Big-O Tires Company Profile

hat if you were told that the Big-O Tires in Sebastopol was hands-down one of the best tire service centers in Sonoma County and the Bay Area for new tires, brake work, wheel alignment, and oil changes? But Big-O is one of ‘those' national chains, right? So mustn't it be a big, cold, impersonal company that treats the average person poorly? Gratefully, a good look at the Big-O Tires in Sebastopol shows that in this case, that would be a total misconception.

Hometown Store With High Standards

First, Big-O Tires stores are individually owned and operated, so while being part of a chain means there's a nationally-backed warranty for customers, the local store owners have a lot of flexibility to innovate in the operation of their own stores. And in this case, the owner Robert Carey, based his store's open, friendly approach on his years of hospitality experience, including 15 years at Marriott Hotels where he was General Manager.

It's evident from the moment you pull in at Robert Carey's Big-O Tires. In other stores, the employee is removed from you behind a counter. At Big O Tires in Sebastopol, Robert Carey's people come outside to greet you while you're still in your car, asking what they can help you with.

Once inside the bright, airy store, instead of a confusing array of new tires, Robert Carey's Big-O Tires location has the tires displayed in easily-understood price groups of ‘economy', ‘good', ‘better' and ‘premium'. They're also organized by trucks, cars, or performance vehicles. He's done this so that even non-tire experts like you and me can navigate the different choices on our own, as opposed to other stores where you're at the mercy of what the salesman tells you.

Honesty Saves Money

But maybe you don't even need new tires yet. You might think they need to be replaced based on just looking at them, when in reality, there's still lots of safe mileage left. Other stores are happy to take your money to make the sale. But Robert Carey's staff at Big-O actually gets down and measures your tires in three places, so they tell you that you only need two new tires now rather than the four you came prepared to spend for.

Doesn't that cost Robert Carey's store sales revenue? "Maybe," he says, "but we're more interested in being a store that people know they can trust and come back to."

There's another pleasant surprise waiting for you at the kiosk when you make the purchase. You're side by side with the staff member, which means you can see the actual price of the tires as the order gets called up on the monitor. That's an improvement over other tire stores in the habit of charging higher prices for different customers, based on how much they think they can get you to pay.

 

Extra Hospitality At No Extra Charge

Owner Robert Carey's 5-Star hotel background is evident in the amount of attention given to creating a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere at the Sebastopol Big-O Tires.

If people want to wait while their car is serviced they'll find magazines and newspapers, Red Vine licorice, fresh coffee and tea. To keep the kids happy there's Disney movies, Legos, and an Xbox for playing Halo 3. For those who want to make the time productive, there's free wireless internet and the Wall St. Journal. And if they can't wait, then there's a free shuttle both to and from the store.

The Febreeze-scented bathroom has amenities like Oil of Olay hand lotion and it's cleaner than the one in most people's homes. Robert says it's cleaned and sanitized 2 to 3 times per day.

Not only does the store wash the car windows and polish the tires for everyone while they're in the store, but it also gives customers for free, something other stores charge $100 for: a 60-point courtesy check of your car including lights, belts, coolant, hoses, suspension, battery and more.

What The Customers Said

It seems this Marriott-style hospitality applied to a local tire store and service center is working out well. The Sebastopol Big O Tires store was named the #1 store in the United Sates for Brand Image. And customers who received independent research calls about their experience at Robert Carey's Big-O Tires couldn't say enough great things.

"They are friendly, and have immediate service. They offer a hometown feel", said a customer named Dixie. "They're very honest about the repairs that are needed," said Gia, also a customer, "They don't try to sell you something that's not needed."

Carley was a customer who went with her daughter. She said, "I was met and greeted. They were courteous, professional, and they knew exactly what I wanted. I was very impressed. They had state of the art equipment and video games for my daughter to play, while we waited. I've switched from my previous people to them."

National Warranty

Just looking at how the Sebastopol location is run and hearing the customer comments makes clear the benefits of being locally owned and operated. What are the benefits to the customers that the store is backed by a national organization? In big part, the warranties on the products and service. Big-O Tires gives a 3-year nationwide tire replacement warranty, the longest in the business. It also give a 6 month warranty on alignments, and 12 months or 12,000 miles on brake work. And because these are national warranties it means that the warranty is made good at any of its stores, key if you've since moved or are traveling at the time.

And the Big-O Tires stores, including Robert Carey's Sebastopol location, carry all major tire brands including BF Goodrich, Goodyear, Yokohama, Michelin, Falken, and others.

So a look at the Big-O Tires store in Sebastopol revealed a combination of small hometown appeal with 5-star hotel style treatment of customers, plus organized and efficient technicians with exacting expertise. It's a combination that's gotten Robert Carey national recognition for how he runs his independently owned store, and one that seems to be impressing Sonoma County residents.

It's located at 742 South Main Street in Sebastopol and it's open 7AM to 6PM Monday-Friday, 8AM to 6PM Saturday, and open on Sundays from 10AM to 4PM