Kal Tire

Totally upsold me and said I needed $1000+ work on my car and I was in imminent danger driving it around. I took my car back to my regular mechanic who said nothing needed to be done, he literally just cleaned off a little rust and said that was it. I would give them 0 stars if I could.

Worst customer service I’ve ever experienced.

Three weeks ago I ordered rims with Kal-Tire which were supposed go to this location and be put on my winter tires. When I arrived for my appointment, they said it would take about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

3 hours later they told me they didn’t even have my rims and they didn’t know what happened to them. They said the manager would call me the next day to resolve the issue. He didn’t and it’s been almost two weeks now.

I called customer service numerous times and they said they’ve left messages for this location, and even took down my email address for the manager.

This was such a waste of my time and energy. This was my only experience with Kal-Tire and I will never do business with them again. I would not recommend going here at all

I had an appointment for 5pm and waited 2.5 hrs for a tire change. I book appointments so that I don't have to wait. There was no reason for this delay. Completely disgusting.staff were trioging based on who was sitting in the waiting room. There were people that had 3pm appointments that didn't get served by 730.the issue is related to a district manager that overbooks.

Staff late getting in. No estimate of what time was available.
Just took my tires elsewhere, installed within an hour.
Cost for change and storage was about $100 less than you charged me kast year

Got there half an hour before closing and they were busy, but a nice girl promptly checked my issue, advised that due to a too low of a thread they couldn't patch, but went the extra mile by checking and topping up with air both my trouble tire and the spare. Way to go!

Exceptional service from manager Hassan. Thank you!

Updated June 12,2023: Once again amazing service from manager Allen. Appreciate all of your help and assistance with my recent tire needs.

I have been going to Kal Tire for years, and the staff at the Carlaw location have been nothing short of amazing. The scheduling, the service, the commitment to excellence.it is rare to find a business that operates like this. I have always felt like I am in great hands and have recommended Kal Tire to literally anyone who will listen.

Unfortunately, during my recent visit to have my winter tires swapped out for summer ones, I discovered a huge slash in the side of my tire. I know for a fact that this was not there prior to storing my tires with Kal Tire, as I always do a check before the swap. Now, I am worried about driving with the damaged tire, and I have not heard back from anyone at Kal Tire.

No 5 star review because their service rates have become too expensive. Change to my summer tires and store the winter wheels cost just over $190. They do a good and prompt job, but costs too much.

Had a winter tire swap scheduled for 4: 30pm, I returned at 6pm with nothing done, was told its busy season and they were backed up, maybe don't book so many appointments or give a heads up when I first arrived instead of me wasting an hour and half for nothing, also found the staff to be rude and not very apologetic. This is the second time this has happened here, thought I'd give them another chance but not again.

Took my car in for a bent rim as recommended by five star who couldn’t replace the rim as needed.
Staff: so friendly! So pleasant!
Waiting area, bright and colourful, clean, and a desk for me to work at while waiting.
Service: so fast, very professional and very friendly.
Price: affordable, and no unnecessary charges.
I couldn’t recommend this place more. They were very busy, cars in and out, phone timing off hook. Again this leads me to feel this is a very well run and reliable business. I would trust them again any day.
Thank you Kal Tire.

Great customer service, free coffee while i waited. They answered all my concerns about my car.i highly reccomend Kal Tire at this location.

2023 Edit: Things have greatly improved since

Noticeable decline in service in 2021:
I have been a long-standing customer of Carlaw Tire, where every visit was incredibly managed by Al. Unfortunately my past 2 experiences in 2021 are making me weary of continuing.
Firstly there is often not a staff at the cash. At both of my last 2 visits I have waited 10 minutes before saying 'Hello' or popping my head through the garage door glass. I'm not sure if I have been simply unlucky in timing.
Second, I recently had a winter tire changed scheduled for mid-Sunday. An hour after dropping off my car I was called to advise that the warehouse had not delivered my tires so the change could not occur. It was re-scheduled for Friday at 11: 30am. When I showed up Friday at 11: 30am I was told that there was no appointment scheduled. Thankfully Al fit my car in that day, but this was a frustrating experience all in all.

The customer service in this place is great, the staff are very friendly and the quality of work is great

I've been to this location several times and always had a great experience. They are on time for appointments, have knowledgeable and honest staff, and provide excellent customer service. 10/10 would recommend.

