Tire Kingdom started in 1972 in a small stall at the West Palm Beach Farmer’s Market. There they would sell tires on consignment ranging in prices from $50 to $150. The customers started coming in more frequently and asked that someone install the tires at the time of purchase, so with $500, the equipment was purchased, and Tire Kingdom formally came into existence. The company is now owned by Sumitomo Corporation of America and is headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida with 730 company owned stores, and 8400 associates nationally.
Not only does Tire Kingdom sell tires, but they aim to become a leading tire and automotive service retailer in the nation. Their pledge states:
– Convenient hours of operation
– Unlimited selection of tires
– Lifetime tire rotation
– Courteous and certified professional staff
– Tire service in one hour or less
– Low prices
My first visit to Tire Kingdom was in November, 2009. I purchased two rear tires from Tire Kingdom; the tread only wore out on the inside. The customer service representative told me it was a typical example of over inflated tires. I declined the alignment since they were rear tires, and I had no idea my car required all four wheels to be aligned. Six months later, I see the same baldness pattern happening on one rear tire.
I called the store, and the store manager told me to come right in. She explained to me when the wheels are misaligned the tires wear unevenly, and a technician would take my car out for a test ride and use a state-of-the-art computer to analyze the problem. She showed me a photo of my car’s wheels, and there was the right rear tire at an odd angle as compared to the other tires and thus the problem for the uneven tread wear of the tire.
It was essentially my fault since I opted out of the alignment, but I did explain to the manager that the representative who originally sold me the tires told me the problem was over air inflation and never explained to me the overall suspension of my type of automobile. Without any hesitation, Richele Ward, the store manager promptly entered a generous price discount on a replacement tire and honored the discounted price of an alignment from when I first purchased the tires in November. I walked away with a very reasonable bill, a new tire and an alignment on all four wheels. That’s customer service.
photo credit: Grant.C
Possibly Related Posts:
- How customers are treated when something goes wrong Customer service is about doing things right, but what happens…
- Publix on top of American Customer Satisfaction Index In the lead since 1994, Publix scores the highest marks…
- Leave competition behind with excellent customer service If you have ever been overwhelmed in the wine section…
- Little things make a difference for customer satisfaction I distinctly remember the last time I received poor customer…
- Spirit Airlines’ customer satisfaction a myth Spirit Airlines predominantly serves the East Coast, Caribbean, Bahamas, Latin…
