Tempe Tires Sydney customer review :(

[liam]

Hi all,

I just thought I would share my experience with Tempe Tires in sydney at the start of this month. First of all arriving there were employees everywhere, after browsing for a good 10 minutes I didn't even get a simple hello I thought "Ok fair enough they are busy".

I went up to the counter and asked for some help, the lady called a guy over "What do you want?" I replied with the wheels I had chosen asking if I could see one beside my car to make sure it was 100% what I wanted. Sighing loudly he huffed and puffed as if I had asked him to run a marathon "Ok I guess" is what I got as a reply. He came out to my car with a wheel, which was the wrong size and colour from what had I asked for.

Leaving that wheel there he stormed off not returning for 15 minutes with the correct wheel. Then he just left us in the car park until 10 minutes later I went and got him from what he was doing. So he wrote the car's info up ect and told me to wait an hour. Fair enough they were busy.

An hour later after some shopping I go out and look in the carpark, my car is still stood there untouched and the wheels are nowhere to be seen. I leave to get lunch giving them extra time. Now two hours after the car being written up I walk into the carpark to find the car untouched again, the workshop now holds 2 high end luxury sedans inside that booked in LONG after I did. At this point I try to ask someone about my situation. After trying 3 employees I find the guy that wrote up the ticket "Oh what car is it? Errm Urrm oh ok Ill check, oh mate Ill get it in next".

So after 2 hours and 15 minutes my car gets an employee inside it moving it, except the BMW in the workshop is still there and not moving, my car gets left in the middle of the car park RUNNING for 5 minutes until I go out and turn it off (middle of sydney leaving a car running not the smartest idea) at this point I may sound trivial but I will say NO employee saw me get inside of the car. Finally I get into the workshop and the wheels are fitted, great Im thinking.

On the highway home (Im an hour and 45 minutes away from tempe each way) I notice at around 100-110 the wheel starts vibrating at 120 its hugely noticeable. I get home and email tempe, first thing monday morning they will have it waiting, I get in monday afternoon no reply. Tuesday morning I call them asking about the situation I get this reply "Sam isn't in the office call later". Wednesday I call again telling them I have paid for a service that hasn't been done properly, I want a refund and Ill get it done closer to me. WIth hesitation they agree and want an invoice.

Friday I have the car balanced by Reekie tyre service in Bowral (Completely changed the handling, + had it lowered now I LOVE the handling). So I sent them the invoice as they asked, the scanner cut the letterhead off loosing the ABN, I resend the invoice with the ABN letterhead attached as they asked, I get a reply "Have you had the work done, is there still vibration". At this point they are simply playing out for time.

I didn't receive a refund until the 21st of February, 14 days after my first email about the problem. Even then the refund was drawn out and painful.

Overall I was appalled by the service at tempe, the employees simply do not want to talk to you and are terrible at time management and customer relations (I would have been happy had they simply said, sorry your car is going to take longer). Then to add to it mechanically they don't meet the mark.

I am in sales myself, and have been for over 4 years. I deal with sales on a regular basis that can stretch into 5 figures (High end bicycle sales). Never would I dream of serving a customer no matter the cost of the associated product like the team at tempe served me.

I could understand staff dodging me had I been dressed scruffy ect (however bad this it!) but that wasn't the case, I was a serious buyer with cash in my wallet, the service certainly didn't deserve the money and I wont buy again.

I have attached a photograph from after it was rebalanced, you can see where the adhesive from the old weights is still in place, in the wheel pictured there was a 34 centimetre difference (centre to centre) between tempe balance and properly balanced wheels. To be this out on a most of the wheels (one exception) it simply shows they had no clue. (tyres were not dismounted at the rebalancing).

http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv38/Getoutandride/IMGP2953.jpg

I will send them a link to this forum, hopefully with this they will get an insight into their business. (If anyone finds this post offensive please PM me about the issue, Im not trying to destroy a business name, instead share my experience as a consumer)

[sooty]

Not sure if this post will stick around long, as although it's an experience you've had, I believe it can possibly count as slander. But the admins/mods will know if it sticks around.
Sorry to hear you had an unsavoury experience though mate, unfortunately these things happen

[Red AH SRI T]

Sad that you had to experience such bad service.

If it were me I would have left long before they got to fit any wheels to my car.

[liam]

The legal definition of slander is damage to a party by a false deformation. This isnt the case here. I have simply shared my experience with a retailer.

