Mods please move this - I don't know how it ended up here. ----> kick. Done.
Can someone explain this for me please?
We decided to prolong our sojourn in the UK, consequently I thought it a good idea to buy the tyres I was planning to purchase this autumn in France over here instead. Not long ago tyres were cheaper here than in France. Not any more, it seems. I recently priced a Hankook 225/50x17 in France on-line at 220 euros. I went on the Kwikfit website and got a price of 101.50 pounds, fitted. So far, so good. It just happens there's a Kwikfit depot round the corner so I went there today and asked if that was the price. No way. They quoted 153 pounds each and said they couldn't possibly match the on-line quote. I said 'hang on, you're the same firm aren't you?' All I got was a shrug. It could almost have been France, except the price was eye-wateringly higher. Can someone explain this for me, please?
Incidentally, I strolled 100 yards along the road to a Halfords depot and got a far better price on the spot for either Hankook or Goodyear.
I really do feel like a stranger in a strange land.
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 18 Aug 15 at 01:45
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>> Can someone explain this for me, please?
Shrug. 'Euh, bof... '
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I had a similar one when buying a TV some years ago, the local Comet could not come near their online delivered price. Euro Car Parts stores can not match their click and collect prices either.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 17 Aug 15 at 22:33
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The Hankook price in France was 120 euros. AC was so quick off the Mark the system wouldn't let me correct it. I don't have a problem with 'euh, bof' at home but it's a bit disappointing in what I fondly believed was the land of the logical.
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>> 'hang on, you're the same firm aren't you?
I believe that most Kwikfit businesses are franchise operations. In which case the answer to your question would be;
"No, we are not, and we have fantastically different cost bases".
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Well I guess that makes some sort of sense. Presumably the franchisee just gets a tenner for the fitting or whatever. I'm 65 this week. I often yearn for the simple past...
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>> I
>> went on the Kwikfit website and got a price of 101.50 pounds, fitted. So far,
>> so good. It just happens there's a Kwikfit depot round the corner so I went
>> there today and asked if that was the price. No way. They quoted 153 pounds
>> each and said they couldn't possibly match the on-line quote.
The web site quite clearly says
Exclusive Online Tyre Pricing
Exclusive means "not rock up at any old kwik fit you fancy at any old time you like and expect the same price"
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Well, that might make sense to you computer-minded, logic of autism types but where I live the price you see on line is what you actually hand over in your nearest branch of the firm of the same name and I prefer it that way, thank you.
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>> Well, that might make sense to you computer-minded, logic of autism types but where I
>> live the price you see on line is what you actually hand over in your
>> nearest branch of the firm of the same name and I prefer it that way,
>> thank you.
Then buy it where you live!
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Not so long ago, 120 EUR was equivalent to about 102 GBP; these days it's more like 85 GBP, so French prices seem unnaturally low. It won't last.
As for online v branch, I've used Best Buy Tyres, who will let me buy and book online at a price for a fully-fitted job that is then completed in my nominated branch. Marlow. Haven't been to a Kwikfit in ten years, but what are you supposed to get for that online price?
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Mon 17 Aug 15 at 22:44
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Why do you think anything is more logical here? Kwitfit are there to make money,if you had been a regular they might have given you the online price.
Your car with a French number plate don't know.
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Yeah, I probably will buy where I live and the British economy can disappear up it's own fundament for all I care.
The French economy is heading for a brick wall anyway and deflation is only part of the problem but I don't much care about that, either.
Also incidentally, the Halfords manager told me the firm introduced a new computerised 'MOT' system today and, despite repeated assurances, it was in chaos. His branch had booked eight tests and managed to complete one.
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You might have to come back here Mike.>:)
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Something I wondered last week. Is Mike H and Mike Hannon (Two different members on here) one and the same? I suspected yes. But maybe not.
But then if yes, the get to Stanstead from WSW question becomes more interesting with 4 x tyres. Borris bike in London?
I am probably wrong as Mike H lives in Austria (?) and Mike Hannon might be France??
Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 18 Aug 15 at 00:20
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>> Something I wondered last week. Is Mike H and Mike Hannon (Two different members on
>> here) one and the same? I suspected yes. But maybe not.
>>
>> But then if yes, the get to Stanstead from WSW question becomes more interesting with
>> 4 x tyres. Borris bike in London?
>>
>> I am probably wrong as Mike H lives in Austria (?) and Mike Hannon might
>> be France??
>>
I'd say DEFINITELY wrong ;-). We are, to the best of knowledge and belief, totally different people.
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>> I've used Best Buy Tyres
Yep, me too. And have had great service from them. I however didn't use them this time as Merityre's on-line quotes matched Best Buy Tyres prices. Seeing as BBT's arrange for Merityre to fit them at a convenient time, I simply cut out the middle man this time and bought direct from Merityre. When I phoned them and mentioned the on-line prices they said that's fine and said they would honour it.
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My last set of tyres were bought a few months ago as a distress purchase at the main dealer. Obviously that's a situation where you will be fleeced to death - but not a bit of it. Nice chap brought up,the Internet on his pc, together we poked about a couple of tyre sites, found the cheapest price on the tyres I wanted, and then I asked him if he could round it down further, which he did.
