Local tire shop turns corporate up charging money grab.
I recently moved and this became the closest tire repair place to my home.
The first time I went there I was told I needed two tires when only one had a slow leak. (Of course both times the tire could not be patched or mended something they don't seem to even do there any more.)
Without him even looking at them I was told I needed new windshield wipers (apparently their newest money grab). Luckily my guy was green and when my answer was "no, mine work just fine" he dropped the issue.
I noticed the con artist in training was ringing up a second tire without my permission and I put a stop to it when, while he told me it would only be marginally more, I could plainly see on the screen it would literally be twice as expensive.
When I finally threatened to leave the head rip off guy/manager came to tell me he could magically cut the price of the second (unnecessary in the first place) tire in half.
Fine, whatever, I just needed one tire but this is a local place I used to respect so if they need to move tires so be it (at the time I would rather give them my money than some southern Cali guy who raised my rent).
Cut to my second visit. I made the mistake of being honest and telling them the tire which now had a slow leak was not one of the two they had just sold me. BIG MISTAKE, and sadly for me this time "manager up charge" was the one that checked the tire out.
He proceeded to inform me that "the nuts on my tire would need to be replaced" as mine were "bloated and had expanded to a size so big their tools would not fit them."
That's a new one, but whatever, it's the last time I'll ever go to this location dispute it being in walking distance. ("You can't put a price on an honest mechanic." - Jerry Seinfeld)
I offered to take the nuts off with the tire iron in my trunk and was told "getting them off was only half the battle," getting them back on would somehow be an impossibility. Thus this tire would wind up costing me one and a half times what the first slow leak tire cost - negating the first visit's "discount". (And they magically were able to remove my tire's nuts with their supposedly tiny tools I can only imagine match the ones in their pants)
They were busy and they over estimate how long it takes to change a tire so they get shining reviews from naive white people that don't see any of the scams they newly have going on.
I'm too old to fall for that lame attempt at good customer service (under estimate to give the appearance of over performing). I live in a city full of Airbnb-ers, time is no longer the commodity it once was here (Austinites now value breaks of not dealing with Californians over handling their online app complaints).
This was when I realized the biggest scam they have going; it's the floor set up.
Every chair faces the cash register (or is at least in ears reach of it). So they walk you over to a cardboard chart and tell you how hard it'll be for them to sleep tonight if they let you drive off with your tire tread in the yellow... how cheap their prices are... how great their new windshield wipers are... and then the customers waiting and facing you put the same pressure on you that you feel in the convenience store line; if you turn down their wipers or new nuts you're made to feel like you can't afford them/have no nuts yourself.
So unless you feel like being overcharged, sold things you don't need, emasculated, and pressured into unnecessary purchases I would avoid this place like dirty 6th street once you turn 21. (They didn't even give me a valve cover for one of my new tires ) read more