Black circles don't want to sell me tyres (unless I buy 4)

[Vince70]

Today I've been and ordered some tyres for Leslie's Mini Cooper off Blackcircles (uniroyal rainsports 3s 195/55/16) for £68 each and she's now got an email back saying that due to her car having run flats as standard that all four will need changing..

 

The thing is I told her to send an email back saying it's ok as long as the tyres are going on the same axle (as she needs two on the front) or cancel the deal, the tyres on the back look new (goodyear excell) and she is buying the same profile/size and rating etc so obviously she doesn't want to change them for no apparent reason and over the years of driving shite I've had a lot of cars with mismatched rubber.. And never had an issue with different makes on the front or back in pairs..

 

From what I've been reading on the net the general consensus is it doesn't matter mixing run flats and normal tyres as long as it's not mixed up on the same axle but obviously I don't want to see her driving a death trap, so I was wondering if anyone with any tyre knowledge could give me some info..

[JohnK]

I got rid of the Dunlop SP Sport runflats my old E60 BMW.

 

I changed both rears for conventional Avons and left run flats on front. When they wore down I then changed the fronts for matching Toyo's (conventional).

 

On my new F10 it has 3 Goodyears and 1 Pirelli on the front (which is shit and the roadnoise from that tyre alone is horrendous). All run flats but the two front have varying levels of tread.

 

In short they're talking bollocks.

[JohnDeere]

Surely better to get rid of the runflats? They turn a £10 repair when you pick up a nail into £70+ for a new tyre, plus they ride like s**t.

[Vince70]

Cheers both Johns

I said I will pop down when she gets the tyres fitted as I hear one of the favourite punch lines used these days is that it invalidates your insurance when it comes to the hard sell ditching run flats.

The car really does knock your fillings out over potholes due to those crappy hard rubber things and once the backs wear out then the car will have convential rubber all the way round.

[eddyramrod]

I had to read the first posting twice, because somehow I thought you were talking about a Mini 1275GT on Denovos.  Silly me.  No car with 16" wheels should be allowed to call itself a Mini.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

I had to read the first posting twice, because somehow I thought you were talking about a Mini 1275GT on Denovos.  Silly me.  No car with 16" wheels should be allowed to call itself a Mini.

 

It's become a misnomer...

 

[HH-R]

Just tell them the remaining amount of tyres not being replaced are already non run flats. Or that it's currently running on strips of old carpet held together with varnish.

[eddyramrod]

I know what I'd be telling them.  Hard sell always fails with me.  There are plenty of retailers who would be glad of the business...

[Ghosty]

They did the same thing with us and my mum's Bini, just told them we didn't care/didn't want runflats. Nice try, but they're already getting £375 from us, isn't that enough? 

[Tayne]

Don't touch BlackCirles.

 

Not even with someone else's bargepole.

[Parky]

Don't tell them what it's for - just buy the tyres by size.

 

Or order 4 from Tyreleader and get a local place to fit them?

[Junkman]

Newfangled tosh.

Buy an older car. A much older one.

[purplebargeken]

I ordered tyres from Tyreleader and am well happy. These were Hankook and hard for tyre folk to get hold of seemingly. Well worth it, two tyres for the price of one in the UK. Stuff Black Circle.

[Vince70]

I just put the tyre sizes through their site rather than telling them it was for a car fitted with run flats .. But when it came to paying their site asked for the reg so I guess that's how blackcircles found out..

 

She has got an email now saying that if she replies by a certain time it will be ok to go ahead and get the tyres fitted.. But I wish she had used tyre leader now as the same tyres are just under £50 each but with Blackcircles you can order and get the fitting done in with the price rather than having to find a fitting centre then paying the extra So I guess by the time you add that in the equation there's not much in it.

 

I think a basic set of smaller steel wheels would of improved the ride no end as I looked at a base model mini the other day and the tyres seemed to have a lot more height in them rather than the elastic bands fitted on the cooper but I think it has some type of larger option wheel fitted that doesn't help with ride comfort either..

[twosmoke300]

Vote with your feet , plenty of small local garages and tyre places would be glad of your custom for about a fiver more .

[Tayne]

but with Blackcircles you can order and get the fitting done in with the price rather than having to find a fitting centre then paying the extra

 

 

But Blackcircles hand their "premier partner, 5 star garage" rating out to any monkey with a pulse and a windy gun.

 

It's entirely possible that they'll send your MINI to someone who will destroy your old tyres, wheels, brake discs etc.

 

Then you can expect the BC customer service department to ignore you for a week or so.

[Stanky]

Until GordonBennet pointed me towards tyreleader I always used BC, and had them fitted at my local tyre and exhaust place who have a superb reputation, and well deserved.

 

I have to say they are a bit pricier than tyreleader + fitting at the other local tyre chap, but I can't knock it otherwise. I was buying regular tyres though.

