Wal-Mart Auto Tire Scam

I'd like to let people know about a fraudulent automobile tire scam going on at Wal-Mart Tire and Lube Express stores.

Wal-Mart has agreements with tire manufacturers such as Goodyear and Michelin/Uniroyal/Goodrich (same company) to exclusively sell certain tires from these manufacturers. These include the Goodyear Viva/Viva II/Viva

Touring, Uniroyal Radial A/S and others. However, the manufacturers DO

NOT provide their normal warranties for these tires. If you search on these tire names on the manufacturer's websites, you will find that they specifically disclaim warranty coverage for these tires, and say that warranty coverage is only available through Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart provides no such disclaimer in their advertising, so there is no way to know this without going to the manufacturer's websites. Customers are led to believe that they are buying national-brand tires with a national warranty, when they are not. It appears that these manufacturers are simply allowing their names to be used so they can sell a high volume of lower-quality tires through Wal-Mart.

However, the problem is much more serious. Wal-Mart still advertises mileage and defect warranties for these tires, but in fact, they WILL NOT provide copies of warranties to customers, nor are they available in the stores or by mail. These warranties apparently DO NOT EXIST. This is a violation of Federal Trade Commission regulations under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which requires advertised warranties to be provided to customers or be available in stores. (See "A Businessperson's Guide To Federal Warranty Law" at

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It is also a violation of federal and state laws for deceptive sales practices.

I have tried for nearly a year to get a copy of the warranty for some tires that I purchased at Wal-Mart, and they will not send it to me. The Wal-Mart managers and customer service people seem oblivious to the requirements

of the federal regulations. Even worse, an automotive consumer radio show on KKZN radio (760 AM) in Denver has reported that Wal-Mart is not honoring these advertised tire mileage warranties. Obviously, if they won't give you a copy of the warranty, it makes it impossible to enforce it's terms.

This same sort of scam is going on with various manufacturers of other products such as car batteries. For example, Exide batteries will not honor warranties for their auto batteries sold through the now-defunct Country General farm supply stores.

Michelin/Uniroyal/Goodrich and Goodyear are well aware of this situation and disclaim any responsibility. I will not buy any Michelin/Uniroyal/Goodrich tires or Goodyear tires so long as this nonsense is going on.

I would suggest that, whenever you buy tires, ask for a copy of a MANUFACTURER'S warranty in advance, before you buy the tires. Don't settle for a store warranty or verbal promises. If the warranty has a list of tire models that are covered, make sure your model is listed. If you don't have something in writing, you've got no warranty.

Reply to
pv4812
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There was a man about79 to 82 year's old in a wheelchair that brought a bat tery at Wal-Mart in hugo Oklahoma and none of the codes match and the mange r told this man to call this woman name misti and he did, and these to peop le would disappear from the store at the time he was told to call so he wen t to the other store in Texas and he got the corporate phone number and he called them and to this day he has not heard anything back from them and so him and his wife went back Wal-Mart in hugo Oklahoma and, the manager trie d to tell them two old people they changed the bar code stickers on the bat tery and accused these old people of fraud. But this time he got his money back and he told them people at Wal-Mart th at he not know what kind of scam they are running, and he told them he woul dn't ever be back to shop in there store again..

Now these are not the only people they are doing this to.. Theirs another person that brought that same battery and they are doing the same thing to him and he went to the other Wal-Mart to get the corporate p hone number and he called them and they told this man that they don't belie ve one of their store is doing this to people same as the other man , and n ow this man is out$114.84 for a 5 year battery that he can't use but he ha s stop them from doing this to other people for awhile or at least until Wa l-Mart get another battery to continue their secret scamming on on people . ..

But the worst thing is that, they are getting away with it ..

Reply to
mjmeek21

Okay, I don't understand any of this. What does "none of the codes match?" mean? Is this some guy who bought a battery from Wal-Mart that doesn't fit his car and now can't get a refund?

This is Wal-Mart, it's not a high end battery wholesaler. They don't care about customer service. They sell special batteries that are designed to be as cheap as possible and look like standard commercial batteries but aren't.

I'm sorry, I don't understand what the scam here is.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

Another interesting thing.

I noticed a while back that a roll of Gorilla Tape was 50 cents cheaper at Home Depot than at Walmart.

