Firestone Tire Shop

Everyone,
I would like to post fair warning to stay away from Firestone shops, particularly the one in Hickory Hollow.
Allow me to explain why.
I recently replaced the steering rack on my 1989 Integra. I found out the rack was bad because I took it into the HH Firestone and had them do the $20 inspection. I was satisfied with their conduct and service at that point. They quoted me a price to replace it, but I had plans on replacing it myself.
So, after a grueling removal of old, installation of new, I took it back to them the next morning for an alignment. Now, keep in mind, at the time I didn't know they used the innter tie rod ends to make their adjustments and purposely only hand tightened the castle nuts(with the cotter pin), so they could take the tie rod ends out when they needed to.
Well, I get to the shop and ask for an alignment and two new front tires. The quote was going to be about $240. Well, they came in the waiting room and told me the tie rod ends weren't tightened. I told them why.
Then...they had the nerve to come out and tell me that they could tighten the tie rod ends, but it was going to cost me an ADDITIONAL $40 to tighten them down. Forty dollars mind you, to tighten two 17mm bolts.
I was livid. I told them to drop the car off the lift and give it back to me. I told them that I'd tighten them myself and to cancel that quote/estimate.
I wound up getting two tires from a small shop on Nolensville and got the alignment at Five O Five downtown. My total after those two was something like $185 (about $55 less than what Firestone wanted to charge me). And 5 0 5 didn't charge me a dime to tighten those tie rod ends down. And, even with the gas I used driving all over the place, it was STILL less.
I will never patronize another Firestone store as long as I live. And if any of you don't want to get nickeled and dimed for a bunch of crap that other shops wouldn't charge you anything for, you'll steer clear of them too.
If any of you work at anyone of these shops, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

 

That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about!
HTF do you get away with something like that, especially in this economy?

I was more than ready to give them almost $250 of my money. They shouldn't have even thought about charging me to tighten those tie rod castle nuts to begin with, let alone $40 freakin dollars!
Now, instead of them getting the $250 from me, they get precisely dick.
And I will ensure I tell everyone about their practices. I would go back over there and let the mgr/district mgr or owner know but I think it'd be a moot point. I'm just hoping that what happened to Bill Heard Chevrolet will happen to them too.

They were also going to charge me another $20 to do an inspection of the pump and other components on top of that.

When someone is paying you a healthy amount for a service like that, you don't start nickel and diming them for stuff you shouldn't be charging for anyway.

Also 5 0 5 charged me $39.95 for an alignment plus tax. Firestone's was going to be $79.99, and that didn't include the $40 for tightening those castle nuts, which 5 0 5 did for free.

 

I would, but like I said, I think it would be a moot point. I think all I can do now is to educate as many consumers as I can to their greed.

There are places you can get tires much cheaper, and quicker, with better cust. serv, and places that won't nickel and dime you over stupid stuff. There are also places you can get an alignment done cheaper.

But since they are within their rights to charge for every little thing, I can't report them to the Better Business Bureau. The only thing I can do is to warn customoers.