Blain's Farm & Fleet - Reviews and experiences

I booked two appointments — one in Loves Park and one in Belvidere — because my car’s brakes were acting up. Figured they’d check and fix, simple. Turns out both appointments were just “diagnostics” and I had to come back another day to actually get them fixed. They kept saying it was whoever booked the appt’s fault, like I had any control over that. It was a bit nonsense, honestly. I went back to the first store but the manager was downright rude, so we left. A year ago Blain’s had replaced my brakes and I assumed they’d be covered under warranty if anything went wrong soon after. Nope — suddenly the warranty only counts for “Centric” brakes (which I don’t remember being offered as a choice), so they wouldn’t cover it. Feels like an easy out for them. Driving with slightly pulsing brakes since then made me nervous; I baby the car now, slower stops, more distance, you know. My family used to go there for years — we liked the place — but this whole thing changed that. Tried to call HQ for a proper answer, number disconnected. Same bad service everywhere it seems. Disappointed more than angry, I guess, but it’s enough that we won’t be going back.

some pickles in the other half of the shipment leaked a tiny bit — definitely the carrier’s fault, not Blains. They were wrapped in like 6–7 inches of bubble wrap, so they didn’t explode, just left a smell and damp inner layers (I joked I hadn’t ordered a basketball). Overall very happy, would order again. If you’re worried about support, maybe have backup expectations, but if you just want fast, accurate shipping, this was great.

A friend had told me about the new place down the road, so I stopped by to check it out. I was after something for a gopher problem — small, annoying stuff — and I remembered the tip so I figured why not. The store itself looked fine, shelves full and all that. Then the odd bit started. I asked an employee where the live-trap or gopher supplies were. He said “no problem, follow me,” and off we went.
He walked me in what felt like a full loop. Lane by lane. I asked once, twice. He even asked a colleague where the traps might be. Okay, fair. But then we end up back where we started and another staffer says he’s got a delivery. The first guy just leaves. Disappears toward the back room. I’m standing there, and the second person shrugs and walks away. Literally. Said something like “he chases shiny things” and that was it.
I get that stores are short-staffed. I really do. Deliveries happen. But leaving a customer mid-question, with no follow-up or offer to check stock or order online? That’s poor form. I ended up going to Lowe’s for a couple of things instead, no drama. The product selection wasn’t the problem; the problem was the way the service folded when a delivery showed up. Felt untrained, a little chaotic.
If they tighten up how they handle deliveries and make sure customers aren’t left hanging, this place could be decent. For now I’m on the fence. I might try again, but I’ll probably call ahead next time.

Funny thing — I remember uncapping one of those new bottles and doing the tiniest, guilty sniff like you do with milk in the fridge, and bam, that’s when I knew I had to call someone. I’d ordered four of the Pearlessence hand sanitizers because the product photo on the site matched the one I’d bought in-store before. Figured it’d be the same, no fuss. Package arrives, bottle looks right at a glance, but the top’s a pour spout instead of a pump — odd, but okay, I can live with a pour spout. Then I open it and it’s basically rubbing alcohol in a bottle. Nothing like the mellow, lightly scented one from the store. My husband has allergies, so this wasn’t just a “hmm” moment, it was a “wait, no” moment.

the radio lost its code on my Honda CV and I tried to reset it without my reading glasses (rookie move). After a few failed tries it locked up, and I realised I was out of my depth without tools. Turned out Joel didn’t just swap the battery — he popped the battery off again so I could properly reset the radio. Kind of above and beyond.
So my original doubts about quality weren’t wrong — the first unit seemed faulty — but the staff made all the difference. Solid, human customer service. It’s nice when a place actually helps you instead of shrugging. I left feeling relieved and a bit grateful (and yes, a little embarrassed about the radio part). Joel made a grumpy old guy happy again.

