Boycotting Nokian Tires

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Nov 5, 2011
Messages
5,444
Location
MTL, CANADA
Hi all, I have always thought Nokian tires were top quality and excellent tires. I actually have a set of Hakka R2's which I was very happy with, purchased from discount tire direct a few years ago (ordered in USA and picked up there). I love their products but I am very disappointed as they have decided that their tires are only available via tire dealers and you are unable to buy them online from here in Quebec. So I cannot order them from the USA to be shipped here and nor can I buy them online here. I would need to go to a tire dealer who are very expensive and a pain to deal with. Why Nokian refuses to make it easier for me to obtain them is beyond me and makes no sense if you want to sell alot of tires. I am therefore no longer going to ever support this brand, and as I have said, its a shame, because I love their products. I sent them an email to ask them why they do it that way and this was their reply:


My email to them:
Hi,

I am a long time Nokian tire customer and am extremely disappointed with the fact I am unable to buy Nokian tires online in this province. I have no idea why you would not want to allow them to be sold online in this province. I am not sure what the logic is behind this, but most people I talk to, tell me they dont bother with Nokian because its complicated and very expensive. I currently have 4 Nokian Hakka R2 tires and swear by them to everyone I know, however last year I encountered a sidewall rupture on 1 that is not fixable (still has 6-7 / 32nds). It seems that it is alot of work to obtain a replacement tire. I would like to just go online and have one shipped to my house, but obviously its more complicated than that. I think you make the best winter tires available, but please dont make yourself and your customers suffer by not making them more readily available (ie. Online).

Their reply:

While buying tires online does have its convenience, Nokian prefers to distribute to authorized dealers for several reasons. Our authorized resellers are experts on winter tire knowledge, and are trained to offer multiple tire solutions to best fit individual customer needs. A properly equipped retailer would be able to offer alternative size recommendations, will ask questions that may reveal unknown needs, and is able to offer other advice because of their hands on experience. Also, the Nokian Tyres warranty process is administered through the dealer network, which most customer's have already established a relationship with at the time of purchase/installation. Tires bought from an official retailer are also eligible for a 30 day satisfaction guarantee, where new tires can be returned within a 30 day period for a full refund if you are unsatisfied for any reason.
If you would like to see what dealers are in your area, follow this link: https://www.nokiantires.com/where-to-buy/dealer-locator/
Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Why as a company would you make it so difficult? Their reply seems to suggest that most people are not bright enough to choose the correct tire for their car. Im completely disappointed with them. I wont be supporting them anymore.
 
Looks like Discount Tire is an authorized dealer. So maybe order a tire through them and cross the border for install. Maybe DTD will ship to your door. I wouldn't throw in the towel over this just yet.
 
I suspect a lot of the problem stems from your own government tariffs and unfair trade practices. There is no reason you Canadian's should not be able to order online from American companies if Canada really supported free trade. Which they don't by they way my youngest daughter live their for four years and it was discussing.
 
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
I suspect a lot of the problem stems from your own government tariffs and unfair trade practices. There is no reason you Canadian's should not be able to order online from American companies if Canada really supported free trade. Which they don't by they way my youngest daughter live their for four years and it was discussing.


This is a Nokian issue. They are very protective of their dealers and their sales areas.

Lavoie Tire on the Quebec side is not allowed to even sell Nokian tires to us located in Ontario. Every other brand is no problem.
 
Last edited:
Quote:
While buying tires online does have its convenience, Nokian prefers to distribute to authorized dealers for several reasons. Our authorized resellers are experts on winter tire knowledge, and are trained to offer multiple tire solutions to best fit individual customer needs

This caught my attention.
Few year back I go to Discount Tire and ask for prices of winter tires for my X5.
This guy turns screen and shows me Continental DWS and says: this is very good tire for snow and winter, really popular. I said: that is not winter tire. His answer: yes it is, it is all season.
At that point, manager tells him: hey, I will take this.
So yeah, those are authorized dealers Nokian is talking about.
 
