75ZT Community

It shouldn't have been. I mean I went yesterday. I know, I know, I ought to know better. But after all it was just tyres. They'd matched the price from Blackcircles, and I could leave the wheels with them and go shopping.

Note I said wheels, don't even trust them enough to leave the whole car with them, so used another car and took the wheels with us.

Now tyres is the core of their business, right? So the ought to be able to fit a new tyre and balance it with some degree of competence right? OK, so in hindsight I ought to have known. On one wheel where they used stick on weights, they failed to clean the wheel properly (at all?) so as soon as I went to fit the wheel back to the car this morning, half the weights fell off.

Went back to get them done, and to be fair the manager has apologised and said he will be having words with the fitter on Monday. But that's an hour of my life I won't be getting back. I can guarantee one thing. They won't be doing it to me again. Ever.

That's the only way to go.
Never go back.
Tell everyone. Like on here.
Happened to me with Nationwide Services (sponsored by CSMA at the time)
Holiday service undertaken. They recommended a new drive belt. Fitted it. It shredded in southern Spain on Easter Saturday,so Spanish delays were on a surge!! The garage that fitted the new one gave me a report suggesting it had not been fitted correctly.
On my return they said they were not responsible as I had not noticed the pulley was not running true.Though that was not so and it never gave any trouble while I still owned the 75 Club.
I've never been back. We hiss each time we go past the workshop - now a Halfords Centre!
That was 9 years ago.
And don't get me started on Vision Express!!!!

Corporate indifference, breeds disinterested and disrespectful staff. Most Kwik-Fit 'fitters' are socially hostile and their body language and cliche speak reflect this.

Generally the shed owners have 'cleared' the smaller opposition, either by clinical extermination or acquisition, resulting in the erosion of empathetic customer interface.

It's an Economic paradigm which can only exponentially extend the comments expressed into the future. Big is ugly for many reasons, but dislocated apathy is perhaps the worse?

And guess what, the promised call from the manager once he had discussed this with said fitter, never happened. But I'd predicted that already!

I have long ago rejected KF after having been charged by them well over double the price for a tyre that I could have had from my local supplier. Trouble was that I was a long way from home and they knew it. No excuse for profiteering to that extent though.

Well I'm going to have Ed the Zed's air con checked in the next couple of weeks, as it's blowing cold, bit not ice cold, but whilst we do have a Kwik Fit in Spalding, I wouldn't even contemplate taking him there!

Visited the local air con specialist This afternoon and he said he'll re-gas him for £40, so will take him there and will report back once done!

I find that my local tyre man, will match any of the corporates, or offer a higher quality item, where their experience and advice is worth the investment. The two front men resemble gothic rockers, but are in fact the opposite to their appearance, and I've dealt with them for over a decade now. I now use Terry Shaw (TS Auto's) in Stourbridge, for all things mechanical and electrical and AC Autoworks near Capel St Mary Ipswich for Air Con checks etc.

All are a pleasure to deal with and treat me and the car with respect and courtesy, I can also say I look forward to seeing them. Some chains in my experience get it right, Premier Inn for example never fail in courtesy and kindness and if I ever shop physically (home delivery every time by choice) Morrisons are first again, because their staff always offer to pack for me, unlike the disinterested gum chewing, tattoed morons at Tesco.

Unfortunately, they mainly interact with each other, meaning dross serves dross, innocuous to oversight and thus the contagion becomes default.

I used local chains, but the two best ones have started to get lazy and expensive. Last two times I tried to get a price, I had broken promises and bad, maybe even illegal advice.

So I looked online, and there are some good prices, that a local will struggle to beat. But then a local firm gets the fitting job, so some money still goes there way. It was just this time I needed it done relatively quickly (before the MOT next week) and KF were the same price but even more convenient. Except of course they weren't. Probably use black circles again next time as the 45 is going to be needing a pair soon.

I have used ETyres a few times. They can be a couple of pounds dearer but they come to you as they are mobile and I have been pleased with the service.

I use my local dealer. He will beat internet prices hands down. I am, however, still treated as a trade customer so I don't think that everyone gets these prices.

