ATS are a joke

[Andy W]

Small tyre fitting firms near me will gladly fit anything you want (within reason), The cost of fitting & balancing usually gets settled with cash and no need to go through books etc as with tyre ordering and the likes. I got 5 tyres fitted, balanced & new valves for £40.

[plodger]

Took the escort into Kwik Fit ( exhausts and tyres ) in beverly on Saturday to take four locking wheel nuts off since I lost the key part. " We can't do that mate, we haven't got any keys or a machine for that kind of job. " was they're helpful reply. " But you specialise in tyres, mate " I replied. All he could do was shrug his shoulders!!! What ever happened to being polite and helpful when dealing with potential customers? MORONS!!!
Went to Ford, cost me a fiver!!

[andy]

Was going to change my rear brake shoes today, but when I went to remove the wheels the locking wheel nut adaptor was ****ed, so tried to ring Astrali who made the locking nuts, and they have gone out of business, so spoke to Barry at Roughtrax who had supplied the nuts, and he can get me one in a few days, eventually got one posted for tomorrow by the company who bought the Astrali stock.

This is all down the my local tyre depot which is about 50 yards from my house, the young kid that does the tyres had used an air gun with the adaptor, they also put some hammer on weights on the alloy wheels, and I had specifically told them I wanted stick on weights, hammer on ones knacker the lacquer on alloys.

Cant complain too much as the owner bought one of my Surfs, but the kids that they use are just brainless.

[M35A2]

Was going to change my rear brake shoes today, but when I went to remove the wheels the locking wheel nut adaptor was ****ed, so tried to ring Astrali who made the locking nuts, and they have gone out of business, so spoke to Barry at Roughtrax who had supplied the nuts, and he can get me one in a few days, eventually got one posted for tomorrow by the company who bought the Astrali stock.

This is all down the my local tyre depot which is about 50 yards from my house, the young kid that does the tyres had used an air gun with the adaptor, they also put some hammer on weights on the alloy wheels, and I had specifically told them I wanted stick on weights, hammer on ones knacker the lacquer on alloys.

Cant complain too much as the owner bought one of my Surfs, but the kids that they use are just brainless.

I've got hammer on weights on my alloys. They where done in Japan. One of the weights is holding the tyre off the rim slightly, resulting in a slight air leak. I tried to move the weight along a bit to see if it would seal up, but all I did was scratch the alloy rim, ba****d.

Next time you go to a tyre place, take the locking nuts off yourself, and loosen all the other nuts yourself. DO NOT let them use an airgun on your alloy rims, as if the torque is set to high they can crack the rims. And I asked how much they were last time I was at Toyota. £350 EACH.

[mart 870]

Ok no doubt i`ll get flamed for posting this as im heavily outnumbered here but i`ll give it a go...

I`m a tyre fitter and i worked for Kwik Fit for nine years as a mobile fitter (i work for BMW now) I can understand about what you say about ATS/Kwik Fit or any of the other fast fit retailers they all have a certain amout of dimwits working for them but that can be said about anywhere including little back street places and any other trades including I.T. etc its life.

Most large retailers thses days have very strict code of conduct at work and and i know for a fact that Kwik Fit use mistery shoppers to try and prevent customers being ripped off so with the threat of being sacked would you fit a customers supplied tube to a wheel for a drink when you have been told not too? sorry but i wouldnt it just wasnt worth the risk and yes i had seen lads sacked for doing such things. If you went into Pizza Hut sat down and said "cook us this pizza mate ive got from ASDA would you, i`ll see you right" what sort of answer would you get? Yes i know you cant fit the tyre yourself but please try and look at it from the fitters point of view than just look down your nose at him cos he cant help you. More often than not i would have gladly helped someone out who is just trying to save a bit of money but rules were rules and i wasnt allowed. I certainly cant fit customers own parts to a BMW now, they would get laughed out of the showroom!

The best advice id give was to find yourself a small well respected garage who is happy to take on any sort of work and doesnt have the red tape restictions of a head office, preferably one that doesnt employ young kids to do the tyre jobs for them although were all young oiks once who didnt really care about customers.

[M35A2]

Ok no doubt i`ll get flamed for posting this as im heavily outnumbered here but i`ll give it a go...

I`m a tyre fitter and i worked for Kwik Fit for nine years as a mobile fitter (i work for BMW now) I can understand about what you say about ATS/Kwik Fit or any of the other fast fit retailers they all have a certain amout of dimwits working for them but that can be said about anywhere including little back street places and any other trades including I.T. etc its life.

Most large retailers thses days have very strict code of conduct at work and and i know for a fact that Kwik Fit use mistery shoppers to try and prevent customers being ripped off so with the threat of being sacked would you fit a customers supplied tube to a wheel for a drink when you have been told not too? sorry but i wouldnt it just wasnt worth the risk and yes i had seen lads sacked for doing such things. If you went into Pizza Hut sat down and said "cook us this pizza mate ive got from ASDA would you, i`ll see you right" what sort of answer would you get? Yes i know you cant fit the tyre yourself but please try and look at it from the fitters point of view than just look down your nose at him cos he cant help you. More often than not i would have gladly helped someone out who is just trying to save a bit of money but rules were rules and i wasnt allowed. I certainly cant fit customers own parts to a BMW now, they would get laughed out of the showroom!

The best advice id give was to find yourself a small well respected garage who is happy to take on any sort of work and doesnt have the red tape restictions of a head office, preferably one that doesnt employ young kids to do the tyre jobs for them although were all young oiks once who didnt really care about customers.

I can see your point. But what if I asked him to repair the puncture, would I have had the same answer? A tyre place should do ALL repairs on tyres, and not just fit new ones that you buy from there. What is the point in asking a tyre fitter to fix a puncture, when I'm standing there with a brand new tube? He could have charged me labour and put it through the till. Besides he knows I'm not a company man, as I've bought 2 full sets of car tyres off him before.

[TonyN]

When Kwik fit can supply me with 35x16" TSL Boggers, maybe you have a point and I'll get then from them,

But its still pi$$ poor service, they should be able to fit tyres, regardless of where they came from.

Your analogy sucks, Pizza hut is all about their own pizza's, ATS and similer supply Dunlop, Bridgestone, etc. as a Dunlop dealer, they should fit a Dunlop tyre regardless of where it came from, anyone who thinks its anthing else that the fact they havn't made a profit from suppling the tyres needs to get in the real world.

but its also, as you said, a managent issue, not the guy on the shop floors fault if its company policy.

[mart 870]

Why should they fit tyres they havent supplied? Most of the profit made is from suppling a tyre not the actual fitting on them. The large fast fit companies manage to make very heathy profits in a cut throat and very competive market so i think they might have a better grasp on the real world than you imagine where a small back street garage will take on such jobs but its never going to go anywhere. You pays your money and makes your choice.