Big O Tires, El Dorado – REVIEW
Person/Company:
Big O Tires
Location:
El, Dorado Kansas
When:
November 2018
Reason for Visit:
Tire blowout on the highway.
My Rating:
★★
What I Liked:
I liked how clean the facility was. Minus a few cobwebs in the display tires, the showroom was well-kept. The girls working at the desk were nice enough, and the mechanic was friendly.
What I Didn’t Like:
I didn’t like the markup on their tires. I don’t know that this is the situation, but I feel as though they recognized my situation as desperate and pounced on it. In fact, when they saw my sarcastic response to their first price presentation, they marked it down a bit, saying, “I thought that looked high.” What do you think? But I was in a desperate situation. Ultimately, they provided one mediocre option and marked that option up to a premium. Due to my situation, I felt as though I couldn’t do much but pay up. The following day, I went tire shopping and found the exact same tire for almost $40 less (per tire) – keeping in mind that this was AFTER they had marked it down. So I bought the new tires from the other facility.
My Recommendation:
Well, I can’t really tell you what you should do because your circumstance will likely dictate that. For me, the ONLY reason I would ever visit a Big O Tires again is if I happen to be in another desperate situation where ANY other option is simply not available.
Do you know what’s messed up, though? I thought that I might be a good guy and give a small shop like that a little support. I had actually and deliberately passed the Wal-Mart a few miles back – that sells similar tires for much less. I guess there is a reason some giants exist.
Not a fan!