America's Tire

At 3:30PM on Saturday, January 14, 2023, my wife went into the America Tire Store to have a dangerously defective wheel looked at. Please note, it was only purchased November 2022 (essentially 3mo). The wheel in the back had cracked and caused a full-on flat. This happened the day before, 01.13.2023, just before dusk.

Bullet Point Summary:
- Purposefully rude employee
- Purposefully unhelpful and condescending employee
- Not concerned with solving problem and did nothing to solve
- Company rep did NOT follow-through by calling me after researching
- Not understanding that this caused a dangerous situation while fixing
- The event itself, due to defect, is potentially deadly.
- Company charging for warranty that the Manufacturer gives for free
- This simple issue is not solved and it is a willful neglect of customer service.
Extra Work Required To Fix Temporarily:

When it happened, I was notified and immediately went to my house to get everything that could be needed in worse case and prepare for fact it was about to rain and be dark. So I grabbed a breaker bar (in case over-tightened lugs), socket set, portable impact wrench, torque wrench, portable light, low profile floor jack, and workshop light, all to help with this potentially dangerous situation, as it was just that.

Now for The Problem:

My wife called me, as she was getting no help. They said that the wheels essentially weren't covered. In addition, she was hinting at them being hard to deal with. So I did quick research, then I called.

The individual called Ty answered, which was who I was working with. I asked for the update and he stated that the rear had indeed cracked and the front was bent. He was aiming to speak down at me, yet was running into a problem; although my wife and I both look young and are often mistaken for being in our late 20s, she just turned 40 and I'm a month away. In other words, I've got years of wisdom (much in sales & understanding how NOT to behave (besides, my parents taught me well and I listened, so not matter my age, I was taught to be courteous, kind, and respectful. This extends to those who are younger).

The entire tone of the conversation is rude, and during the talk, the warranty on the tire that he specifically stated was never offered to us (at around $74), further showing a break-down of not only product quality, but the retailer informing customers of useful protections. Simply put, the tire was defective, and the sale itself was done improperly. Once again, these wheels were no older than three months!

This rude employee proceeds to let me know that there was 'definitely an impact', which was just another attempt at being condescending. However, I did not disagree, as it was stating the obvious.

I replied that when driving in general, specifically in California, impacts are a consistent and expected component of the activity. I then gave examples, such as changing road surfaces, such as onto an overpass or bridge and how quite often, they are not seamless and abrupt road elevation changes that were impacts to the wheels, tires, and suspension, which together, make up the system that absorbs and handles this. I then mentioned speed bumps and the notorious uneven and rough road surfaces and how these were also impacts.

It is very simple and straight-forward; everything that happened was part of daily driving, and these wheels failed to handle the job they were build for, due to a defective product and they just needed to be reordered and replaced, as they were faulty/defective wheels and created a potentially dangerous situation. That is what the Tire Company should have focused on, and given the fact they were essentially new, damaged the tires that were bought with them, I was going to have to pay for something that should never have happened.

In fact, I would be credited with approximately 80+ % of the tire value to replace, given how little wear there was (and they certainly don't like to give large credits). But, just another method of showing how little use the wheels had before failing. It was exactly what is expected to be dealt with by wheels. The fact that the tire actually blew/immediately lost all air, not from the uneven road impact, but the flawed wheel (AKA rim), was additional proof that it was a faulty product.

Not only that, but I drove out to fix the flat and there was a rough road and no large potholes! Given the terms of the warranty, this was exactly what should be covered.

As I simply pointed out the logic in the situation and never made personal attacks nor insults, this questionable company policy and unacceptable behavior was reiterated. It was as if deductive reasoning, solely based on logic and contracts/documented practices, angered Ty, the representative for a very large company. If he didn't agree, instead of deferring to a manager, he just kept at it, making it more personal.

Instead of handling the issue like a professional, Ty certainly wanted a "gotcha moment" so-to-speak. But was frustrated as, really, the facts speak for themselves. The rude, unhelpful, disrespectful, and quite honestly, purposefully putting more effort into attacking me!

Before Ty mentioned the warranty (which was never offered in the first place), I went to manufacturer website and saw that this is part of their factory warranty and guarantee, which is then automatically included/implicit with the price upon purchase. [This MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY lifetime structural and 1yr cosmetic as long as not a car accident. or improper tires on the wheels, such as extremely low profile tires increasing stress on the wheel due to no sidewall to soften the road impact]

That is disturbing is that Americas Tire Co offers this warranty, which automatically comes from the wheel manufacturer, and is implying the guarantee comes from them AND charging for it!

Ty proceeds to let me know that this was a collision and did not think it would or should be covered. As if to state something of note, supporting his argument, he said that the front wheel as good as well. Since I've been into cars, starting at age 13 with my first Ford Mustang enthusiast magazine and most likely have been around cars longer than Ty has been alive, I have accumulated some great knowledge. I have learned to think reasonably about what is an anomaly, and therefore defective, and what is excessive.

This was simply going for that "gotcha-moment" and going with the rude behavior. It also showed a lack of understanding on how wheels/tires work and improper training skill to help me, which clearly was not his intent. I informed this unhelpful representative that this is exactly what would be expected, as the rear tracks (follows the path) the front - directly when driving in a straight line. This further showed a defect, as the front did not crack the tire and therefore flatten the tire, which is what happened to the rear.

Similar situation which was questionable:

Lastly, I pointed out what I had witnessed the night this happened. On a different road, as I drove my Ford Tremor (which is an off-road oriented truck, built by ford), the lift and larger tires, which are therefore larger sidewalls that absorb road impacts, and the larger diameter keeps the wheel/tire from dropping as deeply inside such holes. This literally and figuratively insulates me from such issues. I drove over a rough surface at around 9PM, and thought about how rough it was and how it was a legitimate road hazard.

Immediately after finishing that thought, I am passing by four separate vehicles, all lined up along the side of the road just past the pothole/sunk-in road. They all went through what clearly was a large impact, which certainly blew their tires and perhaps damaged their wheels. They ranged from SUVs with low profile tires & oversized wheels (Escalade), to midsize and compact sedans. I seemed to be the only recent vehicle equipped for that. It showed me the perfect example of an incident that would be a gray area.

HOWEVER in the case of the flat and cracked wheels, etc., which happened at approx 4:15PMwhile waiting for me to get to the house, quickly change, retrieve necessary equipment to cover any scenario, get to the disabled car on the side of the road, then make the fix in the dark and rain, NO OTHER VEHICLES HAD PROBLEMS!

So just under 3 hrs (4:15PM - 7:05PM) and we are the only vehicle disabled?!?! I saw Teslas (3s and an S), plenty of other cars, small trucks, lifted trucks, and everything in between, yet for some reason this Infiniti G35 w/ not exceptionally low profile tires, in-fact, a wheel & tire combo that was purchased & installed by Americas Tire Co in Yuba City, CA, and this young sales/service guy - named Ty - is questioning us and more interested in picking a fight with me? I stuck to facts and logic while he was petty, plus showed a very shady warranty practice.

If it's his ego, he should know that nobody thinks he did it. We just want him to do right by extremely loyal customers (20 years and I'm guessing between the vehicles and trailers owned by my mother, father, wife, and I; 25–30 sets of tires bought (100 tires minimum) and usually the expensive 35x12.50, hi-perf z-rated tires, OR hi-perf RUN-FLATS (ouch), and I get this treatment? I have never reported someone, but this is truly wrong.

eml: [protected]@aol.com

Kyle