Les Schwab?

[baker5150]

Costco has a high labor rate and they also treat their customers extremely well.  My point was that the LS near me only wants to deal with people if they can be ripped off.  Let's be honest, charging a rate over $400/hr for a tire changer is a ripoff.  Being dishonest to make a sale is a ripoff.

There is no way to justify dishonest behavior.  If they wanted to charge $30 since I didn't buy the tires from them, I would have done it, but a $70 bait and switch by making up some lame excuse about $0.50 valve stems after I was quoted $16 is not honest.  Be a man and tell me they don't want to mount internet tires, don't lie about valve stems.  Don't lie about what needs replacing and don't hold people's vehicles hostage by refusing to put them back together and blame "federal regulations."

I feel sorry for people that don't know much about vehicles and go in there trusting what they say.

I had a semi-poor experience at Costco, but it was due to a green employee and the manager made it more than right and was honest about what happened and apologized.  Same at Discount, they aren't 100% perfect, but I get honest answers.  With LS, all I get is the opposite, complete dishonesty.  People make mistakes, I don't expect perfection but I do expect to be treated with some level of professionalism and respect.

The labor cost issue is what’s driving these companies to poor service.  They are dying due to the internet and they see the cost of great customer service as a burden instead of a blessing. These managers are responsible for their respective revenue goals, and are hurting. It not only hurts the company, but their own wage as well.   It’s terrible to see  a once great company turn to these tactics for profits,  although I doubt it’s company wide.

Find a local service center and tell them what your expectations of service are.  That’s what we’ve done. We have an awesome relationship because of it. Win Win.

FWIW.  Costco has a very small overhead burden,  A totally different and unique business model from LS’s.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Service isnt free and costs a company.

How many of you have been to one of those used tire shops? I went into one looking for a used match to my now set of 3 on my heep. There are no "free" services. Everything costs $. They didnt check my brakes ball joints  run out to greet me, or have coffee and popcorn in the waiting  room.

Free services is a loss leader to gain more business. If you dont like an outfits business by all means go elsewhere...

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I could not careless if they run out to greet me, could careless if they have popcorn.
I am fully ready to pay for good quality service!
What I won’t tolerate is lying and trying to continually rip-off your customers. Any business that uses a model built on ripping off their customers deserves all the bad press I can hurl their way, and certainly never get my business again.

Les Schwab is a rip-off company that will never get my business again.

 

Was done with them years ago, I support local shops, NEX, and took my daughter to Discount Tire recently because they came in around $65 within the price of a local shop, not knowing where she’ll be in the next few years it was worth the difference for the warranty coverage.👍

[luckyman]

I haven't had any issues with our local Schwab dealers. They charge more then Discount but, at Schwab they remove a tire from the rim and patch a tire. they also use a torque wrench when re- installing the wheel.
My trips to Discount were plug a hole and rattle wheel on with impact.
 I've never had any shop try to make me pay for something I didn't need or want.   

[dc]

Schwabs is a shadow of its former self.  I worked at Schwabs in the late 80's.  It was always a race to get out and greet a customer.  Cars where moved in and out at a fast pace.  Flats and rotations rarely got charged whether the car had schwab tires or not, just to bring the customer back later when needing anything.  Yes, the internet has changed the game, but to totally abandon the thing that got them where they are today is total BS.  They are loosing customers to the internet partly because the service has gone to hell.  Not uncommon to wait and hour or more just to get a flat fixed.  Les is rolling around in his grave.  This IS NOT what he planned when he envisioned the future.     

[Special T]

Costco has a high labor rate and they also treat their customers extremely well.  My point was that the LS near me only wants to deal with people if they can be ripped off.  Let's be honest, charging a rate over $400/hr for a tire changer is a ripoff.  Being dishonest to make a sale is a ripoff.

There is no way to justify dishonest behavior.  If they wanted to charge $30 since I didn't buy the tires from them, I would have done it, but a $70 bait and switch by making up some lame excuse about $0.50 valve stems after I was quoted $16 is not honest.  Be a man and tell me they don't want to mount internet tires, don't lie about valve stems.  Don't lie about what needs replacing and don't hold people's vehicles hostage by refusing to put them back together and blame "federal regulations."

I feel sorry for people that don't know much about vehicles and go in there trusting what they say.

I had a semi-poor experience at Costco, but it was due to a green employee and the manager made it more than right and was honest about what happened and apologized.  Same at Discount, they aren't 100% perfect, but I get honest answers.  With LS, all I get is the opposite, complete dishonesty.  People make mistakes, I don't expect perfection but I do expect to be treated with some level of professionalism and respect.

The labor cost issue is what’s driving these companies to poor service.  They are dying due to the internet and they see the cost of great customer service as a burden instead of a blessing. These managers are responsible for their respective revenue goals, and are hurting. It not only hurts the company, but their own wage as well.   It’s terrible to see  a once great company turn to these tactics for profits,  although I doubt it’s company wide.

Find a local service center and tell them what your expectations of service are.  That’s what we’ve done. We have an awesome relationship because of it. Win Win.

