Complaint Rating:

I bought a set of new tires from a mail order company. I needed to have the tires mounted and balanced, so I took the vehicle to Sears Automotive. After I signed the paper work, I left and came back about 1.5 hours later to pick up my car. Before I left the packing lot, I inspected all the four tires and wheels to make sure they were installed properly. I discovered that all four of my alloy wheels are scratched all around the lug holes. Also the wheels were gouged in the inner edge of the rim. The pattern were uniform and about 2-3 inches long. In addition, there were several places where the paint was peeling off. I told one of the technician and took some pictures. The technician told me that he would notified the Manager to call me the next day, so I left. The next day, no phone call, I called the store again and was told that the Manager had just left. He promised me that the Manager will call me tomorrow.

Finally the next day the Manager (Jay) called and told me to bring my car there. He inspected the wheels and told me that their machine didn't cause the damages. He admitted that the scratches around the lug holes were caused by his technician as the marks were obvious that they were freshly done. He kept telling me that the damages could be caused by hitting the curb. I told him that I would have damage the tire wall first before it could damage the inner edge of the rim. In addition the pattern were uniform. How can you get a uniform pattern by hitting the curb? He was very argumentative and kept pointing out that their machine would not do such damages. I asked him, how about a human error? He said yes, human error is possible, but still did not want to admit. No apology whatsoever even though he admitted that the scratches around the lug holes were caused by his technician. He told me that all he could do was offering me a free oil change... ARE YOU KIDDING ME? These wheels are OEM 17 inches Mercedes Benz wheels that I purchased for $2000 a set a few years ago. I didn't ask him for a set of brand new wheels, but I asked him to have the wheels repaired.

To cut the story short, he was only willing to offer to waive half of the installation fee ($47) or sell me a set of new wheels "at cost." He showed me a set of 17" cheap wheels for $380. He said that he could sell them to me for $340. What a joke, Sears offers 10% discount on all items from time to time on many major holidays and on customer appreciation day,no coupon needed...certainly he was not selling at cost! This guy is like a car salesman from hell. I told him that I did not feel valued as a customer. He said that I did not even purchased the tires from them, so it did not matter. Obviously this guy is not a customer oriented person. I'm not sure why he can be a Manager at a major company such as Sears. By the way, this was my first experience with Sears auto center and certainly be the LAST! I told him that I didn't think his offer was fair and asked him what was the next step. He said that even if I filed a complaint to the corporate office, they would go to him and I didn't have a case because they would listen to him. SEARS needs to start listening to their customers rather than to their employees. As a customer, I feel "trapped" and don't have any choice but to take the lousy $47. This is the WORST customer experience ever. I will certainly spread the words around to all people I know so they won't make the same mistake I did. For those who read this post... STAY AWAY from Sears auto center especially the one in Clackamas, OR!