Hamel’s Tire Center

Les than I expected in terms of service

This place should have 4 or 5 stars. Much better option that some of the large chain stores around. The owner is a great guy who cares about customers and the community.

I had a flat tire I needed repaired. I had the extra tire on my car and the flat in the trunk. I decided to pull into Hamel’s Tire Center because they looked completely empty on a Saturday so I thought id be in and out quickly. Little did I know their lack of business was because the neighborhood knew better than me.
I walked into the reception area and some old women named Celeste Hamel greeted me with a grunt. Celeste Hamel asked me my information and told me to leave the keys. I found it strange that she didn’t fill out out any paperwork, she just kept asking for my keys. I asked her how much it cost to repair a flat tire. She said $ 35. I was blown away because the last time I had a flat tire repaired it cost me $ 15. I was already there and in a rush so I agreed to the price. This woman Celeste Hamel got an F in customer service. She is the most unprofessional and unpleasant person I have ever dealt with.
Later in the day she called me over the phone and told me the tire cannot be repaired and I needed a set of four brand-​new tires. I told her she must have the wrong car because those tires are six months old and the nail is right in the middle of the tire. She informed me that back tires are very warn and I should buy four new tires from her right now. When I told her I didn’t want to do that she pressed me for authorization to put on four new tires. I told her I absolutely did not need four new tires and would come to pick up the car. She groaned and said well then you owe us $ 20. I was confused so I asked her why, you just said you didn’t fix the tire. She said the shop minimum is $ 20 for labor. She and I both knew it took about 10 seconds to look at the tire and there was no labor involved. I told Celeste Hamel I would not pay and she immediately hung up on me.
I went into the shop and demanded my keys and told them I would not pay. She told me that she would not give me my keys back until I paid $ 20. I was being held hostage by a mechanic who was upset that I didn’t let them scam me! I told her I absolutely would not pay. Then this woman Celeste Hamel told me ‘Well you can sit here until 5 PM when we close and then I’ll have one of the guys throw you out.“
I was irate when I heard this and Celeste Hamel did what any scam artist who was called out would do. She ignored anything I said and pretended like I wasn’t in the room, like a petulant child that got caught red handed. She told me she’d hear me when I decided to pay. I kept reminding her how looking at a tire for 10 seconds is not considered labor and is not worth $ 20, and how an honest person would have mentioned that when I asked about the price. It seemed like this wasn’t the first time a customer called them out because this cold response seemed scripted or just natural to her personality.
I used my credit card to pay, and while in the parking lot called the bank. The bank immediately rescinded the payment and credited my account back. The Visa rep told me this isn’t the first time they’ve gotten a call informing them of the scam Celeste Hamel and Hamel’s Tire Center operates.
Why didn’t Celeste Hamel tell me it would cost $ 20 to simply look at my tire for 10 seconds? Why does she insist that she held onto my keys while looking at my tire? Why did she keep forcing me to put on 4 new tires for a repairable flat tire? This is all a big trap they lay. The tire was fixed the next day for $ 15 a few miles down the street at Broadway Tire, a very reputable and well rated establishment.
Looking back I see how I set my foot in the bear trap. They deceive you by not informing you of the $ 20 shop minimum. I had what should have been at $ 15 job from an honest mechanic but because they have this evil scheme of charging $ 20 minimums they do zero work and then make more money NOT doing the job. No mechanic in the country charges a minimum service for 10 seconds of work. An honest person would be ashamed of themselves to do such a thing.
This business has the adage «the customer is always wrong.» I will do my best to spread the word of how disrespectful and unprofessional they are. They have no regard for customer satisfaction or dealing with integrity and honesty.
Beware and be prepared for the possibility of paying much more than you need to, as this is how Hamel’s Tire Center operates.

It was the afternoon and the shop appeared to be pretty slow. I was told this shop has been in business for over 40 years. I understand shops need to make money any way they can these days, but when an old lady, who appeared to be disabled (she could barely walk and appeared to have had a stroke), came in and asked if the shop could help her put air in her tires was turned away, I was really disheartened. They told her they would have to pull her car into the shop to check the air and once they do that hey have to charge her $ 20. They did tell her she could check it herself down the street at the gas station for free. Come on people!

