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Pep Boys Tire Service Consumer Reviews

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Tire Bait and Switch
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

GLEN BURNIE, MARYLAND -- After deciding to replace two tires on a 2007 Toyota Prius, I began looking online for a good deal. I was on Pep Boys website and found a tire which was affordable so I called the store to check on availability. I was told they had them in stock so I made an appointment for the next day. After driving an hour and a half to the store, we were told they did not have the tire we wanted. I asked about a tire in the same price range and was told that the only tire they had was so cheap that "they never put them on a car." I was instead offered a tire that was about $35.00 more per tire.

Since my wife and I had combined a social visit with this trip, we had to get something put on the car so we had the work done. While we watched the work being done we were also disappointed by the casual pace the technician displayed. We had made an appointment for 12:00 and the car was not even brought into the shop until an hour had passed. Once the work began, the tech seemed more interested in taking puffs on his E-cigarette than getting us back on the road.

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Great Service and Tire and Custom Rims Knowledge
StarStarStarStarStarBy -
Rating: 5/51

LAUREL, MARYLAND -- I just want to thank Gaurang ** & Dionte ** for their outstanding service and their knowledge about tires and custom rims. I was in town for my uncle funeral in Laurel, MD and notice I had a nail on the corner of my 2011 Hyundai Sonata 225/45R18 Hancock tire. Since the nail was on the corner of the tire, explain to me that the tire could not be patch. Gaurang ** explain to me that my current tire is not a tire they carry in stock and recommend another brand of tire (Continental Extreme Contact). He went out of his way to explain to me the different tire patterns to match my other tires.

Service Technician Dionte ** explain to me how my other tires were not probably balance and he explain the difference in tire balancing. He also gave me some recommendations on lug nuts for my after market rims and he told me that I need to purchase some concentric rings for my rims, which will give me a better fit rims and would save my lug studs. Both of these Pep Boys employees gave me Banner Service and I want to let people know that Pep Boys will provide you with outstanding services for your car.

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Pep Boys Tire Service Rip-off Scam
By -

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY -- In April 2008 I had a flat and took my vehicle to Pep Boys to have it fixed. I was told there was a hole in the sidewall and it couldn't be fixed and must be replaced. New tire $135.00. I was also told my remaining three tires were dangerously thin and should be replaced. I agreed. 4 tires plus balancing alignment and old tire disposal $485.00. I instructed that the spare tire be placed back under the truck as a spare (had never been on the ground until the flat: 9-miles).

When I went to pick up the truck, I checked the spare. It was one of the worn-out tires! The new spare had been removed from the wheel and a worn-out tire mounted in its place! So I had four new tires and a worn out spare. I demanded the new spare tire back (I knew the make and size) and had to leave for an appointment. My wife went to get the truck. I told her to check. Sure enough, the tire had not been replaced. She called me, I called them. My wife left. On the THIRD attempt to pick the truck up I called ahead and was told the tire had been replaced.

When I arrived, it had not. So I made a bit of a scene so the waiting customers could hear as I detailed what they tried THREE TIMES! The service guy just shrugged and grunted as if he'd tried but was caught. While I waited, they pulled the truck in and got my spare and put it on the wheel and back under the truck. They slid the keys across the counter I asked to see the guy who changed the tire and they paged him. Without warning, I asked him if he'd balanced the tire. He hadn't. Back on the rack. Five months later, October 2008: Flat tire. AAA swapped the spare for the flat. Back to Pep Boys. I had purchased a ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY.

The tire was not repairable. Hole in the sidewall. The odds against this are impossible! New tire $165.00. But I have warranty! Couldn't find it in the "new system", and didn't even try in the "old system". So we started over again. After remaining resolute, the warranty was found in the "old system" and the tire was replaced for $50.00. But when I went to get the truck, I noticed the spare was just swinging from the mounting cable under the rear of the truck! I HAD NOT BEEN WINCHED into place! It could simply fall off at highway speed! Back into the shop where the service guy tightened the spare into place and said, "THAT OUGHTA HOLD IT."

