I had a piece of metal letting air escape from one of my tires. I called Firestone and Matt informed me that I could drive directly from home to an empty bay at three pm.
Fifty-two minutes later I was informed I needed two new tires. I declined the $500.00 suggestion, which was followed by a, "Want us to air you up and get you going?" I answered yes, thinking he had to be referring to checking the pressure of the installed spare.
My truck was pulled-up front with the same leaky tire whistling air. I have no idea why the spare wasn't on (I didn't put it on because my back is tweaked, which I said when I first arrived), or an offer to put it on made; they were just going to send me on my way the same way I arrived.
The employee that drove the truck to the front, nice as he was, gave me the keys and had me deal with starting new paperwork, instead of going back in and informing whomever was in charge that I didn't want to leave on a tire that was rapidly losing pressure, which would have been more efficient and customer friendly.
Turns out there wasn't anybody there, out of several employees, that could drop my spare. This has not given any shop (in fifteen years of dropping and raising this twenty year-old truck) a problem, and only took me ten minutes once I got it back home.
Note: 1/2 inch cold chisel inserted into 17mm socket, with a couple 'wobbly' 3/8 drive extensions attached to a 3/8 drive worked fast and easy.
Firestone's suggestion..., remove license plate and drill a hole.
Unfortunately, customer satisfaction takes a back seat to...,something else. Although this was only my second time having something done there, the chances were pretty high that I'd be a return customer if there was any effort to put a smile on my face. Both times I departed with oily hand smudges on my white paint.
I did manage to crack a big smile (finally) by going to a different facility, which is named in another of my Yelp reviews.
Speaking of different shops, I embarked on a research mission, for interest sake, to educate myself on local price variants. Firestone was consistently higher, by an average of $100.00. To me, this does not compute. Among other considerations, with a long history in the business, 'contacts' the mom & pop shops don't have, massive off-site storage facilities/distribution centers, and the ability to buy in bulk and/or wholesale, their prices for tires/balancing/mounting should (at the very least) be competitive.
I was given the distinct impression, by way of attitude and expression, that if I wasn't in the position to accept the single option provided (What ever happened to selection? ), I was to be dismissed with haste. To the obvious point that I could easily discern the switch from 'May I help you?' mode to, 'Get this guy outta here.' mode from the customer service representative (not the mechanic).
This occurred several weeks ago, and since it still sits in my mind as an unpleasant experience I figured it my responsibility to inform the community. This was not, despite the length, intended to be a rant. I'm not angry, I didn't get ripped-off or overtly treated with disrespect. Maybe this is solely indicative of this one remote shop, but their business is tires, in the course of fifty-something odd minutes, they couldn't even drop the spare. Possibly they could've/would've been more resourceful if I was breaking open my wallet, but without that incentive, I sadly reiterate, I departed as I arrived.