I had a good experience here. Got a flat on Lonsdale and this place was nearby. Brittany, as mentioned in previous reviews, was very friendly and on top of things. The mechanics were also very quick to get my car in. Unfortunately, I drove on the tire too long, so it had to be replaced; they didn’t have the cheapest tires in stock, but I made do and got an oil change while I was there. 150 dollars for change, tire and balance, including labor and warranty. Didn’t talk me into replacing more than the tire that was damaged and I wasn’t there for more than an hour. The mechanic was also very insistent on finding out what particular oil I had in my car to make sure things were copacetic.
I was thankful I didn’t have to wait behind tons of people at a big chain garage.

Brittany (customer service) is awesome. She’s very friendly/​helpful. The other’s are not as warm but hey, we’re at a repair shop so I’m not expecting miracles. I’m a refugee from Town Fair Tire who in my opinion has the WORST service I’ve ever experienced. I’ve purchased 3 sets of tires for my vehicles from Hamel and have been very happy with the service. I had a wheel lock break off one time and they spent 30 mins hammering it off for me at no charge/​no labor. I have not had any other services performed on my vehicles at Hamel so I can’t comment on that, but I’ve never been pushed to buy services/​unnecessary parts etc.

i wish i could give them a zero. a while back i went to them with a tire that needed a plug. they said that it could not be fixed and still charged me even though they didnt fix it. i went to town fair tire and not only did they fix it… they fixed it for free. town fair tire has a customer for life

DO NOT BUY FROM THEM!!!
Bought tires in November, decent price. Had a wobble but no time to bring back right away and since vehicle isn’t driven all time wasnt a priority. Finally had time and they said all four wheels out of balance… and charged me $ 96 to balance even though they did original work. When I questioned the owner he began to yell at me over the phone about how long he has been doing this and four months is too long and is not covered. They also tried to sell me new parts for steering when the parts were just replaced by dealer six months ago! They told me components in front end needed replacement and when another mechanic I know personally said was not true. Watch out for this place. You go for tires and need entire front end replaced! Very poor customer service, even from owner, I guess he has enough money not to worry about referalls.

Brittany does an amazing job here.
This is a great place, they know cars and tires, they are honest, straight forward and they explain things very very well.
Great job, a local shop that exceeds all my expectations.

I had the WORST EXPERIENCE ever at Hamel’s Tire. DO NOT GO HERE unless you want to get screwed. I went for a state inspection and they tried to convince me that I needed two new tires when I didn’t. THEY WILL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE A BUCK OFF OF YOU. In fact, they charged me a «small service fee» of TEN DOLLARS to SCREW ON A FRONT LICENSE PLATE. The woman, Celeste Hamel, also has tremendous interpersonal skills saying «I can’t have my service guy work for free». Never have I had to write such a poor review for a business and I WILL NEVER GO BACK. I only had wished I looked on Unilocal before going there… beware of Hamel’s Tire in Cumberland.

Had a really bad experience with Hammel Tires. They said my wife tire had to be replaced and then I went to Tire Pros in Smithfield and they fixed the tire for free. They also informed me that someone was trying to make a buck off of me. So I went back to tell the people at Hammels and they denied the whole thing.
DO NOT GO HERE!

I stumbled upon Hamel’s looking for a shop to get my RI state inspection, and I was happy with my experience. I walked in off the street and inquired about state inspections; the girl behind the desk informed me the tech was on lunch, but quickly checked the schedule and said she could get me in as quickly as 45 minutes. Perfect, since it gave me time to run some errands before I had to be back.
The inspection took about 30 minutes, and there were several leather arm chairs inside where I could wait. They also take personal checks, which I know a lot of places don’t anymore.
Hamel’s has been around for about 40 years, and it is a family-​owned place. I felt comfortable there, which is important to me. Granted, I wasn’t there for service, but I will probably go back if I need something done and don’t want to go to the dealer.
Quick tip: They offer free tire rotation with an oil change.

I’ve had great experience with Hamel Tire over the last several years. Between my wife’s SUV and my Porsche, we’ve purchased several sets of tires from them as well as having new winter wheels installed. Highly professional and courteous with top notch technicians and equipment (laser alignment systems, Hunter wheel balancers, etc). They are also an approved installer for Tire Rack if you prefer to purchase tires online and have them drop shipped directly to Hamel.