So mad I could scream!

BaliLover

BaliLover

Joined
Oct 25, 2000
Messages
1,350
Okay, lately I've been seeing some great Bali's for sale and I'd been saving money to spend only on Balis. Well, Friday I jacked up the back of my car and almost crapped myself when I saw that the inside edge of both rear tires had belts showing (Custom Rims with 215/45/17" tires) So I decided to get a set of 4 to have matching tires. This required me to dig out about $500 from my Bali fund. I took my car to Tire Kingdom and they told me my alignment could not be corrected w/o a special kit because I lowered the car 1.5" That is why my tires were wearing on the inside. They told me the complete kit was $422 installed and it would take a week to get it. I picked up my car and it was shaking really bad then I began to hear a clunking noise. I stopped the car and got out and saw that my driverside front wheel was angled like / instead of straight like |. I checked it and the lugnuts were almost falling off. To top it off, I noticed at this point that there were gouges in EVERY wheel from having the tires put on. These wheels were almost $175 a piece. I fix the lugs and go back to tire kingdom to complain. They put the car on the rack, re-torque the wheels, and tell me to bring it back tommorow so they can re-balance the tires since one wobbled. I asked about my wheels and was told they have to talk to the manager to see what he wants to do. So, now my Bali fund is $500 lighter and it looks like it's going to keep getting progressively worse since I now have to buy an alignment kit and fight to get my wheels replaced.

The only bright spot in my life right now is knowing that I have a Parker Gypsy coming tommorow curtosy of Dawkind. It'll be my last bali purchase for a while.
frown.gif


Life stinks some times.
 
jeez man, that bites

mechanics always find a way to screw you. I swear they do it intentionally. they kept fixing the car again and again last year but every time it kept screwing up, so my dad got really mad at them and yelled at them (and my dad never- I mean NEVER- yells) and needless to say, the problem stopped. a LITTLE suspicios, ya' know?
wink.gif
 
It's not just that they screwed up my wheels, but the fact that THEY pulled my car off the rack and around front and let ME drive it home with hand tight lug nuts. Has I been the average person I probably wouldn't have pulled over in time and I would have lost a wheel and possibly my life. The speed limit on the way to my house is 65 and with a loose wheel that is VERY life threatening. But if they refuse to replace the wheels that they ruined the finish on, I may take them to court for endangerment. Also, when I parked my car, I had the FM radio on. When I picked it up, someone had my CD-player going. Meaning that some one took it upon himself to put on the cd player and crank my sytem as if it were their own vehicle. If the problem is not corrected, I am going to contact Tire Kindom's HQ and probably buy a newspaper ad discussing the problem.

But as of now, I can't buy any new toys in case they try to make me eat the price of the damaged wheels.
 
Look on the bright side. I had to pullout of the Gemini deal due to financial woe and I don't even have a car. On the up-side, I'm slowly becoming college edjumicated
smile.gif


No-pain is a good day, new toy or not.
 
Tire Kingdom? Hmmmm... To bad y'all don't have Les Schwab down in Florida. That's where I take mine for tires, breaks, etc. They'd never do anything like this.

Talk to the store manager directly.

Tire Kingdom is owned by TBC Corporation. So, before you talk to the manager, take out an envelope, put your return address in the upper left, a stamp in the upper right and address it to:

President Lawrence C. Day
TBC Corporation, Inc.
4770 Hickory Hill
Memphis, TN 38141

Don't put anything in that envelope. Leave it visibly unsealed. We just want to raise the spector of a letter to the president of the corporation.

Next, print a few pages from

http://www.http://www.isysit.com/tbc/index.html

Also print http://www.cyberstocks.com/co/capsule/8/0,2163,14868,00.html

and
http://home1.gte.net/lareen/index.htm

plus
http://legal.firn.edu/agoffice/ag_bio.html
and
http://legal1.firn.edu/lit_ec.nsf/$about?OpenAbout

When you sit down to talk with the store manager (and insist that you sit down with him face-to-face, not even just talking standing up in the lobby. It's more formal this way. You should call ahead and make a appointment so that he can be ready for you, so that he can't say, "I'm really very busy right now and can't talk to you about his." and so that it seems even more formal.), start by opening your folder. Set that envelope aside -- casually, as if to get it out of the way. Rummaging through those printouts. Again, do this casually, but taking care to allow him to see them without making it look as if that's what you want. Don't say anything as you do this, maybe mutter, "Just a moment, please, I know that my note page is in here somewhere". Just rummage through your file until you come finally to the last page on which you've hand written the details of your situation, what day you brought your car in, etc. Get your pen out, write the date and then write "Conversation with" and the man's name. You should already have politely asked for his business card and added that to your file. Then say, "Ok, I'm ready." And begin a friendly conversation.

When he sees all of your notes, he'll know that you've already done your homework and stand ready to take this thing way over his head if he doesn't work it out. He didn't get to be the store manager by getting a whole lot of complaints filed up against him.

This is the business equivilent of a fancy balisong opening. The idea is to intimidate your opponent from the very beginning.

------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com

[This message has been edited by Gollnick (edited 02-27-2001).]
 
