Merchant's Tire & Auto

First, let me start by saying I've been a longtime customer of Merchant's over 6 years and I've had minor issues, but always went back because I was OK with the work. Well with that being said, I went into Merchant's in Waldorf, MD on Sunday to purchase my last tire. I had already purchased three of my tires through them. Well the salesperson named Bruce said they did not have my tire in the store, which my husband did tell me to call a day ahead. I didn't. Bruce said that he would get the tire and give me a call on Monday. I didn't hear from him by 4PM, after I got off from work, so I called up to the store and Keith, which I found out later is an assistant manager. Wow, I couldn't believe that.

Anyway, I explained that I had came in yesterday, I wanted to see if they got my tire in. I was asked what kind of tire, I told him based on the receipt I had from my other tires. He put me on hold for over 10 minutes. I called back and Keith answered. I was expecting for him to ask me to hold since I knew I still had the call on the other line, which I didn't hang up from but instead he said "can I help you?". I proceeded to explain that I was on hold for over 10 minutes. He said, "I'm the only one at the front desk". I told him, "You didn't tell me that when you put me on hold." Without saying another word, he clicked me on hold again.

I work in customer service and this is something that should never be tolerated. I am very, very disappointed. I have watched managers come and go in this store, but never was I treated like this. I stopped going to NTB because of their customer service, which is terrible even though I'm aware they're owned by the same company. I just always like Merchant's better. I am definitely thinking about taking my business elsewhere.

I bought new tires and struts. They could only do the tires in an 8-hour time frame. They told me that they didn't have the right tolls and they had to go and borrow it to get my tires off. Then they told me to come back to get the struts done, which I had to schedule in a couple of days. So when the tires were finished, I started the car to leave and then the tire sensor light came on. So I made the manager aware of it and they told me that it would be another couple of hours before they can get to me to come back the next day. So, I went back the next day the first thing. When they opened, they told me it would be another couple of hours before they can look at it.

So they said that they would fix it when the struts were being worked on. The day of the struts it took 8 hours and they never even looked at the tire sensor that they broke. So then they told me to come back the next day and it should only take an hour to fix. The next day they kept it for 8 hours. They then told me to take it to the dealer and have them fix it and give them the bill. So the dealer fixed it in one hour and it has now been 4 weeks and they still have not called me or let me know when I might get the money back. I call every week and they said that someone will call me within the hour. There's still no response and money from Merchant's Tire in Manassas, VA.

On Saturday, March 10, 2012, I called the Merchant's Tire Store at Southpark Mall in Colonial Heights, VA, to inquire about purchasing four tires for our car, which was at another location undergoing repairs. The salesman looked up our history with them and replied that they had four tires in their inventory that were duplicates already on the car, and if I would come in and pay for the tires and installation, we could bring the car back at a later date. He told me that he could not hold the tires for me until I could bring the car in (about 2 weeks) but that I could pick up the tires and bring them in with the car when convenient.

My wife and I drove in to pay and pick up the tires. (We also brought a coupon in--buy 2, get 2 for free.) But when the salesman checked his inventory, he could only find three (not four) tires at the Colonial Heights store. He told me he would bring a tire in from a nearby store (Petersburg) and that it would be there in an hour. I gave him my cell phone number, so he could call us when the tire came in.

About 1 1/2 hour later, we returned to the store. About ten or fifteen minutes prior to getting there, I called the store to see if the tire had arrived. The lady who answered my call told me that he was there and that she would put me on hold briefly so he could pick up the call. I stayed on the phone until we arrived in the Merchant parking lot, and as we pulled in, we saw the salesman we had been "trying" to do business with eating in the parking lot. I stayed on my cell phone and asked someone at the desk for our contact person.

A minute or two later, he walked into the showroom, saw my wife and I there, and said, "Let me check now to see if the tire has arrived." He offered that he was in the back working on another vehicle. (We saw him chatting with other store employees and eating his lunch.) I told him to forget it and that we did not want to do business with Merchant's Tire. He apologized and told me it was his problem. I told him that it was not his problem or my problem but that it was Merchant's Tire's problem, and we left.

