Terrible Customer Service after buying and receiving a defective tire
I recently purchased 2 used tires from Champ Tires because I only needed 2 tires and didn’t have the money to buy a new set of 4 tires. Buying these used tires seemed like a good decision at the time, but unfortunately, this was far from a good value. Champ Tires claims to pressure test each used tire, assuring you that you’re spending money on tires that still have life in them. After receiving our 2 used tires, my wife brought them to Discount Tire to have them installed. Discount Tire showed my wife that one of these tires already had a plug patch repair that was not disclosed by Champ Tires. After having them installed, the low tire light came on the following morning while she was driving our 3 young kids to school. She drove less than 40 miles before that light came on. Promptly returning to Discount Tire, my wife was informed they found a small hole in the sidewall and that they could not repair this nor put it back on our vehicle for safety reasons. Therefore, they installed a new tire, so the vehicle was safe to drive.
When I came home for dinner after a busy day at work, I learned about the incident and what had transpired. My first concern was my family driving around with this unsafe tire with sidewall damage - after being assured it was safe and pressure tested. Secondly, a new concern, now having a brand new tire that doesn't match the other 3 tires. My third concern is the new tire has 11/32 of tread depth on our All Wheel Drive vehicle compared to the 6/32, 7/32 and 8/32 tread depths on the other 3 tires. If anyone understands AWD vehicles, this is not advisable due to potential damage to the drivetrain. I then reached out to Champ Tires to see what kind of Customer Satisfaction they can offer at this point for a tire that I paid $63 for. I quickly learned that they have very little to no Customer Satisfaction. I was told they needed the old defective product back – now, I understand why Champ Tire would request the old defective product back, as a company policy and to be sure that we’re not trying to scam them. Unfortunately, the company who picks up used tires showed up to Discount Tire sometime after my wife left – I personally stopped back there to try and get it back.
In our situation, neither my wife nor Discount Tire had any idea this was or could be needed and simply proceeded with the safest option of having a non-dangerous tire put on the vehicle. We have 3 young kids and therefore a very busy schedule. My wife and I have spent a lot of time on this – finding the 2 tires that matched what we had on the vehicle, ordering the tires, getting them installed, getting one replaced and now trying to obtain some type of Customer Satisfaction - but Champ Tires is offering NOTHING since I don't have a $63 tire to return to them.
Our time investment is not over yet – now we still have to spend additional time and money to get a set of tires that have the proper tread depth for our AWD vehicle. The individual I have been communicating with at Champ Tires obviously doesn't understand the bigger picture with safety first nor Customer Satisfaction - or real-life scenarios with busy family life. I've worked in Parts and Service for 18 years at a car dealership - so I acutely understand the need to follow warranty protocol, but I also know there are unique situations and customer concerns that need to be addressed from a Customer Service / Satisfaction standpoint. I wouldn't be wasting my time with all of this communication, if I was truly trying to scam Champ Tires over a $63 tire.
BE AWARE of purchasing anything from Champ Tire! I highly discourage it! Don’t just take my word for it, go to the Better Business Bureau and you’ll find very similar complaints.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned