New Britain herald., 1928-08-18
AUTO Tire GAME
FOOLS SUCKERS
New SWindle Developed by
"Agents", Gets Customers

The latest racket" through
which a gullible public is being
mulcted by shreWd and underhand-
! ed semi-crooks is one at the expense
of motorists. The racket is the sale
| of automobile tires at ridiculously
low prices-ridicuiously low until
the buyer makes a closer examina-
ton of his purchase. A large por-
hon of this business is transacted
by itinerant peddlers, the rest by
mail. Connecticut is suffering from
/ the depredations of these racketeers
along with the rest of New England,
and New Britain motorists have
been circularized by at least one
firm of doubtful caliher.
Investigations into this game
have been conducted recently by
business bureaus and automobile
service clubs, and these show that
the men conducting the cheap tire
business have been cleverly appeal
ing to the human instinct to get
something for nothing. Their adver-
tlsements feature terms such as
slashlng price reductions" and
lowest prices ever" These ads i'm
PLY that the advertiser has procured
an odd lot from a bankrupt or in
some other way permitting low
prices, but when sales are made in
person the tire sellers are not even
this particular. They drop hints
about having to get rid of the tires
quickly and lead the motorist to
suspect the tires have been stolen,
Jumping at the chance to take
advantage of another's theft when
he would not think of stealing the
tires himself, the motorist finds
himself trapped by his own elastic
conscience, For the tires he buys
are not new tires. They are not re-
treaded tires. They are not even
rebuilt" tires, as they are adver-
used. They are merely battered old
tlres with a coating of fresh rub
Der TO gloss over the holes and
cracks. In many instances they
actually are retreaded in a sense,
but underneath the tread will usu-
ally be found the rotten fabric of
the old shoe.
The companies which deal in
them resort to devious methods, In
ways which have not yet been clear
~ ascertained they obtain tire
moulds and other equipment from
rubber companies which have
passed out of existence and even
from the largest and most reputable
tire manufacturing companies which
ere still in business. Thus, wasn
they rebuild" the shoes, the finish
ed products bear the name of es-
tabilshed concerns and appear at a
casual glance to be made BY them,
Another trick is used in connec-
ton with the wrapping. A disre-
putable dealer can tear off the
wrapper at a marked place and ap-
parently disclose the name OF the
United States Rubber Co., but
when the buyer gets home and re-
moves the shoe from its paper he
finds that the actual legend is
Made in the United States" ONLY
the spot over the last two words is
ripped open by the dealer, In sim !
liar fashion several trade names can
be stamped on the same tire and
which the buyer prefers shown to
him.
Again, the tires are not always !
of the ordered sizes. The wrapper
may show the size purchaser
wants, but the tire inside is some
thing else again. In fact. 1t is pos
sible to present what appears to be
full line Of sizes although all thu,
tires are Of the same size, for all
that is necessary to create this H.
fusion is to mark the wrappers as
desired.
All these tricks would become ap-
parent If the buyer were given an
opportunity to inspect his tires
closely. but the transaction, if made
in person, is hurried along by the
dealers seeming fear to show the
tires where police might notice
them and by the buyers cupidity.
which leads him to take the great
bargain and ask no questions. If
the deal is made by mail, the COM
pany can have a new name and ad-
dress by the time complaints pile
up enough to warrant action by the
Not only are these allegedly re-
built tires sold under false names
and as incorrect sizes which make
them at times nnsuited to the pur-
chasers car. but the rebuilding" is
so slight and the defects of the
basic old shoe SO many and grievous
that their use is dangerous. The in
Nestiga tors have found hardly tire
which would not blow out after a
short run and endanger human life