MERCHANTS TIRE & AUTO

Prompt, courteous service - but a bit pricey.

Good experience

We have had great service for car service, car inspections and tire service -

We have had great service for car service, car inspections and tire service -

I called ahead and asked if the could install four new tires on my vehicle. I spoke to Rick and he said yes and it would take 1.5 hours - 2 hours. I called back about an hour later and asked if I could bring the car by and was the time he quoted still accurate. He said they have cleared out most of the cars from the morning rush and it would take 1.5 -2 hours.
I arrived at Merchants and told him I would wait for the vehicle and it may take closer to 2 hours and I said fine but I would be waiting. We went through the quote again and it was about $100 more than the phone quote. It still looked reasonable, so we moved forward.
At two hours he said it would be another 45 minutes to an hour which is ultimately what it took. I was there for three hours for four new tires. The tires were in stock, it was not anything other than four tires. Merchants is in the tire business and I would expect them to be able to do four tires in their sleep in less than 2 hours.
It is extremely frustrating to over promise and UNDER deliver. The front desk guy did apologize and said his colleague should have never told me anything less than two hours. A tire shop taking three hours to install tires is awful. The tire business is way too competitive and I am unlikely to use them again which is too bad. I have done a lot of business with them in the past because of the convenient location, however, missing the time by an hour is unacceptable

The service received was excellent and efficient. Gene Bryce, the store manager, encouraged me to accompany him on the test drive to determine the cause of my problem. I had never been asked to do that at dealerships. He even showed me on the computer the result of the computer alignment diagnostic and discussed service options. Despite regular servicing at the dealership where I lived previously, all of my wheels were out of alignment, a couple way more than the others. Problem solved. Price included purchase of a 3-yr alignment program.

Merchant's was convenient and able to do a state inspection on a Saturday. I requested an oil change and tire rotation ( I had recently bought the tires there so it should be no charge anyway). We left the vehicle at 7:30 am. They called after noon to tell me I also needed brakes ($398) and something to do with the front stabilizer bars($491). But, it passed inspection and I declined the work. Merchant's gave me a written estimate for these recommended items. Scared that my brakes and control may fail, we again juggled cars and left it with our regular mechanic. He reported that it did not need either suggested repair and declined to do any work. This second opinion cost $24. I regret that I have spent so much over the years on tires at this store and feel as though Merchant's made a blatant attempt to charge me for very expensive, unnecessary repairs.

They offer Saturday and Sunday hours, which is very nice. Other companies don't do that. Their customer service is excellent. They are always so friendly and they will answer all your questions. I would recommend them to other people. They have a great business.

They are great at getting you in quickly and are very nice people. I think they are a little bit high priced but it is very convenient because it is close to my house so it really doesn't bother me. They also checked all the fluids while I was there.