So my £108 at tyres4u or whatever they were (Michelins) he did at £100 each.
Nice dealer and left me astonished.
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I buy Metabo tools. I have a great relationship with the dealer. Most Metabo tools are excellent, but some are to be avoided. What chance tyres carrying the same name/wording come in two qualities to suit their costs? Just a thought.
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A national kitchen company beginning with 'H' and ten miles from me prices a kitchen. The very same company in Essex, yes ESSEX! Delivers same kitchen to Devon for £600.00 cheaper. Work that one out.
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No, we are not the same person. I do live in France and am easily traceable.
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>> No, we are not the same person.
I can vouch for that, the other one doesn't quite moan so much
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The on line price is for a pre booked job. You choose a slot that they've offered 'cos it suits them from a workload point of view. If you 'need' tyres now, as i did in MAy when I realised the newer 'lingo had an illegal o/s rear, you pay the rack rate.
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Yes it"s all about evening out the supply and demand. Much the same as booking a hotel room. Book on line a week or two in advance and you will get a better rate than just turning up when you wan a room.
You will also, of course, be paying in advance when you book online.
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>> Book on line a week or two in advance and you will get a better rate than just turning up when you wan a room.
We often book on-line if we are staying just one or two nights, but there's the risk finding yourself directly above a music venue or next to a lift shaft or boiler room, etc. If we are staying longer we will usually book direct with the hotel to (hopefully) ensure we get a suitable room.
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Good point Bromp. General retailers have had to accept that the online price is the price; but the service element means tyre retailing has more of the characteristics of hotels etc as CGN says.
Nevertheless I think there will be more convergence, especially as the majority of people will research online before they go to a KwikFit-type depot.
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>> Nevertheless I think there will be more convergence, especially as the majority of people will
>> research online before they go to a KwikFit-type depot.
True but do you.
(1)Rock up to a tyre place uninvited, on the off chance that they might have the tyre you want, in the size you want, at some unknown price.
or do you
(2) Go on line, choose the tyre you want, the size you want, at an agreed known fixed price, at a booked time slot to suit you.
You could always choose (1) I suppose and them moan about it.
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1 might be your only option if the tyre is ruined and all you have is a compressor and a can of gunk.
In other markets the online business is a separate entity from the retail business. The retail business will not get close to online prices due to the high street overheads is the often quoted reason. I can't fathom out why they do this for something like tyres which, unless you have your own levers and balance machine, requires you to visit a fitter with high street overheads.
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I can only guess at the tyre market, but it's a mass market, and I know that for electronic goods for example (where competing vendors all sell the same stuff) a majority of the people buying big box items in the shop will have looked online before going there.
Even where online sales account for only say 10% of total sales, the retailer's website nevertheless typically has a role in the majority of large purchases.
What's interesting to me is that a bricks and mortar only retailer is therefore at a severe disadvantage for obvious reasons; and less obviously an online only retailer doesn't actually have the advantage we might suppose, given that so many shop purchases take place despite the buyers looking online before making their decision.
As I said above, general retailers do not now routinely charge different prices online and in-store. It's untenable because they are not actually separate channels. Remember Dixons Online? When there were no longer any Dixons shops on the high street or in retail parks, the idea was that Currys/PC World could continue to charge the "store" price while Dixons.co.uk competed in the online market. It didn't work because it is not as easy to make money with a purely online brand, selling things people can buy in shops, as we might think - as AO World has found. You have to keep doing expensive marketing to generate customers, and your head-on rivals (including online destination retailer Amazon) can react instantly to your pricing.
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Well, when I lived in England and when I have visited in more recent years you could just turn up at a tyre supplier of your choice, take your pick of makes at competitive prices or go back in a couple of hours if they had to be ordered. Not everybody is glued to a computer or 'smart' phone.
The other day I asked my son about the gadget on his wrist and he showed me that, with his smartphone, it produced a record of all his physical activity, day and night. He couldn't understand why I fell about with laughing.
Anyway, it's bleed'n raining AGAIN.
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>>you could just turn up at a tyre supplier of your choice, take your pick of makes at
>>competitive prices or go back in a couple of hours if they had to be ordered
I still do that. Sometimes life is too short for the internet.
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D-i-L's car needed to 2 fronts - Yokohamas - local dealers could not source them & the large chains were eye wateringly expensive - one outfit wanted £124 each!
Black Circles delivered to local tyre outlet - £80.xx each fitted. A minimum saving of £50 over ATS/Kwikfit etc.
Other brand makes were cheaper but she wanted to keep all 4 tyres the same make/pattern.
No spare with her car - I bet if she broke down on the motorway the cost of a new tyre would be 2 or 3 x the cost!
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Happy to see the dual on/offline pricing with click & collect type stuff.... as others have said it gives choice... so choose the one that suits and be content.
With the online choice you are saving a sales or customer service person taking time assisting with choice, you are often doing your own admin & sometimes pre-paying so that's another level of "service" you've saved them... and it evens out their stock supply... and in the case of an item where there is fitting involved evens out their workshop bookings.
For doing all that I like a saving.
Most important with tyres it gives you the chance to get *exactly* what you want rather than what's in the rack on the day.
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A conundrum - Armel Coussine
