The Lemon Fool

I usually shop around to get a good deal but at the weekend I hit a pothole after the garages were closed and luckily was able to drive a few hundred yards to the nearest tyre depot before the tyre completely deflated.

I left the car there, got a lift home and went on the website to see how much a new tyre would be.

This morning I drove there at 8am for opening time, left my keys and asked them to give me a call when they had done.

I went this afternoon to pick up the car and the guy sorting out the bill asked what price I'd be quoted. I said I hadn't been quoted a price, he bashed a few keys and said "That'll be £160 please".

I told him that the price was £122 on their website. (I was sure of the exact price but it was about that)

"Was that including VAT?" he asked.

"It has to include VAT on a retail website" said his helpful mate.

Without actually checking the website price, they took my word for it and charged £122 in total.

I came home and double checked the price I had been quoted, £122.12.

Should I go back a pay the extra?

John

Kwik Fit operate a similar system.

If you plan ahead, order the tyres on line and book the car in for tyre fitting, the tyres are considerably cheaper than just turning up and asking for new tyres.

OK, this probably wouldn't have worked in your situation but the last time I needed 2 tyres I called around my local depots and got quotes, then I tried these people http://www.blackcircles.com/

They saved me over £50 over the two tyres including the fitting and balancing. They delivered to one of my local tyre places who did the fitting.

Very simple.

You are right, I was really committed to the one outlet.

Out of interest though, if I'd used Black circles then i could have paid just £105.

Next time.

John

redsturgeon wrote:You are right, I was really committed to the one outlet.
Out of interest though, if I'd used Black circles then i could have paid just £105.Next time.
John

Also try Halfords.
Cheaper than OOO last time for my tyres.

supremetwo wrote:

redsturgeon wrote:You are right, I was really committed to the one outlet.
Out of interest though, if I'd used Black circles then i could have paid just £105.Next time.
John

Also try Halfords.
Cheaper than OOO last time for my tyres.

I suppose that a lot depends on what tyres you want.

Are you after one specific tyre as I was, or do you want the cheapest of any of the main brands, or do you just want the cheapest.

I will be in the market for tyres for my daughter's car soon 195/55/15 H.

Interestingly Black Circles price is £61.48 for the first medium priced tyre that I recognised an Avon ZV7 while Halfords price for the same tyre is...
£48.99! So it seems Halfords is the winner here.

John

redsturgeon wrote:

supremetwo wrote:

redsturgeon wrote:You are right, I was really committed to the one outlet.
Out of interest though, if I'd used Black circles then i could have paid just £105.Next time.
John

Also try Halfords.
Cheaper than OOO last time for my tyres.

I suppose that a lot depends on what tyres you want.

Are you after one specific tyre as I was, or do you want the cheapest of any of the main brands, or do you just want the cheapest.

I will be in the market for tyres for my daughter's car soon 195/55/15 H.

Interestingly Black Circles price is £61.48 for the first medium priced tyre that I recognised an Avon ZV7 while Halfords price for the same tyre is...
£48.99! So it seems Halfords is the winner here.

John

My last purchase was a 'premium' brand to match the ones on the rear with an extra £20 off for a pair.

Laughton wrote:OK, this probably wouldn't have worked in your situation but the last time I needed 2 tyres I called around my local depots and got quotes, then I tried these people http://www.blackcircles.com/

They saved me over £50 over the two tyres including the fitting and balancing. They delivered to one of my local tyre places who did the fitting.

Very simple.

So you phone conpany A, buy the tyres from them.

they deleiver to company B who have no affiliation with them

Company B totally accept that without question and then fit the tyres?



Really? Why would they do that? What's in it for them? I take it that they chartge for the fitting presumably ... why would they then not charge £100 per tyre for the fitting?

didds

didds wrote:Really? Why would they do that? What's in it for them? I take it that they chartge for the fitting presumably ... why would they then not charge £100 per tyre for the fitting?

Because they then wouldn't get the business?

I'm not sure I understand the basis for your puzzlement. These places provide a fitting service from which they earn a profit.

Scott.

that of course makes sense Scott - I didn't realise you could provide your own tyres etc.

So what is the "normal" fitting charge generally speaking? Clearly that needs factoring into any savings - but thanks all for the heads up

I suppose I was equating it to taking your own ingredients to a restaurant and asking the chef to cook them for a pittance

didds

didds wrote:So what is the "normal" fitting charge generally speaking? Clearly that needs factoring into any savings - but thanks all for the heads up

I'm pretty sure Blackcircles can give you a fitted and non-fitted price, that would give an indication.

(Note it's Blackcircles who take all the money if you buy the tyres "fitted", they then deal with paying the fitter. You just turn up, get the tyres fitted, and drive away.)

Scott.

Ah gotcha now!

That now all makes perfect sense. And the tyres for our VW T4 would be almost half price!

didds

Costco will usually have a buy 3 get one free offer on at some point in the year. They will also allow you to take them away and bring them back to be fitted when you need them (I did this a couple of years ago when I needed 2 new ones - bought 4, paid for 3 and came back 9 months later to get the other 2 replaced).

And they are usually the cheapest around, as long as you want pricey tyres - they don't sell cheap stuff, they sell good stuff cheap.

I usually shop around to get a good deal but at the weekend I hit a pothole after the garages were closed and luckily was able to drive a few hundred yards to the nearest tyre depot before the tyre completely deflated.

I left the car there, got a lift home and went on the website to see how much a new tyre would be.

An obvious question maybe, but why didn't you just put the spare tyre on?


Steve

stevensfo wrote:

I usually shop around to get a good deal but at the weekend I hit a pothole after the garages were closed and luckily was able to drive a few hundred yards to the nearest tyre depot before the tyre completely deflated.

I left the car there, got a lift home and went on the website to see how much a new tyre would be.

An obvious question maybe, but why didn't you just put the spare tyre on?


Steve

BMW...no spare...just the useless can of spray stuff.

John

For reference black circles is Tesco. Asda do a similar system and sometimes cheaper. Search for Asda tyres.

My local garage them said if you came direct I could have knocked an extra tenner off.

stooz wrote:For reference black circles is Tesco.

Blackcircles is owned by Michelin. They just have a joint venture with Tesco.

Scott.

swill453 wrote:Blackcircles is owned by Michelin. They just have a joint venture with Tesco.

Thanks for that. I knew Michelin already owned ATS/Euromaster, but I didn't know their reach extended as far down the chain as BlackCircles.

FWIW, my local BlackCircles outlet is a thoroughly trusted outfit. They did my four wheel Hunter wheel alignment at cheapest rate, and they actually sent me away once without charge(!!) when they decided that my brakes were good enough for another 25,000 miles. (Contrary to what the MOT advisory had said.)

AFAIK, the outlet itself is still an independent; it's just that it's participating in the BlackCircles franchise. Is that right?

BJ

bungeejumper wrote:They did my four wheel Hunter wheel alignment

Hillman Hunter? That takes me back

bungeejumper wrote:AFAIK, the outlet itself is still an independent; it's just that it's participating in the BlackCircles franchise. Is that right?

I guess so. It seems Blackcircles have multiple routes to market:
- selling tyres online
- selling/fitting tyres online with fitting at completely independent outlets
- selling/fitting tyres at their own franchises
- abovementioned Tesco joint venture
-...

Scott.