Last edited:
I was looking at some all seasons geared more for winter driving. Stopped at this mom and pop type place where he sells Toyos. Asked about the Toyo Celsius and he snaps, that's not an all season, it's a snow tire.
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
I was looking at some all seasons geared more for winter driving. Stopped at this mom and pop type place where he sells Toyos. Asked about the Toyo Celsius and he snaps, that's not an all season, it's a snow tire.

It is appalling how unknowledgeable people are who work in tire and auto shops.
I went once to BMW to replace MAF under recall.
Guy takes my key and reads out and say: hey you need to change pads in 15k.
I said: that is fine, I already have replacements in my garage, paid $76 (Textar).
He is: wait, $76, are you sure that is good. I said it is Textar.
He: What is Textar?
Me: Company that makes pads for BMW, among others.
He: Really, so you will put it by yourself?
Me: Yeah, can you imagine that.

So yeah, "experts" are recommending tires, pads, work on cars etc. and that is why warranty companies are thriving because people are scare to death to go to dealership today.
 
Nokian must be using the ol' Gucci or Louis Vuitton distribution model. Sold officially only through authorized retailers!
 
You are not so far from the USA border, you could easily drive to Vermont and get your tires. That Nokian prefers to deal with dealers is their decision, and you - just you - won't change their mind despite how much anger you generate. Now if you were the Buyer for City of Montreal - they might make exception.

I had Nokians once, they all turned brown! not exactly the look I wanted, but they worked okay.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Why as a company would you make it so difficult? Their reply seems to suggest that most people are not bright enough to choose the correct tire for their car. Im completely disappointed with them. I wont be supporting them anymore.


I don't know. I'm not seeing such a big issue here. When I was shopping for Nokians a few years back, I compared the online price with what my local Nokian dealer had, and after you factor in shipping and install, it was a wash. And I don't mind supporting a local business.

Even if you order online, you are going to have to come into a shop to have the tires installed, so you can't avoid a trip to a shop anyway.

As for why Nokian does this, I think they may have figured out that this dealer approach increases their chances of making a sale. An average person in North America has never heard of Nokian tires or knows very little about them. If they go online, they are most likely going to focus on the more well known brands such as Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, etc, and will skip right over Nokian, even if it shows up in their search results. Now, if they come into a local shop looking for winter tires, that shop employee/owner is typically going to make an effort to mention Nokian to them, and give them the whole spiel about how they're the leader in winter tires in Europe and all that. At that point, the client is more likely to consider buying it.
 
I bought my last set in the USA because of price, I guess maybe I just wasnt aware that it was always like that... but I agree with everyone who commented above about tire dealers.. I have been to many tire places and i dont think even one of them ever recommended Nokian's. They are the most expensive tire, but I just doubt their business model is very smart. I think nowadays there are other manufacturers who make good enough winter tires. I always liked having a brand that wasnt common, but a leader in the winter tire market. No plan to spend 600-700$ on tires for my car since it will soon be my 2nd ride once I purchase something else in the near future. I just think their way of doing business is lousy. If I can snag a good deal in the USA, I will, but in order to not get hit with any duty or taxes when passing customs is a minimum 48hr stay in the USA...plus take into account our exchange rate and 2 nights in a hotel kind of makes it not worth it. I might just wait and grab a name brand winter tire for 100$ each on sale here and call it a day. Just too much effort required to spend more time and money to get a slightly better winter tire.
 
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
I had Nokians once, they all turned brown! not exactly the look I wanted, but they worked okay.



Umm, most tires turn brown when exposed to UV. It's normal.
 
Cheap tire shine will cause tires to brown as well. Some Stoners Tarminator will take it right off and used for such purposes by professional detailers.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
I had Nokians once, they all turned brown! not exactly the look I wanted, but they worked okay.



Umm, most tires turn brown when exposed to UV. It's normal.