Don’t go here unless you want condescending treatment and poor service. Unprofessional staff, who will talk down to you when you ask about delays. Another client when I was there had their hub caps stolen at that location. Go elsewhere if you value your time and money. These concerns were raised directly with Kal Tire and they gave lip service but did nothing else to rectify the issues raised.

One of the best service experiences I've ever had.
Hassan and his people are terrific.

After switching to winter tires this year a recommendation for a full break job was suggested.
If they had checked my history there they would have noticed that this same location did a break job for us only in the spring of this year. Ha!
Crooks. Makes me wonder if it was required last time.
Get a recommendation from a trusted source before choosing a mega chain like this for any repairs.

If I could give minus five stars it would be better.
"How much is it to rotate the tires? " my question.
Their answer "90 minutes". I assume for 10 minutes work they charge at least 150 dollars.
I laughed I walked away. THESE ARE CALLED SCAM CANADIAN BUSSINESSES.

If we could pick less than 1 star we would. Just a complete ripoff. They lost our tires in storage and then gas lit us when we called them on it. Brutal. Avoid at all costs.

Kal Tire on Carlaw turned a stressful experience of a flat tire while visiting family a surprisingly great experience! Hassan extremely helpful. The shop was clean, and the customer service impeccable. Highly recommend!

Went there in the morning to change a flat tire, they said leave the vehicle we will call you when done. After couple hours they called saying all 4 tires must be changed it's a safety issue, I said the tires are only 16months old, still lots of life left. Now he says I have to change minimum 2 or they can't just change single one.
Really, stop with all these monkey business. If you can't do it just clearly say no, but don't give nonsense reason to customer.

Can’t believe. I had inconsistent traction on the way home. Guy forgot to remove the stickers from the tires. Can’t get them off now. Will have to drive carefully till the stickers are gone. Would have thought it would be standard to remove them before giving the car back to the client. I am sure it says remove before use

Great service by the team and an amazing manager who clearly takes pride in the quality of the team’s work.

I’m very happy with the quick, safe and reliable tire change service. The staff is knowledgeable and the cost to get my tires swapped and the purchase of my snow tires last season were reasonable. I am a happy returning customer! Thanks!

I always get such great service from the team at this location! I also feel like they are honest in their assessment. I was having a lot of issues with my Mazda. I originally took it to my dealer, but they came back with an outrageous cost and a list of things that I should "fix". The next day I immediately booked a checkup at Kal Tire for a second opinion. Turns out most of the things that Mazda told me I needed to fix we're not urgent at all.
I got what I needed to fix and my bill was $600 less than what Mazda quoted!
I have to also call out Shri. He stayed late to accommodate my vehicle pick up when I ran late at a work meeting.

Quick and efficient service, and Skrishan provided excellent customer service. I'll keep using them for winter/summer tire changes.

Terrible service and no trust

I ditto the earlier comment - Al is great, and one of the only redeeming features of this location. The service at this location, after it was owned by Kal Tire is just plain awful. I have been going here for years, and recommended loads of people. The last straw happened this week.

Went in to replace my winter tires this week for a quick change over appointment. After dropping off the car, they said that it would be 90 to 120 mins instead of less than the hour they had promised. They then called me, and told me that there was a nail in the rim of my tires - even though they were the ones that did the original changeover! Then, when I picked up the car, without the tires being replaced, they didn't even give me back my summer tires - even though I specifically asked them to put everything back in the car. Absolutely all trust is gone.

Great service at this location, the staff are friendly and the service is fast and efficient. We got a surprise that our tire was still under warranty so we didn’t have to pay when we got a flat, great customer service!

I was in a rush to pick up my daughter from her appointment and Skrishan assured me that he could fix my broken wipers on the spot and he delivered. Very professional and kind. Thank you!

Got my winter tires from this place. The service was excellent. The manager Hasan and his time takes pride in their work and it shows. Will go back for future services.