FWIW.  Costco has a very small overhead burden,  A totally different and unique business model from LS’s.

My wife worked at Costco for several years. She worked in the office for a while. The Costco tire shop is not meant to be a revenue generator. I was told it is a member service and if it breaks even they are happy.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Boss .300 winmag]

Schwabs is a shadow of its former self.  I worked at Schwabs in the late 80's.  It was always a race to get out and greet a customer.  Cars where moved in and out at a fast pace.  Flats and rotations rarely got charged whether the car had schwab tires or not, just to bring the customer back later when needing anything.  Yes, the internet has changed the game, but to totally abandon the thing that got them where they are today is total BS.  They are loosing customers to the internet partly because the service has gone to hell.  Not uncommon to wait and hour or more just to get a flat fixed.  Les is rolling around in his grave.  This IS NOT what he planned when he envisioned the future.   

 

[tracksoup]

Just left Schwabs to diagnose a rattle sound I’m hearing in the front end of My Titan
They told me I need new struts and wheel bearings. They “believe” the rattle sound is coming from a “flat spot” in my strut??? What ever that means... and while they where looking they noticed play in my wheel bearings?
My Titan only has 55K miles on it..
I’m going to another local shop for a second opinion.
Schwabs price to do the struts and wheel bearings $1500

[Stein]

I think what is dying is the store that doesn't have to be competitive.  When I first moved up here, there was no Discount or Costco or Walmart.  You could use LS or drive a town over for whatever was there, probably another LS and maybe a different place.  They charged a bit more than the other place, but did a great job so pretty much most people I know went there.

Now, you can buy stuff online and there are three tire stores instead of one within 20 minutes of my house and another four in the next town.  As you lose business, you need to do something and one option is jack up prices and sell more other stuff to the remaining customers, whether they need it or not.  I was hoping they would take the route of being the local shop that did a great job, you could trust and didn't have to worry or shop around.  Again, I would be happy to pay a reasonable premium to have my vehicles worked on by qualified staff and get the straight story on what I need.

So, since nobody fills that void, I buy online or price match with the competition who are happy to run that way.  Costco is a pain and takes forever, I wouldn't let Walmart near my vehicle, so Discount seems to be at the top of the list for now. 

The LS next to me doesn't even come out to greet you, I had to walk in and wait in line while one guy two finger typed the Grapes of Wrath on the computer while three other employees were BSing in the back corner by the office.  The popcorn machine and coffee were both empty.

[jackelope]

I will literally sell tires at cost to keep people from going to LS or any other full service tire store. Discount only does tires. Go there. That’s fine.

And to the 55k mile Titan guy... depending what year your truck is, if you really have bad front wheel bearings, you might be covered under some sort of powertrain warranty. I’d be willing to bet at least a dollar that yours are fine though.

[h20hunter]

 

Yup.  No money in tires. I'm a luxury brand guy and my full retail markup is a whopping 12%! Oh yeah making my month on tires you betcha.

[Alchase]

Costco has a high labor rate and they also treat their customers extremely well.  My point was that the LS near me only wants to deal with people if they can be ripped off.  Let's be honest, charging a rate over $400/hr for a tire changer is a ripoff.  Being dishonest to make a sale is a ripoff.

There is no way to justify dishonest behavior.  If they wanted to charge $30 since I didn't buy the tires from them, I would have done it, but a $70 bait and switch by making up some lame excuse about $0.50 valve stems after I was quoted $16 is not honest.  Be a man and tell me they don't want to mount internet tires, don't lie about valve stems.  Don't lie about what needs replacing and don't hold people's vehicles hostage by refusing to put them back together and blame "federal regulations."

I feel sorry for people that don't know much about vehicles and go in there trusting what they say.

I had a semi-poor experience at Costco, but it was due to a green employee and the manager made it more than right and was honest about what happened and apologized.  Same at Discount, they aren't 100% perfect, but I get honest answers.  With LS, all I get is the opposite, complete dishonesty.  People make mistakes, I don't expect perfection but I do expect to be treated with some level of professionalism and respect.

The labor cost issue is what’s driving these companies to poor service.  They are dying due to the internet and they see the cost of great customer service as a burden instead of a blessing. These managers are responsible for their respective revenue goals, and are hurting. It not only hurts the company, but their own wage as well.   It’s terrible to see  a once great company turn to these tactics for profits,  although I doubt it’s company wide.

Find a local service center and tell them what your expectations of service are.  That’s what we’ve done. We have an awesome relationship because of it. Win Win.

FWIW.  Costco has a very small overhead burden,  A totally different and unique business model from LS’s.

My wife worked at Costco for several years. She worked in the office for a while. The Costco tire shop is not meant to be a revenue generator. I was told it is a member service and if it breaks even they are happy.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

I can totally believe that!
I was in the new Costco here in OKC. They had BFG AT KOs for $188 each.
Not sure how they can be profitable, but I may take advantage of that, lol

[jackelope]

Curious to know what the high labor rate is at Costco. They only install tires and batteries right? What labor do they charge to mount and balance a set of 4 tires? Anybody?

