K-mart Auto....

[Stefan]

So I had a nail in my tyre with a slow leak for a week or two. So I dropped into K-mart Autoand Tyre just accross the road from my work. I was looking like a corporate type and driving an Audi so the guy probably thought he had a live one, says he better have a look. Comes back in the office and says yeah you need a new tyre, $550 pirrelli.

Me: why? just pull the nail out and plug it.
Mechanic: Oh it's down to the wear indicators.
Me (walking to the car with him): there is a good 5mm tread.
Mechanic: Worn on the inside, mate.
Me (now on my knees): It's worn perfectly evenly.
Mechanic: Oh no, the side wall see here it's scuffed, that dangerous.
Me: Are you F....seerious?
Mechanic: Just leave it here for an hour and we'll fix the nail.
Me: I wouldn't leave my car here if you paid me....

I've dealt with two K-mart Autos, both had similar exchanges with me... obviously love milking customers is their style.

Send in your wife to have a puncture repaired, I bet they will sell her a new tyre.

[M&Ms]

Had my car with K-Mart for a wheel balance and alignment, got the car, and hit a massive pot hole a few days later with the front-left wheel, and returned it to them (being open and honest telling them I hit a hole and the steering feels out of whack). They said no problems, we'll sort it. Come back later and they say they've had to do alignment front and back, and 4 wheel balance because everything was out. And they did the work on it less than a week earlier!

Never going back to K-Mart that's for sure.

Very good experience with Bridgestone Tyre Centre in North Parramatta recently, happy to pay a bit of a premium going forward!

[Marty76]

So called mechanics in pinstrip suits

[Bearman]

I think it gets down to the individual franchisee.

When I had my BA XR6 as soon as the warranty was up I took it to my local K-mart Auto (Vermont Sth) and got really good service from them every time. No up selling, no bs, nothing. When I wanted a transmission flush and external cooler they said they sub contract out their transmission work so sent me direct to the guy they use. These guys were excellent and went the extra mile. And walking distance to home as well. How convenient.

Then they moved on and a new franchisee got in. He was useless. Used him once and didn't like him. One of my sons wasn't happy either so we moved our business elsewhere. I traded my XR6 on the Honda so now go to Honda for servicing, the rest of the family go to K-mart East Burwood and they seem happy with those guys.

Vermont South went through one more franchisee and is now closed up.

[tranquilized]

that's the catch with buying a franchise isn't it - you're really relying on all the other franchisee's to do a good job and keep the brand in high regard.

Here's a thread bagging out K-Mart auto as a whole, when clearly there are good and bad examples out there.

[MercurySilver]

Kmart

Nuff said.

[ford71V8]

Sent wife and her wagon to Bob Janes for new front rubber and alignment.
I had no time to do it and she had an arvo free.
She knows what to expect.
Sure enough, she was encouraged to replace all 4 (good deal on at the moment, better get on it) as well as the suggestion that her "beast of a car" looks like it needs new shocks (and I know a place that will sort you out).
How about you just go get 2 tyres and do what I asked....

[supershifty]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

that's the catch with buying a franchise isn't it - you're really relying on all the other franchisee's to do a good job and keep the brand in high regard.

Here's a thread bagging out K-Mart auto as a whole, when clearly there are good and bad examples out there.

Agreed, look at Pedders as a franchise. A good name that has been ragged out because of unscrupulous operators - they're not all bad.

Their product is good - it's the mode of how the franchisees operate their business that fails them.

Perhaps if Pedder's management was a little more watchful of what their franchisee's do/act, then they would get a better name.

Cheers!

[prydey]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

that's the catch with buying a franchise isn't it - you're really relying on all the other franchisee's to do a good job and keep the brand in high regard.

Here's a thread bagging out K-Mart auto as a whole, when clearly there are good and bad examples out there.

quoted so people can read twice

have had good experience with my local KTAS.

[Jacko*]

My mate had a leaking valve on one of the wheels on his XK, he took it to kmart here in Gladstone, they put a new valve stem in for nothing. I was shocked but hey, there are some good guys out there too.

[Stefan]

Well, maybe the Franchise Manager (ie Kmart management) should weed out the drop kicks, 2 encounters with the franchise, both bad, so they all miss out because I ain't going back and my advice to anyone who asks is avoid Kmart Auto.

Correct me if I'm wrong, isn't that part of the Franchise Manager's job? Build a brand? Or do they just collect cash?

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by Jacko*

My mate had a leaking valve on one of the wheels on his XK, he took it to kmart here in Gladstone, they put a new valve stem in for nothing. I was shocked but hey, there are some good guys out there too.

What would they do here? Seriously...hard to rip you off if you just need a 10c valve

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by Stefan

Well, maybe the Franchise Manager (ie Kmart management) should weed out the drop kicks, 2 encounters with the franchise, both bad, so they all miss out because I ain't going back and my advice to anyone who asks is avoid Kmart Auto.

Correct me if I'm wrong, isn't that part of the Franchise Manager's job? Build a brand? Or do they just collect cash?

Have you informed the Kmart franchise manager of your experience ?.

[Road Games]

Originally Posted by Stefan

So I had a nail in my tyre with a slow leak for a week or two. So I dropped into K-mart Autoand Tyre just accross the road from my work. I was looking like a corporate type and driving an Audi so the guy probably thought he had a live one, says he better have a look. Comes back in the office and says yeah you need a new tyre, $550 pirrelli.

