Delaware residents now have a new option for all their tire needs, with the added flexibility of several different payment options as RNR Tire Express opened Dec. 9 at 150 S. Sandusky St.
RNR Tire Express is a franchise based out of Tampa, Florida, and has more than 120 locations around the country. The Delaware location is the second Ohio shop to open, joining the Marion location, which opened last spring. Both are owned by Keith Ferriman, a Marion native and veteran in the rent-to-own industry.
“We focus on helping customers pay for these things on a payment plan, and we use the lease-purchase (option) … We use that with six months, same as cash, which means we’ll quote a customer a cash price and if they can pay that price within six months, they will own their product for only that cash price,” Ferriman said. “Whereas, if they would have paid their lease payments to their end, they would have ended up paying quite a bit more than the cash price.
“A lot of the folks who come to see us might not have the ability to put a big tire purchase on a credit card, or if they don’t have a credit card, being able to pay that out in cash can be challenging for customers,” he said. “Our payment plan is consistent, we make sure it fits their budget.”
Ferriman added the shop offers services throughout the duration of a lease that ensures that “if something bad happens as far as the tires or the wheels go, that it doesn’t change their payment,” because he knows how detrimental a “big spike” in those payments would be. He said issues such as a flat or blown tire would normally require the customer to buy a brand new tire at most shops, but at RNR, they will cover the replacement.
The payments don’t include any type of credit check, nor does RNR report to any credit bureaus. Ferriman said everything is done “in house,” and they go through great lengths to help the customer understand what they’re signing when it’s time to sign the lease agreement.
Included in all tire purchases is a free alignment as “part of the process to make sure a customer’s car is in the best shape we can get it in before it leaves,” Ferriman said.
RNR also offers all types of custom wheels for cars and trucks with the same payment options and coverage for a damaged or bent wheel.
Asked if a payment-based tire shop was common in the industry, Ferriman said the model is starting to gain in popularity. He said when the Marion shop was opened, there wasn’t anyone in the community offering payments on tires. However, after six months of RNR opening, Ferrim said nearly everyone was offering payment plans.
“I think even the retailers are coming to terms with the reality that you have to offer a way for people to afford tires,” Ferriman said.
For those who wish to purchase a set of tires upfront, Ferriman said RNR offers competitive pricing and about any brand a customer would be looking to purchase. All prices include the mounting and balancing of the tires, as well as an alignment.
“We just feel like it’s really important to do all of that,” Ferriman said, adding that a lot of shops’ prices don’t include those services in their pricing, nor do many of them even have an alignment machine.
RNR Tire Express is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The business also offers free air as a service to anyone who may need to pump up their tires.
