Tyre fitting companies not wanting to fit your tyres?

[Jakg]

Hammer67 said:

We would fit tyres supplied by the customer, we'd engage in a conversation about the whys and wherefores and find out what they'd paid and where from. We would simply ask that the next time they needed tyres they'd give us the chance to match or beat the deal they'd found elsewhere. Worked quite well and we used the opportunity of having the car in the shop to run a simple health check on it. By doing that we'd sell the odd bulb, set of wipers, brake pads etc. Basically playing the long game and respecting the fact that people have choices.

My preferred tyre fitters used to do this - I'd get a price from Camskill et al, then give them a call and they always came in about £15 more - which included fitting - so I went with them.

Then I started getting prices £40+ more than than I could get them for online, and they wouldn't budge on the price. They did this a few times - then I just stopped getting a price from the first, bought online and got them to fit.

Last time I went in there the manager moaned the whole time that I'd bought them off the internet. Don't give me a price to fit tyres, and then moan when I pay you to do it.

I doubt I am getting tyres cheaper than they are (wholesale) - would they rather make something on the tyres they supply, and something on the fitting, or sell no tyres and make something on the fitting? It seems according to the guy I spoke to they would rather I did neither!

For reference - they charge about £15 a corner, or £40 if getting four done at the same time. This is in Suffolk. I don't know of anywhere that does it cheaper - but after my experience I would be open to an alternative!

[BuzzBravado]

Mr2Mike said:

BuzzBravado said:

This is how my Dad runs his garage, and the reason it will never be a thriving business. Its good for people like you, but it is no way to run a business.

Clearly exceptional customer service has no place in a good business

Customer service has nothing to do with it. People return because he is cheap, just because he likes to be nice to people. The issue is this relationship is one way. They claim they are really chuffed and will be back, but they will still shop around and go elsewhere if someone else is 10p cheaper.

The things i have have seen him do in order to save the customer money is ridiculous. If someone says they are skint he will try and repair the part instead of replace. Probably sounds great to you guys, but the extra time taken to repair the item is never put on the bill.

[mwstewart]

Sump said:

I got sick of visiting tyre centres. Purchased my own machine and balancer for a grand.

I'm heading that way too. Tyre fitting and wheel refurbishment generally are a huge rip off.

[Sump]

Hammer67 said:

We found to try and stay competitive on the bigger more expensive tyres the 25% profit margin would shrink well below that and you'd be working on a £x per tyre profit instead of a percentage.

Happens in all businesses. Nothing new there.

[TREMAiNE]

JQ said:

Can those people stating they get their tyres changed for £5 a corner please publish the name and location of these places.

G + S Tyres in Stanford-Le-Hope Essex

I'm certain they will change all 4 for £10.

Been using them for years, their tyres are a little more expensive than a lot of other places but they are great guys so I'm happy to pay extra. They've repaired several of my tyres for free too, really nice chaps.

[Hammer67]

Sump said:

Hammer67 said:

We found to try and stay competitive on the bigger more expensive tyres the 25% profit margin would shrink well below that and you'd be working on a £x per tyre profit instead of a percentage.

Happens in all businesses. Nothing new there.

Please accept my deepest and heartfelt apologies for cluttering up the thread with whimsy and forcing you to waste valuable seconds reading it. I am so very sorry.

[walm]

Hammer67 said:

Sump said:

Hammer67 said:

We found to try and stay competitive on the bigger more expensive tyres the 25% profit margin would shrink well below that and you'd be working on a £x per tyre profit instead of a percentage.

Happens in all businesses. Nothing new there.

Please accept my deepest and heartfelt apologies for cluttering up the thread with whimsy and forcing you to waste valuable seconds reading it. I am so very sorry.

Easy fella! I don't think he was being disparaging.
He was just saying you're not alone!

[CraigyMc]

TREMAiNE said:

JQ said:

Can those people stating they get their tyres changed for £5 a corner please publish the name and location of these places.

G + S Tyres in Stanford-Le-Hope Essex

I'm certain they will change all 4 for £10.

Been using them for years, their tyres are a little more expensive than a lot of other places but they are great guys so I'm happy to pay extra. They've repaired several of my tyres for free too, really nice chaps.

Mine was Barry Shaddick tyres (but their Eastleigh location is now closed).

[monthefish]

knitware said:

SO, here's a business model...

Open a tyre shop to make money selling and fitting tyres. To increase revenue add value adding options like MOT, servicing etc but remain a tyre selling and fitting operation, make money and profit. Simple isn't it?

This morning I drive into Oxford to visit National Tyres & Autocare. I see the tyre fitter chap and ask him if he has time to fit my winters, "we don't fit customer's own tyres". I ask why not?
"Not our policy" then he added, "you'll be hard pushed to find anyone to fit them". I'm sure he was smirking...

