Coker Classic sidewall coming apart??? Coker customer service no response.

I know Coker is a big supporter of the HAMB so I'm not tryingto start any trouble here. But...

About two months ago I was washing my car. When I was cleaning the wheels and tires I saw a problem with one of my tires. I noticed that it appears that the sidewall is coming apart where the whitewall meets the sidewall.

Here is a photo.



The damage can be seen in the bottom of the photo where the whitewall looks torn.

The black 'smudge' to the left of the weight where the tire meets the rim isn't damage, it is just some smeared out tire sealant I used when I installed the tires.

The tires are Coker Classic radials. They were on my car when I bought it about two years ago. They have less than 10000 miles on them.

I wanted to email Coker and send them the photo and ask them what they had to say about my situation and what I feel is a defect in their product. I went to their website. I couldn't find a direct email address there so I used the 'Contact us' option on their site to email them. That was about six weeks ago. No response. I tried to email them again about two weeks ago through their website. Again absolutely no response from them. I can't find any other way to email them or their customer service.

I have even tried looking up Coker customer service members on here through the member list but it looks like they haven't been active in a long time.

Has anyone else had any similar problems with these Coker Classics?
Has anyone else had difficulty with their customer service?

I've previously ordered BFG Silvertown tires online directly from Coker's website and had no problems with them.

I guess I'm just getting frustrated and feel like I'm being ignored by Coker.

 

How old are they?

 

Corky Coker is on here!! He's a Hamber!


Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad

 

check the born on date.

 

I could only see two Coker type names in the member list. One hasn't been on since 2007, the other since 2011.

I'm not exactly sure how old the tires are. I will have to check the date on the side. The tires were on the car when I bought it two years ago. I would imagine they could be around 5 years old. Should that really matter that much though? I deal with tires much older than this with more miles everyday and never see this type of problem.

I get that there is probably nothing Coker will do about it since they are a few years old and I personally didn't buy them new. I just don't want to drop another $250 for a tire if they are prone to problems.

The other real bummer is that they don't seem to make this size anymore (185/75R15). I guess that would mean I have to buy two of another brand so that I have a matching pair.

 

mine are well over 10 years old probably closer to 15. i bought them used from a guy i know. never had a problem. i wouldn't take off across country with them, because they're old. i've put a lot of miles on them and have no complaints. coker classics 225/75r14.

 

Their phone number is on their website. I would call them.

 

That was my next plan. I will probably have to give that a try. A picture is worth a thousand words though, and I had wanted to send the photo along with the email to show the problem I am having.

 

I am not sure you will get much sympathy. They were on the car when you bought the car. You did not buy them new from Coker. You really don't have much of a claim in my opinion

 

Not to defend Coker, but almost every manufacturer states their warranty covers the original purchaser. Since you didn't buy these and have no real history on them, such as any curbing or a deep pothole that might have occurred, etc, I can understand why they are reluctant to cover them. You can only ask so much from any manufacturer.

The very few times I have had to turn to Coker for help they have always jumped right to it to make things right. I was recently trying to figure out how many sets of tires we have bought from Coker in the past 25 years, and it has to be 10 sets or more, all without any problems at all.

Don

And BTW, I picked up the phone and called Coker Wednesday with a technical question and had a human being who knew his stuff on the phone in about a minute. Emails only go so far, I prefer instant communication, direct to another person.

 

If I bought a car with tires that went bad after two years I sure as hell would not expect the company that made them to be responsible for a defect. You have no idea how old they are and how many miles are on them. What is wrong with people? Just buy yourself some new tires you like and move on. Do you expect them to say that they will replace them? Please.
I do agree that their Customer service should a least respond to you. Good luck. Perpetual warranty for every owner. Ya right.

 

here is one site with info to read and understand info on side of tires: www.edmunds.com/how-to/how-to-read-your-tire.html

 

Curbspeed, I'm not asking for a "perpetual warranty". I'm in the auto repair business and understand how tire warranties work. However, I've never seen a tire come apart at the sidewall like this before. To me, it seems like a defect in the tire. That was the main reason I emailed the company, twice.

I know I didn't buy these new and that I do not know exactly how many miles are on them although as I said I would be very confident it is under 10000 miles.

Honestly, in a perfect world I thought it was worth at least asking if they might do something about it. Did I expect them to, no, I didn't. Did I expect them to at least respond to one of my emails, yes I did.