Observations: Pep Boys tried to steal the brand new spare tire THREE TIMES! Two flat tires, both with suspicious non-repairable sidewall punctures. Couldn't find our warranty in their "system". Didn't look, didn't try. Tried to charge full price. Left the job dangerously undone. Arrogant attitude, disrespectful. Got caught, knew it, and just shrugged it off. No apology for the half-done job. Spare tire scam. BEWARE!

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Tires
By -

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA -- On 12/02/06, I purchased 4 new tires for my car, paid for everything even the road hazard warranty, when it come time to have the tires rotated I first was told that I had to leave the car for at least 4 to 5 hours, well because I'm handicapped that wasn't possible for me! So the manager said that I could make an appointment to come in and have it done (rotation). But even with an appointment he said he couldn't guarantee that he could do it even then, saying that if someone came in at the same time as my appointment that I'd probably still would have to leave the car anyway.

At this point I felt as if he was giving me a run around, so I left feeling like I just got the runaround of my life! Now 8,000 miles later the front tires had worn so badly from not being able to have my rotation done. It not only ruined my c.v. joints on my front wheel drive car but I ended up picking up a screw in one of the front tires giving me a leak in one of the front tires, making me having to go back to Pep Boys to see if they could do something for me. They told me that they would pull my car in and check it out, it's funny because they didn't waste anytime bringing my car in.

And while they had my car in their shop I decided to take a walk into the garage where my car was and that was when I caught the worker under my hood and had my air cleaner wing nuts in his hand proceeding to get ready to remove my air breather! I said "excuse me but what are you doing under my hood when I'm here for just tire service", his excuse was "oh! We do this to all the cars. We call it a 5-point checkup." Well I told him that I do my own checking under the hood and told him to kindly put the screws back on the air breather and close my hood and just do what was supposed to be done on the tires and not under my hood.

Well he seemed like he had an attitude over it, but hey why was he under my hood? Between him and the tire manager I ended up being charged for 2 more new tires with the warranty charges I already had on the previous ones that were still under warranty. I feel I got ripped off because the tires only had 8,000 miles on them and if they had rotated them when they were suppose to they would still look like new like the rear ones still do! I still have the 2 out of 4 on the back but got charged for the 2 front ones and I'll never recommend Pep Boys here in San Diego, store #978 to anyone.

Unless they want to be ripped off or worse yet have that gang banging looking Mexican dude they have working in the garage trying to sabotage your vehicle by putting his hands under the hood when you're only there for tire service. It was a good thing I walked in when I did or it would of cost more than $249.54 the first time for 4 new tires, and then 8,000 miles later be charged another $95.25 to replace two of the four you had already bought the year before!

I never believed the rumors about what goes on at that Pep Boys, about them doing things to your vehicle so you'd have to come back, until I experienced it for myself! The next time I'll go back to Discount Tires, like I had done in the past. I never went through all this crap with tires, especially with the ordeal with catching the guy under my hood? That was nervy of him! Sometimes deals are too good to be true especially with their recent one where you buy 3 and get the 4th tire free. Yea right they probably raised the price of the tires to cover the cost of the 4th one: it's not Pep Boys fault, it's the crooks that they hire that give them a bad name! "NEVER AGAIN"!!!

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to go see my lawyer but if I do they will be the first to know!

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2 New Tires, Free Oil Change, & 10% Discount on the Tire Installation
StarStarStarStarStarBy -
Rating: 5/51

FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA -- I went into the Pep Boys' store and ordered 2 new tires. Since they didn't have it in stock, the customer service tech told me that he'd order it and that the truck from warehouse would be delivering them to the store by 10am the next day. I called the store the next day and spoke to a manager who got my tire info, but it seemed like he didn't get the info about my order of new tires from the previous day. He got my phone number and told me he'd call me when the truck arrives.

After a few minutes, I got a call and was told that my tires had been delivered. After I printed out a 10% discount coupon from the store, I went to the store and got it installed. I noticed that they had a promotion "buy 2 tires and get a free oil change," but the manager who took my service order did not even mentioned that to me when he went to check on my car. So then I had to wait in line until I was able to talk to another service tech. I told him that my purchase of the 2 new tire installation package included the free oil change. He told me that he'd take care of it.

