Martins Tire Company, Worcester MA Buyer Beware Worcester Massachusetts

Today, I saw the true colors of the owner of Martin Tires, in Worcester Massachusetts.

I went in and bought four tires.  When I went to pay the bill (close to three hundred dollars), the owner acted surprised and even irritated that I did not have cash to pay with.  He told me he only takes cash. 

Shortly after paying, the mechanic came out and  told me that I needed  wheel alignment also.  I asked the business owner what that would cost me. He said fifty dollars.  I gave him my card again and he ran another $50 for service. The mechanic came back out again and said that he really can’t do the job because I needed new tire rods on all wheels.  I asked how much that would now cost me now.   The owner gave me a quote for $400. Furthermore, I needed to go buy the parts and bring them to him for the repair. 

Considering the racking up costs so far, at this point, I told the owner that I did not want the wheel alignment for now and would consider the service when budget allows.  I asked the owner to provide the credit for $50 which I had paid toward wheel alignment service.  At this point he became very irritated and started telling me that his guys don’t work for free.  I found this quite embarrassing in front of other customers.

He then pointed at a sign on the wall which stated $35 per hour on labor. He had not even spent 3 minutes on wheel alignment service diagnosis. Then he told me to go away, and to come back with parts and he would apply the prepayment as  a deposit toward future work.  

I left feeling very cheated and ripped off.  After getting back home, I felt the urge to do something about it. In the meantime, I decided to look this company’s reputation online.  That is when I found other cases that sounded almost like a mirror case.

I called Martin’s Tire and expressed my feelings about the service rip off and the fact that I had contacted my bank for a possible reversal of charges.  Immediately the guy now told me to go back to the shop for a  refund because he could not do this remotely.  I blew another 45 minutes to go back so that he can now do the right thing. I spent close to 2.5 hours between service and getting my money back.  I went home feeling better but  also having learned my lesson.  If this was the last tire store in Worcester, I would drive on rims before patronizing the store again.  Buyer beware.