But today i was looking for Mopar Automatic Transmission Fluid+4.** I found few listings for it, but one was in West Chester Pa., not far from me, for 7 dollars a quart. Walmart had a 3rd party vendor whose location I could not determine for $12.17 a quart. !!

So my point is that like other stores that emphasize price, once they convince people that they are cheaper than other places, they don't have to be cheaper anymore, and sometimes are much more expensive.

Mopar® Part # at Quadratic: 68218057AA at 7.00 Walmart: .68218057AB, at 12.17 so the B must cost $5.17!! Amazon: 5013457AA at 11.64 OEM Part Number 05013457AA Item model number 68218057AA Manufacturer Part # 68218057AA so it's the same thing too.

I wonder what a Chrysler dealer would charge.

Neither Mopar ad at Quatdratic or Walmart says it's synthetic, like Pennzoil and Castrol say on the bottle, though Amazon lets you enlarge the picture of the bottle and see that it does say synthetic.

**Separate question: Is this any better for a Chrysler than Pennzoil or Castrol, the only two brands other than house brands that I can walk in and buy at the 3 stores just down the street from me?

Somehow I have the feeling that Castrol isn't really a top-notch brand, but I can't remember why I think that.

Reply to
micky

Wow, imagine that.

I don't think Walmart or any other store ever said they will have the lowes t prices on everything. And you're confusing Walmart price's for products in their store or from them online, with third party sellers that they list there too.

I'm sure you can have endless debate on the virtues of one brand versus ano ther. There are specs for the various fluid that all the providers must mee t. As long as it meets the spec and it's from a recognized brand, that wor ks for me. And the closer the car is to a clunker with an oil leak, the mor e acceptable a cheap house brand that meets the spec becomes.

Reply to
trader_4

Of course they don't say it, but they do things to give that impression.

I'm not confusing anything. I'm reporting; you're confusing.

I appreciate your effort but there is meeting the spec and there is exceeding the spec or excelling in some way not covered by the spec. And the car is nowwhere near clunker or I wouldn't thave asked.

Reply to
micky

Of course they don't say it, but they do things to give that impression.

I'm not confusing anything. I'm reporting; you're confusing.

I appreciate your effort but there is meeting the spec and there is exceeding the spec or excelling in some way not covered by the spec. And the car is nowwhere near clunker or I wouldn't thave asked.

Reply to
micky

tt

west prices on everything.

om them online, with third party sellers that they list there too.

So, you don't see any difference between what Walmart actually stocks and s ells themselves in huge volume and the online market they have where all ki nds of outside vendors, most of them small, sell their other products? You really expect to get the same world class Walmart pricing on a product whe re some vendor sells 200 a year? You're complaining because a product that Walmart apparently doesn't carry but is available from another vendor that sells on their website, costs more than you'd expect from an actual Walmar t product.

another. There are specs for the various fluid that all the providers must meet. As long as it meets the spec and it's from a recognized brand, that works for me. And the closer the car is to a clunker with an oil leak, the more acceptable a cheap house brand that meets the spec becomes.

Like I said, feel free to have that debate with someone else. You'll find i ts almost all personal opinion, devoid of any real test data. The overwhelm ing test data available is usually that the product meets the manufacturer' s spec. I didn't say your car was a clunker either.

Reply to
trader_4

cott

lowest prices on everything.

from them online, with third party sellers that they list there too.

sells themselves in huge volume and the online market they have where all kinds of outside vendors, most of them small, sell their other products? Y ou really expect to get the same world class Walmart pricing on a product w here some vendor sells 200 a year? You're complaining because a product th at Walmart apparently doesn't carry but is available from another vendor th at sells on their website, costs more than you'd expect from an actual Walm art product.

s another. There are specs for the various fluid that all the providers mus t meet. As long as it meets the spec and it's from a recognized brand, tha t works for me. And the closer the car is to a clunker with an oil leak, th e more acceptable a cheap house brand that meets the spec becomes.

its almost all personal opinion, devoid of any real test data. The overwhe lming test data available is usually that the product meets the manufacture r's spec. I didn't say your car was a clunker either.

Here ya go...some light reading. ;-)

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Reply to
DerbyDad03

You just figured this out? Well done. Keep at it.

Reply to
CRNG

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