Big O Tires, E. Bell Rd., Phoenix, AZ - warranty for defective tire not honored due to not having proof of purchase

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on November 17, 2002:

From:

RE: Big O Tires, E. Bell Rd., Phoenix, AZ - warranty for defective tire not honored due to not having proof of purchase

On Oct 22, 2002, I had an oil change and tire rotation at American Car Care. The manager showed me a defective tire which had two 6 inch splits on the inside mounted wall. Because of safety issues, I told the manager to put a new tire on. I then went to the Big O Tires store at 2630 E. Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ, and showed the manager the defective tire.

He told me that he wasbn't going to do anything about this tire because I had purchased another brand of tire. I emailed a complaint to the corporate office and they NEVER returned a reply until I sent another complaint on Oct 30.

In their reply, Gary Welsh said that they would not honor the warranty because "the failed tire must be returned to the Big O Tires store with proof of purchase." First, the tire was returned to the store at which it was purchased, and second, the proof of purchase is on their computer. Big O Tires could care less about their customer safety but save themselves money by not honoring the warranty. Charles Kawakami

Phoenix, AZ 85022