Ronnie's Tire Service Inc

Excellent service received. Fast professional employees.

Review: I waited in line for 56 mins with a 1 year old in the car to have a tire replaced on my car. I had a flat, and was riding on a donut. Prior to entering the garage, an older man approached my vehicle and asked what I needed. I stated I needed a tire and I was driving on a donut. he asked if I had the flat in my trunk, and I said yes. when it was my turn to enter the garage, they looked at the flat and said they couldn't use it, and they didn't carry the tires my car had. I asked if that meant that I waited in line for an hour and that meant they couldn't help me, and the mans response was that they didn't carry my kind of tire. he then proceeded to yell at me about not knowing anything about the tires on my car, and asked why I didn't tell him that I needed a whole new tire. I said I was unaware you could fix a flat tire, I assumed I would get a new one. I had never had a tire replaced on a car before, and had no idea what it entailed. prior to going to ronnies, I had called the shop and inquired if I could purchase a single tire, and they said yes. I also asked what I needed to do and if I needed an appointment and they said just show up and get in line. I did exactly as instructed. no one asked what kind of tire my car took, or anything relating to why I needed a tire. given that this is their business I assumed if that was information they needed they would've mentioned it. the people there were extremely rude and condescending and made me feel stupid for being ignorant on tires and my vehicle. I don't know anything about cars or tires, and I would hope that the professionals I seek out to care for my car needs would be more courteous and respectful. I work in a restaurant and when people ask questions about the menu I don't treat them poorly and assume they should know all about the food. they don't work in my restaurant, and I don't work at a tire place! the older man who spoke with me while waiting in line was argumentative and kicked me out of the shop.Desired Settlement: ideally I would like an apology. I feel I am frequently disrespected in situations like this because I am a woman and look much younger then my age. this business should be accountable for poor customer service.

Business

Response:

I received your letter dated November 18, 2014_ regarding the complaint submitted on November 17, 2014. The complaint ID number is [redacted]. At Ronnie's Tire Service we always strive to provide the best service to our customers, so I was disappointed when I received this complaint. However, I would like to assure, you that the information in the complaint is not accurate and seems to be more of an issue of misunderstanding on the part of the customer. On November 17, 2014 the customer arrived at our business and stated that she had a "donut" on the front of her vehicle and a flat tire in the trunk. She was instructed to pull her vehicle into the line that had formed outside of our garage. This is a very busy time of year for us with other customers having their snow tires mounted before the winter snow arrives, and the line can get rather long. The customer waited approximately 45 minutes until her vehicle was pulled into the garage for the repair.When our tire technician, examined her "flat" tire he discovered that the tire was not just "flat" but was in fact destroyed due to extended driving on the "flat". Our office manager spoke with the customer and informed her that due to the extensive damage to the tire it was not able to be repaired. The customer was angered by this statement and informed our office manager that, as she is a female, she was not aware that she should not have driven on the flat. The customer become irate and made quite a scene in our work area. Our office manager spoke with the customer and informed her that she would have to replace the tire. It was further explained that according to the manufacturers, all four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles must have four matching tires. The customer has "club" tires (tires exclusive to discount chain stores) on her vehicle and we were unable to sell her a single replacement tire as the type and tread design of the tire would not match and as a result would be unsafe and could cause damage to her all-wheel drive [redacted]. The customer was very upset and continued to yell and cause a commotion which was causing discomfort to our other customers, so she was asked to leave. I am sorry for the poor experience, that this particular customer had at our establishment; however, this poor experience was due to us not being able to meet her needs rather than her receiving poor service. We could have simply sold this customer a non-matching tire which would have put her and her child at risk or caused damage to her vehicle. Although this would have given her a more 'satisfying 'experience, we chose not to take the customer's money and advised her to do what was safest for her and her vehicle. As a family owned business, with daughters of our own, I can guarantee that Ronnie 's Tire Service has never taken advantage of a woman for financial gain.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Ronnie's statement of events is false. I was never irrate and never caused even a bit of a scene. The circumstances reguarding the situation with my car were not properly or politely explained to me. I felt reprimanded and talked down to by this establishment for being ignorant in vehicle knowledge. Customer service was horrendous and others should take caution.

Regards,