Hello from TyreCompare!

[TyreCompare]

Hi WRX'ers,

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy new year and to introduce ourselves.

We're TyreCompare.com.au and we have just become a supporter of the WRX forum.

TyreCompare is a new comparison website that allows you to see the inventory and prices of tyre shops near you (as long as they have registered with us)

The local independent tyre retailers can often offer great deals due to their lower overheads. Because a lot of these shops don't have websites, it was difficult for the customer to find their deals short of calling them or visiting them in person. Now with TyreCompare, those shops are able to get their deals online so that you can easily find and compare!

We plan to make lots of improvements in 2016 and we would love to get your feedback in this forum, to help us serve you better (Yes I know it's cliché but it's true!)

So that said, please visit http://www.tyrecompare.com.au if you get a chance, have a poke around and you can post your feedback here or PM me with your suggestions. We have only just recently launched and are still in beta mode, so please be kind

PS. If you are a tyre shop owner or know someone who is, we would love to hear from you to help get your inventory online.

Happy 2016 everyone!

Jack

[gtfoz99]

G'day, gave it a crack as I do need some new tyres.
Got as far as "enter name, email, phone number for quotes".
Nope. Sorry, not interested in handing those over to a website.

[Yeldz]

G'day mate,
I had a bit of a look around the TyreCompare site.
I realise you're still in beta mode for Victoria & that limited tyre dealers have subscribed to your service.
Please see feedback below:
None of the 8 quotes for my car came up with tyres that I would use on my car.
All quotes were 28-30 + km's away.
Lack of additional information on respective tyres when hitting "read more" button.
Prices considerable more than I would expect & could get by picking my phone & calling around.
Pop Up requesting personal details is annoying & has no link to your TnC's & Privacy Policy.
The Privacy Policy itself lacks in that it provides no protection of personal information for the consumer.
TnC's also lack in that the service you provide can in no way be held responsible if things go bad. To much of a cop out for me in that any tyre shops subscribing to your service could just be a backyarder, or a small fly by night company etc.

Apologies if that comes across harsh but when it comes to tyres the internet cannot compete to a consumer picking up the phone & calling around the major shops in their area, especially when they know exactly what they want.

[TyreCompare]

@gtfoz99 We appreciate your desire to keep your details private. We only ask for those details if there are no retailers registered in your area yet, or the retailers registered in your area have not yet uploaded the tyre size you are after. In which case we would send out your tyre request to the retailers in your area who will then provide manual quotes and we then notify you via email as soon as a new quote comes in.

Rest assured we will not use your contact details for any other purpose than to provide you with the quotes that you seek. We treat your privacy with utmost respect.

[TyreCompare]

@Yeldz, thank you for the feedback. Yes we are still in beta mode and we do plan on making lots of improvements to the site. I shall address your feedback line by line.

None of the 8 quotes for my car came up with tyres that I would use on my car. All quotes were 28-30 + km's away.

Our retailers are mainly Sydney-centric at the moment and thus the inventory levels in other states are not as comprehensive. We will be expanding our retailer base in other major cities in 2016 so watch this space.

Lack of additional information on respective tyres when hitting "read more" button.

This is part of the planned improvements we will be making, to provide more details on individual tyres. Note however, that we do face some limitations because the information available from some manufacturers may be scarce. Having said that, we do plan to incorporate user reviews in the future for additional useful information.

Prices considerable more than I would expect & could get by picking my phone & calling around.

We do not set the prices of our inventory. The individual retailer does. When there are more retailers in your area, you should be able to see a broader price range.

Pop Up requesting personal details is annoying & has no link to your TnC's & Privacy Policy.

Thanks for pointing this out. We will link to our TnC and Privacy from the pop up. The pop up is simply to remind users that they can save the results to their inbox. While some might find it annoying, others do find it useful.

The Privacy Policy itself lacks in that it provides no protection of personal information for the consumer.

I have to disagree with you on this one. Because we do comply with the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles. We hate spammers and we certainly do not want our users to be spammed.

TnC's also lack in that the service you provide can in no way be held responsible if things go bad. To much of a cop out for me in that any tyre shops subscribing to your service could just be a backyarder, or a small fly by night company etc.

Please think of TyreCompare as classifieds site where we do not own or hold any of the stock listed. We simply allow retailers to upload their inventory and prices for increased accessibility. As such, the final transaction takes place at the retailer when you get the tyres fitted. We are simply a medium on which the retailer advertises. We can not be held responsible for tyres sold just as the Sydney Morning Herald can not be held responsible for a faulty product bought as a result of an advertisement in their newspaper.

The retailers who subscribe to our service include big name franchises as well as independent operators, all of whom are governed by Australian consumer laws.

Again, thank you for your feedback, and we will definitely be making changes to address your concerns.

[tim33h]

I just had a go at it, seems to work well since there are a lot of listings being in Sydney.
I will definitely be using it next time I need tyres


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[Yeldz]

Thanks for reply Jack
Appreciate you taking on my feedback.

I understand your position in relation to TnC's
I also understand that my issue with the Privacy Policy for you as a comparison site business that you are required to share my personal information with a 3rd party that being the tyre shop.
However that means I need to read the respective tyre shops Privacy Policy also to ensure my personal information is not sold on to whoever...if I don't potentially there goes another mailbox.
Am I able to do this before registering for a booking?

One more thing, question really.
So why choose to go with a comparison site for tyres? (i did read the "about us" btw)
As comparison sites go, they work for Electricity & Gas retailers, also Private Health insurance due to the less volatile nature of the businesses in that any quotes will be the same if you call a company direct & the deals may only change week to week if that.
With tyres however 2 different people can call the same place within 2 minutes of each other & get 2 different quotes.

