I will NEVER buy tires at Costco again!

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Fantom

Fantom

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Threads
336
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5,169
Location
Port Coquitlam
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Hi all,
So here is my justified rant about the lack of service I received. I had one of my BFG M/Ts blow on me on Logged Hwy. There was a long crack on the top of the sidewall and it lost all of the air in about 20 seconds. After finally finding the paper work from Cost co from the original purchase (just over a year ago) I go in today and they tell me the thing they forgot to mention when they took my money. "we did not install them so we will not warranty them" They did not install them because they were bigger then stock so it is their policy not to install anything other then factory spec tires. I was told that when you buy the tires and pay the extra $11 per tire for the installation (when they are "regulation size") that covers the 5 year warranty. When you buy from them on a "cash and carry" situation they will not warranty them AT ALL regardless of the time frame. I am pissed, this is after they gladly took over $1000 from me and at the time said they had a regular warranty - BULL. I will never buy tires from them again!
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::flipoff2::mad:
 
My experience:

BFG is not a rugged off road tire. I don't like them, because the MTs are not sipped and when aired down I have seen many of them lose beads and deflate and in the process the casings becomes damaged. Costco's mounting policy is to avoid covering "off-road users", who like the bigger tires.

Go Interco they are tough tires.

My $0.02 worth
 
Well that is something I will have to consider when replacing my tires.
Also I just wrote them a nasty comment to their customer service dept. The only thing I am happy about is the fact that I have never paid for the membership (my boss got me a companion card). Bastards!
 
I've never had a problem with BFG's. I air down to around 12 psi usually and have ran them for most of my 'wheeling career. Regardless, the only tire manufacturer who I've heard about that offers a "no hassle" guarentee is Big O. I have no idea how good those brands of tires are.

I did buy some Kelly Springfields for my Echo at Fountain Tire, and apparently I was driving on a flat for awhile befire I noticed as the sidewall was fubar'd. When I took it back for the free flat repair, they replaced it under 'road hazard warranty, no cost to me. I dunno if they would offer the same service for an off road tire.
 
The problem I have here is not with the fact that the tire blew, the fact that thay will not warranty it or anything else of the sorts. The issue I have is with the fact that they told me (when they gladly took my money) that the warranty will still exist. That's what I'm pissed about. So now I pose the question, if they will not warranty what they don't install, to get a tire that is 33X12.5 R15 installed, what kind of vehicle do you need to have? Which vehicle has that as a stock tire size?
 
I tore a the sidewall of my BFG A/T on ice at River Shiver. I purchased them on line at www.4wheelparts.com. The nearest location is between Everett and Seattle. I waited till I had a trip south, brought the tire there and they replaced it with a $15 enviro fee. As long as there is more then 50% tread they will replace the tire. I know it is a ways away but for $125 US per tire shipped to Point Roberts, I'm not complaining. As for the BFG A/T's...I love them.
 
Did the kid at the countered said they are 'covered' - did you ask him where in tiny incomprehensible print in the warranty it says that.

When in doubt I get the kid at the counter to write it on the invoice, then get a few photocopies, so you can find a copy when you need to. That way you have a 'contract' they have to honor.
 
Hind sight, regrettably I do not have anything that he said on paper, but in the mean time I am writing several pissed off letters to their head office and will be going to the main store manager tomorrow with this.
Also I called another branch of Costco, asked them what type of vehicle takes a 33X12.5 R15 tire, no big surprise, no vehicle has that as a stock tire. So that means that all those large off-road tires they sell, they do without offering any type of warranty. Personally I think that is crap, and lousy business practice and will not support it.
 
Glenn-BJ74 said:
When in doubt I get the kid at the counter to write it on the invoice, then get a few photocopies, so you can find a copy when you need to. That way you have a 'contract' they have to honor.
Click to expand...

This is the key!

I make sure every time Crappy Tire replaces my lifetime warrantee batteries that the new form still says "life" in the warantee blanks.
 
Fantom said:
Hind sight, regrettably I do not have anything that he said on paper, but in the mean time I am writing several pissed off letters to their head office and will be going to the main store manager tomorrow with this.
Also I called another branch of Costco, asked them what type of vehicle takes a 33X12.5 R15 tire, no big surprise, no vehicle has that as a stock tire. So that means that all those large off-road tires they sell, they do without offering any type of warranty. Personally I think that is crap, and lousy business practice and will not support it.
Click to expand...


