A woman has shared what she calls a nightmare experience at a Discount Tire, saying the store tried to "hustle" her. Kiley (@kileywrx) says she bought a new car in February that came with relatively new tires. "I thought I was good to go," she says. But not long after, she ran into trouble when a nail got stuck in one of them. It was a slow leak, so she kept topping off the air every few days, hoping it would hold. That worked for a bit—until one day she walked outside and found the tire completely flat. "At this point, I couldn’t avoid the inevitable anymore," she says. So she finally took the car to Discount Tire. That’s when, according to her, things went downhill fast. What Happened At Discount Tire? Kiley says when she got to Discount Tire, she told an employee she planned to replace all her tires and rims soon, but for now, she just needed one new tire to get by. OWNERSHIP STORIES Viral stories from across the web Our team of experts tracks what owners are saying about car-shopping, repairs, the daily driving experience and more on social media. Before heading in, she checked the company’s website and saw tires listed for as low as $79. But once she got to the store, she says the worker told her that the deal didn’t exist. Instead, he purportedly said the cheapest option available was nearly $300. "We don’t have the cheapest tire available. The cheapest one we have is for $285," Kylie recalls him saying. He also reportedly told her, "It’s not available at any of the other stores. So this is the only option we have for you." Kiley says she didn’t want the pricier tire and asked the employee just to put her old one back on and fill it with air so she could try somewhere else. That’s when, she claims, things got tense. "This man actually told me he was not going to put the tire back on and that he could not let me leave with my car," she says. Kiley refused to pay almost $300 for a new tire—or, as she put it, let anyone "kidnap" her car. Eventually, she says the two sides struck a deal: The store gave her the more expensive tire but only charged her $79 for it. Still, Kiley accused Discount Tire of having terrible customer service and trying to "hustle" its customers. She also included this on-screen caption for her video, "Discount Tire, count your days." What Happens If A Tire Store Tries To Upsell Me? Upselling isn’t unusual at places like Discount Tire. According to Consumer Reports, it’s not uncommon for stores to train employees to pitch pricier products by emphasizing factors such as longer tread life, better handling, or added safety features. It’s true, though, that these tactics can leave customers feeling like they’ve been "hustled." While it’s a way for stores to boost sales—and while it can be legitimate—it can also leave customers feeling pressured or misled if they don’t understand their options. The best thing drivers can do is walk in informed. Knowing your car’s basic tire requirements helps keep you from being talked into something you don’t need. And, as Kylie did, it never hurts to check prices online before showing up in person, which helps give you a solid baseline for what a fair deal looks like. If a salesperson insists on a higher-end tire, it’s worth asking them to explain in as much detail as possible why that model is a better fit. Sometimes there’s a genuine reason, such as improved traction or durability, but other times, it’s just a sales tactic. That’s why, when buying tires, it’s always smart to shop around. Although Discount Tire advertises that it delivers "the lowest prices on all tires and wheels we carry," a quick call to a competitor can confirm whether this claim holds. Ultimately, customers are under no obligation to purchase something that exceeds their budget. Upselling may be part of the car business, but the decision to spend more is always yours. Viewers Encourage Woman To Find A Different Tire Shop Many viewers who watched Kylie’s TikTok urged her to take her business elsewhere. Several people even offered their own go-to alternatives. "Go to Walmart," one woman advised. "Costco," another chimed in. "Check out Sam’s Club," a third added. "Discount Tire, you need to look into this, not good." Others praised Kylie for standing her ground when the situation escalated. "Like an [expletive] BOSS!!" one person said. "You did a great job advocating for yourself," another wrote. "They were lying through their a$$." A few commenters also backed up Kylie’s claim that the store was trying to "hustle" her. "Oh, Discount Tire is ALL about the hustle," one user said. "They advertise free tire repair, but will try so hard to get money out of you while you are there! I stopped going there." "I had a similar issue, they told me it’d be illegal to patch my tire and tried to sell me 4 new tires for like $1k," another recalled. "My off-road oversized tires are that much," added someone else. "No way a road tire should be that much." Motor1 has reached out to Kylie and Discount Tire via email. We’ll update this if either responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team