Bernard wrote:I use my local dealer. He will beat internet prices hands down. I am, however, still treated as a trade customer so I don't think that everyone gets these prices.

it is good to know the right folk.... and be classed as a treader ( Do you think i can pretend to be you next time , we look so alike )

starbug2 wrote:

Bernard wrote:I use my local dealer. He will beat internet prices hands down. I am, however, still treated as a trade customer so I don't think that everyone gets these prices.

it is good to know the right folk.... and be classed as a treader ( Do you think i can pretend to be you next time , we look so alike )

WHAT? If I thought that I would go and top myself.

The dealer is where I was having my Rangie MOT'd when you saw me in Evesham last Autumn.

Duncan wrote:It shouldn't have been. I mean I went yesterday. I know, I know, I ought to know better. But after all it was just tyres. They'd matched the price from Blackcircles, and I could leave the wheels with them and go shopping.

Note I said wheels, don't even trust them enough to leave the whole car with them, so used another car and took the wheels with us.

Now tyres is the core of their business, right? So the ought to be able to fit a new tyre and balance it with some degree of competence right? OK, so in hindsight I ought to have known. On one wheel where they used stick on weights, they failed to clean the wheel properly (at all?) so as soon as I went to fit the wheel back to the car this morning, half the weights fell off.

Went back to get them done, and to be fair the manager has apologised and said he will be having words with the fitter on Monday. But that's an hour of my life I won't be getting back. I can guarantee one thing. They won't be doing it to me again. Ever.

Apparently one of the prerequisites of being a KF manager is the ability to grovel, lets face it, how many times a day do they have to say sorry to a customer, probably every other one

Tread carefully with Black Circles fitters also.
I ordered 4 new tyres, selected a local fitter from their list, and turned up with wheels only (yes, I also don't trust these places with a car).

They used stick-on weights as I requested. Great, except to "balance" the wheels they fitted around 100 grams to each wheel!!

When I questioned them, they said "that's normal Mate".
Predictably, there was vibration.
Went back for a re-balance - they said some weights must have fallen off. Balanced them again, still needed loads of weight.
I suggested the tyres were faulty - they said tyres always need lots of weight to balance them fully.

Blackcircles were quite helpful. They agreed to try a different fitting centre, a small local place, who told me the tyres were faulty.
Blackcircles had them returned to Goodyear for checking, and Goodyear told me 2 were faulty, but 2 were "within spec" and I'd have to accept them.

Blackcircles disagreed, and gave me a full refund
The small local tyre fitters did me a set of Michelin Energy at the same price as the Goodyears
Guess what: Balance weights 10-20g, and zero on 1 wheel.

I take your point. The fitters I used with blackcircles were one of their premier centres. They took an absolute age fitting the tyres, however they understood the yellow and red dots on the tyres and fitted them accordingly. I'd never come across this. The goodyears I had at KF needed loads of weight one the one where they fell off. But the wheel had clearly had lots on with the previous tyre. No vibration on any of these, mind.

Funny that we both had goodyears and both had lots of weight. The last tyres that had loads of weights were goodyears too. However since the weights were in the same place, maybe it's the rim?

Chartermark wrote:Unfortunately, they mainly interact with each other, meaning dross serves dross, innocuous to oversight and thus the contagion becomes default.

Precisely my view Martin

Duncan wrote:I take your point. The fitters I used with blackcircles were one of their premier centres. They took an absolute age fitting the tyres, however they understood the yellow and red dots on the tyres and fitted them accordingly. I'd never come across this. The goodyears I had at KF needed loads of weight one the one where they fell off. But the wheel had clearly had lots on with the previous tyre. No vibration on any of these, mind.

Funny that we both had goodyears and both had lots of weight. The last tyres that had loads of weights were goodyears too. However since the weights were in the same place, maybe it's the rim?

Curious... My original tyres were Goodyear, and they had fairly hefty weights (50g IIRC, I remember because they were quite ugly big clip-on weights).

Replaced them with Continentals, and they were fine, except they made the steering feel a bit "squidgy".

Latest Michelins also fine, in fact hardly any weights at all.
I'd say the Michelins give me the smoothest ride, and a good feel to the steering. Shame they're (normally) so expensive!