Coker tire: Wtf? Fine print!

I purchased my Coker/Firestone tires a couple of years prior to getting my car on the road and when I finally got it running I found it had the shakes. One front tire that was way out of round and would start hopping badly around 55. I could not find anyone locally with a tire truing machine so I called Coker and they said to send it back. I wanted to keep driving the car so I ordered a "new" one which was now at a higher price and had to pay the difference plus shipping. Once I received the new tire I shipped them back the old tire. To my dismay the new tire was way worse than the old tire that I had sent back. I tried all sorts of balancing options plus dismounting and remounting on different wheels. Nothing worked. I contacted Coker again and went through the same process again paying to have the new tire shipped back and another new tire shipped. The third tire was quite a bit better but was still not round. I finally found someone with a tire truing machine and it made the car driveable. I then got an e-mail from Coker that said that the last tire that I sent back was within "their specifications" and they would not warranty it. The moral of the story is you really think you want Coker bias ply tires you might get lucky. I have read many comments from customers that were happy but at the same time if you do have problems it will cost YOU and not Coker. I'm done. This is my last set.

 

Slick Willy,

Sorry you are having a problem with the Firestones. I'd like the opportunity to look into your return. I can explain the reason you are being asked to pay the difference in the price, it is because in the 3 years you have had the tires, the cost to manufacture the tire has increased. It appears we are giving you 100% of your original purchase price and we paid all the shipping cost to get them back and send the new ones out. Since you think that is unfair please call me direct to discuss. 1-800-251-6336 extension 263.

Thanks,

Jess Hoodenpyle
VP Sales and Customer Service
Coker Tire
1-800-251-6336 ext. 263
www.Cokertire.com

 

They do so quit hoping:

These are radials

Diamond Back Auburn Deluxe in 16" sizes from 550R16 thru 750R16. DBtires is their handle here in Hambland....
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Always makes me laugh what a mfg. perceives as fair customer service.

 

In defense of Coker and any other tire manufacturer for that matter you should have had them checked when you purchased them - or at least a soon as you got your wheels sorted. It is hardly their fault that you had shitty suspension or that life went on and while you got your car act together prices went up. But here is the conundrum: given the warranty information you posted, the tires were defective as shipped, on the date shipped, at the price you paid. And in fairness to Coker they are getting three and a half year old tires back, which is about 50% of their chronological usability/life. Coker are reasonable people and I am sure that some one on one dialog either direct with their customer service, with Corky himself or via Ryan - Coker is an Alliance vendor I believe - might have netted better results rather than calling them out publicy. My advice would have been to try every avenue to sort this out before you blast them on a public forum. You can catch more flies with honey then with vinegar....

 

well, at least a representative from Coker has stepped forward.

I agree with the assessments posted about companies not giving a rat's ass about the customer.


Might be gettin a little off topic, but I also agree that these "extended warranties" should not be required, and if you read up on the subject, seldom are they used...just another way for business to add to the bottom line of the sale.

I'll admit that I've purchased some of these on certain appliances mainly because a single service call after the original coverage period would offset the cost of the extended warranty.

 

Where areCorkers products made? USA, China, Mexico? Just wondering.

 

COKER SUCKS !!! i also had two bad tires from COKER and i got SCREWED

 

Hoping Coker will have an in depth in house detailed manufacturing/quality control process done in print and video to clarify point's and question's brought up in this and the other Coker threads.

 

My latte was too hot this morning. I'm going to sue.

 

What about the 3 year loan on the purchase of a defective product? Replacement of product should be direct not bases on cost increase.

 

Just get them to replace with 3.5 year old tires, same cost of manufacturing.

3 1/2 year old Coker tires sold as new
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=783273&highlight=coker

 

A substandard product is beginning to sound like a norm for Coker... not sure I personally would even risk it. It always amazes me when a company has the corner on the market, takes it for granted, offers a crappy product and then loses their market share. ALL companies are taking a hit when it comes to profit margin...NO ONE is immune. The question is, do you take the cut in profit and survive, or do you cut off your nose to spite your face? Cutting corners and not honoring warranties to save a few bucks is a sure way to kill any profit there is left out there, and a sure way to kill your company in the process.

 

That hush you heard was the sound of reason. Soak it in.

 

Sounds to be professionally and maturely handled on all sides.

 

Getting the tires replaced with the shipping cost waived is good, as is the alliance discount and considerations. However, that's beside the point that the product is apparently more often defective than not.

 

Once again...
I can only hope Im not coming across as an asshole...that's just my Bostonian charm!

Coker is taking care of me on this more than they even have to...

I understand the plight of business owning...

I meant this thread to be more of a warning for future builds/builders...

