ComplaintsforGeralds Tires & Brakes, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  05/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On Thursday May 2nd, I entered the Dorchester Road location in Summerville SC. I spoke with an older woman about a very specific task/job I needed on my 2017 Jeep Rubicon. I told her I had been to several local mechanics and was told Gerald's could probably handle the job needed. My Rubicon needed a complete alignment, steering wheel sensor error reset and a steering wheel calibration. She said that should be easy, I'll send a technician out front to your Jeep to confirm. I waited less than 2 minutes and a younger male came out and said no problem at all. I scheduled the alignment for noon the next day. I arrived early and waited with the Jeep. I was told an hour maximum. After 65 minutes I went up to the front to see what the delay was. Someone pulled up in the Jeep, younger white male got out and asked if I knew there was a sensor issue and that vehicle was pulling left. I said yes, that's why I'm here and why you guys are being paid to fix it. He then said that nobody told him or anyone in the back. He said we can't fix this, we have tried. I was told it is driving "better" than it was. I was told I'd be charged for an alignment check. I then left the parking lot and nearly lost control of the vehicle. The Jeep was basically on ice skates, all over the road. I made it to my neighborhood, Coosaw Creek Country Club and dumped it at the entrance. I called demanding a manager. I ended up speaking with "Donny". This individual was argumentative from the start and tried to explain that they did their job and that the vehicle was test driven for safety. I countered with who drove it and where to? He said he did but refused to tell me if he ever left the parking lot. I demanded a tow to Jeep and a refund, he refused. I ended up taking it to Palmetto 4x4 and they showed me how badly Gerald's missed a major safety issue or something they actually caused. All of my bolts in my lift kit were missing except 1. We took pictures and video of the massive safety issue.

  Business response

  05/21/2024

   To: Mr ***** *******,

  Sounds like we could have done a better job. I am sorry we dropped the ball. Thank you ***** for trying Gerald's. We hope you give us another chance in the future. We will refund the 50.00 to the address on this complaint..

  Customer response

  05/21/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was at Geralds Tires #5 on Rivers Ave to repair a slow leak in the left rear tire of my vehicle on 11/9/2023. During the "repair" the store damaged the left rear (Drivers Side) tire of my vehicle. I left a review on ****** and was instructed to contact Missy D**** by the assistant manager Patrick. I did on 11/10, sent her photos of the damaged rim and she said she would process the repair. Since then I have tried to get an update from Missy on 11/14 and 11/16 and have not have received any update. I wish to have my rim repaired and returned to "pre Geralds" condition.

  Business response

  11/27/2023

  We are in touch with the customer and working it out.

• Initial Complaint

  06/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My car was towed to Geralds tires on 3/19/23 because I was driving and my car appeared to have an issue with the tires. I received a call the next day from Jt explaining my wheel Berring needed to be replaced, power steering and 4 new tires. I opted to just replace 2 tires and proceed with the rest of the work. My total bill was 1388! My car was picked up by my sister and when I started to drive my car, I notice my car was still shaking. I called Gerald's and informed them of my concerns and was told to bring the car back which I did not.Fast foward to June 22,23 I noticed there was issues with my powering steering ( I know this because I wasn't able to turn my wheel without force and using 2 hands).I was flying out that day so decided to call once I got back in town which I did. Might I add I spoke to a young lady weeks prior about the shaking again and asked was an alignment done and was told when a wheel bearing is replaced alignment is done). I called on 6/27/23 and was told to bring the car in the next day which I did, I was told they was busy and to leave car overnight or bring back in the morning. I decided to leave my car overnight. I received a call the next day from JT informing me now my rack pinion needed to be replaced, alignment. My purpose of writing this complaint because Geralds tires is known for integrity, and I feel robbed because instead of investigating whether this was a rack pinion or powering steering issue they decided to guess. In addition, why was an alignment not done when I not only got 2 new tires most importantly wheel bearing replaced. My only conclusion was for me to come back and spend more money. Now I have car that needs a 1000 more dollars of work done because Mr. Jt per his words "this isn't Geralds fault", decided to do a quick fix. Also store manager Brandon unknowingly admitted during convo with my mom when wheel bearing is replaced alignment is done.

