blackcircles tyre fitting - F'in 'ell - UPDATE

[Crazy Harry]

I know a few of you use blackcircles for tyre purchases - I've bought a couple of set via them for the family cars.

Today I had a couple fitted on my son's car - its heading towards classic status; a MK2 MR2 a bit well worn in appearance but he loves it.

We arrived for our appointment at one of their 'premier partners' and having identified that we are the customers they are expecting we offer them a rubber jacking pad which we keep in the car. The lad we are talking to declines saying they have jacks and pads.

MR2's are jacked on the sill under a section of strengthened seem where the sill meets the floor pan - nothing unusual about this.

We glance through the window and the fitter has the metal jack cup under the sill - NO JACK PAD.

It took half a dozen attempts to explain that its not the fact he's jacking under the sill (we do the same) its the fact he's got a metal plate under the f'in painted surface of the sill. He can't see anything wrong with this - so presumably is happy to lift your six month old car in the same way to repair a puncture should you be lucky enough to meet him.

So given I can't prove the condition of the sill before they started to work I can only satisfy my disatisfaction by publishing this tale and saying:

blackcircles you do not vet your partners well enough or set down sufficiently clear procedures for them to follow - Oh, and I doubt you'll respond to the feedback I gave online... and to Cando services Wymondham I won't be back (oh and good luck to the owner of the black E85 that was in their workshop!).

[Smartbear]

That’s pretty rubbish after he’d told you they have their own pads! Why didn’t he use them?
Rob

[Crazy Harry]

That’s pretty rubbish after he’d told you they have their own pads! Why didn’t he use them?
Rob

Given the lack of concern or of an apology when they handed the car back I would say that he doesn't give a sh!t

[Keet]

Had a similar experience using a local tyre fitter approved by Asda Tyres when I had the fronts replaced on my Alfa.

All seemed well until I got to motorway speeds and the steering wheel was vibrating like crazy. When I stopped and looked to see if I'd lost a balance weight, I saw the paint had been damaged on the alloys around the stud holes.

I returned to the fitters who obviously denied the damage and offered a re-balance. As I'd not checked the alloys beforehand there I couldn't prove they'd done the damage.

Back on the motorway and same again so I went to another fiters who showed me that the wheels were out of balance to the tune of about 35g. In fact they were more in balance with no weights on them!

So I won't be using Dunsford Tyre Services in Mansfield again. I have noticed that Asda Tyres didn't list them the last time I was looking for tyres.

[Jembo]

Ah.. the MK2 MR2, my second wind in ya hair 2 seater.... fully understand why he enjoys it as had sweet memories in mine

[firebobby]

Ah.. the MK2 MR2, my second wind in ya hair 2 seater.... fully understand why he enjoys it as had sweet memories in mine

Just been out in my rev 3.
When I took it to a local tyre place, the young lad loved it and asked if he could sit in it, nice to see the big grin on his face.

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[Crazy Harry]

I got an email from Blackcircles following my expression of dissatisfaction in their service.

You might be interested to learn that Chloe explains Blackcircles position as:

“We would not expect that the garage would have a rubber jacking pad available or necessarily use one as this is a user preference and not required when jacking up a car”

So there we are then - if they have an old jack with a rusty cup Blackcircles are quite happy for it to be used directly under the paintwork of your sills. Best spend my cash somewhere else I'm thinking.

[kis]

The Zed has the rubber lifting pads anyway, unless you've lost yours? So shouldn't be a problem on most Zeds... having said that I tend to take my wheels (to the fitter) off the car. Expecially if they're nice / new and I'm worried about any possible damage that gives me the upper hand as I can inspect them and take photos prior to even getting to there. Not that I need to, I'm a established customer at my place and they always do a good job.

[Crazy Harry]

The Zed has the rubber lifting pads anyway, unless you've lost yours? So shouldn't be a problem on most Zeds... having said that I tend to take my wheels (to the fitter) off the car. Expecially if they're nice / new and I'm worried about any possible damage that gives me the upper hand as I can inspect them and take photos prior to even getting to there. Not that I need to, I'm a established customer at my place and they always do a good job.

Yea the Zeds easy! - not looked under our 5 Series yet but hope that's the same. All the other tyre fitters/main dealers I've used have had a rubber surface bonded onto the face of the jack so no need for the pad.

Had Cando Autocentre jacked with one of these we would have been OK with that - but not just the bare rusty jack cup against the paintwork.

So not impressed with them or Blackcircles who should at least go out and check the equipment they have before partnering up with them. The fact we offered the pad just in case and they refused still makes me f'in livid

[Jembo]

Amazing how just one bad experience can ripple... maybe a personal, calm, concise & factual letter to the C level of Blackcircles, explaining how despite unsuccessfully trying to remedy the situation through normal complaint channels, you’d sought advice from your m8’s on here & PistonHeads.

A single grumpy customer is one thing, having your reputation questioned openly on forums many people frequent is another that will directly affect your business.

I have thought about trying them, won’t go near them now, mainly because I have a mobile tyre fitter who sometimes gets very good promotional tyre deals (& doesn’t have the workshop overheads), or when he doesn’t, Costco Croydon are surprisingly competent & have been able to order in special sizes / winters often at below or par with the lowest internet prices .

Just a thought...

[mj2k]

Costco Reading also do a great job & got me some PSS recently. Although I do have to state the pressure law I want as they inflate them to non M levels - wondered why it felt bumpy!

[MerBrook]

We had a problem with one of Blackcircles fitting centres a few years ago when we had the runflats changed on our first coupe.
The fitters damaged every single wheel (a couple of pics attached)

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, all of which were imaculate before going in and had only been refurbed a couple of months earlier.
I went back to the centre (because Mrs. Merbrook took the car originally) and spoke to the manager. He became extremely aggresive and abusive to the point that I had to walk away otherwise I might not have been in a good position to make any further complaints.
After the "meeting" I made my complaint to Blackcircles customer services and they upheld the complaint and paid for the wheels to be refurbed again and some other costs.
It has to be said that I was happy with the way the customer services dealt with the complaint and the outcome but would strongly advise any body not to use Eclipse tyres in Alcester, Warwickshire.

[Crazy Harry]

We had a problem with one of Blackcircles fitting centres a few years ago when we had the runflats changed on our first coupe.
The fitters damaged every single wheel (a couple of pics attached)IMG_0689.JPGIMG_0691.JPG, all of which were imaculate before going in and had only been refurbed a couple of months earlier.
I went back to the centre (because Mrs. Merbrook took the car originally) and spoke to the manager. He became extremely aggresive and abusive to the point that I had to walk away otherwise I might not have been in a good position to make any further complaints.
After the "meeting" I made my complaint to Blackcircles customer services and they upheld the complaint and paid for the wheels to be refurbed again and some other costs.
It has to be said that I was happy with the way the customer services dealt with the complaint and the outcome but would strongly advise any body not to use Eclipse tyres in Alcester, Warwickshire.

Glad you got some satisfaction out of them. We can't prove the condition of the sills before they lifted the car. I told Blackcircles this in my last email - along with the fact I would post my experience on line; since they have stated they're happy with the equipment Cando Autoservices use. If it saves another forum member having their car mistreated then I'm a happy bunny!

[MerBrook]

We were in the same boat Harry, I just persisted with the complaint. At the end of the day you don’t expect that when you have work carried out on your car that it will be damaged by some incompetent f%*kwit and so don’t expect to have to prove the condition that it was in before the work was carried out. The one thing it has taught me is to photograph the car before it goes in for any work, preferably on the garage forecourt: