tires under a defect warranty unless it happens within the first 1,000 miles because a defective tire, rare as they are, will fail immediately after it's put into service. Hercules generously offers a free 1 year road hazard warranty on their tires but the tires in question are well beyond that in age. Like most tire retailers we offer an optional road hazard warranty that covers exactly these issues beyond 1 year but it is an additional option at time of purchase that was not added to these tires and so they are unfortunately not covered under warranty. This is not limited to Hercules but would be the same regardless of manufacturer. 

  Customer response

  08/17/2023

   

   Complaint: ********

  I am rejecting this response because: This company sold me old dry rotten tires, manufactured in 2019.  There were a year and a half old when they sold them to me.  I was not aware at the time that I was purchasing old tires.  How would you like to have been sold tires for $166 dollars a piece that were dry rotten and not been made aware that the tires were old?  No one wants to be taken advantage of.  I purchased the tires believing that I was buying tires that were made in 2021.   This is unethical.  Hercules on their website states that they cover the work of their tires for 36 months.  When I called  Hercules, they told me that Tire Depot could accept the tires back and replace them and fill out paperwork supporting replacing the tires that would be sent to Hercules.  

  Regards,

  ********* ******

  Business response

  08/18/2023

  If Hercules provided you with a case number and stated that they would agree to replace your tires please forward that and the number you called to me and I will contact them. If on the other hand, they simply asked you to have the dealer send the tires in to be inspected and evaluated for a warranty claim I can state with certainty that it will be rejected it for the reason I listed earlier. Tread separation is caused by an impact which damages the inner liner of the tire and not a manufacturing defect. This means that a road hazard warranty would be required to cover the damage. 

  Customer response

  08/18/2023

   

   Complaint: ********

  I am rejecting this response because:  No company in America can justify selling someone  tires in August of 2021 manufacturer in 2019.  That was unethical and dishonest at it's core.  I came to the tire shop and told ya'll there's was shaking coming from the front right of the car.  Your company inspected my tires and told me the back tire needed replacing.  I purchased another tire from your company in good faith that ya'll were telling me the truth.  Replacing that tire did not resolve the problem.  It took my mechanic the next week to tell me the tires were the cause of the car shaking while driving.  So I bought the car back in a two week time span and your company says, oh yeah it's the front 2 tires.  Afterwards, I take it to another tire shop to get the truth of the matter and they tell me that it is the remaining 3 that are bad.  The only one that was good was the new tire that I purchased from ya'll.  So the truth was not told to me when I initially bought the car to your place of business for an inspection of the tires.  I see that we live in a day and age where honesty is no longer a virtue for certain businesses.  I will gladly pass the word.   

  Regards,

  ********* ******

  Business response

  08/24/2023

  Ms ******,

  I'm sorry you are dissatisfied with my response but the issue at hand is still lack of road hazard coverage on your tires. The 18 month time from manufacture to installation is well within acceptable industry standards. Michelin, the largest North American tire company, requires tires to be installed within 3 years of manufacture and then deems them safe for 6 years after installation (not manufacture date). Most other manufacturers follow the same guidelines. The average US made tire is 8-12 months old when installed and the average imported tire is between one and two years old when installed. Tires in cool, dark and dry warehouses do not age at the same rate as an installed tire that is exposed to UV and Ozone from the sun so that time does not affect their lifespan nearly as much as after installation. We purchased your tires directly from the only wholesale warehouse in the state that carries the Hercules brand within a day of when they were installed as we do not stock any product at our stores instead using just in time inventory from our suppliers. The point being your tires fall well within both age guideline and the manufacture date is irrelevant to this discussion here as it had nothing to do with the damage to your tires. There is also nothing unethical in any part of our transaction with you. 

