Since I started driving, I’ve bought nearly half a dozen sets of tires, and all of them have been from Discount Tire, for a number of reasons. For one, they’re decently priced. They might be a bit more expensive than ordering online or whatever, but they’re not too overpriced. Second, they make the whole process insanely easy and convenient. Even in today’s economy, the second point outweighs most any pricing discrepancy, in my opinion.
For starters, Discount Tire uses a nation-wide database. That means I can walk into any Discount Tire in the country and get my truck’s tires serviced – including the free lifetime rotate and balance, without any hassle. I don’t even need the receipt (though that helps). They can look up my phone number and see a whole profile on me, including which vehicles I have, when they’ve been serviced, etc.
I’ve used this nationwide feature a few times, and what I also like is that Discount Tire realizes you’re possibly going to be sitting for a while, and they have comfortable chairs, a little fridge with bottled water, coffee, and clean bathrooms. It’s such a small thing, and probably costs them next to nothing, but it makes a big difference when you’re already having issues with your mode of transportation.
Last, and this is a new one, is that they’re ‘out there’. By that, I mean this tire company is using the Internet to further enhance the experience. I tweeted a few weeks ago when I stopped through my Discount Tire, because they were able to get me in and out within 15-20 minutes – a record for *any* mechanic, regardless of the service I was getting. Within a short time, I had a response on Twitter from @DiscountTire, saying they were glad I enjoyed it.
A few days later, I also received an email, simply saying thanks for visiting a store, and a quick link to a survey. The email does not contain any ‘hot deals’ announcements, or any other sales-related content – it’s simply a ‘thank you’ email, and I like that.
Definitely a job well-done, and thanks to the convenience and friendliness, I’ll easily continue to purchase tires from Discount Tire, even if it’s not the cheapest place to get them.
Ricky Cadden 