Chuck, I would be doing all of that today but when I called them up to arrange a time for them to rebalance the tires, I was told I could bring it in anytime today but they wouldn't be able to do anything about the damaged wheels until the manager sees them and he is on vacation until March 6th. I do have all the records and a bunch of witnessess including my father, my boss, and the guy that re-torqued the loose wheel at the store. I have also drafted an e-mail to send to the Tire Kingdom Customer service and I have located the phone number. I also have the phone number of several consumer affairs dept at TV stations and Newspapers.

Plan for a war and hope for a slap fight.
 
Balilover,
I feel your pain, nothing frustrates me more than automobile problems. Is walking really that bad?????
 
I hope that you get this problem resolved quickly and without any more cost (and maybe you'll get some money back!!) so you can get back to balisongs.

------------------
Cameron

011.gif
"Look deep, deep inside and you will find a place of anger, vengeance, and brutality. Go there. It is your last hope to conquer the truly wicked."
uriel.gif

A few of my balisongs
My Photopoint album
 
Yes, walking is that bad since my school is 20 miles from my house and my work is 30 miles from my school. I don't have enough time to walk anywhere if I want to arrive on time. They can't even guess how the manager will resolve the damaged wheels issue but they did re-balance the tires and now it has a very smooth ride. When I went to pick it up every employee was standing around a customers Camaro laughing and joking around. No wonder these guys let a car with a loose wheel go out the door. They also seem to think they have the right to play with your cd-player while they work. They have untill next wednesday to come up with a solution but since a set of wheels is almost $700 I am expecting a fight.
 
Balilover,
I was asking myself the question about walking, I too have car problems at the moment(not as bad as yours). I do hope it works out for you, sounds like your prepared.
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">they wouldn't be able to do anything about the damaged wheels until the manager sees them and he is on vacation until March 6th.</font>
Click to expand...

Good. This will give you a little extra time to get ready.

Contact your state AG, your local Chamber of Commerce, and also the local BBB and get all of the forms necessary to file a complaint. Nothing is necessary just yet, but get those forms and prepare addressed envelopes.

Take pictures of the dammaged wheels and have 8x10s printed. Add those to your file.

Do a little recon. at another local Tire Kingdom. Find you how the manager dresses. Because when you go in, you've not only got to be clean, pressed, and prefect, but you've gotta out-dress him. If the manager at a Tire Kingdom wears chinos and a sportshirt, then you'll be in slacks and a dress shirt. If he'll be in a dress shirt with an open collar, then you, my friend, will need a dress shirt and a tie. If he's gonna be in a tie, then you'll need sport jacket, etc. This gives you a psycological edge.

In this sort of a fight, the player who raises his voice first looses. The player who uses a four-letter word first looses. The player who makes the first explicit threat looses. The player who looses his cool first looses. Leave personalities out of it. The case is simple: they damaged your wheels and failed to properly tighten your lug nuts created a very dangerous situation. You'll be satisfied if they replace the wheels. Here's where you create the compromise. You're mad about the wheels and your furious about the lug nuts (as you say, that could have resulted in a very serious accident). Fortunately, you caught the lug nuts before anything serious happened. So, you'll overlook the lug nut incident if they'll just take care of the wheels.

You've created a win-win resolution. The manager wins by getting you to back-off on the potentially-fatal lug nut mistake, and you win on the wheels. He wins because you won't file complaints with his corporate office, the state AG, and the BBB. You win because you don't have to go to all that hassle.

What a great solution! Package it up, tie an nice ribbon around it, and I'll be that he buys it.

If he doesn't, be ready to walk out. Just say, "I'm sorry, but I don't think we're getting anywhere. I'm going to have to take both of these issues, the lug nuts, which could have caused a serious accident, and the dammaged wheels, up with the State AG. If, after you've investigated the matter further with your shop staff, you want to discuss these matters futher, here is my phone number." And leave.

------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com

[This message has been edited by Gollnick (edited 02-28-2001).]
 
Chuck,

Wow. You are really impressive. Honestly.
I learnt more of psychology 'manipulation'
smile.gif



[This message has been edited by anagarika (edited 02-28-2001).]
 
Chuck, you are every shops worst nightmare!
wink.gif


W.A.

------------------
"To strive to seek to find and not to yield"
Tennyson
Ranger motto

A few useful details on UK laws and some nice reviews!
http://members.aol.com/knivesuk/
Certified steel snob!
Founding president and member number 1! Wana join?
 
Wow Chuck. I would not like to be on the wrong end of a bad business deal with you! Balilover, it is sound advice though. Let us know how it turns out.

Steve
 
Never posted in this forum before but Chuck, you are GOOD!!!

(bowing before the God of High Impact Negotiation)
biggrin.gif


------------------
Tráceme no sin la razón, envoltura mi no sin honor
Usual Suspect
 
Thank you... Thank you.

You'll be glad to know that I've sworn only to use my powers for good.

By the way, whenever Mormons or Watchtower folks come by (and remember, since I do a lot of "work" at home, I'm often here when they call), I invite 'em in and, while we're engaged in theological debates over cookies, I casually take out a balisong and start flipping. It created an interesting dynamic. But, that's a different thread. For Tire Kingdom, leave the balisong in your pocket.


------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
You are lucky living in Oregon that you can flip your balis openly!!!

Anyone interested to hear more from Chuck on the 'flipping over cookies'?
I AM
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top