I ring Kwikfit, he responds with the same message. I'm a litte worried, so I try one more garage, Formula One Autocentre who, thankfully, say not a problem.

Just to bump this old thread, it seems that none of the big tyre places will fit customer's tyres these days. Does anyone know of any that will?
(I'm talking pristine new tyres with stickers still on)
How do you all get your new tyres fitted?

Hammer67 said:

We would fit tyres supplied by the customer, we'd engage in a conversation about the whys and wherefores and find out what they'd paid and where from. We would simply ask that the next time they needed tyres they'd give us the chance to match or beat the deal they'd found elsewhere. Worked quite well and we used the opportunity of having the car in the shop to run a simple health check on it. By doing that we'd sell the odd bulb, set of wipers, brake pads etc. Basically playing the long game and respecting the fact that people have choices.

That's a great attitude.
My local independent tyre place got huffy when I gave them the opportunity to price match

They initially quoted me a ridiculously high price for 4 tyres, so I showed them how cheaply the exact same tyres could be bought on Blakcircles etc (so presumably in the trade they could buy them at least at that price, likely cheaper), and said I'd much rather buy the tyres through them, but they didn't want to know.

[Durzel]

It basically comes down to these places wanting to make a profit on the tyres as well as the labour for the job itself. That's the cold, hard reality of it. They're not interested in sourcing them from Blackcircles et al to sell them at cost. Basically all you represent to them as a customer is someone who they're going to only make a marginal profit from.

You could perhaps argue - from their perspective - that it's not a million miles away from bringing ingredients to a restaurant and asking the chef to cook a meal, and discount the bill accordingly.

I'm the same though - rubber is rubber. I'm happy to pay for the labour of actually fitting it, but tyre places trying to fleece me for 25-50% more for exactly the same product, no thanks. I'll pay extra for parts where there is expertise involved in selecting or configuring them, or there is some conferred advantage from them supplying and fitting (e.g. a warranty), but that's where I draw the line.

[monthefish]

Durzel said:

It basically comes down to these places wanting to make a profit on the tyres as well as the labour for the job itself. That's the cold, hard reality of it. They're not interested in sourcing them from Blackcircles et al to sell them at cost. .

Of course. I understand the business model of it all.

Just wondered what most PH'ers, who tend to be more savvy about car parts (and what they cost, and what alternatives there are) do these days?

[CraigyMc]

monthefish said:

Durzel said:

It basically comes down to these places wanting to make a profit on the tyres as well as the labour for the job itself. That's the cold, hard reality of it. They're not interested in sourcing them from Blackcircles et al to sell them at cost. .

Of course. I understand the business model of it all.

Just wondered what most PH'ers, who tend to be more savvy about car parts (and what they cost, and what alternatives there are) do these days?

I usually price up the exact tyre I want on camskill / mytyres / blackcircles or whatever, then take that price to a local indie tyre place to see how far off they are. Usually it's only a few quid, so I get the local place to do them.

Sort of the opposite of going to john lewis to check out an item then buying it online, actually.

[Glenn63]

I just get the local mobile tyre man to come to my house and fit them. He did ask if they were brand new but that was it, £100 to fit 6 tyres.

[Robmainstgarage]

I will fit them at £10 per corner asking as you take the old ones away, but I normal ask what price has been paid for them. I then check what I can get them at and normally upset the customer with the price I can get them at.
Normally the next time they need tyres they come direct to me instead of going online. We work on cost +£15, £20 on big stuff and run flats, we normal end up cheaper than the big independents locally

[Robmainstgarage]

Just to add I refuse to fit part worns! Generally attract the wrong type of customers and generate agro, that's without going into the legal stuff if something happened

[FWIW]

Glenn63 said:

I just get the local mobile tyre man to come to my house and fit them. He did ask if they were brand new but that was it, £100 to fit 6 tyres.

I imagine he was pretty happy with that!


My local “go to” independent (shout out to Trade Tyres Shenstone) work on the labour only model. They are brilliant, ridiculously busy, and I’ve given up getting prices anywhere else because they are always better. £10 for a puncture repair, too.

[InitialDave]

£100 for six isn't ridiculous when the guy is coming to you.

[Who me ?]

On puncture repairs, I've found that there are two prices. Cash or card. Perhaps I'm being a bit suspicious, but I'd suspect that cash is either "beer money" or thinking less suspiciously it could be that they wish to keep the cash flow off the books.

[FWIW]

InitialDave said:

£100 for six isn't ridiculous when the guy is coming to you.

No, that’s fair. however, I’d rather pay £30 and take them to my local.

[FWIW]

Who me said:

On puncture repairs, I've found that there are two prices. Cash or card. Perhaps I'm being a bit suspicious, but I'd suspect that cash is either "beer money" or thinking less suspiciously it could be that they wish to keep the cash flow off the books.

Haha, yes, I thought the same when I paid £10 straight to the fitter. Today I paid by card…