  I'll reiterate that tread separation in tires is caused by an impact that deforms the tire hard enough to cause the inner liner to be pinched by contact with another part of the tire or the lip of the rim. That break allows air to escape from the inside of the tire into an outer tread layer forming a lump or bubble that results in ride quality issues and ultimately failure of the tire. That can and does happen from poor roads and potholes and we see such damage on a daily basis. That is neither a manufacturing defect nor installation damage as evidenced by the fact they have been in service for two years. Replacement of an impact damaged tire falls under road hazard coverage and again I'll reiterate that the manufacturer covers the first year free and we offer an additional package to cover flat repairs, balancing and replacement that can be added at the time of purchase but was not in your case. I truly wish all of our customers purchased road hazard as this entire encounter would have been avoided had the tires been covered by a road hazard warranty. We have honored over 25 road hazard claims so far this month and I assure that customers are always happy when they have it. I do recommend that you purchase road hazard coverage from your next tire supplier as tires live a very tough life with the heat and poor road quality that we have in our area.

  Sincerely,

  **** ****

   

   

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  02/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This matter involves a 2010 Ford Escape. I called Saturday 2/12/2022 and spoke with **** (owner) regarding valve cover gaskets I was advised were leaking. **** asked which side? I did not know and asked for an estimate for worse case scenario. **** quoted $515. I dropped off the vehicle about noon 2/12/2022 in Byram. **** advised the price he gave was an estimate but they will check it out. Monday 2/14/2022, I called the shop between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. since I had not been contacted. ******* answered and explained he saw the vehicle but did not see any paperwork regarding why it was there. I explained I was advised valve cover gaskets were leaking. He said he would check it out and call me. ******* called Tuesday 2/22/2022 and explained that both banks had leaks and gaskets needed on both sides. He also explained the estimate I was given was incorrect and the job would cost $700.76. There was no mention of spark plugs but he mentioned an oil change would be required. I picked up the vehicle Wednesday afternoon 2/16/2022. My daughter drove the vehicle to work, etc. the next day. I told her to park in the other parking space to be sure of no leaks. There was a leak with fresh oil, which I took a photo. I called the shop Monday 2/21/2022 and advised the vehicle was still leaking oil and I would be bringing it in Wednesday 2/23/2022. **** got ***** involved. Brake job guy looked at a gasket issue. ***** advised they had pressure-washed the engine although the vehicle has old settlement. ***** said I told them to change both valve cover sides. Today, my husband and I were told the oil pan gasket is leaking. I agreed to the job at the recommendation of their mechanic, *******, not because I "wanted" to spend $700. I am not a mechanic, just a consumer. I expect auto professionals to tell me what is wrong with my vehicle and not use my words against me. This is not the same as requesting an oil change. Misapplying my words is simply unethical.

  Business response

  03/11/2022

  Hello,

  The customer had called prior to bringing the vehicle in on getting the valve cover gaskets replaced.  I gave her a verbal estimate on what the price would be for both valve cover gaskets replacement by her request.  She later called to confirm the price so that she could drop it off.  I did let her know that we would inspect the valve cover gaskets and update her on any additional costs that may incur.  She dropped the vehicle off Saturday at around 11:55.  We kept the vehicle over the weekend to begin working on it Monday morning.  I was off that Monday but our employees, ******* and *****, inspected the vehicle Monday and gave her the updated estimate which included both valve cover banks and spark plugs.  Sometimes the spark plugs can be effected by the leaking gaskets and this time they were.  The customer agreed to the additional cost.  The valve covers are located at the top of the motor and the oil leak will drip down over other parts of the motor.  The leakage caused a lot of oil residue over the motor.  We normally clean the area that we are working on to better assess the leak.  The work was completed and the customer picked up the vehicle.  

  The customer returned about a week later complaining of oil drops on the floor where her vehicle is parked overnight.  She dropped it off and we checked for any oil leaks.  After a couple of inspections, one finally by our lead technician and store manager, *****, we determined that there was a small seepage of oil at the oil pan.  We were not asked repair the oil pan.  There was enough oil residue that we weren't sure if there may be any other oil leaks.  The vehicle was left running on the rack for quite a while before the oil seepage around the oil pan was noticed.  We informed the customer that the oil pan was leaking and that the valve cover gaskets had no leaks.  

