(This review has been edited after a problem was fixed. It was edited on the 14th.)
ORIGINAL REVIEW AS FOLLOWS:
Summation: Damaged my rim, refuse to fix it. I respect you as businesspeople trying to make it out there, but I wouldn't recommend you to anyone after this weekend.
* * *
I've never in my life written a bad Yelp review. As an ardent fan of those who run their own shops, bakeries, grocery stores, and the likes: I love the American dreamer, and I'm always there to post positive reviews and let the world know when someone's doing a good job.
That's why it really sucks ... it almost literally pains me to type what I'm about to.
I think it's fair to say that, when you're in the repair business, you've agreed to give a product back in BETTER condition than what you received it in. I think that's pretty obvious in *any* industry, but especially the repair one.
I took my vehicle in to get a tire checked out. Pretty simple stuff, hopefully I wouldn't have to replace it. Lucky me, it was a nail. The guys took it out, more than likely patched it, and I was on my way ...
... until I got home and noticed the center cap was gone, leaving a rusty, ugly hole in my middle of my rim. Bummer.
But ok. No big deal. Just give them a ring.
By the next Saturday, they'd replaced it and I was back to normal.
The next day, it was gone again.
Well, hell.
I gave them a ring.
"Well ... I mean ... you can bring it BY, but I mean ... I don't know what we're gonna do about it," Jared told me. I knew he wasn't happy about it ... but neither was I.
I hoped he would find a reason it kept popping out. Maybe the guy who fiddled with the tire stripped something ... maybe it was an odd shape that needed extra attention. Who knows? Hopefully they did.
I get there, leave them the keys, and come back in a few hours.
"Yeah, I don't know why it keeps coming out," Jared told me. I asked him to PLEASE don't let me be "that guy" but it wasn't an issue until his crew popped it off initially.
"I've had the car for four years, never a problem," I said.
He started smiling and swinging his arms. "Maybe someone keeps stealing it," he said.
(Oh wow. Really? Someone keeps stealing a tiny, unmarked center cap literally a day after Colorado Tire worked on it.)
"It's about $20 or $30 if you want me to order another one," he offered.
(Is that so? You're going to make a buck off fixing something you broke?)
I left.
I love a good shop ... I love people who work hard for their money ... and I love it when a business owner appreciates his/her customers.
What I also love is that we live in an era where bad practices are held to account by people who don't mind sharing a bad experience on the internet.
I left two stars because it sucks too bad to leave one ... but best believe I won't be back after they damaged my rim and suggested (with all seriousness) that a thief took the center cap.
Smirk all you want, but very few people in the repair industry find vehicular damage something to be proud of.
EDITS:
I just changed from two starts to five. Here's why:
Tom (who is awesome) has been the guy we've dealt with for all our needs at the repair place.
Earlier, I misquoted the guy who wasn't cool as "Tom" ... (My apologies. It was over the phone and they don't sound entirely dissimilar through a little speaker. When I got there, face to face, I thought: There must be two Toms, because dude with the long hair isn't the guy we normally deal with.)
Anyway, Nice Guy Tom rings us up, says he's got the center cap in the shop, and his attitude is basically: "Yeah, sorry about the bad experience. Just come by; let's take a look."
I'm there in about two hours.
He explains that there's a ring that's supposed to assist in holding the center cap in place ... and maybe the other one just didn't come with it. However, THIS one should be good.
He's really genuinely apologetic that someone on his team insisted our corny little unmarked center cap was "stolen" after we had a tire removed and plugged, but ... ya know ... how can ya stay mad when the dude ACTUALLY took the time to work out the (small) issue and not try and make a buck off fixing something that shouldn't have ever been broken?
Ya can't.
So, Tom ... I really wanna thank you for bein' cool ... and bein' the reason we'll continue to take the truck to you guys.
To the dudes we may run into ... listen: Let's let a bygone be a bygone and don't make things awkward. If you don't ever wanna deal with us, I get it.
But I'm over it and I hope you can be, too.
Much respect to Tom and his perfect temperament.
Viva CO Tire and Service. read more