Noticeable decline in service in 2021:
I have been a long-standing customer of Carlaw Tire, where every visit was incredibly managed by Al. Unfortunately my past 2 experiences in 2021 are making me weary of continuing.
Firstly there is often not a staff at the cash. At both of my last 2 visits I have waited 10 minutes before saying 'Hello' or popping my head through the garage door glass. I'm not sure if I have been simply unlucky in timing.
Second, I recently had a winter tire changed scheduled for mid-Sunday. An hour after dropping off my car I was called to advise that the warehouse had not delivered my tires so the change could not occur. It was re-scheduled for Friday at 11: 30am. When I showed up Friday at 11: 30am I was told that there was no appointment scheduled. Thankfully Al fit my car in that day, but this was a frustrating experience all in all.

I have nothing but good things to say about Kal tire. I had a puncture in my tire and they were booked solid but Skrishan came in after business hours to fix my flat. The tires looked like new again and because I had purchased them a few months earlier, there was no charge for the repair! These guys went above and beyond. Highly recommend.

Apallingly bad customer service, winter tire appointment three times has not been honored. Staff has no idea of what is going on, no one answers the phone, appointments are not kept. Go literally anywhere else.

Shri and Al and the crew at Kal Tire have been my go-to neighbourhood service station for tires, seasonal tire changes, and car maintenance over the past 10 years. They are reliable, trustworthy, and courteous. They often take a moment to describe the reasoning behind any necessary repairs with a focus on road safety which is important when you drive an older vehicle as in my case. Their prices are fair and they don't attempt to upsell you with unnecessary repairs. Most recently they were kind enough to fit me in and replace a flat tire at a time when they were fully booked until December 25th. Shri went out of his way to come in early and replace my tire himself.

Best service I’ve experienced in a long time. Purchased a set of winter tires for my C43 coupe. They gave a great deal on the tires with installation. Sri and the manager Hassan were both terrific and I will be back if I ever need anything work done on my cars. Highly recommended!

The worst day is when you get a flat tire and the winter season is just starting. All the tire people and shops are busy as hell. Even if someone wants they can't help as they are busy. I had a flat tire in Toronto downtown and no one was ready to fix that. I found Kal tire Carlaw and went there in hope. And to my luck I found Shri. He is an amazing member of the team and a fantastic human being. Though it took time but I got my tire fixed. Shri is very courteous and went the extra mile to help me in the dire situation where no one was helping. This was my first visit to Kal tire but won't be the last one. Kal tire and Shri together won my heart. Kudos to the team. May more people think like Shri and help people. The value for the brand just escalated.

Reliable service, friendly staff and good prices. Very smooth and quick seasonal tire change experience

Hassan Ashraf was absolutely a delight to deal with at teh Carlaw location in Toronto. Also kuddos to the mechanic, Karim, who installed my the 'Hakkans' on my car. Dynamite team. Also, well done for getting the exact winter tires I was looking: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 - the best winter tires for serious grip in deep snow on remote cottage road. You guys at the best.

Best place to get any service done on your vehicle. Al is the person to call he’ll make it possible to try his best to fit you in as soon as possible

Purchased set of 4 tires from this location. Product availability, selection, and service was very good. They offer financing, which is another reason to buy from Kal Tire.

Skrishan has phenomenal customer service skills at the front desk. Not only was my tire swap completed perfectly but he made sure it was finished earlier than expected so I still had time to pick up my kids from daycare. Kal Tire on Carlaw will have my business from now on. Keep up the great work!

Best place you can go to. Reliable, fast, and efficient. Skrishan was super helpful and I’ll definitely go back to this store. Thank you, team!

Great service, Shri and Hassan kept their promise and delivered on time. I’ll be returning to this location only for these guys!

Today was a clear indication on why proper systems and communication is necessary. Went in for seasonal tire change after I had to call for an update on tires I had ordered, only to be told they could not access my account and request I return the next day. Needless to say that wasn't happening. Thankful for the Shri and staff on correcting this issue. I give 4 stars (for all the efforts) but this shouldn't have happened in the first place.

Swapped my summer for winter tires today. Smooth booking process, efficient and friendly customer service, and tires haven't fallen off yet! Thanks to Shri for helping me out.

I was apart of the road trip mentioned in Payton's review. Hassan is the only reason we were able to continue our road trip, his experience, knowledge and helpful tips allowed us to decide the correct course of action in order to continue on. I cannot express how grateful we are for his assistance.

