cvajs

i can't name names, but this online vendor is selling 245/40/18 Falken ST115's for $125 (google it and you will find them, pretty popular place to buy tires).

i get a set and they're all scuffed up (see pics below), so bad i would not put them on a old junker. i call the place and they tell me "take digi pics and send them to me". so i do and a few days later i call and they say "no, never got the pics". so then i get pawned off to another guy who says "send me the pics", i do and he says "that's normal", i almost fell off my chair !! then he says to try some Simple Green, so i run off to the store and get some, 10 minutes later i call him back and tell him it did not work, then he says i need to try mineral spirits !!! my feeling was he did not want to pay for return shipping. so i elected to RMA the tires and i will never shop there again (you should not either). it's a gamble with these guys, you just don't know in what shape the tires will come.

moral of the story: dishonest non-genuine people don't get my business, and as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. in total i dished out $130 for shipping costs, but so be it, the cost of dishonesty...

would you put these on your TL??

cvajs

here's a email reply from one of the guys at this vendor,


"I just saw the pictures and I spoke to XYZ as well, all new tires have a film residue, that’s why the tires best traction is about 200 miles from when you put them on. The reason for this is to burn that entire shinny residue and get to the actual rubber of the tire.

Please don’t be disappointed is a very common and it is normal, I worked in the warehouse before being in the sales department and I used to see this day in and day out, however with time it indeed did go away."


i was wondering, since when does the sidewall of a tire give traction, and i wonder what the mysterious residue is that burns off after 200 miles !!??

, perhaps he should go back into the warehouse....

svtmike

I don't douby there is a residue from the production process. I know you tried cleaners, but have you tried putting some tire shine or something else on those "scuffs" to see if they go away? The tires don't look like they're structurally compromised in any way.

GTFISH

If that is the only tire with this issue mount it so the area is facing the inside.

cvajs

yes, Mothers rubber conditioner, it did not work!! you cannot clean scuffs! you can hide them a tad with goop like Mequiars Hot-Shine, etc, but i did not pay $$$ for a set of scuffed tires.

a scuff is structual damage to the rubber on the micro scale (makes the sidewall look like shit), so i'm not 100% sure what you mean by "structually compromised". i would not put them on a old junker looking like that.

cvajs

nope, all 4 tires on both sides !! the only logical explanation is they were the last of a bunch and were moved around quite often on concrete.

just burns me that the vendor would not satisfy the customer. i don't think they know yet what business value there is in a happy customer...

cvajs

i expressed my concerns to another online vendor when i ordered up a new set of Falken tires. here is their reply:

"If the tires arrive scuffed and not to your liking, we will have them picked
up and or replaced free of charge.

Regards,
admin@highperformancetire.com"

now that's customer service.

svtmike

Then definitely return them. By structurally compromised, I mean unsafe to use as opposed to just ugly.

Mike

GaleForce

I voted yes because I'm a rebel.

cvajs

just a update...

if you live on east coast this place is probably the best place to buy tires online (or by phone). if you live in lower NY area you can save shipping costs by picking up tires from their warehouse.

www.highperformancetire.com

my new Falkens came today and in perfect shape. their customer service is top notch (they know how to please the customer) and their prices beat just about everyone.

xristos

CVAJS,

Who delivered your tires? (UPS/FedEX/DHL/USPS)

The reason why I ask is because I'm a supervisor at one of these company's and tires uasually are dropped off to us wrapped with plastic straps in pairs. The loaders most often grab the tires by the plastic straps & throw them into the trailer. Also, since they are round its difficult to build a wall with the tires, so they are placed under heavy boxes. It's possible the straps scuffed the tires or the machinery (rollers/belts/slides) used to transport them thru the warehouse.
For the future, always reject a shipment you are not satisfied with which costs you nothing because you didn' sign for it.

cvajs

DHL was the shipper, however, it was not the shipper that caused this. the tires came bundled (2 straped together) and both sides of all 4 tires were scuffed up pretty bad.

xristos

OK, then it's the way they are being stored/handled at the tire shop.

cvajs

indeed, and i tried to back the claim with digi pics, but the vendor claimed it was normal and could be removed with Simple Green or mineral spirits, or after 200 miles when the tire wears in. that was all crap. i expressed my concern about their lacking in customer service. i simply dished out the $$$ to ship the tires back.

HPTIRE.NET is the only place i will buy tires from going forward (they know the business value of a happy repeat customer).