Wow, so much has changed here, not for the better. This is going to be a LONG, OVERLY DETAILED review, so here's the TLDR:
Put on 3 studded tires, left one all-season on, told me to cancel my weekend plans due to their error, didn't get 4th tire till a week later, despite saying it would take a few days, acted like they were doing me a favor
Week 1, Wednesday:
Getting your winter tires on is a part of Anchorage life. And often not a fun part. I decided to go to a tire shop near my work so I could drop the car off, then walk back to work. The process was smooth and painless.
But, they called me a few hours later to tell me that one of my tires had a bulge on it and it wasn't safe to put on. They marked the bulge and suggested I take it back to where I bought it, since the tire "looks very new" (it was!)
So I called Alyeska (where I purchased the tire...for almost $300) to inquire about the warranty (I had already checked Nokian's website, which says they have a 4 year warranty). They told me it "depends on the bulge".
Week 1, Thursday:
I brought in the tire, and they looked at it. They told me it would cost $7.50 to replace it. Great! They didn't have one at the store but they were going to get one from the warehouse. It would be there Thursday afternoon. They told me about how grateful I should be because they were splitting a set of 4. (OK? I bought tires from you because of your warranty? Why should I be happy you are honoring it?) I could drop the car off Thursday morning, and they would mount the tires when the 4th winter tire arrived.
I woke up early, got outside Alyeska at 7:30am, and waited in line. (They open at 8am). After an hour in the cold, I was finally at the front counter and dropped my car off. Finally! I paid to take a Lyft back to work because I apparently have no close friends or family up here.
I get a call Thursday afternoon. I pick up and they explain that they don't have my tire in...but they put 3 of the (studded) winter tires on, and left one of my all-seasons on. I told him I had planned to drive to some ice climbing areas and he told me "I wouldn't do that" and "I would drive it like you have a spare on it". I told him I'd prefer he put all the all-seasons back on. He let a large silence form on the call. I gave in and told him I'd cancel my weekend plans. He said he'd call me on Monday when they had the 4th tire. I took another Lyft to get my "tripod" car with 3 studded tires and one, lonely, all-season tire.
Week 2, Monday:
No call. I called Alyeska, no pick up.
Week 2, Tuesday:
No call. I called Alyeska, no pick up.
Week 2, Wednesday:
No call. I called Alyeska, no pick up.
Week 2, Thursday:
They called to tell me they had my tire. I showed up, and they quickly replaced the final tire. At checkout, I calmly and emphatically explained to them that I had cancelled my weekend plans due to their error (putting winter tires on my car when they didn't yet have the 4th), and that it didn't seem fair to charge me full price after forcing me to drive my car "like it has a spare on it" for a week. I said I could've pushed and had them put the all-seasons back on, but I helped them out by letting them leave the tires in the awkward configuration. Their response "we wouldn't have put them back on if you asked us, we couldn't."
Dejected, I just said "OK, I just thought you could show me some good faith, since I showed you some for your error."
In summary, I don't recommend buying tires here, nor getting them changed. read more