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| - My son's car had a flat tire which would need repairing. I had seen Tire Barn's coupon for free tire repair and had heard from coworkers who used this special deal and/or liked Tire Barn. I went to the web page and requested an appointment and listed a second choice time. I received the following e mail acknowledgment of my request: "A representative will confirm your online service request by phone."
I then left work to change the flat tire and saw a nail right in the center of the tread. My fear, however, was that the tire was beyond repair. I then called Tire Barn to set up an appointment to have the tire repaired. I waited on hold for quite some time. Finally, I was able to get one of the few appointments remaining for the next day. When I got home and checked my e mail, I received the following: "Thank you for your recent online appointment service request through TireBarn.com. We are following up your request in an effort to determine your overall satisfaction with our response. If you did not receive a call from one of our representatives, please elevate the priority of your request by going to ..." No -- no on one called me. I was glad that I made the phone call myself to schedule the appointment before they closed for the day.
The next day I went into the shop to check in. Apparently, my appointment was not entered in their books. It was quite crowded in the waiting room, which had very comfortable chairs. Less than 45 minutes later, my name was called and I was told that my tire could not be repaired. There was no charge, of course.
So ... how do I rate my experience? Well, I appreciated the free service as a way to get new customers. The service I received once I got to Tire Barn was okay. However, the appointment request process and followup seemed to be below the usual standards of most automobile-related businesses.
By the way, the new building looks very professional. The old building did not.
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