I was lucky that I was able to talk to the tech before my car was serviced or else I'd probably have to wait at least an hour that day for the oil change after the tire installation. The tech who did my oil change told me to watch for leaks since someone had put silicon on the cover beneath my car. He said he had to problem closing it, but told me to check as a precaution. I thought that was good customer service to let me know that.

After the installation and oil change, the tech had trouble scanning the 10% discount coupon to give me a discount on the total amount. He tried at least 4 times scanning different coupons, but ended up having to type the discount in manually on the computer. I was patient about it since it's not his fault that there's something wrong with the different coupons at the store. They should do something to fix that though because they could save customer time if they were able to scan it and get it right the first time.

In the end, I got roadside warranty with my installation package and a 10% discount along with free oil change. I went away very happy with the savings even though I had to remind the service tech to do the free oil change, and remind another tech to apply the 10% discount toward the end (my final sales change was handled by another tech). My advice is to check website for any discounts and print out the coupons if need be. When you arrive at the store, also look out for additional promotions/discount for the service that you need. Don't expect the tech or managers to remember that there is a promotion going on.

Remind them and check to make sure that you get all the discount and promotional extras for your hard earned dollar! Oh, and after the oil change, I made sure to open my hood and check it to make sure everything looks good and that they had applied a sticker to my windshield. I also checked and made sure that they had installed the correct type of tires to the rear and that the tires are inflated properly.

The last time I didn't do that, I went in for $25 oil change and came out with dark color oil and wheels out of alignment. I notice that that tech that messed with my oil change and alignment did not work there anymore. So happy to see him gone and another better tech who did provide me with good customer service to take his place.

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Pleasant Suprise
StarStarStarStarStarBy -
Rating: 5/51

TILLMANS CORNER, ALABAMA -- Today Pep Boys came through for me in a big way. Even though it was late the manager ** stayed and fixed my car tire so I would not have to miss work. I cannot express my gratitude for his kindness and I hope Pep Boys appreciates the people that really help others unselfishly.

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Pathetic Boys
By -

I almost made the mistake of getting my tires installed at a Pep Boys facility. Thankfully a co-worker of mine informed me of his experience and of other people he knows before I made an appointment with Mr. Ripoff. This is my assessment from what I've learned and later observed: Pep Boys is an automotive store chain that provides automotive services as an additional source of income, not the primary source. They are also not ranked very highly in the automotive service world. The key thing to note is that for people in that line of work, going to Pep Boys is a kind of "last resort".

As a result, they accumulate a staff that either is inexperienced or not very well skilled. My co-worker had the misfortune of getting a long chain of troubles from having had his tires installed and a front end alignment performed at a Pep Boys. First, they somehow managed to mess up the car's front end alignment in such a way that the car didn't pull to one side, but the tires would suffer uneven tire wear. They use a compressor driven ratchet to put on the lugs, and in doing so managed to get the lugs stuck on so tight that they were impossible to remove by hand (if you've got a flat tire, you're out of luck on changing it yourself).

And the technician who mounted the tires apparently had trouble holding the ratchet properly in place, causing nicks and scrapes on the alloy wheels around the lug nut sockets. They were also BRUTAL to the rims when taking off the balance weights, leaving nasty gouges. "Oh, they were there already - normal wear from road debris," was the claim when it was obvious that the gouges were freshly made. Despite my co-worker being fastidious with keeping his tire pressure correct, his tires wore unevenly due to the bad alignment.

That uneven wear contributed to a blowout in one of the tires, which he was unable to remove because the bolts were stuck on so tightly. In the end, he needed to replace ALL FOUR TIRES because of the faulty alignment. Overall, his experience cost him an extra front end alignment and a complete set of new tires. It was a sorely losing proposition. He will never go to Pep Boys again. After his experience that he relayed to other friends/associates, he came to learn of other people having problems there as well. Pep Boys is not a bargain place. You might get lucky and walk away with fair servicing for the price, but why chance losing far more?