  Unfortunately with a vehicle with that many miles may have multiple leaks and some may not be noticed until the vehicle has been driven for a while.  Oftentimes other leaks may surface due to sealing off the main leak and another weak area is effected.  This was the case in this incidence.

  The customer asked for a refund because the vehicle was still leaking oil.  There is no problem with the area that we repaired.  We would promptly repair any leaks around the valve covers if there were.  

  We do believe that a refund is due.  We correctly repaired the area that the customer requested we repair.

   

  **** *******

  Owner/Manager

   

   

  Customer response

  03/12/2022

   

   Complaint: ********

  I am rejecting this response because:  the Owner misrepresented several key points.  I advised Tire Depot that I was told the valve cover gaskets were leaking.  I expected them to confirm what I was told.  The owner advised he would have the vehicle checked out and would let me know.  The owner did not address the fact they tried to say the rear main seal was leaking.  The owner did not address the fact that ******* quoted the price increase without informing me of spark plug replacements.  I did not ask them to replace spark plugs but they did that according to owner's response.  ***** said it is standard to replace both gaskets even if only one was leaking.  **** asked me on the phone which side was leaking.  ******* said both sides were leaking.  If it is standard to replace both gaskets, why ask me the question about which side is leaking.  That should explained upfront.  I did not authorize spark plug replacements yet I was charged for them?  Obviously, the owner's response does not add up. 

  When I called about 4:00 p.m. Monday after the weekend drop off, ******* did not know why the vehicle was there since no paperwork was available.  During that call, I explained I was told  the valve cover gaskets might be leaking. ******* called the next day, Tuesday, and gave a price of $700.  He further stated he did not know where the Owner got his price of $515. It is obvious these are not people of integrity that are willing to lie on customers after taking advantage of them.  My 22-year old daughter paid for this repair job out of her hard earned money; but, I guess that doesn't matter to people who are only interested in their bottom line.  I hope my rejection is published to the public as a "buyer beware" warning regarding Tire Depot in Byram.  This business has no integrity to willingly lie on a customer instead of making a matter right.       

  Regards,

  ******** *****

  Business response

  03/14/2022

  We did inspect the valve covers as requested and told the customer that both sides were indeed leaking.  Another technician did inspect the vehicle initially and we did believe that the rear main seal was leaking. After the customer questioned the area of the leak,  I did have our Master Technician inspect the vehicle a second time to make sure of the diagnosis.  It took recleaning and running the vehicle up on the rack for quite some time to note that the rear main seal did not appear to be leaking but there was a small seepage around the oil pan gasket.  Again, it is hard to determine specific leaks when a vehicle has had a leak for a while.  Old oil leak remnants are still sometimes remaining.  The customer was told that the price given was not firm until the technician inspected the vehicle and an updated estimate would be given.  ******* gave an updated estimate of cost of repairs and the customer agreed to the price.  The customer never asked why there was an increase in the cost but they did say to move forward with the repairs.  The customer had called initially on the phone to get a price on valve cover gasket replacement.  I asked the customer which bank because I figured that they had their vehicle taken elsewhere and they were advised that the valve cover(s) was/were leaking, and I figured we were being compared in pricing.  The customer asked to get the worst case scenario price.  I gave it for both banks and told her the price may change after we inspected the vehicle.  

  The customer asked to repair the valve cover gaskets as needed when they dropped the vehicle off.  The valve cover gaskets were replaced and they are no longer leaking.  We do apologize for the time delay in getting back with the customer in getting the work done.  There was a substantial workload already set up for that day and ******* was not working the day the vehicle was dropped off.  Miscommunication was an error on our part and we apologize for the delay.  

  It's hard not to address the not bringing emotions into the situation.  Being called a liar is hard to accept.  Miscommunication is apparent but lying is not.  The customer's husband was on the line upon the initial complaint and he was very interruptive and called me a liar on the phone.  He was quite the challenge to deal with.  He was shouting profanities in the parking lot in front of other customers upon his departure.

  I apologize for the miscommunication but the repairs that the customer requested were done and they are no longer leaking.  The oil pan gasket leak was noted days after the repair.  It was not obvious at time of the valve cover gasket repairs

   

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