If they had at least sent me a reply explaining that a tire was only covered for the original purchaser, or for a certain amount of time or mileage I would have been fine with that. I'm realistic. But I got nothing from them at all so I am frustrated.

Ignoring a customer, even if they perceived me as someone with an invalid complaint, is not the way to treat someone.

 

'Claim ' is not his beef.
His beef is the non-response by Ciker I believe.

 

Seriously you haven't even called them before posting on here???. Pick up the phone, I know its the "digital age" but FFS that's how this should be handled BEFORE threads like this get started. 2 emails unanswered doesnt mean they have cut you loose. I've dealt with these guys before and they were great - give them a proper chance to help then see what the outcome is.

 

The OP seems genuine. Help him along. The multi million dollar company could flip him a deal. That would rule. Seriously.

 

Old business rule my father told me 40 years ago in his general store " a happy customer might tell one person, a dissatisfied customer will tell 10"

A partial credit on a tire that looks downright dangerous is a small price to pay for good PR. Companies of all sizes have forgotten that.

 

If I manufactured the tire I would want it back to figure out what went wrong. Then make a decision on possible adjustment.

 

to be honest with you ,im thinking that tire was flat at one time or another and let sit for a while

 

That makes sense - very likely...

 

That's what it looks like to me too, why are you using tire sealant in it?

 

I agree with this too....or it was driven with very little air pressure for a distance. Pot hole seems possible too.

I agree that 2 ignored emails sucks, if they were ignored, but I have to say I would also have called. There is still nothing like actually talking to someone. Whether a good or bad experience. So many problems could have caused them to not even get the email. Believe me I deal with email problems every day at work.

 

Well, you know who NOT to buy your replacement tires from.

 

Looking at the area of the tire where the damage is, it also looks like the lip of the rim is dented in. Looks to me like it took a pretty good hit, enough to dent the lip in and damage the tire. Like someone said maybe driving it with the air low and hitting a pothole, curb etc. Should have tried calling before posting on here and complaining about service.

 

Not a very aggressive attempt to contact Coker, these folks are a stand up high volume orginazation. Corky has done unbelievable things for our sport and does not deserve any whining on a forum because an e-mail wasn't answered. They list phone numbers, call them. Here is a number--1-866-779-9626---I am sure you are a great dude, but it just isn't cool, in my opinion to cry baby over an issue like this. Get busy and put some effort in contacing Coker and I am sure this will be resolved. Don't make me come over there, because I am sure you could kick this ol mans ass. Good luck dude. It will work out. ~sololobo~

 

x 2

 

If I was Coker, I'd want that tire (and its mates) off the road ASAP. Flip the guy a 40% discount and you've eliminated this bad-news thread before it begins.

At Charlotte this year, there was a fat-fender with a sign pasted on one of its back tires chewing Coker out for delivering 3 bad tires to the guy in a row. I'd be seriously pissed.

You can't out-spend that kind of rotten publicity.

 

What are you hoping to achieve here by contacting them? Are you expecting a discount/refund or just after info on what possibly could have happened to the tire?

 

Exactly!

Those e mails go to his sales staff, if it is not a revenue generating question you are unlikely to get a response.

The same thing happened to me, tell them you don't have to buy your next set from them and they will get right back to you.

 

Common sense dictates that you make serious effort to contact ANY company with any type of complaint before you hang your laundry out in a forum. Once you've done that and the problem has not been reconciled, or at least acknowledged, then you can pass out the tissue.

I don't feel you made a serious effort, in that you seem to be offended that they don't have a 'complaint line' for emails, but you didn't bother to pick up a phone and call them. I don't want to hear how bad a company treated you until you have actually done everything you can. I buy Cokers on a regular basis and have never found them to be non-responsive. I know that you know that they're probably not going to warranty that - you've already noted it's been too long, and you're not the original purchaser. Your complaint is that they didn't email you back, but that's as far as you took it before you began airing it out in here. A simple phone call might trigger a response in them to offer you a discount on a replacement pair in a suitable size. Most companies recognize a sales opportunity when it presents itself. Without seeing the tone of your email, it's hard to determine why it was 'ignored'.

Call 'em....don't even mention the email, and be gentle - honey vs vinegar and all those other wives' tales.