But still paying full price for a set of tires I then feel I have to have tested/trued beyond mounting and balancing sorta sucks!

I get it, its part of the world and hobby we exist in...

I will be contacting them later on to let them know this. I had already apologized to the two gentlemen I spoke with in customer service.

and, Ryan, we spoke about this around the firepit that night... you are biased!

 

I've had 7 sets of Coker Tires,don't tell Ryan but one set are radials on Brendas "Ranch Wagon".

I haven't had a single problem with the tires,,,am I bias(pun intended)? probably,just like I am bias when it comes to cars. HRP

 

What I meant was, a lot of people seem to jump ship without knowing ALL the particulars of a situation. If I listened to half the people that tell me their opinion of a product, I wouldn't have a car. I try to see things from different angles and as a last resort ask for opinions on the subject.

There's only one response here from a tire company and that was a Coker rep explaining the warranty, which is what this thread was really about. It's so easy for people to sit on their ass, wait to see where a thread is headed and then pile on with little knowledge of the ENTIRE situation.

I'm getting ready to get WWW's in about 50 days and I'm going with Coker's. I've been planning this for 6 months and CALLED Diamond Back and Coker to find out what they did and why I should go with them. My choice was easy. As a last test, I made a thread about it and read what people posted. Most of it was opinion based on their experience and that's what I expected. It also didn't change my choice.

If you Google tires and how they are made, there's all kinds of factors to consider, when you say a tire is bad. True, manufacturing is not flawless. Nothing made by humans is 100% guaranteed, so you have to look at what the product is, how it should be handled and how it should be maintained.

So, your words were a voice of reason, when compared to all the other pages of non scientific banter and loose opinion. There are a few people on this thread that have said they aren't going to use Coker's because of this thread. Really? Can you be that gullible?

I had a taco yesterday and the shell was too soft, after sitting in my car for an hour. Should I get my money back? So, now I'm not going to eat there again?

 

It certainly wasn't my intention to be sensational, Ryan. I'm just saying that considering all the citations of lacking quality, and even one member who stated that he's installed over 100 Coker tires, and only 3 didn't need to be trued, it seems that there might be a quality control issue.

 

since mine isnt a traditional hot rod and i like to drive my car i chose the radials . top of the line cokers with the extended warranty. first shop i took it says save yor money , doesnt pay to balance them as they are oyt of roynd . call coker they ask me to find a second road force machine and have the tires checked. my local dodge dealer has one so i go to them. he says the tires are shot . oyt of roynd, over 30 oz of weight to balance the tires. call coker and ship the tires back , amazingly they only find 1 bad and 1 warranteable . so then the wanna send me 2 old tires which everyone else said were bad and 2 new ones, that wood look great so $500 later 4 new tires and i'm not really happy with coker tire. nothing against corky i him in 2011 and he is a nice gy can't reccommend his tires to anyone after this. these tires were only 3 yrs old and had aboyt 20-25,000 miles

 

Now there is the catch. You should not have to check brand new tires, that's what the manufacturer is supposed to do.

I ran into the same issue with me WV wheels, having to much run out and not finding this out until 2 years after the purchase, as I was still building when they were bought. I got the same response.

 

This is where I think some good PR work would be beneficial on the part of Coker. Instead of coming on and trying to diffuse the situation to some extent by encouraging the OP to contact them offline.

I will be in the market in the future, I've learned a lot reading this, I won't buy early, I'll buy when I'm ready to install. I've also learned there is a posibility of the tires having issues, here's where I'd like some insight from Coker.

I think having them come on here and explain the tires and the issues and their stance would go along way for me. Maybe there isn't much you can do in the bias tire construction to remedy the issues and they do the best they can but I'm not hearing that from them. They could reach a large audience...their audience I'd say.

 

Anyone in the tire industry? How does Coker's failure rate compare to other tires??

 

I work at privately owned a shop that sells and installs tires and does minor and major mechanical as well.

If we had to check every tire we sell to be sure it was round and free of defect, not only would we lose money (and eventually go out of business), but we would also STOP selling that product. If the tire isn't inspected and quality assured PRIOR to arriving from the distributor, then that manufacturer has far GREATER problems than warranty issues going on. It sounds to me like Coker tires are a 50/50 proposition at best. Regardless of whether or not they stand behind their product, an inconvenience factor does start to have an effect on consumer buying patterns. That's economics 101....

 

I typically see 1 in 100 on the cheap, no name tires and 1 in 500 to 1 in 1000 on the brand names. The reported Coker failure/defect rate is far too high of a ratio.

 

If I walked in and bought a set and carried them home (uninstalled), then came back 3 years later and said I had a problem with them, what would you do?