The service Hassan gave my friends and I through a difficult time during our cross country road trip will be something I will always remember. He saved our road trip and showed genuine compassion and understanding to our situation by giving us helpful advice, a great fix to our car and going out of his way to store our delicate luggage. He is the MVP of our road trip:)!

In the middle of a cross country road trip from Alberta to Newfoundland we were having some tire issues. Hassan was incredibly helpful, kind and honest with us throughout our whole process. We needed help in a pinch and he let us know all our options and explained to us his educated opinions and advice. Can't thank Hassan enough for saving our road trip!

Why even bother with appointments?

I've decided to discontinue my business with Kal Tire after a series of extremely disappointing wait times, for incredibly basic services. I gave them the benefit of the doubt because I have generally gone during the busy tire-swap seasons, but after waiting 2 hours today (almost Mid-May) I'm thoroughly unimpressed. If they cannot handle the capacity, then don't book the slots. It's that simple. I should not be waiting 2 full hours for an on-rim tire change. I am giving them 2 stars because they are COVID safe, reasonably reliable, and clean. Otherwise it's a bit like pulling teeth to watch your car sit untouched for a full hour and a half after your scheduled appointment time. It would literally be 4 times quicker for me to jack up the car in a parking lot and do it myself with a torque wrench - all without the power tools and lifts they have on hand.

It's a shame. They seem honest and forthcoming about mechanical recommendations, if a little blunt about it (I'll take that over the opposite). But time is money, and if you value your time then Kal Tire Carlaw is NOT the place for you.

EDIT: Kal Tire Carlaw is swinging for shady Amazon seller vibes and leaving me messages asking me to call them back. This is the third service in a row I've waited over an hour and a half at. I'm not taking down this well earned review and I would strongly encourage other potential customers to question the legitimacy of "4.4 stars" when management is so diligent in private damage control. You can't unwaste my time.

I went in for a flat tire repair. It turned out to be a rim leak. The guy said that I need to seal them annually as preventative which is BS. I'd be careful about what other repairs and 'maintenance' they suggest as being important or necessary since they aren't completely honest. I also had to go twice to get my tire fixed as the first time I arrived they said that they couldn't help me in spite of my appointment because another car was taking too long

Left my tire to fix cracked rim - it has been over 1 week and no contact. I have called over the last week with phone wait times over 40 mins each time to get an answer that they will "call me later" - which of course never happens.

I booked an appointment to repair a flat tire over the phone. I show up on our agreed upon time and get turned down because I was not in their system. After speaking with the customer service representative in person, he informed me they have nothing open until December. Well done.

Bought my first car, and have been used to upselling and dishonest practices so far. But not with this Kal Tire location - most people told me that places I would change my tires at would push services on to me to raise the bill, but this location checked my alignment for free and told me they didn’t recommend that I spend extra since things were within spec. They were very polite and professional, and so far everything seems good. Booked appointment online, they took my keys and everything was taken car of - tire change, balancing and storage. Very happy with my experience at this location, and will definitely return next summer.

Kaltire on Carlaw was awesome. They took such good care and were very expedient with my car. Special thanks to Allen Harper for hus kindness. Thank you
Karen Henwood

I had a conversation with Al regarding 'All Weather' Tires for my car as I knew 2 of the All Season Tires needed replacing but I didn't want to go for winter tires as I am mostly a city driver and if it is that bad I just don't drive. He took the time to explain the pros and cons, (especially as I wanted the All Weather Run Flat tires) to me and gave me a quote (which was extremely reasonable). I decided to go ahead and booked the appointment. A few days later I got a flat tire up in Uxbridge, I called Al in a panic and he assured me I could have my car towed to the shop in Riverdale and they would order the tires and fit me in as soon as possible.
All went well and today I had the first opportunity to try my new All Weather Tires in the snow - they are fantastic. I have a comfort level driving in the snow/slush which I never had with All Season Tires. My dealership had no knowledge of these tires and Al and his staff made me feel this was the right decision. I would highly recommend the tires and this shop. Thanks guys.

Would give it a 0 star if I could. I called to book an appointment to fix a flat tire. The guy on the phone didn’t take my name or phone number and just told me to show up at the store on the “supposedly” free time slot. Lo and behold, I showed up and got turned down because none of my information is in the system. Absolutely terrible service.