Fortunately, other than inspections, tire repairs, and tire purchases, we have not had that many major repairs done by their store. However, I will go out of my way to avoid doing business with this store in the future. In the past, we have had prompt service and honest employees to deal with at this store. If the employee had said he had taken his lunch break but would check on the status of the tire, I would not have complained and we probably would have purchased the tires.

I went in with what I knew to be a problem with the charging system. They told me that the brakes where bad, the wheel cylinders where leaking and the wheel hub bearing was bad. "That's what caused the lights on the dash to come on". I told them to go ahead and change the rear brakes. Then I was told they can't do the brakes without replacing the wheel cylinders because of the liability. They did the work for $400.00+.The next morning, the van (our taxi) shut off at my first p/u of the day. I got a battery, it cranked right up. Checked the alternator it was not charging. Replaced it, all lights on the dash were gone. Stop payment on check immediately!

I had a 9:00 appointment, but I was taken in at 9:45. There was no tech in sight. I finally walked out, getting no service. They have been in business for more than 30 years. This is no way to run a shop, and I don't like to be called chief by a half-ass service manager-writer. I finally walked out with no service, and no apology from the ** that was at the writer's platform.

On November 23rd 2011, I went in for an oil change at store #392 in Richmond Virginia and they left my oil cap off. The only reason I found out is because I went to get an air filter and popped the hood and no oil cap. I immediately called the store and they told me to bring the car back. I got to the store and there was no sorry or acknowledgment of the mistake; only that they will take care of it and see if they can find the cap or order a new one.

I asked for a refund and the store manager had a fit and said to me rudely, in front of another customer in the store, "why are you going to be like that." The store manager Clayton ** was mad that I asked for a refund for bad and incomplete oil change service. He went on to say that he remembered me from another store and we had another issue with servicing one of my other cars. He said that I am just going around to another store and trying to get over on them. He told me that they found the cap that had fallen in the engine and reluctantly gave me a refund so that they would not have to deal with me again. All this was done and said in front of another customer in the store.

So I went over to the customer and asked for his information as a witness to the rude customer service. The store manager soon after, while I was still waiting for them to get my oil cap out of the engine, started ringing up the other customer that was a witness to the rudeness. Clayton ** was being extra nice and trying to feel out his reaction to the witnessing of the situation. He even apologized to the other customer for witnessing the rudeness. I spoke up to Mr. ** and suggested that he may want to just stop talking at this point since the other customer who witnessed the situation was not even responding back to him.

I got no sorry or even an acknowledgment of the mistake because they were more worried that another customer had witnessed the bad customer service and rude behavior toward me. It was a horrible customer service and I will never go to any Merchant's Tire ever again.

I went to have an oil change in my car in September. I got in at 7. No one was there to do it. I came back at 9. I got the same result. I went back 2 days later. It was the same thing. I took the truck on 9-8-11 for state inspection, oil change, power steering exchange, and tire rotation. I was told there's only one inspector in shop. I was going to leave it but he didn't seem to care. The address is 7507 W Broad Street Richmond, VA 23294. The phone is 804-672-3243. I have spent a small fortune with this company in the last 20 years. Check your computer as to being a good customer. You won't get my money again.

My daughter and I took her VW Beetle to store #114 (Westminster, Maryland) for tires and an alignment. In the process of their checking her car out, they opened the hood and were unable to close it. Rather than asking us or telling us they were having a problem closing it, they started trying to fix a problem that did not exist.

The end result was they broke the hood latch. They told us that they would buy a replacement latch since they broke it. That has been over six (6) weeks. They never have called us as they said they would and have given me the run around when I call them. I even located the latch and told them it was in stock. Cheap, lying, dishonest, and untrustworthy all describe the Merchant's Tire in Westminster, Maryland.

The customer service is very bad. They do not care about their customer. Once the part arrive, they do not make any effort to call the customer and let them know that the part has arrived and need to be installed. Also, they overcharge for the service they provide. On top of that, they lie to their teeth. I will not take my car for service and I will not recommend it to my friends and family. I plan to call the State Attorney of Maryland office to investigate the Merchant's Tires.

