Letter to the MD of Tiger Wheel & Tyre // No response to date!!!

Dear Chris

RE: Tiger Wheel and Tyre Incident – December 2018

Following our conversation over the Christmas period, I want to put on record the incident which has left me both disappointed and disturbed by the behaviour of Tiger Wheel and Tyre. At the time, I made it quite clear to you that I was not on some sort of witch hunt, nor did I wish to make this incident a career limiting move for the people involved. Rather, it can be a record of behaviour that can be corrected. Certainly, in times like these, it is the responsibility of each and every South African to ensure that we maintain levels of good corporate governance, and that breaches in integrity are exposed for what they are.

In that light, please be advised as follows.

My sister and I both, independently of each other, arrived at the Sandton branch of Tiger Wheel and Tyre on the 27th of December 2018. My sister had recently had both her front tyres changed. Your representative had advised her to make a practice of rotating the tyres, so that they would last longer. On her arrival, she was met by a salesman (Keshaan) who told her that he was not prepared to do the tyre rotation, because the tread on the back tyres was already so thin, that he was not prepared to undertake this work – and he suggested that she immediately purchase two brand new tyres. The cost would be R5400,00.

I arrived half an hour after her at the same branch, was met by a salesman (Dale) and I asked him to change my front tyres as they were cut – and I asked him for advice on the condition of the back tyres. His response was that all four tyres needed immediate replacement, as there was no tread on the back tyres. December is a pressured time for most of us financially and because of this, Dale and I engaged in a rigorous discussion and I queried this with him about eight times. Eventually, he gave me his final comment, which was that “you are putting your family at risk, but it is your decision”. He conceded that I could drive on the tyres for one more month, but I should come back and see him at the end of January. I made the decision not to change the back tyres.

At that point I left the Sandton branch, with my sister, to go and have a cup of coffee at the Woolworths coffee shop, while the tyres were being changed. Over coffee, my sister commented to me that the sales rep who had been dealing with her, had engaged in obsequious flattery, (discussing the colour of her eyes – and making over zealous remarks about the same). She felt very uncomfortable. As I listened to my sister, it became clear to me that the sales representative dealing with her had only one agenda – and that was the sale of tyres at any cost, and his inappropriate behaviour annoyed me.

At this point, I decided to go upstairs, and request a discussion with the branch manager – a man called Billy. I explained the situation to him and he was courteous and professional in his response to my queries. He explained to me that the tread on a tyre needs to be 1.6 mm at the point where it is deemed to be in need of immediate replacement. I asked him to measure the exact tread on both my tyres and my sisters tyres - i.e. those that we had been advised by your representatives to replace. He did this and my sisters tyres were found to be in excess of 5.1 mm and the tread on my tyres was in excess of 4.7 mm. Please refer to the pictures below. I asked Billy if, in his professional opinion, these tyres needed replacing – and he responded that there was “absolutely no need” for any replacements.

According to Billy, my sisters tyres still had a travelling distance of between 20,000 to 25,000 kms before they needed to be replaced – and my tyres still had a minimum of 5,000 kms to go, before they needed to be replaced.

Following Billy’s recommendation, the tyres were not replaced and Paula’s tyres were rotated.

The above incident has left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. Not only does this call into question the ethics of an organisation like Tiger Wheel and Tyre – but it makes me query how many others have fallen victim to the bad advice given by your representatives. This “sell at all cost” attitude is morally bankrupt, and one has to query if the training of Tiger’s representatives encompasses any emphasis on building a customer’s trust and faith. There is a case here for believing that women can be taken advantage of because this is not fami**** territory nor is it an area of expertise for many women. One asks the question – do your salesmen use the tactic of “pushing buttons” around the very sensitive arena of men and woman’s family security? This tactic is both ************ and dishonest – and I would like to believe that it is not Tiger’s normal practice. Regrettably, at this point, based on my experience, I feel no such comfort. Further, whilst some men believe that women respond to flattery, in this day and age, it is not appropriate. Almost every news broadcast today, on a global arena, shows ample proof that it is not acceptable.

I am very uncomfortable now, that based on the above, my sister may have been poorly treated in the past. How do we know that the tyres that were replaced 6 months ago, needed replacing? I am more doggedly determined than she, and based on the above, I would wish to understand fully from yourself, what course of action you propose taking to ensure that others do not receive the same deplorable standards of behaviour to which my sister and I have been subjected.

Before concluding, let me add that Billy was a delight to deal with - he is an asset to your business. He was responsive and understood my concerns. I appreciated his openness and honestly.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours

Andrew Somerville

Images of Readings Picture 1: Reading on Paula’s first tyre Picture 2: Reading on Paula’s second tyre Picture 3: Reading on Andrew’s first tyre Picture 4: Reading on Andrew’s second tyre