I live in tidwater Virginia. Merchants tire is a rip off no matter what you do. They have a chart they follow for the mark up on parts and it is ridiculous. A friend of mine retained a copy of it. Example: if they buy a part for $15.00 they are told to sell it for $57.00 a 73% markup! If they buy a part for $25.00 again a 73% markup and to sell it for $90.00. This is how all of it is done. In April I had brought my car there twice for a flat and always get crap for service. Then, while waiting in the "customer lounge" ( which in most of their stores is nasty and dirty and sloppy) here comes one of the sales people to UP SELL you on everything. fluids, alignments, maintanence.. can't you just go in somewhere and get only what you ask for?? I just had my car at the dealer for some warranty work and they said all the fluids looked great and the car was great. It only has 26k miles on it. But Merchants always comes in with a laundry list and tells you you need brake fluid, power steering fluid and other flushes. I will tell all I know to NEVER go there! I complained to the manager about how this always happens and he said it doesn't. But while I was there they went to the waiting room to a lady who was in for an oil change and had told her SHE needed some fluhes and an alignment as well. She was VERY upset and asked the question I do. Can't you just do the work asked and stop trying to upsell when it is NOT needed. Is this a normal practice? Yes. After talking to the manager Doug, I recevied no satisfaction. He actually walked away from me. After leaving the location I called another store manager to get a number of his boss, a guy named Brent and he never returns calls. I called the store manager back and asked if this guy brent callls customers back and he said "no, that is typical of our ADS". Some kind of compnay you have there. NEVER GO to merchants, ntb, or tire kingdom!