[BEK-46P]

I don't think that's slander in the least. He's merely describing his customer experience.

[sooty]

The legal definition of slander is damage to a party by a false deformation. This isnt the case here. I have simply shared my experience with a retailer.


No defamatory comments or slander

although slander is defined as false, defamation has no neccesity to have any false nature, just harmful to the character of a company or person.

Just letting you know is all

[Vectracious]

Defamation—also called calumny, vilification, slander (for spoken words), and libel (for written, broadcast, or otherwise published words)—is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual), business (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business), product (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product), group (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group), government (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government), or nation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation) a negative image (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_image). It is usually, but not always,[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamatory#cite_note-0) a requirement that this claim be false and that the publication is communicated to someone other than the person defamed (the claimant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claimant)). In common law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law) jurisdictions, slander refers to a malicious, false and defamatory spoken statement or report, while libel refers to any other form of communication such as written words or images. Most jurisdictions allow legal actions, civil and/or criminal, to deter various kinds of defamation and retaliate against groundless criticism. Related to defamation is public disclosure of private facts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy_law), which arises where one person reveals information that is not of public concern, and the release of which would offend a reasonable person. "Unlike [with] libel, truth is not a defense for invasion of privacy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy)."[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamatory#cite_note-1)


IMHO - in no way has liam said anything defamatory or slanderous against this Tempe tyres outlet in Sydney. All he has done is recount his experience in purchasing wheels. I see no difference between writing it up on a public forum or him telling his mates down at the pub. Also, whats to stop liam from recounting his experience on the number of review websites on the internet?

One rule of thumb or customer service is one dissatisfied customer will tell 8 people. Being in the age of internet forums, obviously it will be a lot more than 8 people. If the Manager of Tempe tyres reads this thread, if he had any smarts about him/her he might use it as an opportunity to do an internal review of their customer service and employees. It can only end in a win/win situation for customers and the store - happy customers = more business = more money = happy employees. Its pretty simple.

Post stays. :cool:

[ROCCO]

lol...gotta love the wiki grab by Pete....post definitly wasn't defamation....this coming from someone studying law :-P

[J]

Sorry to hear about your experience, liam.

I bought my wheels from Tempe Tyres about 1.5 years ago. It was a weekday afternoon, and first impression was that it was obviously a busy and happening place. They were a little short staffed (even though I remember there appeared to be about 5-10 people working), so it was understandable that they gave a little less attention to those who were still deciding, although I did recall one of the guys on one instance taking a wheel out to put next to a Commodore belonging to 2 Asian guys, to show them how it might look. As for me, I knew exactly what I wanted, so I just told them, and they just went ahead and did it.

Truth be told, it did take longer than they initially promised, and even though I had to cancel my next appointment, I was OK with the extra wait time, because they were clearly working hard and weren't slacking around, yet they clearly weren't rushing through the jobs and not making sure they've done it right, either.

Anyway, my requirement wasn't as simple as just brand new wheels and tyres: I just wanted new rims, and I wanted them to swap out my then almost-new tyres out of the old rims, and onto the new. They certainly did it no problems, even putting my old rims back into the boxes where the new rims used to be. One of the guys even asked me if lock nuts were included in the order, and I said no. He then said he'll see if he can throw a set in, which he did for free. Before I left, and while putting the boxes of old rims back into my boot, he even reminded me to clear away the dead leaves and muck from the rainwater passageway at the top my tailgate, lest it causes that part of the car to rust later. I thanked him for it.

All up, I paid $600 for the rims, which is probably on the cheap side. But if I did receive a significantly worse service than the others, I honestly couldn't tell.

Since then, I have driven around 20,000kms on the same set of rims and tyres (I did do one wheel alignment during this time), and there have been no issues whatsoever.

So again, really sorry to hear what happened to you, liam. Perhaps it just worked out better for me becacuse I went on a weekday, I knew exactly what I wanted, and I waited around til my car got done. Still, perhaps if they were more organised and managed/prioritised the orders better, they might've saved you from such a poor experience...?

Let's hope they (and we) live and learn from this somehow!

[guy 27]

I purchased my wheels through them. You pay for what you get.


I got mine posted to me. Must admit very fast delivery, they arrived to Bris within 24 hours of calling. When i received the wheels the tyres were incorrectly mounted on all 4 so I took it to my local tyre shop and got them to refit them properly and also asked them to re balance them. apart from that I was happy with there service after hearing a few horror stories.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Seems like they could do with a better manager to retrain the staff in time management and customer service.