I can't say my own experience with over 35 years of buying tires that I have ever experienced the level of brown-ness that those Nokians produced within 6 months of ownership. I never use tire dressing FWIW. The brown colour didn't affect performance, but we sold that car within 3 years of buying those tires.
 
What size tires do you use? Can a full size spare fit in your trunk? When you're ready to replace all four tires, get five
smile.gif


Also remember that Nokian is the most profitable tire company.

But if this is how they treat their customers, you may want to go with another brand. The Kumho iZen KW31 looks like the Hakka R. There's also the Michelin Xi3 and Bridgestone's famous Blizzaks
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: mightymousetech
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
I suspect a lot of the problem stems from your own government tariffs and unfair trade practices. There is no reason you Canadian's should not be able to order online from American companies if Canada really supported free trade. Which they don't by they way my youngest daughter live their for four years and it was discussing.


This is a Nokian issue. They are very protective of their dealers and their sales areas.

Lavoie Tire on the Quebec side is not allowed to even sell Nokian tires to us located in Ontario. Every other brand is no problem.


I'm sorry that's a local corrupt Canadian policy. Explain why Nokian offers this tire on Amazon and you can't order from them.
 
Nokian makes excellent winter tires. They responded thoroughly and professionally to your correspondence.
Yet you are going to hold a one-man boycott? ...no doubt you will bankrupt them.
grin.gif



Ofcourse, BITOG members immediately use the thread as an excuse to slam professional tire shops for being inept like all professional automotive service centers everywhere (sarcasm). Yet, in so doing they actually prove Nokians point that the typical tire purchaser lacks the knowledge to make informed decisions...after all, pro tire shops make mistakes as noted and they know far more than the average vehicle owner.

I apologize to BITOG, I understand that these forums are some type of group therapy where everyone is supposed to offer emotional support to each other but I just can't do it.

grin.gif
 
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
You are not so far from the USA border, you could easily drive to Vermont and get your tires. That Nokian prefers to deal with dealers is their decision, and you - just you - won't change their mind despite how much anger you generate. Now if you were the Buyer for City of Montreal - they might make exception.

I had Nokians once, they all turned brown! not exactly the look I wanted, but they worked okay.


This. But if you smuggle tires across the border that's four fewer tires sold in Canada under this crooked monopoly model. If they're the #1 tire in Vermont and the #2 in Ontario, Nokian will absolutely ask themselves what they are doing wrong. So keep on boycotting Canadian Nokians.
laugh.gif


Plot twist: The authorized dealers and Nokian in bed together generates a mutual benefit. Perhaps the dealer helps with advertising cost. I would hate to own a chain of tire shops, advertise snow tires, and have the customers think that's a great idea and buy from the corner mechanic.
 
Where and how a company chooses to distribute its products is up to them.

Some choose the "free for all" blanket the market strategy, but that usually results in the company being less able to exercise control over how its products are represented, sold and supported, and race-to-the-bottom pricing that erodes the value of the product in the eyes of consumers. Neither is desirable, particularly for products that require some professional expertise in regards to the former, and brand image in the case of the latter.

Premium and expensive goods seek to avoid that by implementing tightly controlled distribution strategies, and other techniques such as MAP pricing (see--RockAuto "price fixing" thread).

Nokian is considered a premium winter tire brand, and has chosen not to allow online sales in Canada, nor for out of country dealers such as DTD to ship internationally. Both are perfectly reasonable, legal, and for the latter, may be dictated by circumstances outside of Nokian's control.

Is patronizing a local tire dealer "difficult" in any sense of the word? For the vast majority, probably not.

Or is the real difficulty in not being to "get a good deal," or "pay the price I think I should pay for a particular product?"

That seems to be the real issue, and the free market has a solution for that -- voluntary exchanges, and competition.

It seems that is the obvious option.

Nokian is under no obligation to distribute and price its tires in any other way than it does, except in the manner that it and its shareholders see fit, and financially acceptable. They've been producing tires for 85 years, so it seems to be working for them.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top