Sorry you went through that. I have never in my life had a tire shop ask for a non-refundable deposit or any kind of a deposit for tires. I don't mess around when it comes to tires; when they get even close to being worn, I replace all 4. The last thing I want is my wife being stuck somewhere with a flat.

they are liars. that screw is nowhere near a sidewall.
i would give 'em a concise review via google, etc.

Shocking that a tire shop would try to sell someone 4 new tires with 4/32" tread left .

Porsche cars North America’s policy is dealerships don’t plug tires. If the customer did not want a new tire, we had to refer them to a local tire shop. Liability issue, I guess. They didn’t want to plug the guy’s tire and have a high speed issue the next day (I’d guess). I’ve plugged my own passenger car tires many times without issue.

This has always been my philosophy.

Except seeing I'm a free agent.....it's me that I don't want being stuck on the side of the road!

Change your oil and refresh tires are the two fundamentals for happy vehicle ownership.

Yep, Discount Tire is a great company in my experience. They are tied in with Tire Rack, when I buy tires in MN., I pick them up same day at TR's local warehouse and then have DT install them. Never had to wait for an appointment in the distant future, just in and out quickly with friendly, helpful employees.

It's a smart company that recognizes an opening in a service industry like tire shops where the bar is set really low in terms of the competition from independent shops. Pricing, customer service, all really bad in that sector.

My shop in Los Angeles is fantastic, they are either independent or part of a small chain and they not only beat TR's price on tires every time but give me great, prompt service on tire repairs and alignments. The tire business must be more competitive out here or something...there are a lot of great tire dealers. My experience in the middle of the country has been the opposite; terrible prices on tires, appointments a week out for an alignment, etc. They absolutely act like they are doing you a favor getting you in. If I called my guys in L.A. today for an alignment, they would say, "sure, can you be here in an hour?" And they are busier than a whore on payday...waaaay busier than these half-assed places in the heartland I've encountered. Of course there are exceptions, I've also gotten good service in WI. a couple of times. I buy more tires than the next 5 people combined some years.

$50 for a plug?? My shop here will not accept $$ from me for that, always free and I just pull in unannounced. Part of this is the fact that I've sent them virtually everyone I know for tires, they always take care of my friends the same way. Everybody is happy. :cool:

Two day wait to plug or install a tire? Never heard of such a thing.

Me neither. My shop either has the tire in stock, makes a phone call and has it 30 minutes later or if it needs to be ordered from further warehouse or manufacturer, UPS delivers it the next day. The tire distribution network in America is vast and there are warehouses everywhere there are vehicles, which is everywhere.

Some of these shops in uncompetitive markets are just so used to treating people like crap that customers think it's normal, I guess. :confused:

I hate liars. I give them no quarter. I'd get a refund, call my CC company, whatever. Send a note to BBB. Tell all my friends.

I'm not impressed with those screw type plugs. I like the rope kind.

Inside patch is best.

I don't know guys.
You make an agreement to purchase and give a deposit.
I don't think it's right to call the CC company and dispute it. What are you going to tell them?
Or am I missing something?

You're missing that they told him that the screw was too close to the sidewall for a plug. Other than that, on general principle, you are right.

I get that and it was very slimly, but didn't he order a new tire and put a deposit on it?

Great info, thanks! I'll keep an eye out for these or a kit for them.
My first reaction was the same, but then I realized that there may be lots of other things going on that kept him from putting in the plug himself that he didn't want to share. Easier to just say "I didn't have time". There could be (almost certainly is) a LOT going on in the background that we don't know about.
LOL! The sarcasm is strong in this one...

It definitely reads that way. But I don't know what he got. One new tire? A patch? Four new tires?

I can't blame the shop for trying to sell four new tires given the condition of the one shown...I would 100% drive on those tires, but I would also ever agree to a $50 deposit when a patch would work.

Did they plug it and send him on his way? Put a new tire on? Did they refund the $50 or offer a store credit? :confused: Does he know but isn't sharing? Or has he not picked up the car?

Putting one new tire on a four wheel vehicle is like buying one new tennis shoe and wearing the old one on the other foot.

Only one was dry-rotted. ;)

Where is the picture of the screw that damaged the sidewall?

Being a liar is one of those things thst disqualifies businesses from getting trade from me

I did once take a tire to a shop for a plug. There was a nail/screw in the middle of the tread similar to the photo in this thread. They told me "we can't patch it, it's in the shoulder". I was a bit perplexed, but it turned out that the tire that I took in had 2 nail/screws in it, and I had only seen one of them.

It’s in the first post of this thread.

lol!