Hi-Q for the Hi-Jump

For some years now, I've used Hi-Q in Burgess Hill for my tires. They've usually been great, but an incident happened earlier on this month which really showed me their true colours.

This is what I sent to Hi-Q head office ... it is a bit stunted because their feedback form was a bit stingy with the character allowance, but it gets over the main point. The real telling factor was that no one from head office actually had the guts to come back to me.

In future, on the recommendation of friends who know what they're talking about (KatMaul, take a bow) my next tyres will be bought from Black Circles where you can choose your tyres and then choose your garage to fit them.

Anyway, here's what I sent Hi-Q...

I don't know what happened to Hi-Q in Burgess Hill today. For some time I've come in, not knowing a lot about tyres, asked for something middle of the range, talk brands and prices and ended up with a reasonable set of Good Year, Pirelli, etc, but this time was a disaster.

The technician read my car tyre size and then said, "Oh, we ain't got any for you." I'd booked the appointment weeks earlier, so I was more than a bit upset.

Someone said, "we've got eight. They came in without paperwork so we couldn't put them on the computer." So things settled down and the job carried on. I still hadn't had the discussion on what tyre and price. I went on trust and left them to it.

Once finished, the price was reasonable. On going out and inspecting, I found they were a type I'd never heard of before. Intensa Sava. "Oh, don't worry. They're Goodyear."

Well, I still remember the technician said that the stock in the back wasn't on the computer because they didn't come with any paperwork. That was suss from the start, so urgent research on these tyres was called for.

The company is in Slovenia and apparently has a reputation that is far from satisfactory. Many people are complaining about the poor performance in the wet. They're an economy tyre, certainly not middle of the range. The only thing they've got in common with Goodyear is that Goodyear bought the company.

I recounted this experience to a friend of mine, who said that there are companies that don't really care. They'll sell you what they've got.

Thinking back on my previous visits to Hi-Q, I thought I was placing myself in the hands of experts who knew the latest tyre technologies. With hindsight, and this experience, I think my friend was right ... the switching between brands ... I've simply been sold whatever you've had in stock and wanted to sell.

I feel badly betrayed.

This visit has cut me to the core. I'll never set foot in Hi-Q again. I am disgusted and upset with what has happened. I'll be changing them somewhere else and cursing the name of Hi-Q for years to come.

I feel like I've been ripped off ... not financially, because these tyres seem to be worth the next to nothing I paid anyway ... but morally I feel like I've been put through the wringer.