Me: why? just pull the nail out and plug it.
Mechanic: Oh it's down to the wear indicators.
Me (walking to the car with him): there is a good 5mm tread.
Mechanic: Worn on the inside, mate.
Me (now on my knees): It's worn perfectly evenly.
Mechanic: Oh no, the side wall see here it's scuffed, that dangerous.
Me: Are you F....seerious?
Mechanic: Just leave it here for an hour and we'll fix the nail.
Me: I wouldn't leave my car here if you paid me....

I've dealt with two K-mart Autos, both had similar exchanges with me... obviously love milking customers is their style.

Send in your wife to have a puncture repaired, I bet they will sell her a new tyre.

Wow so you got a puncture and didn't believe the experts opinion on it ...

So you start a thread ?

Bored much

[tut0r]

Who defines them as experts? If we called every mechanic we went to an 'expert' we'd all be very broke people

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by XR6menace

Wow so you got a puncture and didn't believe the experts opinion on it ...

So you start a thread ?

Bored much

ease up champ

Stef, rocking up at a franchise, oodie and dressed like a poonce screams lets kick off this months budget now...

[SSVPom]

KTAS Eastland Vic repaired a puncture for free when my wife dropped off the flat to them which I'd pulled off the car the night before. They were also cheapest for a full set of Kumho tyres for my old Subaru a few years back...

It really depends on where you go, there's idiots and slimey salesmen in all types of businesses.

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by XR6menace

Wow so you got a puncture and didn't believe the experts opinion on it ...

So you start a thread ?

Bored much

You havin' a rough day?

Get a Prosac into ya... and log on in an hour.

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by SSVPom

KTAS Eastland Vic repaired a puncture for free when my wife dropped off the flat to them which I'd pulled off the car the night before. They were also cheapest for a full set of Kumho tyres for my old Subaru a few years back...

It really depends on where you go, there's idiots and slimey salesmen in all types of businesses.

Ha there's the jig, had he said no prob pick it up later.....no charge, guess where I'd buy my next set of tyres.

Short term gain becomes a long term loss...

[prydey]

so... did you get the tyre repaired yet?

[Crazy Dazz]

Depends on who they have managing them.
Used to have a BRILLIANT bloke running our local KTAS, Shane was his name. Mechanic by trade, REALLY new his stuff, and KNEW how to run a business.
We went THERE for everything, and he always looked after us. Then he left, and they replaced him with an idiot.
That branch has now closed. What a surprise.

Yes, basically the guys on the floor are nothing but poorly paid monkeys. That's why Shane did a lot of our stuff himself, certainly any of the difficult stuff.

I made the mistake of taking one of my old cars there, after he'd left, to find out why it kept shredding its belts.
"We thought it might be the harmonic balancer, so we replaced that, but it turns out your end-float is stuffed, so we haven't fixed anything but you owe us $850 for parts and labour you didn't authorise."
I obviously refused to pay, so they had to put the old parts back on, and let me tow the wreck home.

The ONE good thing, is that you have plenty of higher-ups to complain to, so you don't get stuck in a stalemate with some intransigent owner.

[Trevor 57]

I didn't know K Mart Auto's were franchises, I thought they employed managers, our local one has a manager, not franchised, I have never used them, the whole K Mart brand is not my favourite brand to start with

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by prydey

so... did you get the tyre repaired yet?

Yep drove to Repco, bought $20 repair kit and fixed it myself, I can do 4 more, so I should be good for the next 20 odd years, as the last one I had fixed must have been 5 or so years ago.

[FTRXR8]

I went to use Airport West K-Mart for a nail in tyre.

They said we will call your shortly, 4 hours later I called, they said it was Unrepairable and they couldn't get that size tyre for two days.

They had destroyed my tyre before I returned, left me with a bare rim which was scratched, left that lying on the WS floor (lucky I checked), lost my valve cap and had just thrown the lock nut in the console, scraping that in the process too.

Bob Jane at Maidstone, dealt with Ash, couldn't have had better service.

[EVL BOS]

Yeah had good and bad experiences with ktas. My local (chirnside) is great always looks after you and does good pricing. The one the next suburb over on the other hand not so good (eastland). Only had my st 3 months and got a puncture I was home sick so the other half took the wheel in and told them to please be careful
With it as the wheels are painted. Picks it up and sure enough big chunk of paint missing from where the tyre lever went and a chip where they dropped a tool on it. Would even fix it blamed the paint saying it was dodgy. Funny since I've had two more puncture repairs and two new tyres fitted at my local ktas and not once has any paint come
Off since!

The next one is even worse my sister took her ssv in to get a puncture repaired, ended up needing a new tyre but since the spare was matching she swapped it out with a front one and bought a new tyre so as to have two new tyres on the front. She picks it up gets home goes to the boot and what she find to big scratches on the bumper from where the wheel was rested as the put it in the boot and to top it off they completely scratched and ruined the face of the same wheel when changing the tyre. 2 un answered emails and serveral non returned calls to both the store and head office and car is still damaged and so it the wheel.

[csv8]

No problem with KTAS Rockhampton...had a problem after a service..fixed ,,no charge..

[Road Games]

You all know i worked for K-tas for 7 yr's ?

Lol...

[Dave_Obsession]

Originally Posted by XR6menace

You all know i worked for K-tas for 7 yr's ?

Lol...

[In Focus]

You could substitute "K-Mart Auto" for "Ford dealership service centre" and have a similar variety of opinions on the quality of the workmanship on offer. It depends on the individual outlet's management and the skill/care level of the workers.

[cheap]

I haven't had an issue with our local K-mart auto, I found them quite helpful plus they're convenient.

However don't get me started on Midas or O'Brien's glass - never again!