 

To play the devils advocate BC probably don't want or need the lawsuit from the mouthbreathing mong whose insurance is invalidated due to fitting non-OEM tyres on their brand new pcp'd fucking meriva after they have drunk eleventy hundred pints of stella and razzed it into a lamppost or whatever they do these days and try to blame BC for not warning them that they wang-king widowmaker XL's are not identical to the OEM tyre.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I've yet to get an online price for tyres that my local tyre place can't beat, they don't charge me for puncture repairs either and will wack a set of pads in for a case of lager when I'm too busy or lazy to do it myself, try getting Blackleader to do that.

[Jim Bell]

[Honey Badger]

Vote with your feet , plenty of small local garages and tyre places would be glad of your custom for about a fiver more .

Aye, I got a set of 235/55 r18 Hankook Ventus ST'sfor the wife's Lexus and my local fitters were £3 a tyre more expensive than Black circles, damn sight more pleasant to deal with as well.

[gm]

Black circles are taunts, try Camskill for decent mail order prices and find a decent local fitter who will do it for £beers

[Junkman]

Runflat tyres.

Everything hurts, except for my arse, which itches.

What a shitload of bollox.

[Forty-two]

Just to make your heads spin a bit more. I enquired about tyres for my Freelander at Costco. It is policy to only fit four tyres to a 4x4. You can't have a pair fitted.

[twosmoke300]

On a freeloader it's actually not a bad idea to save the vicious coupling

[dave21478]

Be sure to email black circles telling them to poke their order. Be sure to tell them that what you do with your tyres is none of their fucking business and if they insist on sticking their nose in, you will insist on buying from their competitors.

 

Dont just let it slide, be sure to tell them WHY you are no longer dealing with them.

 

Not enough people do this these days - the massive choice the internet has brought us (not just tyres, literally everything) means that people just say "meh" and go elsewhere when things dont work out, but if people explain to companies WHY they are going elsewhere, maybe, just maybe things might start improving.

[richardthestag]

Don't touch BlackCirles.

 

Not even with someone else's bargepole.

 

Dont touch new Avons with someone elses bargepole

 

Ranger 4x4 ATs are in budget range, I was fooled by thoughts of qualitay avon turbospeeds etc, Had one blow out at the beaded edge. 70mph brown trouser moment. Tyre centre told me Avon are now budget and he would NOT recommend them to anyone.

[colino]

When Mike Welch set up BC it was a great company, ultra cheap and totally dependable.  It then grew and needed investors and when ex Mr Tesco came on board, it dramatically changed.  Now it has been sold to Michelin, who want to preserve their selling prices after all and rubbish everyone else, they aren't going to get any better.

Role on the time that Mikes contract runs out with them and with any luck, he'll reform and do all the things he did before, but better.

[PiperCub]

Didn't know about Tyreleader until this place told me, might try them next time.

 

As an aside, I've used etyres several times and found them to be pretty faultless and cheap too. Plus they come to you (or your work).

[dugong]

Be sure to email black circles telling them to poke their order. Be sure to tell them that what you do with your tyres is none of their fucking business and if they insist on sticking their nose in, you will insist on buying from their competitors.

 

Dont just let it slide, be sure to tell them WHY you are no longer dealing with them.

 

Not enough people do this these days - the massive choice the internet has brought us (not just tyres, literally everything) means that people just say "meh" and go elsewhere when things dont work out, but if people explain to companies WHY they are going elsewhere, maybe, just maybe things might start improving.

It depends how good their customer insight and PR teams are. Some companies genuinely have no idea what their franchises get up to and will reign them in quick if they hear of such a problem. Others (like say, MG Motor) need a friendly word in the ear but couldn't care either way.

 

When Mike Welch set up BC it was a great company, ultra cheap and totally dependable.  It then grew and needed investors and when ex Mr Tesco came on board, it dramatically changed.  Now it has been sold to Michelin, who want to preserve their selling prices after all and rubbish everyone else, they aren't going to get any better.

Role on the time that Mikes contract runs out with them and with any luck, he'll reform and do all the things he did before, but better.

I'm sure Tom Farmer (of Kwikfit) ended up starting again after seeing how exploitative his empire had become; he'd long sold up but kept an eye on things.

 

As for tyre places and scaremongering, it's the oldest game in the book - sadly. I've never had issues with Mytyres.co.uk or Camskill. HiQ vary - some (like the Peterborough and Lancaster branches) are excellent, others seem a bit shifty.

My normal strategy is to buy online and then take 'em to an indie fitter; you're supporting local businesses who will in all probability do a better job.

[New POD]

Another Shout for "Paul's Tyres" in Formby then ?  He seems to find brands you've never heard of, at half the price of the expensive brands from internet suppliers, which are actually better. 

 

He couldn't meet the price for a mitchelin run flat on our BINI from Costco, but at 1/3 of the price I have 2 none-runflats which in 5000 miles have been grippy even in the rain, show no wear, and even have nice looking tread.

 

In terms of the MUST buy 4. Tell them to feck off.