I've been a Tire Rack customer for years and have bought 5 sets of tires from them so far. I've never had an issue with them, but then again, never had to utilize their customer service. Believe me, they are great unless you have a problem; then things go from bad to worse.

Last May, my son bought a set of OZ wheels and Fusion tires for his '09 Cobalt as a package from Tire Rack including TPMS. This was delivered to us as a package, meaning that Tire Rack mounted, balanced, and installed the TPMS. The tire/wheels were ready to bolt on.

One of the TPMS sensors is now giving erroneous readings, swinging from 2PSI to 90 and back again. We tried letting the air out and reinflating; we also tried a reprogram of the system. The TPMS in question is still acting up.

We called Tire Rack and here's the deal:

Even though Tire Rack mounted the tires and furnished/installed the TPMS, the customer is required to purchase a new sensor from Tire Rack; the customer is required to pay to dismount and install the new sensor, then the sensor is sent back to Tire Rack for analysis. If Tire Rack decides that it is bad, a refund will be provided. If not, the customer is responsible to pay for the new sensor.

I would have been okay with this if I had mounted the tires myself, because my installation may have damaged the sensor, but I bought these premounted from Tire Rack. To me, it's analogous to buying a TV from Sony and if the tube goes, the customer is responsible for removing it an reinstalling it.

Bottom line is I'm surprised at Tire Rack's policy and I'm sure that many will say they never had a problem with them, but so did I. Just be wary of purchasing a tire/wheel package, because they don't stand behind their installation as many would have thought...

 

Wait until you have a flat "out of town" and see how that plays out. I buy all my tires from the local Firestone dealer (yea I know), Best SERVICE I've ever had from a tire store. Oh, and the new Fire Hawk Indy 500 is awsome on an HHR.

 

One of the questions I have always had with Tire Rack is their pricing. I have never, not been able to match their price from a local tire dealer, and on occasion have obtained better pricing. Most any tire dealer I've gone into, with printed prices from Tire Rack has been willing and able to at least meet their pricing. By the time you figure mounting, etc. etc, plus the convience of just going to a dealer and having the tires installed, I really question how great a deal Tire Rack is. Just MHO!

 

Really, their policy isn't that out of the ordinary; many online businesses function in the same manner. Since they don't have the benefit of seeing/testing the actual part in your possession, they have to see and test it later to be sure it's bad and not damaged.
We used to send people free replacements where I work and waited for their defective part to be returned, but so many people abused it and turned in stuff they broke or simply never returned we had to start charging them until we got the old parts back. It's the stupid and cons that make policies like this a necessity while people like you with a real problem have to jump through hoops.

I have worked with TireRack on a wholesale basis and found that even many of the prices we got via an account were still cheaper than what we'd pay from local distributors and manufacturer "discount" programs. In some cases they prove to be a great deal, and sometimes you can shop around and do as well or better.

 

i think they are standing behind their installation perfectly. When you deal with mail order businesses, almost 100% of them have to deal with things this way. They can't see your stuff in person

You are usually getting the cheaper prices up front, to make up for any difficulties down the road. If they charged you what a local merchant charged you, then they could afford to blindly offer better refunds/replacements

 

That is just a result of doing business online! They don't have a shop or authorized dealer locally that can do the work for you! We can't really see what you want them to do except maybe send you a replacement sensor for you to have installed! We can see the pain of putting money upfront for a new sensor but they did offer a refund if the sensor checks out bad! Personally if it's the factory style sensor it can be replaced without removing the tire from the rim which will save a few bucks! We do business with the tire rack and have the install work done locally as to watch over the mounting process!

Best-O-Luck ,

 

fwiw: I bought Dunlop tires from Tire Rack, many years ago for my S-10
after a year the tires began w/tread separating.

I contacted them, they listed local recommended installer for them. One was Sears, so I went it to have Sears verify my issue. They did & asked me what new tires I would like as replacements..

I switched to BF Goodrich at that time, as they were 'on sale', & after all was said & done I left with a small refund for the cost difference, & fresh new tires..

edit: I am surprised tire rack didn't direct you to some local recommended installer, & have them verify your issue..

Just sayin...

 

What they are doing is fine and is the norm for mail order. I work for a large automotive internet firm and we do similar and often more than they offered.

The bottom line is if the part is bad due to workmanship or quality you will get refunded. So if it is legit it will be taken care of.

Also you have to look at it from their side too. As DR Gregorey House says people lie. Not majority of them but a large number will.

In general if it is a lower cost item most will take care of the issues with no problem and if it is a larger cost item they will look at it and in general take care of it with no problems as long as it shows no signs of being driven flat or other issues of damage.

Where I work we have several ways and usually give the benifit to the customer as that is how or owner wants it done. In short We offer better service than most on the web because that is what he wants done. With that being said what the Tire Rack is offering is more of the norm and very acceptable.

The real sticker on many car parts is the fact no one will cove labor in most cases. Parts are covered but labor is not. Companies have little control on local labor and many either over pay or cheat to get more back.

The bottom line is they will take care of your issue if it is a defective part and you will get you money back. The money you save most times is more than enough to make a little exrtra effort for the money you save.

I live in Akron the home of more tire companies than anywhere and I buy from the Tire Rack myself. I can get tires cheaper there than any of the many company owned stores here in town. In fact many of the people who work for the tire companies also buy from them.

Please when I say people lie don't anyone here take it personel. It is not a lot of people but it is enough that it can effect the bottom line of a company and that in turn will effect the prices you pay. It is like shop lifting.

The stories I can tell you on some issues that were not a retailers and MFG fault that some try to pin on them.

On the other hand I can point out more cased where we have taken care of people that screwed something up and we still took car of the part or helped them in some other way.

I can tell you Honesty on something you did to yourself often will result in help you often don't have coming.

Either way the deal here is not out of line and will clear itself up failry fast.

From what I have seen the world has some bad companies and bad customer and it creates a lot of mistrust on both sides with the entire market. It is sad as this is a commentary on most of the worlds issues. It only takes a few to mess it up for everyone else.

 

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It just depends on where you are and who you deal with.

Here the Rack has always had a better price than many dealers can or will do.

Getting them mounted local here is never an issue either. It for the most is my best deal. As for other it may not.

I got my winter tires at the Rack. They were $136 tire locally here. The rack had them for $105 and then they gave me a $40 rebate. I then sent in my Goodyear discount my dad gets and I got the tires for around $75.

Mounting was not hard or expensive and the shipping was what I would have paid in local tax alone. One day delivery to my door was great.

While it may not work this way for all it does work for most. There are several others that also do fine work too so it is not just the rack alone that offers good deals.

So if it works it is good if not you always have local to work with. It comes down to take the best deal that works for you.