Costco Wholesale — Local services in Vancouver

I won’t be renewing my executive membership when it lapses in February. As much as I like Costco, even love them sometimes, this place isn’t worth the hassle or frustration.

Short version: their tire shop kept my $15 “labor fee” even though they didn’t do the work.

Long version: I had a tire with a slow leak. Thinking it was probably about time to buy four new tires anyway, I booked an appointment through Costco’s site. The request involved patching the tire and inspecting all four – in anticipation of the news that I’d need to order replacements, which I was planning to do.

When I dropped off my truck, they took my tire-repair fee, valve-stem fee, and my keys.

They called to let me know that the tire could not be patched, that I did not yet need new tires, and that they would put my spare on for me, as they did not have a tire in stock that fit.

I asked about ordering two tires. (Might as well replace both of the rear tires at the same time.)

I was told that I’d get a call “later” with a quote. Not, “Nah, not interested.” Not, “Oh, sorry – we don’t actually want to do anything with your vehicle.” Not, “I’d prefer not to.”

A couple of hours later, I got a call – not about a quote, but about…I’m not sure what happened, but the story involved a missing mallet and the tire shop’s inability to get my tire off the truck to put on the spare. The story was rather elaborate, but the gist was that they could not locate the mallet, which they needed because my rim was allegedly fused to the hub somehow.

So, the spare was still under the truck, as they apparently couldn’t get the leaky tire off. I was told that I needed to take my truck to a mechanic.

When I went to pick up my truck, they refunded me the $3 they’d charged for a valve stem – seeing as how they hadn’t replaced the valve stem, this was fair.

However, the labor charge could not be refunded because…well, the guy didn’t explain. He just…trailed off. Costco had wasted my afternoon and I still needed to find a qualified place to get the work done, so I didn’t really feel like wasting more time trying to get an explanation. (Note: Les Schwab had no issues getting the leaky tire off the truck. Either they had not misplaced THEIR mallet, or the tire came off without all that. I don’t know which and don’t really care, to be honest.)

No work done. But no refund. Costco refunded the three bucks for not replacing the valve stem, but didn’t refund the labor charge even though they performed no labor by their own admission. This wasn’t a, “Look at your truck, lose the one tool we need in order to do any work, and then tell you to take your vehicle elsewhere” fee, after all.

I don’t know what Costco intends to do with my money, but I have a few suggestions as to where they can store it...

If your going to visit Costco and it's getting late you might want to take note of their hours which are M-F 9:30am - 8:30pm - Sat. 9:30am - 7:00pm - Sun. 10:00am - 6:00pm. When I visit this location I always have a good experience with the staff unless you need to find a specific item then you might be walking around looking for help considering the size of this place. I always visit the fresh produce and grocery section. Sometimes I purchase items because they are less expensive than other places but the truth is I can't finish all of it before it goes bad. I never like throwing out food but it's seems to be a huge advantage over the normal grocery stores. I pay the same amount or more and get less while I run the risk of running to early. Did I mention all my produce is fresh and maintained well at the store. One thing I don't like about some of the produce is the fact that it's coming from other countries. I'm a big believer in local sustainability. If your not familiar with the term I'm using it in the context of fertilizers and pesticides. These chemicals can be very harmful to the people who consume them. We also need to think about how these pesticides are depleting all the good soil and harming the bees reproductive system. When that soil becomes sterile, it can no longer produce food. We should be adopting local farming without chemicals and the big guys out there should be investing in our future. That said I still continue to shop for the items that I see fit. They do have lots of great product even outside the produce section. I like filling up with gas because I know that I'm getting a better deal. The gas lines are not as long as some other Costco's just the same inside. The lines may seem long but they move fast. Another great experience my family enjoys are all the free samples. It's fun to try out samples while your shopping and you can learn a little about the product before buying. If your looking for electronics, groceries, auto, pharmacy, eye exams, small appliances, household items and much much more, they got you covered on just about everything you can think of. Most items are quality with brand-name products at warehouse prices. This is reason enough for most people to shop here. It's worth the annual membership fees and keeps us coming back for more. ...

I have been a Costco member for many years and have always appreciated the wide range of quality services and products your company offers. However, I am writing to express my deep disappointment and concern regarding an incident that occurred today during a shopping trip with my mother.

While we were checking out, my mother, due to a language barrier, could not fully understand the cashier's explanation that the name on the payment card must match the name on the Costco membership card. In her eagerness to complete the payment, she used her card. As I was about to explain to her that Costco likely enforces this rule to prevent non-members from misusing membership cards, my mother unintentionally attempted to use her card again before fully grasping the situation or allowing me to use mine.

At this point, the cashier turned to their colleague, let out a condescending laugh, and made a strange noise. This behavior was both disrespectful and deeply humiliating for us, especially for my elderly mother, in a public setting. I am baffled as to why such a minor misunderstanding and unintentional action were met with such inappropriate and unprofessional conduct.

This experience has caused me significant disappointment with the service at this particular store. While I understand and respect Costco’s policies, the manner in which this situation was handled was far from the level of respect and professionalism I have come to expect as a loyal member.

I also want to acknowledge the improvements Costco has made in recent years, particularly regarding the freshness of produce, as issues with spoiled items have significantly decreased. However, I strongly urge the company to invest equal attention in training staff on providing respectful and empathetic customer service. Such training would help ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.

I sincerely hope that your company will investigate this matter and take appropriate measures to address it. It is my wish that no other customer has to endure the embarrassment and discomfort we...