I think I'll have a crack with a NSW postcode so I can see what Tim is seeing.

Peace out!

[tim33h]

Seems to work well if u are so to speak, kicking tyres.
Second step for me would be to call up and confirm before purchase. But I would definitely use it to browse


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[gtfoz99]

Fair enough that I only get the screen asking for more info, as I'm ~75km from Melbourne. As a consumer it would have been less off-putting for me if the form asking for my personal details emphasised that I was only getting asked this because I'm not near any registered dealers.

[TyreCompare]

Fair enough that I only get the screen asking for more info, as I'm ~75km from Melbourne. As a consumer it would have been less off-putting for me if the form asking for my personal details emphasised that I was only getting asked this because I'm not near any registered dealers.

That's an excellent suggestion. Thanks gtfoz99. We will try to incorporate this message without making it too wordy.

[TyreCompare]

Second step for me would be to call up and confirm before purchase.

@tim33h, may I ask what information you would want to confirm when you call up? Because final step of the TyreCompare booking process is that your selected dealer will give you a call to arrange a time for a fitting. But if you see any information that is currently missing prior to this final step, we'd love to get your feedback.

[TyreCompare]

Thanks for reply Jack
Appreciate you taking on my feedback.

No worries. We understand the importance of listening to our users and will make tweaks where necessary. Thanks for taking time to provide your feedback.

I understand your position in relation to TnC's
I also understand that my issue with the Privacy Policy for you as a comparison site business that you are required to share my personal information with a 3rd party that being the tyre shop.
However that means I need to read the respective tyre shops Privacy Policy also to ensure my personal information is not sold on to whoever...if I don't potentially there goes another mailbox.
Am I able to do this before registering for a booking?

While yes we do need to share your contact info so that the tyre shop can call you to arrange a fitting. I feel that your views are tinted with a somewhat inaccurate belief that all businesses are out to sell your data. In reality, it couldn't be farther from the truth. I think you'll find that most businesses, especially SMEs, are too busy running their core business to bother with a quick buck selling customer data. Most tyre shops don't even have their own website, let alone understand the concept of selling data. These guys are just busy fitting tyres.

One more thing, question really.
So why choose to go with a comparison site for tyres? (i did read the "about us" btw)
As comparison sites go, they work for Electricity & Gas retailers, also Private Health insurance due to the less volatile nature of the businesses in that any quotes will be the same if you call a company direct & the deals may only change week to week if that.
With tyres however 2 different people can call the same place within 2 minutes of each other & get 2 different quotes.

I'm sure you have seen catalogues in your letterbox from the various tyre franchises that list fixed prices for tyres. TyreCompare is no different to that, tyre shops list prices that they would like to sell at, and they can update these prices as and when they feel necessary.

Yes no doubt there are shoppers who see haggling as a sport, but there are also many who see it as a hassle. And don't forget, haggling involves negotiation, and not everyone is a great negotiator. So while some customers might come out on top, others might get stung. That's the flip side to haggling.

I think I'll have a crack with a NSW postcode so I can see what Tim is seeing.

Peace out!

Thank you for keeping an open mind, you're a tough nut to crack but hopefully we'll do business one day

[Yeldz]

Thanks again for taking on my feedback & not seeing it as me simply having go at your business.
Yes I agree that my view in relation to privacy & on selling of personal details may be somewhat tainted as I have both seen & experienced this. Once bitten, twice shy...I'll leave it at that.

In respect to the "Read More" what I would be looking for is essentially the content on the manufacturers site.
I don't know what sort of arrangement you would need with them to have links that open in a new browser but that would be a great feature imo.

I actually wasn't referring to haggling about prices but more about how different people come across over the phone & the difference it can make in regards to a quote. Someone that obviously knows what they want & what it's worth are less likely to get ripped off. That's just business I guess.
This is an aspect where your site will have definite benefits for the average consumer.

I'm well aware that there is a large percentage of drivers that don't really give a toss about tyres & the easier they are to find & get fitted for a good firm price the better for them...another positive for your site.
Good business decision to let those that care more than most about tyres to have a crack at your site in beta for Victoria.
I'm yet to try a NSW postcode but hoping that when I do the range that comes up I'll be like yep I take 4 of those (hypothetically of course).

I wish you all the best for your expanding enterprise & will certainly check your site before I make any calls the next time I'm up for tyres.

[tim33h]

[quote="tim33h"]Second step for me would be to call up and confirm before purchase.

@tim33h, may I ask what information you would want to confirm when you call up? Because final step of the TyreCompare booking process is that your selected dealer will give you a call to arrange a time for a fitting. But if you see any information that is currently missing prior to this final step, we'd love to get your feedback.[/quote]

I guess I would call because I would do it when I'm ready, if they are calling me, I may not be ready to take a call or I will be desperately waiting for a call back.


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[Yeldz]

Ok so I've now hit the site from the Sydney postcode.
Definitely a big difference in relation to the tyres on offer.
Certainly a couple that I would be happy to have on my car.
Prices on offer seem quite competitive.

The additional information for Pirelli, Continental & Hankook I would consider acceptable to the average consumer.
Pirelli being the stand out in this respect.
More info on the Michelin tyres would be a good thing.
Kumho, Nitto, Toyo...zip

I didn't really look at the Budget brands.

The pop up to save the quote is hell annoying.
I think once would be enough with a reference to the save quote function available on the left of screen.
(actually maybe twice but with an option on the first to not show again)

Once again I wish you all the best with your expanding enterprise.
It will be great once more shops subscribe to your service in Victoria & compete with each other in addition to the usual players in the market.