Goodyear, Bad Service

For a number of years I've taken various cars I've owned to DW Campbell Goodyear at 1291 Powers Ferry Road, not far from my home in Marietta. When my Jeep when on the fritz in April, we decided it was important to make sure my wife's car was in perfect working order, so we took it in to DW Campbell.

The back tires were badly worn on the outside edges, so I asked for a new pair of tires and an alignment check. John, the front man, came out and looked over the vehicle, as he usually does. He agreed that the back outer edges were in awful shape, but pointed out that the front tires were also below the wear bar. He wanted to sell us four new tires. We debated about this, since money is very tight, but finally decided to keep the Buick in top shape. We were leaving for the mountains for a cub scout trip and I didn't want to skimp on tires. John wrote up the order.

My wife recalls taking the call when the car had been checked out. She was told that the car did not need an alignment job. We picked the car up and went on our way.

As you know--if you read this blog--we then went on a 6500 mile trip to Yellowstone and back. When we arrived home, the back tires were ruined. They were only three months old. I would be hard pressed to replace them at the moment, but somehow we have to. I took the car into the Powers Ferry Goodyear shop again. As before, John walked out with me and looked at the tires. He agreed that the front set looked new, the back set was ruined. I pointed out that when we bought the tires we had asked for an alignment check and were later told the alignment didn't need adjusting. He took my keys and sent the car into the que to have the alignment checked.

An hour or so later I get the call from John at the Marietta Goodyear. The alignment is way out of whack on the car. I asked why it didn't show up before. John tells me that they have no record of the alignment being checked before. I point out that I asked for it to be done, that the previous set--which he had inspected--was ruined in the same way, and that my wife was told by phone that the car didn't need an alignment job.

"It's not in our system. Even if we had just checked the alignment, it would be in our system."

But, I counter, the previous set of tires was ruined and my wife was told that the car didn't need an alignment job. I had asked John specifically to check the tires when I showed him the uneven wear. And he should have recommended such a check even if I hadn't asked. And I certainly didn't plan a 6500 mile drive on tires I believed to be unsafe--I trusted them to check the alignment as I had asked.

"There's no documentation of that in our records," says John. Of course, it was John's responsibility when he checked the car in to log my request. Since he didn't, the request does not exist in the eyes of DW Campbell Goodyear.

I had planned to have the car alignment fixed in April when we purchased the tires. I told him I had no problem paying for it now--no difference to me--but was there anything that could be done about the two ruined tires?

"What do you mean?" asks John. I ask if there some guaranty or warranty?

"It's not the tires fault they failed," says John, "The wheels were out of alignment."

But he was asked to check the alignment. And someone called my wife saying there was no need for an alignment job.

"There's no documentation of that in our records," says John.

Again, I point out it was his job to see that it was in the records--per my request and the evidence of his inspection--back in April. I also point out that I have been a customer for decades and have spent tens of thousands of dollars on my vehicles in that time, but ignoring my request to fix the alignment when it was clearly a problem to both of us as we inspected the car in April, telling my wife that the alignment was not a problem, and sending us out on new tires that have now been destroyed and expecting me to shell out money without complaint was a deal breaker.

There's a long silence. John tells me he has already spoken to the owner (DW Campbell?) and there is nothing I can do but pay for yet another set of tires and the belated alignment job.

Probably, but I'll pay for them somewhere else. DW Campbell Goodyear at 1291 Powers Ferry Road has seen the last of my dollars.