I left without the tires and felt disrespected, and that’s what matters most. I needed new tires for safety reasons — my tread was low and I don’t want to push my luck on highway trips — and I also have an ignition interlock device on my car, which I made clear up front so nobody would be surprised. I expected straightforward service and a quick install. Instead I got dropped calls, mixed messages, and ultimately someone who refused to work on my car and swore at me in front of other customers. That’s the sum of it. Now the details.
I started hunting for tires on July 6 because I wanted the job done soon. My mom had told me Farm and Fleet was a decent option, so I rang the Oak Creek store. My first call at about 9:54 a.m. ended with them hanging up. I called again at roughly 10:11 and after a few transfers I was put on hold for a few minutes and then disconnected. I tried a third time around 10:16, got transferred multiple times and sat on hold for close to eight minutes before I gave up. That should have been a clue. I should have walked away then and gone somewhere else. I didn’t, I kept going.
I called a different location — Waukesha — and spoke to a woman there. I told her Oak Creek had hung up on me repeatedly. She apologised and even said they hear that about that other store. Red flag number two, which I still ignored. I asked whether I needed an appointment. She said it was walk-in service, so I booked nothing and drove in. At the counter I decided on four new tires. The associate pushed an alignment too, saying it would protect the warranty. It added about $70 to the bill. I asked specifically whether my interlock device would be a problem and explained I could start the car for the techs when needed. She assured me it wouldn’t be an issue. I was trying to be transparent because this was a $637 purchase for me.
The tires weren’t in stock, so they ordered them and told me they’d be in on Monday. That was fine. I expected a call when they arrived so I could drop the car off. Monday came and no call. At about 12:07 p.m. I phoned and got put on hold for 12 minutes before someone finally picked up. They took my name and number and said they were busy and someone would call back. No callback. I rang again at 2:15 p.m., finally spoke to someone who confirmed the tires were in but said they were fully booked for the afternoon, so I couldn’t come in that day. Confusing, since the sales associate had told me that once I got a call that they were in, I could have them installed that same day. I rearranged my schedule again and planned to be there first thing Tuesday.
Tuesday morning I walked in and checked in at the counter. The associate said it would be about three hours, which was fine. This was a different person from who sold me the tires. I asked where the best spot would be for me to wait and whether I should start the car now so the techs could move it when needed. The counter person looked unsure and went to ask the mechanic, Dan. At that point I turned on the voice recorder on my phone — partly because of the earlier call issues and partly because there appeared to be a real communication gap. I didn’t expect what happened next.
Dan came out, looked at my car and flat-out refused to work on it because of the interlock device. I reminded him I had told the sales person about it, that I had confirmed the car could be started for service, and I asked him where in any policy it says a functioning interlock device means I can be refused service. He replied and used profanity, basically saying “I am not showing you ****” and walked away. He said it in front of people. I was stunned. Humiliated. I didn’t know whether to laugh or leave. I asked to speak to a manager. The associate paged or called Tom, the manager, and I waited about 20 minutes.
Tom told me he had no authority to give me more than a refund of the installation fee — about $59.96 — which he said was what the regional manager Patrick would allow. He also suggested the staff hadn’t heard any profanity and that I was mistaken. I told him I had a recording and played it. The recording captured Dan swearing, the time stamp included, and I also recorded the conversation with Tom while I was there. He didn’t have anything else to offer beyond the small refund. The tires and alignment I had paid and waited for were not done. I left without them. Not because I wanted to, but because I was refused and then dismissed.
I’m not looking for a payout. I wanted a basic apology and the work I paid for. Instead I got clipped explanations and a shrug about policy limits higher up the chain — the regional manager — and name-dropped a store manager I never spoke to. The whole situation felt mishandled from the start: dropped calls, misinformation about appointment policy, no callback when they said they would call, last-minute refusal to service a vehicle that I had been upfront about, and being spoken to in a way no customer should be. It’s annoying, inconvenient and oddly personal. I get policies exist. I get busy shops. But there are ways to treat people and ways not to, and this wasn’t the right way. I left out time, money and patience, and I’m still left waiting for an apology.
If you need tires and you’ve got anything nonstandard about your car — call ahead, confirm more than once, and be prepared to walk away if you don’t like the tone on the phone. I won’t go back to this location until I hear something real from management. I’m disappointed, frankly.

me leaning on the tailgate, coffee in hand, watching my husband pace the driveway like he was counting the grass blades. We wanted a mower that morning — a simple, “let’s get this done” kind of errand — and it turned into one of those retail sagas you tell friends over the fence. Still, somehow, by the end of all that noise and waiting, there were a couple of people who actually made me breathe easy and feel genuinely glad we went there. That’s the part I want to hang onto, because it’s the moment I knew the whole thing would be okay.