[liam]

Thankyou vectracious, I wish to study law next year also (rocco enjoying it?)

From my own understanding and own legal dictionary I certainly hadnt done anything slanderous to the company if anything I am helping them.

I have emailed the manager at tempe with a link to this thread. I hope she spends the time to read through it. I personally strive on customer feedback, its the best way to grow a business. See my original unedited post, I said I didnt intend to damage someones reputation merely express my experience. It is the job of the tempe team to ensure negative experiences dont occur

[Vectracious]

wiki grabs FTW!!!!!

I got it because I'm not a lawyer, but I would like to think I know a bit about customer service being in retail 15 years now - and I've had my fair share of complaints from customers about service they have received from myself or staff - I've thanked the customer every time. You need feedback like that so you can know whether you're tracking correctly or not.

Personally if I found something like this posted up on a forum/website about my business there'd be some serious shit go down the next day at work.

[liam]

Exactly right, while I may be only 17 Ive been working from age 11, the last four years in bike sales, this last two dealing with high end clients. I would love a customer who feels I have not treated them adequately to talk to my manager, or better still myself face to face, not for conflict but resolution.

I come from a family of business owners as a result I have been witness to the painstaking task of picking a team to handle your businesses reputation, its a very delicate thing to trust someone with.

[poita]

Yes I know I'm supposed to be on a break, but I have been alerted to this thread.

I don't see any harm in what has been said, in saying that I have forwarded the information to someone who is a little more adapt in legal matters.

Once he posts that will ultimatley decide the staying or going of this thread.



OT: Liam I sorry to hear you went through such a shit fight for you wheels.

I have heard many stories from both sides about Tempe.
They are kinda along the same lines as Queen Street Smash from what I can tell.

Also having been in retail for a few years (about 9 now, please kill me) this is an absolute disgrace from all involved.
Sometimes paying that bit of extra for the product pays for itself in the services you receive, or along those lines anyways lol

[liam]

Thankyou Piota and Im very sorry that this post has disturbed your break! By all means if this post is deemed slanderous towards associated parties remove it, I strongly disagree however that it is indeed slanderous, I base this on the following example

I recently started a group buy on this forum, the involved people are receiving their products now and as far as I am aware are extremely happy. Dan Rucci from ModYourCar.com was extremely quick to reply to questions, requests and anything else we needed. Having got the correct number of people, the orders went through and were sent out at a fantastic price by the way. Now bear in mind, MYC headquarters is in WA, I live in rural NSW. I got email confirmation that the package LEFT very early morning on the 17th. Coming home from work that day the postie had put a slip in the letter box saying it was ready for pickup from my postbox that same day. I am amazed at the quality of service Dan provided.

As a result Im here commenting on his customer service, the ONLY DIFFERENCE between this example and the above tempe tires is that one is a negative experience and one is a positive. Are both comments then deemed slander

To Dan, I hope you dont mind me posting this, please if you would like ANY of the mentioned text editing please PM me and it will be done, once again cheers

[ROCCO]

Right who went and told GOD?? there was no need for that....

[Vectracious]

Right who went and told GOD?? there was no need for that....

god is omnipresent and omnipotent - he knows all even when he should be on holidays.

[gman]

Hello, GOD here...Only joking... :)

Under Australian Law there are two (2) types of defamation:

Oral defamation called slander such as comments or stories told at a meeting, within a group or at a party;

and

Published defamation called libel which is what would be considered under the law for posts on a forum such as OA or newspaper articles, television broadcasts etc. It should also be noted that pictures (including cartoons) as well as words are regarded as potentially libellous.

Whilst there are available premises' under which an individual can claim as a defence against Libel (published defamation), the problem is that law varies in Australia from state to state. For forums such as OA, a potential suit could be filed in any Australian state as the forum is viewable across all states.

Of the potential defences open to those who suit is drawn against, the one likely most relevant is:


What was said was true - The burden of proof is on the defendant to show that the comments made were in point of fact true and has substance; and/or
You were expressing an opinion - This is a hard one to use and the premise of the defence is that of "comment" or "fair comment" if the facts in your statement were reasonably accurate
However, in some Australian states proving that your statements are qualified and truthful is enough.
In others, it is not!!!! You must also prove that what you said was the "truth" AND that they were also in "the public interest".

