Much silliness has been written about the need for, or conversely, the uselessness of storefronts in the Web 2.0 age. While Michael Dell has finally had to admit to the need for a physical retail presence, I must confess that the vast majority of my internet purchases over the past ten years have been contemplated and executed without the benefit of the “mortar” part of the “clicks and mortar” equation.
However, there are some transactions that simply cannot be conducted without a brick building. One example is tyre purchases, indeed, many tyre merchants in this country, such as Speedy or Midas, refuse to post any indication of tyre prices on their commercial websites. One of these, Feu Vert, satisfies itself with announcing that by dialling their premium rate phone number, one will be assured of the best prices – Not! I dutifully rang FV’s magic number, and was quoted prices for Michelin and Pirelli that would make my Alfa dealer blush – car dealers not being particularly well known for their deep discounting.
So I decided to try the online approach, and came across
pneusonline.com, which claims to be Europe’s biggest online tyre vendor and a pioneer in the field (to my untrained eye, their site is a replica of the
tirerack.com’s, but who knows who was first.) One of the joys of online shopping is the presence of customer reviews. Unfortunately, the tyres I was considering, Michelin Energy 3A’s and Pirelli P6000s (why do tyres have such hopeless names?), featured very mixed reviews, not to mention discounted prices that remained high.
One brand of tyre did catch my eye,
Kumho, of Korea. Excellent reviews, OEM fitting to Mercedes A-Class, and an extraordinarily low price decided me to take the plunge. I had the rubber delivered to the nearest pneusonline partner garage, and then the fun began. For starters, locating the place proved to be an adventure. I finally located the garage, which had less to do with bricks and mortar than corrugated iron. A portable unit in the yard next door represented the ‘facilities’. I couldn’t find the equivalent to my Alfa dealer’s receptionist seemingly specialised in the brewing of espressos.
In the hangar, three mechanics gave a good object lesson as to why delicate jobs should be entrusted to a qualified dealer, as they tugged and hammered at a hapless Toyota’s timing belt assembly. Needless to say, I watched the tyre change with hawkish attention. 1 000 km later, the Kumho Ecsta K11’s (silly tyre names, redux) have yet to explode.
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My pal and favourite adolescente Emma was inspired to drop by the office with her best buddy Mathilde, San Diego and Paris-based international chef and legal expert Kay Rae, along with daughter Isabelle and niece Leanna (not to mention canine friend Kyla.) As a result, I was able to rekindle an old tradition of secretly toasting my birthday in feminine company..jpg)
