Costco Wholesale — Local services in San Antonio

Why highlight their tire warranty when Costco Tire won't honor it?

Bought 4 new tires ($1023.82 after $200 discount) on July 5, 2023. Ran into a road hazard on Dec 3, 2023 and had to have my car towed back to Costco Tire for replacement tire. Even at less than 6 months old, Costco Tire Shop immediately began making excuses as to why the replacement tire probably would not be covered by tire warranty (tires not properly inflated; tires weren't rotated per specs...again, tires were not even 6 months old yet, thus time for initial tire rotation not yet met).

After an initial review, Costco Tire declared that the tire damage was caused by an "accident" rather than a "road Hazard". I was not in an accident. I was traveling 55 mph as I began approaching a highway exit when I hit an object on the road even though I swerved to try and avoid hitting it. If that is not a road hazard then I don't know what is. An "accident" means colliding with another vehicle or immovable object (wall, tree, etc.). I was told that because my tire rim was damaged, this was an "accident"; this exception is NOT noted among the 11 items listed under "WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED" on the warranty page. Yet, "Road hazard failure...defined as a tire that becomes unserviceable due to cuts, non-repairable punctures or impact damage" is listed as first under "WHAT IS COVERED". Go figure.

While I've been a Costco member in San Antonio since 2001 and am generally happy with Costco products and service.......do yourself a favor and DO NOT buy tires from them or if you do, do not expect them to honor their tire warranty.

In addition to voiding the warranty, tire shop service was uneven and largely unsatisfying. One or two of the local tire shop personnel were responsive when we called to find out when we could bring our new rim in and get the tire replaced. We asked that the decision to void our warranty be reconsidered in light of the facts of our blowout, but "Kevin", a service manager in Dallas responsible for reviewing our request for warranty coverage and who "is very responsive and always communicates with customers", never got back to us so we had to pay $284 for the tire. We also never heard from Blake, the local tire shop manager who promised, via other tire shop workers, to reach out to Kevin about our case.

My car was in the tire shop from Sunday December 3rd until Thursday Dec 7th while waiting for a response. So, I ultimately paid the $284 for the tire so I could get my car back. Of course, still no word from the highly responsive, customer...

[UPDATE #2, Oct-2024] What is it about current Costco leadership that they repeatedly stick their head into the beehive? I guess it is the nature of humanity: innovation yields success, success breeds arrogance, and arrogance leads to a fall. With Costco, we are approaching the fall – and I do not mean the season. One can only become so exasperated before moving on.

The former “semi-wholesale” firm, previously famous for selling quality or volume products at a significantly lower price, and often with a better warranty, now envisages itself as an exclusive nightclub for which they must post bouncers at the door assiduously scanning ID barcodes on everyone entering the building. Their prior “great” idea in San Antonio was to foster lawless bozos cutting in line at the gas pumps, and before that, to ignore the needs of customers to box their smaller goods.

As someone who has lived near and shopped at the original Costco stores in the PNW, I had no problem with showing my Costco card as I walked in because store personnel could quickly see the logo at a distance, and entry did not require a laborious queuing/scanning process. But this new installment of moronicopia is oppressive and achieves nothing of significance. “We must protect member fees/member experience!” they insist. Yeah, Costco, you already do that which anyone with a STEM major and an understanding of critical path analysis could tell you.

Let’s say I slipped through the bouncer and find myself inside, load up on product and head to the self-checkout to avoid focused attention from personnel. What happens next? I have to scan my ID card to even check out; I’m not getting out of the store without doing so, because I must present a receipt. So all this really does is add a burden without any significant return. Costco apparently thinks customers are insignificant compared to their fear of missing out on a few fees which could be dealt with in the existing checkout process.

Costco, please refresh yourselves on Rule #1 of Success (Don’t Be a D*) and hire financial engineers who can look at physical impact as well as stochastic equations and spreadsheet numbers. I hope you can lose the brazen attitude that you can do whatever you want with the customer but, as for me, I am already planning to reduce or eliminate trips to Costco, and I’m eager for the new innovator to come along.

(Prior review and updates were too long. Original review was mildly negative, first update was positive. I am essentially...

Update 5 Dec 2023: Costco is up to their register shenanigans again! They had two out of 10 registers open along with the self check registers! Well, all three lines were very long and the self check meandered all the way back to the freezer section! So, After standing in a regular register line for over five minutes as they checked one customer, I LEFT MY CART and HEADED OUT OF THE STORE WITHOUT IT!!! I drove all the way over to the 281 Fwy Costco where I made a seamless purchase!

Mon 20 July 2023 If you're coming to this Costco today for cheeses, etc you might want to skip this Costco because their refrigerated section has broken down! I tried to discuss with an employee who was happy to explain that the refrigerators had failed, but he didn't count on pushback from a customer who asked for an explanation, because Costco has none other than "oh well, things break down!" See, Costco doesn't maintain them so they don't break down, not part of their philosophy, they wait until they do! ...and for some reason a multi-billion dollar business can never seem to have all of its registers open, so...long lines!

9 Aug 2022. This Costco had no ROTISSERIE CHICKEN! I asked the butcher/cook why that was and he replied “the deliveries didn’t show up!” I can see where principally that’s out of the control of the store, but not having a backup plan isn’t! I also asked the butcher if the store gave an explanation for him to give to customers when they ask “why no chicken” and he said “no they didn’t talk to us.” In other words COSTCO I-10/UTSA BLVD ISN’T CONCERNED WITH GIVING CUSTOMERS ANY EXPLANATION! While I was waiting in line at the register there was an employee walking around asking customers to go to the self check register and They, including myself, weren’t even willing to abandon their position in line at one of the only 2 out of 10 registers open. Somehow it escaped this employee’s ability to understand that instead waisting time informing customers about something they can discern on their own he could have OPENED ANOTHER REGISTER TO HELP THEM! Either these COSTCO EMPLOYEES can’t think on their feet or the management model is so poorly structured as well as employees poorly trained that this is the best you can get for your...