Try BF Goodrich, explain your story. Can't hurt.
 
Scalp said:
My wife's Olds ran over a pipe and punctured a Costco tire and they are replacing it with two more at a warantee price. Have not got them yet but they were quite good about it-no hassles so far.
~Bill
Click to expand...
Did they install them? if yes then they will warranty them. If not, then read above.

LandCruiserPhil said:
Must be a Canadian thing...Costco put 37" BFG on my 80 with full warranty here in the states.
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Must be nice :flipoff2:
 
That's the exact reason I didn't by my BFG's at Costco. I get all my tires from a local store in Abbotsford, Curtis tire. These guys are great, never an issue with them.

Sorry to hear of the woe's, Costco is usually really good with warranty stuff, but the tire section is pathetic.
 
I went to a tire shop in New westminister. They were really nice, though I think they only had two brands, Toyo and Cooper..

I like the Coopers on my landcruiser so far :)
 
Who ever said that writing a strongly worded letter never accomplished anything obviously did not use strong enough words. So I wrote 2 letters to Costco Head Office, visited the store manager 3 times and this is what I managed to accomplish. Since I could not find the original full paper work that came with the tires, only the receipt, I was a bit at their mercy. On the last visit to the store I talk to the main manager who told me to fill out a receipt requisition form and wait 2 weeks for a response (I was not going to let the bastards walk away from this). So I did, then we went over to the tire shop manager (again), this time he decided to look at the damage - " well that's not a manufacturing defect, that's not warranty" and he also mentioned that head office called him wondering what is going on about this guy that's harassing them about some warranty issue. So both the managers looked some more at the tires and the main manager decided that they will find the paper work themselves and call me back. A week later a get a call, we found the receipt (apparently it was not in Ontario but in the local warehouse and they were too lazy to look for it originally), and in his exact words :" we found the receipt and it looks like the person that sold you the tires regrettably did not write anything down about the cash and carry so they are under warranty" Regrettably my a$$. I should have my replacement in 4-5 days, after I of course remove the damaged tire from the rim (myself) and exchange it and then have to install it myself. Never again! Why has customer service turned into an ordeal equal to passing a gauntlet in medieval times?
Lesson learned - always get them to write warranty stuff down and lock it in a vault so you never loose it!
 
i know you got the result in the end , but the next time you have any bfg related problems try kal tire in coquitlam , i took one of my wifes flats in thier to get it fixed ( a used tire i got from craigs list ) and they fixed it for free i thought they had just asumed i had paid when they helped me put it in the trunk , so i went back in to the counter and said it was no charge , i explained that i had not purchased it from them , they said somthing about customer service and that it was a brand that they sell . my next tire purchase will be with them even if its not cheaper than some discount place .
 
toynut said:
my next tire purchase will be with them even if its not cheaper than some discount place .
Click to expand...

And that is precisiely why they do this.

I use to buy all my tires from them in the last 15 years. Only bought my ATs at a different place because the Abbortsford shop screwed me around on a set of studded tire I bought from them. I had a work trip to Fort Saint James and need to leave on a Sunday so had them install their store brand studded tires on Saturday. Sunday morning I went out to go and found that one tire was completely flat. I called their road service saying they must of punctured the tire when studding it. They told me the bill would be a couple hundred for a Sunday call as there was no hazard warrenty. I was pretty POed. I had to delay and cancel meetings. Monday morning with my summer spare on I took it too them and the service manager was a little red faced after saying it was impossible to puncture the tire with the stud gun. Guess what, they found - they had punctured it.

But yes, for the most part their service is excellent, especially in smaller places. So yes, I will most likely buy my studded winters from them. However, I will probably get them done in a place like Princeton where they know winter tires and know how to handle a stud gun.
 
It is all about reputation, does not matter what kind of ads you run, does not even matter that much if the price is cheaper, if you have a reputation for excellent service it will sell itself. The shop that put the tires on the rims (since Costco did want to) was Big O on Westwood, the guys did the job on a last second notice, gave me some extra valves for free as trail spares, have always been available to do a last second balancing at a good price and never gave me any bull. It's stuff like that that makes you chose a place as the only place you end up going to. Especially when it's locally owned and operated.
 
So I finally got the new tire, only after they decided to do something that is called a "pro-active" warranty on the old one. They charged me for the tread used - whatever. In the end I paid $70 for the new tire plus the cost of dismounting, mounting, and balancing.
Not worth the head ache.
 
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