[jackelope]

Costco has a high labor rate and they also treat their customers extremely well.  My point was that the LS near me only wants to deal with people if they can be ripped off.  Let's be honest, charging a rate over $400/hr for a tire changer is a ripoff.  Being dishonest to make a sale is a ripoff.

There is no way to justify dishonest behavior.  If they wanted to charge $30 since I didn't buy the tires from them, I would have done it, but a $70 bait and switch by making up some lame excuse about $0.50 valve stems after I was quoted $16 is not honest.  Be a man and tell me they don't want to mount internet tires, don't lie about valve stems.  Don't lie about what needs replacing and don't hold people's vehicles hostage by refusing to put them back together and blame "federal regulations."

I feel sorry for people that don't know much about vehicles and go in there trusting what they say.

I had a semi-poor experience at Costco, but it was due to a green employee and the manager made it more than right and was honest about what happened and apologized.  Same at Discount, they aren't 100% perfect, but I get honest answers.  With LS, all I get is the opposite, complete dishonesty.  People make mistakes, I don't expect perfection but I do expect to be treated with some level of professionalism and respect.

The labor cost issue is what’s driving these companies to poor service.  They are dying due to the internet and they see the cost of great customer service as a burden instead of a blessing. These managers are responsible for their respective revenue goals, and are hurting. It not only hurts the company, but their own wage as well.   It’s terrible to see  a once great company turn to these tactics for profits,  although I doubt it’s company wide.

Find a local service center and tell them what your expectations of service are.  That’s what we’ve done. We have an awesome relationship because of it. Win Win.

FWIW.  Costco has a very small overhead burden,  A totally different and unique business model from LS’s.

My wife worked at Costco for several years. She worked in the office for a while. The Costco tire shop is not meant to be a revenue generator. I was told it is a member service and if it breaks even they are happy.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

I can totally believe that!
I was in the new Costco here in OKC. They had BFG AT KOs for $188 each.
Not sure how they can be profitable, but I may take advantage of that, lol

They probably buy tires by the million and get a massive quantity discount. 

A lot of people don’t know Ford has a low tire price guarantee. Bring in an estimate from a brick and mortar tire store and we’ll beat it. That includes Costco. That doesn’t include Tire Rack or the like. I’d do those BFG’s for $187 a piece if you brought me something in writing.

[bornhunter]

Curious to know what the high labor rate is at Costco. They only install tires and batteries right? What labor do they charge to mount and balance a set of 4 tires? Anybody?

They wont install batteries I know. They will loan you the tools though.

[Alchase]

Costco has a high labor rate and they also treat their customers extremely well.  My point was that the LS near me only wants to deal with people if they can be ripped off.  Let's be honest, charging a rate over $400/hr for a tire changer is a ripoff.  Being dishonest to make a sale is a ripoff.

There is no way to justify dishonest behavior.  If they wanted to charge $30 since I didn't buy the tires from them, I would have done it, but a $70 bait and switch by making up some lame excuse about $0.50 valve stems after I was quoted $16 is not honest.  Be a man and tell me they don't want to mount internet tires, don't lie about valve stems.  Don't lie about what needs replacing and don't hold people's vehicles hostage by refusing to put them back together and blame "federal regulations."

I feel sorry for people that don't know much about vehicles and go in there trusting what they say.

I had a semi-poor experience at Costco, but it was due to a green employee and the manager made it more than right and was honest about what happened and apologized.  Same at Discount, they aren't 100% perfect, but I get honest answers.  With LS, all I get is the opposite, complete dishonesty.  People make mistakes, I don't expect perfection but I do expect to be treated with some level of professionalism and respect.

The labor cost issue is what’s driving these companies to poor service.  They are dying due to the internet and they see the cost of great customer service as a burden instead of a blessing. These managers are responsible for their respective revenue goals, and are hurting. It not only hurts the company, but their own wage as well.   It’s terrible to see  a once great company turn to these tactics for profits,  although I doubt it’s company wide.

Find a local service center and tell them what your expectations of service are.  That’s what we’ve done. We have an awesome relationship because of it. Win Win.

FWIW.  Costco has a very small overhead burden,  A totally different and unique business model from LS’s.

My wife worked at Costco for several years. She worked in the office for a while. The Costco tire shop is not meant to be a revenue generator. I was told it is a member service and if it breaks even they are happy.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

I can totally believe that!
I was in the new Costco here in OKC. They had BFG AT KOs for $188 each.
Not sure how they can be profitable, but I may take advantage of that, lol

They probably buy tires by the million and get a massive quantity discount. 

A lot of people don’t know Ford has a low tire price guarantee. Bring in an estimate from a brick and mortar tire store and we’ll beat it. That includes Costco. That doesn’t include Tire Rack or the like. I’d do those BFG’s for $187 a piece if you brought me something in writing.

I would have brought you some business, but the 2000 mile commute made me hesitate, LOL