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Pepboys Is Horrible!
By -

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA -- I had a very slow leak in my driver's side rear tire for a week or so. So, I took my car to our local Pep Boys on 2/21 to have them check it out. When we arrived first thing in the morning, they were already SWAMPED. We waited for 3 hours and they never got to our car. They told us to come back later and see if things died down. We came, went back later and waited another 2 hours. Now they tell us to make an appointment for the following day. They also told us to fill our our paperwork now and that would save time the following morning. So, we did as they asked and came back the next morning for our 9am appointment.

They made us wait in line till 9:30 (no preference for people with appointments). When we checked in they said we were late and now there would be people in front of us?!!? They also could not find our paperwork we filled out the prior day. So, we started all over. 2 hours later they still had not even looked at the car. After 3 hours they told us they could not get the nail out of the tire. We were super frustrated with the delay and said just give us the car and we'll take it elsewhere. Then all of a sudden they got the nail and said it was all fixed. They charged us $27.00 after all that!

By that night my tire was completely flat. I took my car to America's Tire Company and the told us that Pep Boys damaged my tire with the plug and now I would need a new tire. So, something that initially would have been free anywhere else, turned into a $560 cost & 2 new tires later. Pep Boys wasted our weekend and money, our first and last time we'll ever use them!

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Tried To Sell Me More Than I Needed
By -

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA -- I had my car towed to the Pep Boys on Ridge Ave in Philadelphia, PA for a flat tire. Went with the "Buy 3, Get 1 Free" tire special since I needed new tires before winter time anyway, figured I'd get it all done at once. Got there a bit late, so I had to leave it overnight. Next day, get a call on my cell from the mechanic. He tells me that my brakes are bad (I never asked him to even look at my brakes, all I wanted was tires installed). He told me that the measurement was 1 1/2. I had no idea what this meant; however, I am someone who keeps track of what happens with my car since mechanics have tried to take advantage in the past.

I informed the mechanic that I had brakes installed less than 2 months ago at my usual mechanic shop during my inspection. The mechanic stuttered something incomprehensible and no longer tried to push the brake sale on me.
Later that afternoon, while paying for the tires, etc. at the store, I informed one of the cashiers that the mechanic had tried to sell me brakes while mine were perfectly good (and new!!). He asked who it was, I told him, and his response was "Oh, so-and-so is one of our more honest mechanics." (This automatically leads me to believe that you have a bunch of liars working in your shop, great, I feel better already.)

Next, the cashier asks what this guy actually told me. I repeat the story about the 1 1/2 brake measurement. The cashier looks at me like I'm a complete moron and tells me that the lowest measurement is a 2. In the very next sentence, he realizes that the mechanic wrote down 1 1/2 on his sheet, so he then says to me "Oh, it was 1 1/2, so-and-so is really good. I would trust his measurements. You really should probably get those brakes."

Needless to say, I wanted to scream at these people who are blatantly lying to my face. I'm so glad that I keep track of things and didn't buy the brakes from them. It would have just been extra money in their pockets and less in mine, for no good reason. I'll never go back to Pep Boys again, not for anything. I'll pay for the tow truck to take me back to the northeast where my mechanic is... I'd rather waste money on the tow vs. wasting it at some corporation cheating me!!

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Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

PHOENIX, ARIZONA -- I went into the store on 35th ave. & cactus, there were 4 employees in the register area, no one greeted me when I came. I went to the tire area which is next to the registers, I was looking over the tires and looked at the 4 people at the registers, they were talking, no other customers in the store, now I know why. Not one person came to assist me or ask what they could help me with. When I asked for help, they said they would see if they could find someone, but no one went anywhere or called on the phone. I left and bought 4 new tires elsewhere. Worst customer service I can remember in a long time.

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Pep Boys Tire Service Rating:
Star Star Half star Empty star Empty star
2.5 out of 5, based on 16 ratings and
42 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Pep Boys
3111 West Allegheny Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19132
215-229-9000 (ph)
215-229-5076 (fax)
www.pepboys.com
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