Unexpected Call From Love’s Travel Stops
Got a call from Love’s this evening and we came to an amicable resolution regarding my social media blitz about Love’s Tire Service Rip-off. Wish they had done the right thing sooner but I’m glad it’s over.
New Love’s Tire Service Rip-off Update
When I was at the Tifton, GA Love’s Tire Shop getting the valve stems replaced, as explained in the blog post: Love’s Tire Service Rip-off, one of the techs told me that I had balancing beads AND wheel weights on/in my tires. This was a surprise to me since when I bought the tires new I had the beads introduced rather than weights and you’re not supposed to use both. I never had a reason to check. Anyway, he told me that he removed the beads so I would just have the weights.
Fast forward to now, several weeks later, when I’m at home getting new drive tires. Ever since Love’s removed the beads from the steer tires there has been a vibration, so I thought I’d have them rebalanced. After explaining to the service writer what had happened, he suggested that I just introduce new beads, since I like them, and remove the weights. After a while, the tech from the shop came to get me to come take a look. He found that Loves Tire Service had only removed beads from one of the tires!! There’s where the vibration is coming from; out of balance!!
Love’s Tire Service Rip-off Update
Love’s Tire Service Rip-off Update:
I went through the same process with another person at Love’s Corporate, Cody Lucas. He did the same thing as Christine Jacamo (sp). This time I found out where the problem is. When they talked to the tire tech who came out, he changed his story. The day he came out, he gave me one possible explanation for how the stem got broken when they were installing it. He told me that they probably had left the air chuck connected to the stem when they rolled the tire out of the protective cage, the chuck hit the cage and cracked the threads. Makes perfect sense. He also told me that he wasn’t going to charge me for his time or the replacement valve stem, just the service vehicle, in hopes that it would look like he agrees with me; that I shouldn’t be charged for the service call since they broke it installing it.
I now know that the tech has been telling corporate that there was a scuff on the tire indicating that I hit a curb and broke it. (I’m thinking more like, they scuffed the tire dismounting and remounting it?) From the pictures you can see that the wheel and tire both would have to be severely janked-up to have broken the valve stem the way it sits back inside of the wheel. What a coincidence; after 12 years of driving and this never happening, the day that they replace the valve stem, somewhere in the next 3 MILES….I hit a curb so hard that it breaks in the threads without messing up the wheel!
Very poor business decision for Love’s Travel Stops. They’re taking the word of a tire tech who probably won’t be there next month, over a customer who spends $40,000 a year with them on fuel alone….for a $100 service call. I, or my trucks, will never use Love’s tire service or service vehicles again. Unbelievable.
Love’s Tire Service Rip-off
Had new tire stems installed on steer tires due to leaking air when I removed the caps. Went to Love’s in Tifton, GA to have the work done. After that I went 3 miles to the Country Inn at Tifton,
GA. for the weekend and checked in Friday afternoon. Sunday morning I went to the truck for something and noticed one of the tires was almost flat. I found that they had broke the valve stem sometime during the install and it was leaking air very slowly.
What can I do? It’s too low to drive so I had to call Love’s about sending the service truck. The girl at their call center didn’t think I should be charged for the service call and talked it over with the Manager who said that they had to charge me but I could go through a refund process. I understand the rules so I didn’t have a problem with that and paid for the service call.
The service tech who showed up didn’t think I should be charged either but was there when the conversation happened at the shop. He told me that he wasn’t going to charge me for his time or the new valve stem; just the truck, which was still $100, in hopes that it would show that he agreed that I shouldn’t be charged for the service call.
When I talked to Christine Jacamo (sp) at Love’s corporate, after I returned her call 3 times and left messages each time and she never called me back, she denied my refund. At one time she said that the 2 days before I called was a problem. I drove the truck 3 miles went outside in two days and found the flat. How’s that a problem? She also said that she had talked to the manager and the tech who came out and that my story didn’t match with theirs! What!? There’s no story! They broke something installing it, I drove 3 miles, flat tire.
I’m not going to miss $100; but it just isn’t right. You can’t break something then charge me to fix it. I have 2 trucks that are Diamond Status almost every month and I get a great fuel discount there, so I’m not going to stop using Love’s for fuel. BUT for ripping me off $100, they’ll lose a lot more than that since my current 2 and future trucks won’t be using their tire shop or service trucks again.
Love’s Tire Service Rip-off Update 