I have never used chubby tires. Since 1992 I used to go to Mavis. I needed a tire replaced under warranty. They said sure no problem. They took the car in replaced the tire and charged me full price. No negotiating, no prorated price nothing. It was on memorial day. They said they could not get in touch with continental tires that day therefore they could not replace the tire under warranty. They would not do anything. have since started going to mom and pop type shops for all of my automotive needs. Auburndale Tire is great. They work fast their prices are reasonable, they even called continental tire for me and got me a $50.00 voucher.
This was the reason for my post, I really did not want to deal with these big companies anymore. According to the shop owner I went to, the chubbytires guys have a network of independent shops all over NY. Power to the mom and pop shops LOL!!
I have realized that if you want to get a guy that actually cares about his work you need to go to a mom and pop store. Whether it is automotive or not the chain stores only care about their bottom line, and that is it.
No one has noticed that local shops are becoming very competitive. For the past 20 years or so I have just dealt almost exclusively with the local Goodyear dealer. They sell other brands, can offer advice based on experience, are honest, and provide local service when I need it. Just as an aside though, when I wrecked a Michelan tire on my Acura with 1500 miles on it, I needed a perfect match fast. The Acura dealer was actually about $20 less than Goodyear. Go figure that. So bought the tire at Acura and had Goodyear put it on.
While I support the idea that “Mom and Pop” shops are likely to give better service, it isn’t a 100% sure thing. I’ve seen local shops who feel they are entitled to your business and charge whatever they felt like - mainly because they were the “local business”.
And I’ve also seen large chains do a great job.
While I support the idea that "Mom and Pop" shops are likely to give better service, it isn't a 100% sure thing.
The one thing about businesses that are local is that they NEED customer loyalty and word of mouth to survive. It’s rare for a local business that has lousy service to stay in business. Once they get a bad reputation…they loose customers. While there are always exceptions…I find that local businesses need to have good service to stay alive.