I've been a fan of Belle Tire since they arrived in the Indianapolis market. Up to this point, I've primarily dealt with the Castleton location. However, this particular spot is actually closer to my home and I knew today it was going to be closer to where I needed to do some other errands.
Belle Tire was founded in Detroit in 1922. The name comes from founder Sam Waze naming the company after his wife (I'll let you guess her name). Belle Tire is fairly new in the Indianapolis region having arrived from 2016-2020. Around 30 locations are noted in the Indianapolis region including a Whitestown, Indiana training facility.
Belle has sports partnerships with Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Indiana Pacers, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Blackhawks.
Belle is historically known for strong customer service and relationship building. The stores are also historically customer friendly a clean, comfortable waiting area that includes a computer kiosk, vending machine, coffee, and a unisex restroom that is also wheelchair friendly.
With most auto repair places, accessibility is an afterthought. Belle has often gained my business because of its commitment to accessibility.
This was my first visit to this location. It seems just a bit smaller than Castleton, though not by much. There are two accessible parking spots up front.
I'd actually ordered my tires and paid online and set my appointment mid-week so that I could come in on Saturday morning. I arrived quite a bit early, however, I was able to get served pretty quickly. Business was steady but not what I would call busy.
I like the option of paying online. While it doesn't quite eliminate the attempted upsell, it reduces the pressure since I'd already paid.
As I pulled up here, I was a bit irritated to see two trucks blocking the accessible parking area. I was able to squeeze in, however, one of the two spots was completely blocked. That's unacceptable.
However, I did get parked and did have a clear path to the curb cut. In most of my visits to Belle, someone greets me at the door. However, in this case one person was serving a customer and the other was on the phone.
The employees were friendly and helpful. My reservation was identified and my tires were ready and available. I was a little nervous ordering online, however, it worked just fine and the tires were appropriate. I also was pleased that there was no issue regarding payment since I'd paid online.
I was able to relax in the waiting area, though the store was a touch chilly. At one point, I think they finally addressed that.
My set of tires was ready within about an hour. It was a reasonable time and I was completely fine with it. They did recommend a front alignment, though I opted to hold off to see how it drove. I also had an experience that made me not want to spend additional cash here.
A person drove up in what was obviously a quite nice car and he was obviously a friend of the place as both people working the counter went out to look at the car. That's fine (and it was quick). However, he parked (illegally) in one of the accessible parking spots and I was a bit bothered the employees didn't detour this. I think it was especially noteworthy since a disabled customer was in the building. Fortunately, he didn't stay long but considering the spots had been blocked when I arrived this really indicated a casual attitude about accessibility. This, in turn, directly lost them the sale of an alignment. It also is why I'm dropping a star here.
I will give kudos, however, that the person who worked on my car parked it right next to the curb cut when he was done. I'm amazed how often this doesn't happen and I end up struggling to get in my car. So, bravo for that.
That said, most other aspects of this experience were fine. I'd say this location is a notch below Castleton. However, my general impression of Belle is that it remains one of the more customer friendly companies related to autos in the area. Since Belle came to town, I haven't even thought about Firestone.
Would I come back? Probably. However, to be honest I'll likely head back up to Castleton as it's simply a better experience and the devotion to accessibility when I've visited has been strong.
This was a good but not great visit. However, between the successful online interaction, the quality tires, and the overall friendliness I still have to go 4 stars. I also got my eligible rebates and they were explained well including the one I thought I was eligible for but actually wasn't.
A little tweaking and this could easily be a 5 star location. For now, 4 stars it is. read more