  Business response

  07/05/2023

  We have been in touch with Ms. ********** and resolved the issue.

  Bill W****

• Initial Complaint

  02/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On my way to work, I got a flat tire. My co-worker inspected the tire noticing that all rims on my Mercedes look like new without any single scratch. I drove to Gerald’s on 6-lane highway without sharp curbs not exceeding 50 miles per hour without sharp turns or sudden braking. I looked at the passenger side rear tire and there were no scratches on this rim, but after mechanic brought car back from shop, it had severe scratches, see attached pictures. It was obvious that scratches were just made pristine new without any road dust. After seeing this damage to my car, I went back to the receptionist and told her about scratches. She examined scratches and admitted that such things are happening at their store and asked me to call ********** to discuss this issue. At this moment store manager Matt D******* came. When I asked Matt to repair damaged rim, he became arrogant, intimidated and disrespectful repeatedly stating that Gerald’s use a plastic tool and there is no way their tool did any of that damage. I noticed that they have video cameras and suggested to watch video to see what happened, but Matt did not let me to watch an original video allegedly tempering it first. After I refused to watch an edited video, Matt became very furious and told me that yes they did it but I never going to prove it speaking with my accent. After such insult by store manager, I was so shocked that I was not able to say any world; I paid with my credit card and left. I called **********, and company owner, Clay W**** called my husband in a very arrogant way stating that such rim damage is happens occasionally and normally Gerald’s compensate their customers for such damage, but they will not compensate us because we will never prove that Gerald’s did such damage, see full statement attached. Later Clay left voice mail to my husband claiming that I was able to watch all video, which is absolutely not true as you can see from the attached explanation.

  Business response

  02/17/2023

  On 02/06/2023 Ms. *********** drove her car in on a flat tire for service. The tire was not reparable and a new tire matching the brand on her car had to be ordered for delivery the next day. To keep Ms. *********** from being without a car we took a new tire out of our inventory and placeed it on her car as a loaner. The next day Ms. *********** returned to to have the tire swapped out. Ms. *********** pointed out some damage to her wheel and claimed we were at fault. Upon examination we determined the damage to be curb damage. This is based on the unique characteristics of such damage.  We invited Ms. *********** out into our tire bays so she could observe how we change tires as well as showing her the plastic dismount head we us so as not to damage wheels. She felt and examined the plastic demount head.

  To get a third party opinion as to the cause of Ms. *********** wheel damage I sent  ***** Decker, a service tech who worked for ******, the manufacturer of our tire changing equipment, the picture of the rim and asked his opinion as to the cause of the damage. This was the communication:

  Bill:  (sent picture) "***** can I get your opinion as to the cause of this damage. Thanks, Bill w****"

  *****: "Well judging by the way the scrapes are curved that would be indicative of hitting a curb"

  Bill: "Can you think of anyway a changer could cause this?"

  *****: "Not with a plastic demount head"

  Bill: "thanks"

  We have security cameras and viewed the car being moved from our lot to the bays and there isn't any point where we were close to a curb or object that could cause her damage. We offered to allow Ms. *********** to view the video but she refused, stating we had edited it. We still have it if she would like to view it. 

  As to the statement about Matt our store manager "Matt became very furious and told me that yes they did it but I never going to prove it speaking with my accent."  Matt would never refuse to make good on any issue that was our fault and at times takes care of issues that aren't our fault, and "furious" isn't a word I would ever attribute to Matt.  I apologize for any action that would create that kind of feeling.

   

   

  Business response

  02/23/2023

  I spoke to both Travis and Heather. Travis said he did confirm her tire damage was do to a razor but her wheel damage was curb damage. When I spoke to Heather she said she didn't see the wheel until the customer pointed out the damage, so she couldn't have confirmed there was no damage before the car was driven into the shop.