I recently took my car in to the Merchant's on Hwy. 70 in Garner for a simple oil change. I already had the oil and the filter, and had made an appointment! I had been told that it would take 30 minutes. I told the service writer that I was in a hurry and the 30 minutes would be fine. I sat in the waiting room, unable to see my car for an hour. Then, I decided to see what the holdup was. I asked the man behind the counter if I could pay now and I needed the keys. He said, "Oh, we are just getting ready to pull your car in". I said, "no, please give me the keys as I am leaving". I left!

I had previously given a friend a ride to your store, one morning, to pick up his car before work. I happened to stay, just to make sure that things were okay. They told him that they had not been able to get to his car the previous day and didn't bother to call to tell him! He very kindly left it and I took him to work. You people need to understand that now that we don't manufacture anything in this country anymore, all we have to offer is service! I don't have time to write about my fiancee's problems with Merchants, but I can assure you that I won't be "bothering" you again!

I took a coupon in for an oil change. The merchant did an inspection and told me I needed 2 brake pads, plus brake fluid. The total cost estimate was $508. I was told that the retail cost of brake pads was $139. I found them at a retail outlet for $22. Brake fluid cost was quoted at $60, I found it for $3.99. Labor estimate made up the balance. Fortunately, I refused the services and left the store. I had the full job done for less than $100. It's clearly a ripoff attempt.

I took my car in for a simple oil change. I brought my car home and it was leaking. I took it back twice and they stated that I needed a new oil pan. My car was not leaking until they change the oil. They blamed it on the shop who changed my oil before them. They told me that if I would have gotten my oil changed through them before this, they would have covered it. My car was also making noise after they had worked on it. They gave me every excuse in the book there is but still didn't fix the problem that they caused. Never take your car to Merchant's. They won't take blame for anything. And until this day, my car is still not fixed.

took my vehicle to get my tires looked at as the inner tread as well as outer tread appear to have cuts in the them on all four tires .vehicle has never been offroad and the merchants employee told me he has never seen this happen before.Tires may have about 40,000 miles on them this shouldnt be happening.

I went to Merchants Tires to buy tires for my Pathfinder. I inquired about the buy two and get two free but was told the only ones in stock were not on sale but I did get a 10% discount. I also purchased the Seasonal Maintenance Package which includes work they did to my car that day and will be done again in six months but not required.

After about five hours, I get a phone call stating that I needed to have about $200 worth or work done that included differential fluid and brake fluid. I had new brakes installed on this same vehicle six months prior to this. I had forgotten that the Nissan dealership also changed the differential fluid and brake fluid. I feel I was taken advantage of because after 3500 miles that has been put on the car from May to November, the fluids would not have needed changing.

It wouldn't surprise me if Merchants just told me they changed the fluids and charged me and did not do it. Being a single female, I believe I was taken advantage of and will tell everyone I know not to use Merchant Tires. I spent $1284 that day and probably could have only spent half that much and my vehicle being in the same shape as it was before I took it there not including tires.

Having received a right low beam light on 7/07/10 for $22.50 at a business near this location, I strongly feel I was overcharged at Merchant's Tire on 8/22/10 for a left low beam light. The charge was$66.13. I provided both with the same number for the light. I told Mr. ** I thought this was incorrect and he said he did not know how I received the first light for that amount. The labor charge was $28.50. a ridiculous amount to replace a bulb. Having been very satisfied with your service in the past, I was totally shocked.

I took my Jeep to have it inspected at Merchant's Tire and Auto Center located at 1211 Greenville Ave., Staunton, VA 24401. I was told I needed "rotors" and was presented with a bill for $231.00. Not having the money, I told them I could not pay for it. They slapped a rejection sticker on my car and told me I had until the 12th of August to make it right. I took my jeep to two other mechanics. They checked the rotors and said there was nothing wrong with them. I still have the receipt from Merchants with the rejection. Monroe Muffler Brake and Service inspected my Jeep, and they too, said there was nothing wrong with the rotors.

I had to buy rotors for my Jeep, even though they were never put on and I was able to get my money back. I feel I was a "target" for the employees at Merchants, being a single female and not knowing anything about cars. If what they are doing isn't a crime, it should be. They are stealing, and it is very wrong. If they did this to me, they are doing it to other people as well.

