Lakewood Firestone Tire & Auto

12/30/10

Lakewood Firestone

by mt515 at Citysearch

I have been taking my car to Lakewood Firestone since 1992. I can't remember an instant where I had an issue with the quality of work or the timeliness in the completion of work done. There may have been 1 or 2 in the whole time I have been going there, but I was never dissatisfied with the result. They have always done the right thing. They have always been friendly and respectful and any time I have been told that I needed major work done, I have had other places tell me the same thing. They have never told me that I needed something that I didn't. In fact, they have been more than helpful by telling me when they notice some deterioration and estimated about how much time / miles I have until it will start to become an issue. This has helped with budgetary and other planning needs.

I'll admit that they are not the cheapest, but they aren't the most expensive either. It took me a long time and many poor experiences to find a reputable, honest and family oriented business that I can trust to do the maintenance and repair work on my vehicles. I travel from Medina to use them. If that doesn't tell you something about their service, I don't know what else to say. There are always two sides to the story. What you put out is usually what you get back.

The only complaint I have is that they always seem to turn off my radio...lol

George, Rich and all the guys are great and I appreciate them.. Happy Holidays.

12/24/10

They Will Try to Rip You Off

by jhaney at Citysearch

Since moving to Lakewood, I have always had my car worked on at NTB on Detroit. The last time I was there, they told me I probably needed new front break pads and rotors soon. I decided to shop around for prices. I live only 2 blocks from Firestone in Lakewood and also had received a $30 off coupon in the mail, so I gave them a call. Their quote for front break pads and rotors, without tax, was the lowest, so I took the car in.

An hour later, they called me and told me that I needed new calipers and that told me that they wouldn't do the break job unless I bought the new calipers, since it would be a "liability." Their price to furnish and install calipers on 2 wheels was $540 without tax. That sounded high to me, so I told them not to do the work while I'll called a few other places.

I called Autozone and they told me they could get the parts for only $140 all in. I called NTB and their price to furnish and install was 1/2 of Firestone's price. Plus, my contact at NTB, having looked at the breaks only a week prior, told me that he saw no reason why I needed new calipers in the first place. So I called Firestone to tell them I was going to come get my car to take it somewhere else.

BUT - when I called in, they told me that despite my having asked them NOT to do the work, their mechanics had started the job and my rotors were now removed and broken into pieces so that the car could no longer be moved - thus forcing me to need to use them for the extremely overpriced services...and also forcing me to buy calipers that I might not have even needed.

Livid at this point, I told them to stop the work and that I would actually have the car towed to NTB where, even with the towing cost, I would still spend less money. They put my on hold and when they came back on the line, suddently had found a way to reduce their price to nearly match NTB's price. Suspicious to me how the calipers suddenly went from $540 to $300. I was told the total price, with tax, and I accepted the price, remembering that I still had the $30 off coupon from the Lakewood mailer that would bring the price down to match exactly the NTB price.

When I went to Firestone to pick up the car, they added another $50 for tax, and explained that the price they gave me over the phone didn't include tax, even though I asked "is that all in, with taxes?" and they had said yes. Further, when I tried to use the $30 off coupon, they refused to accept it. They told me it wasn't "their" coupon. It said Firestrone Automotive on it, and was sent in a Lakewood coupon mailer, and was not expired. Where the heck else could this coupon possibly have been intended for use? There were no disclamers on the coupon. They just flat out refused to accept it.

Now realizing that this was going to cost me $80 more than I was anticipating, I was angry and just ready to leave. I told the manager that they should not expect me to ever return to their establishment. I was then rudely told that they had given me lower prices than I would have found anywhere else (which just isn't true, since I had found lower prices at the only 2 other places I had called - without having to fight them for it in the first place) and that Firestone's quality is so superior that I should expect to pay a premium.

So...long story short...unless you battle them the entire way, they will sell you things you don't need and jack the prices up as high as they can, hoping that you'll play the sucker and just accept the prices. And if you question them at all, they will be rude to you. They obviously have no interest in building a repeat customer base. Oh. And they also left a mess in my car, too...on the driver side floor.

Do NOT take your car there.

02/23/09

Overpriced and Rude

by SickofGettingScammed at Citysearch

I went to these guys because they were the closest place to my house. They told me I needed 4 new tires when 2 had just been replaced a week ago by a different place. Also said I needed 4 new rotors when my brake pads were barely squealing. When I told them that I didn't want them to do the work on my car after they gave me the estimate on the phone, they got upset and told me how I wasn't going to find it cheaper, but if I did it wouldn't be any bit of quality. When I picked up the car they were very rude to me. They also left a mess in my car with their black foot prints on my light carpet and grime marks on my steering wheel. I would never recommend them. Oh, and their prices are more expensive than what it costs at the dealer.

I can't say anything about the quality of their actual work though, because I didn't have my car repaired there. However, if a mechanic doesn't know the difference between a brand new tire and an old one, he is either not looking at my car thoroughly or trying to rip me off. In either case, I wouldn't want that mechanic to touch my car.

• Pros: In central Lakewood and seem nice when you first talk to them
• Cons: Overpriced, Poor Service, and Rude