Costco Tire Service Center

I needed to have a run flat tire replaced and Costco quoted the best price. But I won’t use them again.
My list of complaints:
I first called to get a price quote to have my tire replaced and was told I couldn’t order over the phone but would need to go in. I’m not sure why not, but I went in anyways. When I came in, the service rep said the vehicle needed to be there for the tire to be ordered. Which is strange because it wasn’t drivable.
So after multiple inconsistent answers from them, I went online and found out I could easily order the exact tire I needed and have it sent to that tire center. Why no one told me I was able to do that from the beginning is odd and an indication they are not concerned with being overly helpful.
The confirmation email said they would call me upon receiving the tire so I could go in and have it installed.
The tire came in, but I never received a call. I knew it arrived because I checked the tracking on the tire. They didn’t seem concerned with the fact that no one called me.
When the tire was getting installed, the rep said it would be an hour to hour and a half. So I explicitly asked if I’d receive a call when ready, and he assured me I would.
I never got a call again.
Lastly, I have somewhat higher end tire valve stem caps for the bmw sport package. I noticed today that this specific one was missing and replaced with a cheap plastic one. I know it sounds silly and it’s not a big deal, but just another annoying thing to add to an overall poor experience.
Tl:dr — misinformation, no notifications or phone calls after specific requests, and a lost valve stem cap.

My family and I have been Costco members for ~25 years. The battery in my Truck is going out so I called, verified they had the battery I needed, and came over about 5:45 to purchase. On entry to the tire center, I mentioned I had called and the guy behind the counter said it was on the rack around the corner. I grabbed it, he said I couldn’t take it outside to compare (even If I left my ID and credit card with him) but loaned me a tape measure so I could double check it was the right one, and it was. I began to remove the battery from my truck and as it closed in on 6pm when they closed, I realized there was a bolt holding the battery in place that I did not see. As I turned to walk in to the store and ask if he had a socket I could borrow for a second, I see a woman with short light brownish/​reddish hair, who is ostensibly the manager, yelling in my direction «hurry up!»
Note I don’t know who she is, nor that she’s actually yelling at me since she’s 50′ away, but the counter guy is standing near her so I imagine they are referring to me. I walk over and explain the bolt and ask if they had a socket I could borrow and he cuts me off explaining they don’t loan any tools. Fine, I will drive home after coming all this way and needing a battery instead of you taking 5 minutes to help a customer and close a sale.
I get the rules. I know this isn’t a DIY auto repair shop with loaner tools and people wrenching in the parking lot. But I also understand customer service and professional behavior. I’m thoroughly disappointed with the staff at this location. It is inconsistent with the Costco brand and reflects poorly on the manager and team in Novato.
We don’t live very close to this location and the experience was offensive enough that I’m leaving this review from the parking lot with my nearly dead battery. My annual executive membership fee may be better spent supporting a (potentially more expensive) local vendor.
As the door says, «no appointment necessary», but it also should say, «service not guaranteed».

I read these reviews and almost didn’t go here to get tires. But thought I would give it a try. Someone greeted me as I pulled up and told me to check in in the front office. They took my request right away. I got 4 new tires on sale at a good price. They balanced the tires as part of the deal. They told me it would take 1.5 hours. I came back to check in one hour and the work was done. The tires look good and all in all I’m pretty happy.

Worst customer service around!!! I ordered a set of tires on Saturday, December 12. They said they would be in by Thursday. When they never arrived I had to get my tires elsewhere. I called Costco tire center to ask what I would do about my refund. They told me to go into the store not the tire center, and request a refund. They told me that the store would call the tire center to confirm. After waiting in a long line in the store for a refund, the woman called the tire center and the tire center said I had to go over there first. I stomped over there, and I mean stomped, and had to wait in another line with at least seven people ahead of me. When I got up to the front counter to air my grievances, the woman was very surprised that I wouldn’t know I had to come to the tire center. I told her that someone at the tire center told me I didn’t have to over the phone and that this was a terribly bad business operation considering the fact that my tires weren’t even in on time and no one called me. She couldn’t care less. The manager, Nick, couldn’t care less either. I know Costco gets a great business and I do love Costco (the store) but I will never enter the tire center again. I know my little review will not change the fact that Costco tires will continue to do a phenomenal business. However I wanted people to know my experience was awful.

Great deals on tired if you can stand the service.
What can I say about Costco you don’t already know. You can get great deals on just about anything if you don’t mind the reduced customer support. That just about sums up the experience you will have in their tire center as well. That said, I never mind and have had a good experience so far. About the only thing I can complain about is that they don’t do alignments which is a must when you get new tires.
Keep in mind, you of course first need a membership at Costco.

I had a good experience at Costco. I went in around 7:30 PM and it was quiet. A man named Tim helped me and he was very very helpful. He explained different tires to me and explained the sales. I thought he went out of his way to be helpful and informative and I really appreciate that. I’ve been to other Costco tire centers before but this was the best experience that I’ve had to date.

Very disappointed. I had had an okay experience the prior to last time I purchased my tires from here, but the last time ended my desire to want to do business with this section of Costco. When I called in to acquire about an appointment and availability of my tire size, I got the «why are you bothering me?» tone from the man working that section. When I had ordered tires in the past, I knew I had to check in advance to see if my tire size was in stock and, if not, set an appointment. When I restated my request, he then proceeded to escalate in volume and drop the «lady» word several times in clear condescension. After listening to him talk down to me about my knowledge of tires and his job, I asked for his name and manager and he hung up. He was pretty rude! It’s a shame, too, because I genuinely love shopping at Costco and would have continued getting my tires here.

This is two reviews in one. Basically the tire prices are pretty good and it would take some research to beat the prices to the point it is worth it to switch. The free tire rotations and wheel balances are definitely a great benefit of buying tires here. The service portion of the deal is downright abysmal. Costco would benefit from employing two front line cashiers/​customer service reps that do just customer service, not service tires-​I think in the present setup, technicians have difficulty telling the difference. I consider myself lucky that I can send my spouse most of the time and not have to deal with the bad taste in my mouth left from having to deal with the employees that work here.

This is slow torture… Every time I come here it is slow torture. Service is terrible. Please hire new and more people Costco…
Thanks,
All 10 of us waiting in line

Have bought tires there in the past and it was a good experience. This time I did not end up using them as their selection for the tire size I needed was very limited and they only had the very high end and expensive ones. However, Diondre Jones was very friendly and helpful. I also asked if they did 4-​wheel alignment, which they don’t, but Diondre have me a coupon for a tire shop down in San Rafael that does it. Only $ 79.50 with the coupon.

Although the prices are generally a smidgen lower than other tire stores, their service could not be more offensive and dismissive. I’ve been lied to, had work done poorly, and had improper work justified with «that’s just store policy». No matter how knowledgeable you are about your car’s tires and suspension, and even when you politely explain how this store policy contradicts both industry standards and the safe operation of your vehicle, they will simply repeat the store policy in a condescending tone. Their decision about what you want supersedes what you actually want.
If a store policy that contradicts what has been industry standard practices for many years, and when following this policy demonstrably causes problems with the operation of the vehicle, and most importantly, if this policy is contrary to the work the customer is paying to have done (with no difference in the Costco’s liability), then the policy should not trump the customer’s request. And no matter what the policy says, there is never an excuse to lie to or insult your customer.
(Note: this review does not reflect on the rest of this Costco location.)