Had a wonderful experience at Kal Tire during my last visit to get my winter tire installed. Booking was straightforward, reminders were sent on time and the job was done to perfection. A special thanks to Allan that made me feel welcome and that expedited the process. Strongly recommend the Kal Tire team.

Amazing service. I swapped my winter tires yesterday at Carlaw Kal Tire and next day went back to do the retorque. I asked if they can check my tire pressure and Evgen checked it for me immediately. Would definitely go back.

I called the phone number to ask about a winter tire change. After a 10 minute hold the guy hangs up on me. So I called again and after another 10 minute hold the guy tells me to "use the website just like everyone else". So I go on the website to book a tire change and the first step asks "Are your winter tires mounted on their own wheels? " This is my first time buying and changing tires and I don't know what that means. Since customer service is refusing to assist, I'll go with someone else.

Update to previous review:
Kal Tire reached out to me proactively and we had a great conversation in which I felt as though they really valued my feedback and listened to my concerns. I dont believe my previous experience would be normal here, but feel I should leave the original review so everyone knows that they will listen to you if you do not have an ideal experience.

I will be going back for my next tire change in the spring.

Original review:
First time at Kal Tire, and it will probably be the last. The agent at the front desk was so unfriendly and rude that I couldn't believe this was the same company with great reviews online.

When I first arrived and mentioned I had a tire change appointment, the agent, Allen, just said " keys in the bin" and went to do something else. I thought this was weird but did as instructed.

Since I don't live within walking distance and it was cold outside, I went to check on their progress about 80 mins later. He looked at me and said we ask for at least 1.5 to 2 hours to complete the appointment and again ignored me.

The car was brought out less than 5 minutes later, so I went in the pay my bill and finish this terrible experience. I know people can have bad days, but it's no reason to speak to abruptly and rudely to someone who is not asking for anything but basic courtesy.

We highly recommend Kal Tire I give this place 5 stars here’s why, the staff is very knowledgeable friendly honest and very efficient we have been to two different mechanics for an issue with our car
Kal tire not only diagnosed the issue it was resolved the same afternoon I trust Kal tire and would highly recommend them. The new tires are great too! Thanks Kal tire

Thanks to Evgen and the team at Kal Tire. Friendly and willing to answer all of my questions. I appreciated that they explained that things will take longer than usual due to Covid-19.

We had our car towed across the city, and we have no regrets! Al was straightforward and informative, and the staff were kind and helpful. They finished the work in no time and charged a fair price. We'll definitely be going back (hopefully not too soon).

Had a problem with during the change to winter to summer tires. The manager stepped in and truly looked after me. I don't think anything better could have been done. Amazing customer service.

Very well done. Our car was slightly damaged after the visit but Evgen the manager was able to address it in a very timely manner. Will definitely come back.

Not happy with their customer service, I have had several bookings with them which they called at the last minute to change or push back. I asked if my tire change, where my tires are on RIMS could be pushed back by 30 minutes because I have mandatory training because of CoVID, these same people I have accommodated when their staff wanted to change my month ling booking to attend the staff Christmas party it wasn’t convenient for me but i left work early to accommodate them and now when I just need it pushed back by 30 mins because my booking starts at 2 and I doubt I will reach there before then and they couldn’t even work with me a little makes me want to take all my tires out of storage and use another company to do my tires instead. This is not decent customer service at all but I’ll be cancelling my booking and shopping around as of today.

Great service-was able to book an online appointment to swap my winters for summers-notwithstanding Covid, it went smoothly and efficiently-great group of people and very professional. Thank you folks.

Exceptional service. I needed a patch on a tire. I dropped it off and the gentleman working the desk mistakenly took down the wrong cell number. I waited a few hours before calling back to check in, and he apologized profusely for not having my correct number (which was all good - I was glad he was honest with me, and I really had no reason to be upset about it). I walked over to pick my car up and he insisted I not pay for the service because of the phone mix-up. Definitely did not have to do this, but it was a nice surprise and I think a great example of excellent customer service. I do not normally attend this Kia Tire, but I will make a point from now on to reward them with my business given I was treated so well. Thanks!

Evgen, the manager is a great guy.
Got a flat somewhere near this place around 5: 30pm
Guy still took the car in and replaced it with spare post working hours and that too without the compressor.
When asked about the charges, just asked me to remember him and the place if anything goes wrong next time around this place.
Hats off man.