   

  Customer response

  02/23/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1) There was no curb damage to the wheel, and at the time I was at the Gerald’s, Travis pointed out that there was no curb damage for either tire or wheel. Therefore, the current statement of the company owner cannot be valid.  Additionally, please see attached “Witness Statement” of my co-worker Ilia Atanelishvilli stated that there was not any single scratch on the rear passenger side wheel of my car after razor-caused flat tire.
  2) ***** Decker cannot serve as an independent expert for Gerald’s Tires as he works for ******, the company that sells tire changing equipment for Gerald’s and conflict of interest exists in this case since every equipment manufacturer will claim that their equipment is the best in the industry and cannot make any damage.
  3) As evidence that Mt. Pleasant Gerald’s tire equipment can damage wheels, please see attached image “IMG_0932_********” from the “********” website in response to my post in which I complained that Gerald’s damaged my rim and asked if anyone else had similar experience. Mr. Jay Wojick from Center Park North at Park West responded that Gerald’s scratched all 4 rims on his Audi. The Mt. Pleasant store refused to accept their fault and only after Mr. Wojick contacted main office, Gerald’s agreed that they did damage his rims and agreed to replace those.
  4) To find an independent expert opinion on possibility of wheel damage during tire replacement, I searched on google and as an example here is a statement from **** ********, a former writer for *********, writing on automobile tires and wheels. He worked as the operations manager for 13 years at Rim and Wheel Works, a family-operated wheel and tire repair shop in Waltham, Massachusetts. He also has written for "**** ******" magazine. The damage to my rim looks like a “head drag,” described by **** ******** as follows: “There are a few different ways that your wheels can get damaged while being mounted. The first is what I call a “head drag.” The mounting head is the part that guides the tire sidewall over the lip of the wheel, and so it must lock in place very close to the wheel lip, while not quite close enough to touch. Some tire sidewalls can exert enough force to flex the head and cause it to touch the wheel, dragging the surface as the wheel turns on the mounter. If the tire tech doesn't notice, this will cause a long scrape against the outer edge of the finish.”
   Please see attached image “HeadDraggedDamagedRim” of my damaged rim. Please look at 2 circular marks of the damage that look exactly as described above by **** ********. Please note that this picture was taken at the Gerald’s Tires immediately after work was completed and scratches were just made pristine new without any road dust.
  5) Regarding Bill W**** statement that  they offered me to watch video. As I have stated in my initial complaint,  store manager Matt D******* did not allow me to watch the original video but shut the door in front of me and only after 1 hour he spent in his room with video equipment he asked me if I would like to watch it, but at that time I was not sure if video was still original. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ***********

• Initial Complaint

  03/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  So I took my car in to get some brake pads replaced because the last time I was there the service technician said my brake pads were worn down and would need replacing soon. It was not metal on metal contact yet between the brake pads and the brake rotors. I told the service writer in the lobby that I wanted to see everything that was being done with my car before any work was done. When the service technician came to get me we looked at my brake pads and brake rotors. He told me that my brake rotors needed resurfacing which they would take them off and turn the rotors using the machine. I saw nothing wrong with my brake rotors and ran my finger along the surface of the rotor from top to bottom and it felt completely smooth. He said this service needed to be done and that they would take the brake rotor off and put it on the machine to put a nice 'glaze' on the brake rotor. I have no idea what he meant by 'glaze' but I used to work with auto parts myself and there seemed to be nothing wrong with the rotors. There were no dents or warping of the brake rotor. He had already printed out the services to be done and I asked to look at the paper. The paper stated that the parts alone for my vehicle were $89.02 but before I went to Geralds to get my brakes replaced I went online to ********.com to price what my brake pads would cost. The brake pads for my vehicle should have costed roughly $40 for the cheapest set and SC mechanic labor is usually about $50 per hour which I could not help but think the $89.02 was both parts and labor combined. So I don't understand why I paid an additional $99 for what they listed as 'disc brake service' on the receipt I received. I would like them to provide their camera footage as proof to the better business bureau that they actually resurfaced my brake rotors and if they cannot show that they did the service I wish to be refunded the $99 I paid to have it done according to the receipt they gave me.

