Appalachian Race Tire & Performance Tread - great response

[JHerscher]

Thumbs up for how a pair of Southeast Tire Suppliers - Appalachian Race Tire, and Performance Tread - responded to an issue.

This past weekend at Sebring, I had a horrible experience. The wrong Hoosier tires were sent for my FC - wrong compound (R35 vs R60A), wrong construction (Radial vs Bias Ply). Since there were other large events around the SE that weekend, Hoosier wasn't able to support this event and they contracted with Performance Tread to take care of mount and balance. After discovering the error, and a bit of back and forth with my explaining that these were the wrong tires, and Jim getting confirmation from ART that there was indeed a mistake, I had no other option but to withdraw since there were no other tire options on the truck.

Needless to say, I was a "bit irritated".

Performance Tread dismounted the wrong tires and took care of the disposal of the takeoffs. No charge.

I sent a note to Appalachian Race Tire with a summary of the issue and received a call from "Big John" who acknowledged the error and basically made me whole for my expenses for the weekend.

While the time investment and the loss of the event are unrecoverable, I am very happy with the way that ART stepped up, and did what they could to ensure that a customer was satisfied with their response.

In my 20 years of working with ART this is the first error I have ever experienced, and their response to the problem is exemplary. Performance Tread refused to take my cash for the dismounting and disposal, even though it wasn't their fault either.

I have nothing but respect for these organizations and the way they responded. A plus players.

John

[RussMcB]

That's an impressive response from a company. Good for them, and for you for being so understanding after such a disappointment.

[cory mcleod]

I've had nothing but good experiences with Appalachian for 20 years.

[EYERACE]

John - it is also you who are to be admired......because you decided to withdraw and respect the rules. An alternative might have been this......talk to Johnson and Dunlap and say > Hey, they shipped the wrong tires. How about a gentlemen's agreement that if I race, y'all won't protest me for being on the wrong tires ? <

I think we both know they would have had no problem with that.

I bring this up because of what I did at Daytona last month. Because wings n things was an early group there was no way to get the R60s mounted up in time to make qualifying - so as I went through Tech I said/asked > I've got these year old about 8 cycle R35s I could go out on in time and I'm a one car class...so would that be OK? Tech said, "Well if at the end of the race you want to protest yourself, we'll let you. Go ahead" The R60s got mounted later.

I've never had a real complaint about ART either and their new 'boss' at the track is a nice guy

[JHerscher]

Hey Stan

Thanks for the kind words, but the fact is that the only tires I had were used-up 2 1/2 year old A/R tires that weren't properly stored, showing cracking on the sidewalls, and good for nothing but putting the car on and off the trailer. They would have done me no good.

Besides, I learned long ago that hitting the track with rubber that is NFG is a waste of time and potentially dangerous and/or expensive.

[BGilkes]

Similar view on ART and particularly John, they have been stellar to work with. I had the opposite situation when I forgot to order tyres and he bailed me out with a set. After i did it the second time he was even good enough to give me a call a week or so before the next event to see if i wanted a set loaded on the truck. Knows his customers and looks after them. I will happily take his abuse of my English accent (its fake by the way) and look forward to hopefully coming back down to his region now the northern border is open again.
Brent