In cases where what was said was true however it wasn't found to be in the public interest, a defendant could be successfully found guilty for defamation. This is way defamation is a slippery slope to start down.....

However in this particular instance the post is factual and expresses an opinion that bares out possible issues that may be in the public interest with regard to saftey.

Post stays...

(This does not constitute legal advice and is for reference purposes only.....)

[mr corsa]

had to laugh at this thread cos of the two words used in this thread

[Keep'emRunning]

Most businesses would get criticism over their lifetime, although I'm sure tempe receives quite a bit due to the nature of their services.

Having nearly alway bought from them ( they always have better tyre prices, even the brand names) the secret is to stick to your salesperson like GLUE. They always seem understaffed, and considering the thoughput every day it's actually pretty decent to get a same day turnaround. The tyre monkeys running the alignment and balancers are usually flat out, and if under pressure would probably take a few shortcuts.

I'm not defending tempe totally though, in fact I dread new tyre time and the ensuing hassles etc.. But I've had worse service from places like bob janes and bridgestone, who always try and charge for extras (once charged me for filling tyres with nitrogen) and seem a lot slower most of the time.

[gman]

As with all purchases, in the end you usually get what you pay for..

Caveat emptor....

[nuggz]

I have delt with tempe twice
yes their service leaves something to be desired

but for the prices they're asking for, i'll put up with it

[1OPL2C]

go to their cuzn's TALEB TYRES down the rd :D

[Wraith]

I purchased my wheels through them. You pay for what you get.


I got mine posted to me. Must admit very fast delivery, they arrived to Bris within 24 hours of calling. When i received the wheels the tyres were incorrectly mounted on all 4 so I took it to my local tyre shop and got them to refit them properly and also asked them to re balance them. apart from that I was happy with there service after hearing a few horror stories.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Seems like they could do with a better manager to retrain the staff in time management and customer service.

+ 1

I'm in Melb. and have dealt with them once and had a complete set of wheels freighted over...no probs for me, but it was 4 years ago maybe different staff now...

That description of them does sound alot like what you'll get here with the TTF (The Tyre Factory) chain of outlets...

I've rocked up to a couple and been totally ignored or left standing and waiting for yonks, been at another where the service was very good, luck of the draw I suppose...

Bottom line as already mentioned, these outlets are rather cheap on the product prices, so as long as you do get what you wanted in the 1st place, can't really complain, it is unfortunate when you get bad service as what's happened in this case, hopefully it's all good in the end.

[JR]

I purchased my wheels through them. You pay for what you get.


+1
good tyre/rim packages come at low prices come with a catch - lack of good prompt service.

after purchasing mine (about 5yrs ago now), i drove straight to the local tyre mechanic near my place and had my wheels aligned & balanced.

[maloo97]

Demends who you get on the day i guess.

Been there a few times, Both Product and Customer service were great.
4 wheels (17's) with tyres fitted ballanced, aligned, Coffee, old wheels wrapped up and put in boot, all done in 25mins,
Best thing total cost $900.00

[BEK-46P]

Doesn't sound too different from my experience with Ozzy Tyres. I just got the impression they were too good to serve me, but I can imagine they get a lot of time wasters going in there asking to see this and see that propped up next to their car. It wasn't until I pulled out the credit card that they treated me like a human being!

[liam]

I find that no excuse, time wasters are a part of customer service. To ignore or not fully serve a customer based on appearance or stereotypical assumptions is completely wrong, treat every customer like gold and there is a potential sale everywhere and no potential loss

[hazrd]

here's something to reflect on.....
ive read some saying they would deal with the unsavoury customer service... and ive read some saying they wouild not buy there..

think of it this way... tyres are fitted to rims the wrong way (using Guys case), wheels are balanced incorrectly, wheels are fitted to vehicle, customer leaves, its raining outside, customer gets to an intersection and starts to turn......... what could be the end result here?

shortcuts or no shortcuts, the correct fitment of a tyre ensures the safety of our vehicles.



also while on the topic of franchises (ie bob jane, ttf, jax, etc) we are now at the point where u need to focus more on the local franchise other than the company as a whole... for example, the bob jane back where i used to live were shocking, slow, and their tyre techs were terrible.... however, the local bob jane where i live now, are fantastic... i ordered a set of hub rings from them on monday, and picked them up yesterday at no charge because he had an argument over delivery from the supplier, he didnt need to tell me that the supplier didnt charge him, but he did, and passed the savings onto me, the customer