  Business response

  04/06/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/03/31) */ The invoice attached shows two charges. One charge labeled "parts" the other labeled "labor". Wither we turn rotors or not the labor charge for the brake job is $99.00. Replacing or resurfacing rotors is included and there is no extra charge for that service. Please see the attached article that addresses mistakes made in performing a brake job, and make note of item #5. This is debated in our industry, but we have found that resurfacing the rotors reduces the noise and vibration complaints we receive from customers and so we include it in all our brake replacements. If a customer states he doesn't want it done, we note that on the invoice, but the labor cost for the brake service remains the same. Sorry for any misunderstanding. Above referenced document sent by email. Please share with customer. Thank You Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/04/03) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Your response does not say explain anything about the parts. I only wanted the brake pads replaced and can buy them at any auto part store for about $40. Why is it $89 on the invoice? Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/04/04) */ The customer stated in his original response "I went online to ********.com to price what my brake pads would cost. The brake pads for my vehicle should have costed roughly $40 for the cheapest set" First, we don't use the cheapest brake pads as they cause problems with noise as well as longevity. We use premium pads. Secondly we do mark up the parts we sell to cover the cost of our warranty, and other expenses to run a business and we do try make a profit on parts also. Sorry for the confusion.

• Initial Complaint

  08/24/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Situation: I have a ***** Dually which has (2) rear tires on the left and (2) rear tires on the ZRH - Requested a new tire under road hazard warranty for the rear RH outside tire; it had a screw and the tire was flat -Gerald's tires & brakes ordered a new tire and called my wife when it came in to replace the tire -Requested on the order at the service desk a: (1) long valve stem (2) make sure when installing the tire the inner tire valve stem is accessible (3) new tire replacement was on the order per the service rep (4) make sure the tire pressure reads on the truck computer What transpired: (1) mechanic put on a short valve stem (2) mechanic did not make the inner valve stem accessible (3) the tire was plugged and patched not replaced (4) the tire pressure did read on the truck computer (5) the manager said the tire is like new, not true (6) GM never returned my call (S. C***) -

  Business response

  08/27/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/08/24) */ I spoke to the customer today. Tried to explain to Mr. ******** that Road Hazzard warranty doesn't cover replacement of a tire if the tire can be safely repaired, which we did at no charge. He was only interested in getting a new tire for free. I did apologize for the failure in getting a long valve stem on his wheel and asked if he would send me a picture of the other side we would be glad to order him one, as well as correct the positioning of his wheel so he could access the inner valve. He wasn't interested in anything that didn't include a free tire. He stated that if we would have informed him we were repairing his tire he would have purchased one. I apologized we didn't ask, but took for granted most customers would want a tire repaired rather than purchasing a new one. I offered to sell him one at a reduced price but that wasn't acceptable either. Consumer Response /* (3000, 8, 2021/08/24) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) First of all, the rep for Gerald's tire misrepresented my comments in his response. I am appalled by his comment that I am only interested in a free tire. I never said that; that is not my character and he should be ashamed for what he said. Gerald's tire offered me a new replacement tire and they ordered it. They called my wife when it came in so she could come in and get the bad tire replaced. When the truck was brought to my wife the tire was plugged, the extended valve stem was discarded and there was no access to the valve stem to the inner tire. In our conversation, the company rep decided to not keep their commitment on the complete list of items I described in my complaint; I do not accept that response. I explained to the rep, I am an automotive engineer and a plugged tire on this type of truck, hauling heavy loads is dangerous. The rep said putting a plug in my truck tire is like putting a plug in the tire on his wife's SUV. Thank goodness he doesn't design tires. The discussion was not taken seriously by the rep at all. If they said upfront they were not going to honor their commitments, I would have denied a plug and I would have gone to a different tire company to get a new tire from a reputable tire company.

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