Customers’ tires stuck behind locked doors after Johnson’s closes

Customers who were storing their tires at Johnson's Tire Service in Anchorage say they're not sure how to get their property back.

The shop, which abruptly closed earlier this week, offered a service where people could pay to keep their offseason tires there instead of lugging them home after every seasonal tire change.

Susan Reed said she and her husband have used that service for years because they don't have a garage at home and their tires have been stolen more than once. They have eight "top of the line" tires currently stuck at Johnson's, Reed said.

"Both of us stopped by Johnson's Tire last week and said, 'Do we need an appointment?' " Reed said. "(They said), 'Oh no, no appointment necessary, just bring your car in.' … I'm just really bummed."

[Johnson's Tire Service in Anchorage suddenly closes]

Reed said the storage service, also referred to as the "tire hotel," cost about $100 the last time she paid for it.

The company's shop on Denali Street had a sign posted on its door Tuesday that read, "Closed for business permanently," and the doors were locked. Johnson's had previously filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2015. No one at the store was reachable for comment for this story.

Carol Fuller has been using the tire storage service for about six years, and said it cost her $200 this last year. She said she has four studded snow tires still at the shop.

Six weeks ago, she had knee surgery that prevented her from driving up until this week. She said she called Johnson's around the time of the surgery to make sure it would be OK to come in later than usual to get her tires changed.

"They said, 'No problem,' " Fuller said. "I wanted to get my tires before the snow flies."

Fuller said she called the Anchorage Police Department's non-emergency line yesterday, looking for a solution, and the person she spoke with suggested contacting the Better Business Bureau.

"I don't think anybody knows what to do," she said. "I don't see how they can just shut down all of the sudden and leave everybody, at this time of year, stranded. I don't understand what's going on."

Cindy Franklin, an assistant attorney general at the Alaska Department of Law's consumer protection section, said she'd like to see people affected by the situation file a complaint with her division.

"Then I can start an investigation," she said. "So far, my knowledge of tires being stuck at the tire hotel is really anecdotal. … The Better Business Bureau is great but it's more of a reporting thing to warn off future people."

Consumers can find information about how to file a complaint on the law department's website at law.alaska.gov.

Joshua Rabe had been using the tire hotel for the past three years because his garage at home is pretty full. He said he paid $170 this summer for the storage service, and had an appointment for Thursday to get his winter tires put on his car.

"I'll probably just end up having to buy another set of tires, and count it as a loss," said Rabe, who estimates the value of the four tires he has stored at Johnson's around $1,000.

Reed said she and her husband will try to fight to get their tires back however they can, but might have to just buy new ones.

"Not something we budgeted for," she said.