I dropped my car off after closing on Sunday July 4th. I parked my car right in front of the store exactly in the 2nd parking space when I dropped it off that night. I came back on that Monday July 5th to pick it up and my car had been hit on the right passenger side over front tire. After doing the service on the car the tech pulled my car out of the shop and parked it along the curb facing the road. My car was hit after tech parked it back in parking lot after work was complete. When I came back to pick up my car on July 5th, I spoke to the store manager at the time who was Steve about my car being damaged. Steve wasn't even aware my car had been hit. Steve then told me he would submit this incident to corporate. Steve called me on Wednesday to give me the claim number and ask me to call Gallager to get an update on claim.

I spoke to Shayla at Gallager on July 9th about this incident and she stated she needed to get an answer from upper management if claim would be paid by them. I finally got a call back from Shayla on July 22nd after I contacted their corporate office about this incident. Shayla stated the claim has been denied to I signed some paperwork when I dropped car stating if car is damaged while being parked overnight at store Merchants is not responsible. I informed Shayla that I never signed any paperwork due to car was dropped off after closing. If this store has cameras for the exterior parking lot area, it will clearly show my car wasn't damaged until the employees of Merchants moved my car.

I purchased 4 Yokohoma AS430 tires with a 60,000 mile warranty on 11/07/2007. I drove approximately 23,000 miles. I was having my oil changed and the mechanic and noticed that my tires had dry rotted. I emailed a complaint last week (week of 7/05/2010) about my situation and have heard nothing from Tire Kingdom, the company that makes these tires. I got a call last night from a woman in Florida who happened to read my complaint and had purchased the exact same set of tires and hers have dry rotted with less than 20,000 miles. If anyone else has had this problem, please report it. I would like to get my money back. The number to call for a complaint is 1800-722-9888. I spoke to Stephanie.

I called Merchant's Tires at the address above on 4/9/10. After looking online to see how much and what brand of tires, they offered for my 2004 Hyundai Elantra. Online, I found the right price, $54.99 ($219.96). I then called the store, to see if they had them, they did and would hold them for me until I arrived after work around 5:30, and he said the total bill would be a little less than $300.00. I arrived at the store at 5:45 and the salesman at the front counter then proceeded to inform me that the tires listed were not for my car and that under Federal Law they were not allowed to put a tire on any vehicle that was not right for it.

I just stared at him and said what Federal Law? And he said, he did not know the name and number of it. I asked him why the Merchant's website said it was the right tire? He could not respond. He then looked up in his system, what tires he had for my 2004 Elantra and found several (all costing over $100.00), I walked around to look at the screen to see the lowest price they had and there was one, $3.00 more than what I had asked for. I pointed to that one and he became very rude and copped and attitude and placed the order.

The tires cost $59.99 each ($239.96). I had to ask what the total bill would come to, his response was $479.00. I asked why so high? He said it's for the warranty package, I said I didn't want that and made him take it off. His body language was very stiff and he was rolling his eyes and smirking. He then informed me, he would have to wait for the tires to come from another store. I asked him, why has he wasted a half hour of my time to tell me this. He glared at me and said do you want the tires? My question to him, how long will it take? He said about 1 1/2 hrs, but probably sooner. I said okay, but I needed to get to the hospital by 7:00, that my daughter was being induced into labor. He smirked again and walked away saying with his back to me "no problem".

I sat there until 7:45. When he walked through the lobby again, I stopped him and asked where they were on my car and his response was the tires are on now. They are doing the alignment. I asked how long will that take, he was not sure. I became angry and told him to drop the car, I had to leave. He gave the mechanic the order and he drove my car to the front of the store. He walked in and said it was out front and running. I said "you left my car running? " He acted like I had committed a sin. So, he went outside turned off my car and tossed the keys on the desk in front of me and walked away.

I found that if you are not there to buy what they want you to buy, and pay higher prices, so they make more they do not want your business. A person that is not of a higher financial means should not go there because they treat you light crap. So, my final bill was $357.56, instead of under $300.00. I understand tax and tire disposal ($16.00). My economic damage was having to pay a fee of $79.96 (Basic High Performance Tire Service), $19.99 per tire. Includes rubber valve stem, standard wheel balance, high performance mount and install. But, this is not on their website, that all these fees are included.

