I'm really impressed with the team at Discount Tire. In the past, I have mostly purchased tires through Costco. But going forward, I'll be a Discount Tire customer. Here's why:
1) When it comes to price, Discount Tire will match Costco's pricing (or any other company, for that matter). So on price, Discount Tire will not be beat.
2) Both Discount Tire and Costco charge an installation/disposal fee (Costco is currently $15 per tire; Discount Tire is $16 per tire). So, it's a wash on that score -- and both companies offer free lifetime rotating and balancing of your tires, included in that fee.
3) The biggest difference is customer service. When you call Discount Tire by phone, someone picks up the phone. Have you tried calling Costco's Tire Center? They literally just let the phone ring; you can never get a person to pick up.
Furthermore, Discount Tire allows you to schedule appointments online. This is huge.
4) The Discount Tire website is vastly superior to Costco. You can read reviews and compare many different tire options. This is huge. In the past, I simply walk into Costco and take their recommendation for which tire to buy. Two years ago, I bought a supposedly high quality Bridgestone tire (Ecopia) from Costco. I'll be lucky if those tires make it to 30,000 miles.
Not all tires are created equal, so it's worth doing some due diligence on the Discount Tire website (you can also cross-reference a website called Tire Rack for more reviews) before you make a selection.
5) Discount Tire has a much wider selection of tire brands from which to choose. I believe Costco is limited to Michelin, Bridgestone, and BFGoodrich,
6) Lastly, Discount Tire wants to win your business. They will tell you that, and they will treat you in accordance with that desire. At Costco, the technicians are mostly friendly, but they are always swamped with business -- so customer service is iffy at best. read more