Walmart complaint: What I consider unfair and poor service

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I had one of the most awful experiences ever at one of your Walmart today. The store is located at 5501 Highway 6 in Missouri City Texas. I purchased a single tire on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. (Order number: 0048570023983 and service order number 23983) On Wednesday, May 18th as I was backing out of my driveway, I noticed there was a problem as I was backing out. The tire I purchased on Tuesday, the day before was flat. I called AAA and they sent a service representative to my home to change the tire and put my spare on. He checked the tire and could not find where the problem was. He put air in the tire, 36PSI, and waited a few minutes to see if the pressure had been reduced…and it was. I return to the store for a replacement. That’s where the problems began. First, I explained to the person at the counter what my problem was and that I wanted a replacement. She referred me to service representative working in the bay area. I explained to him what the issue was. He at first didn’t believe there was a problem because there was come wear on the side of the tire and said it was because I had driven on the tire while it was low on air and that I had damaged the tire. It was only after I insisted that the tire became flat only after I was backing out of my driveway. It could not have been more than 20-25 feet. He then put the tire in a container with water and noticed bubbles coming out one side of the tire. It was a small pin whole, but only then did he acknowledge that the tire was defective. He then told me it would a while before he could turn his attention to my problem. This is where I really begin to get upset. He told me that he would replace the tire, but I would have to pay $10 for balanceroad hazard for the new tire. He was insistent that there was no exception; he was the service manager on duty at that time. I had the lady at the counter contact the manager of the department and he waived the $10. If you will check your filesrecords, you will find I have been patronizing this store for 20 years. I am 75 years young with a heart condition. I underwent quadruple bypass surgery and really should not have to deal with this kind of unnecessary stress. The guy just seems to be uncaring and unyielding to my dilemma. I arrived at the store at 2:30 PM. The service ticket reads 3:35. (Order number:0048570024035 and service order number 24035) That’s only because the service manager I was dealing with did not believe there was a problem and pass the ball to another service representative who was just getting back off of his lunch break. It was then they clocked me in. I did not drive off until 7:30 PM as they were letting the bay doors down and closing. There was only one other vehicle left that was being serviced when I departed. My issues are twofold. First his insistence on my paying the $10 and secondly his not taking care of a customer immediately who was having a problem with something that was not of his making. He just didn’t care! Look, I’m not trying to get anyone in trouble, but this was completely unacceptable. I timed the amount of time it took to do the work to correct my problem. It took all of 10 minutes, yet I was there for 5 hours. Someone needs to address this. There needs to be additional training on customer service with this person. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not wanting to get anyone in trouble. It appeared there was a shortage of personnel, but the way this was handled was totally wrong. He should have taken care of a customer who had already paid for a product and service FIRST! However, he chose to make him wait for FIVE HOURS. That’s just plain wrong no matter how you look at it. A very unhappy long-term Walmart customer!

Karl W. Hartfield