Something needs to be done, so the consumer knows up front that there are other fees involved at Merchant's Tires website. If I was not in a rush to be with my daughter, I would have left but I was in desperate need because my tires were very close to being bald. It was a very bad experience and they make poor people feel like they are not worth their time.

On 4/3/2010, I took my car to get four new tires and check my steering wheel because it was making whining noise when turning either way. I was at the auto center at 11:54am. At 7:31pm, my car was ready. When I arrived, the gentleman at the front told me the mechanic who looked at my car wanted to speak to me. The mechanic told me that the steering wheel was rubbing against the steering column. He told me that they could not fix it and that I needed to take my car to a Toyota dealership to fix it.

When I paid for my new tires I looked at the receipt, they had charged me five hours of labor at $9.90 an hour just to look at my steering wheel and to tell me they can't fix it (total of $49.50 for my steering wheel). I ask the gentleman who took my payment why I was being charge so much for my steering. He told me they had to do a diagnostic test on my steering wheel and it took five hours. I bought my car in 2002 brand new and there is no rubbing at all. All they had to do was to lubricate the steering wheel. I feel that they charged me and overcharged me for a simple problem that they said they could not do. How do I get my money back?

On Sunday March 7th, 2010 around mid day, I took my vehicle in to the above location for an alignment and oil change. I spoke with Rashid at the counter. I left my vehicle thereafter I agreed with the service and the price. Rashid called me about 10 minutes after I left, saying that I would need to get new tires before they could do a proper alignment. I agreed that I needed new tires but opted to just to do the oil change at this time.

Several hours passed and at around 4pm, I called and spoke to Rashid again to check on my vehicle. He said it should be ready in a couple of minutes and that he would call back at that time. Rashid did call back a few minutes later only to say the oil change was done but they could not get the hood closed. He then said that it was probably broken before it got there because they had trouble opening it. I then said to Rashid, that is when they should have called me, not force it open and now say it was broken before they had it.

I then told Rashid that I will not pick up my vehicle until the hood was latch was repaired. Rashid then said that his manager will call me in hour. He never did. I called on Monday, a full 24 hours later when I was about to leave work. Whoever I spoke to said the hood latch was repaired. When I arrived to pick up my vehicle, I had Rashid test the hood latch to see if it was working properly before I accepted it. This was around 6 pm. To my surprise, the hood of my vehicle could not open. I asked Rashid to explain and he said he would call his manager. Rashid came back to me in a couple of minutes only to say that his manager said the hood could not close and he got it closed and he is not concern with it not opening for it was broken in the first place.

Before I took my vehicle to Merchants, the hood was opening and closing just fine, now it is not. I find it very insulting to tell for Merchants to try to deceive me and call me a liar. I've been left without transportation for the last two days and have not gotten a call from Merchants since Sunday. I called their customer service line last night to report the incident. They took the details and said that someone would contact me in the next 2 to 3 days. This leaves me without a vehicle that is not safe to drive for another couple of days. I called them back today and spoke with a Patrick who said they will have it repaired by tomorrow March 10, 2010. Still no apology or a call back from them at this point. I guess I should be glad I will getting back vehicle tomorrow hopefully in good working condition.

So I said, "look, I live up in Frederick, I don't feel comfortable driving all that way if I might break down or something. Let me drive it around the parking lot"... and it didn't make the noise. "Could you please take a look at it." "Listen lady, I don't want to waist my time or your own if there was just something stuck in your tire." I said that it was not something stuck in my tire. But he sent my on my way with out looking at my car. Needless to say, I got back to Frederick, and got my car looked at....

We bought 4 tires P215/60R16 Item # MC02521606V from Merchant Tires on 10/14/06 and we paid $151.99 a tire and the total for everyting was $832.51. We have taken the car back for the tire rotation and balance as required and we have complained about how noisey they are and how that all four tires are cupped. The tires are not worn out just cupped. Merchant told us to contact Michelin about this. the mileage we had on the car was 39645 and now we have 64975 and we should be getting more mileage than that before they wear out.

When I brought the car home I noticed that it was making a loud noise. I brought the car back again and they said the brake routers were worped and replaced the routers but the noise is still there and the brakes do not work as they should.

I took my 1998 Dodge Durango in for an alignment check and State Inspection. We purchased a 5-year warranty on the alignment 2 years ago at Merchant's, but have had to show the paperwork to prove we have the warranty each time we bring the car in for an alignment. They can never seem to find the coverage in their computer system until we show the proof of purchase. When inspecting the vehicle, we were told we needed all four ball joints replaced before the vehicle would pass inspection. I told them I would wait on the repairs for now, but I wanted the alignment checked anyway - the car had been hit broadside and I wanted to make sure the frame was OK before the adjuster came to give his estimate. The printout showed one of the wheels were in specs *before* the test, but out of specs *after* the test. How could this be? One of the other wheels were out of specs by a quarter of a degree *before* the test, but ended up out of specs by more than half a degree *after* the test. How does this happen? I've since taken my vehicle to two other shops to get second opinions - without any mention of what Merchant's had stated. One shop has told me I needed one ball joint replaced, and the second shop has said I needed one replaced and a second ball joint was iffy. I feel Merchant's was deliberately trying to gouge me for repair work I did not need. I have the representative's employee number on the invoice, but cannot remember if his name was Scott or Tim. When I told him I did not want to do the work at this time (for nearly $800), he said he could knock $100 off the labor charges for me. If this was a legitimate charge, he wouldn't have to negotiate the price. He failed me on the state inspection, but wrote recommended on the invoice, with the estimate covering all four ball joints. I don't need a lawyer contacting me unless there are multiple complaints about Merchant's (there is another in Colonial Heights, Virginia), just 6 miles from our home. My next course of action is to contact the BBB and possibly file a formal complaint with Merchant's corporate office.

My wife's car was in bad need of tires and front end alignment, so we shopped around and found the best price per tire @ Merchants (the tire price was all inclusive per tire except disposal fee). We were getting ready to go on a trip later in the week, so she told them to change the oil,lube the front end, and to please check the brakes as the were squeeking and/or grinding when she applied them. The service writter said they could not get to it until tuesday morning, so we dropped the car off on monday night.

On Tuesday my wife called me @ work upset and informed me that Merchants wanted $1200.00 to fix the car, and could I please call them. When I called,and asked about the price the receptionist (Christen) told me that the most expensive thing was the front brakes. She told me that the rotors would have to be replaced as they were bad, I asked her about turning the rotors and she told me that they were worn beyond repair. She said that the rotor limit (for thickness) specified by Chevrolet was .987 and our rotors were .985 and .982 respectively.She then said that the replacement rotors and brake pads with installation would be $169.00 per wheel (front wheels only).

This didn't sound right to me as I had worked for a auto repair shop while going to school. I then told her, "that price plus the tires doesn't come to $1200.00", she said there are several other things also. At this point I told her to hold off on everything except the tires, and have the manager contact me. Meanwhile I made a call to a friend @ Dominion Chevrolet, ( An upstanding, honest, and upfront dealer, but thier labor rates are very pricey). I asked him about the rotor specs and he looked them up in the book and told me that Chevrolet specs the low limit on rotors for our Lumina @ .970 and if the rotors were warpped to the point that it would take more than twelve to fifteen thousands of an inch to trim it out, then the steering wheel would shimmy so bad when we applied the brakes going over 20 mph that we wouldn't be able to hold it.When the manager called me I told him to break down the prices for me. He told me that the repair price not only included the tires, brakes,front end, and oil change, but also included the other three things my wife wanted done also. I told him to "please enlighten me". He told me that my wife had told them to do a "brake system flush" and install new fluid, a "fuel injection system cleaning" and service, and to replace the serpentine belt as it was worn. I got very upset at this point and told him "

My wife, God bless her is mechanically inept and wouldn't know the difference between a serpentine belt and a dress belt," "not to mention the other things,so you 're telling me a lie. I told him to do nothing except the tires and front end alignment and I would take care of the rest.To make a long story short, we picked the car up after the tires were done and took it to a shop that my parents had used for years, Preston's Service.

The mechanic looked everything over, changed the oil,lubed the chassis,installed the front brakes, and installed the new serpentine belt for a total price of $176.00 !!!!! so the toal repair with tires,alignment, and necessary repairs came to $601.91 Not $1200.00.We will never use Merchants Tire and Auto Again.