Mike White Ford of Sandpoint - Service Center

Poor Customer Service: Service Department Living in a remote area, basic errands often become an ordeal. For me, that includes the annual ritual of driving into town to get my vehicle serviced and my sno remote area, basic errands often become an ordeal. For me, that includes the annual ritual of driving into town to get my vehicle serviced and my snow tires mounted—something I make a point to do before winter fully sets in. This year, however, my trip was far more frustrating than it needed to be, thanks to what I can only describe as a lack of customer service and transparency at Mike White Ford in Ponderay, Idaho. Like many, I rely on snow tires to navigate our challenging winter roads. My tires are in great condition, despite being ten years old—they have fewer than 500 miles on them, have been stored indoors, and are well-maintained. I scheduled my appointment weeks in advance to ensure everything would be taken care of before the snow became too treacherous. Yet, when I braved a snowstorm to make my appointment for an oil change and tire mounting, I was blindsided. At pickup, the dealership informed me they would not mount my snow tires because, as they claimed, it was “illegal” under DOT regulations. This declaration struck me as odd, so I asked for clarification and interacted with both the service advisor and the service manager. Unfortunately, neither could provide proof of this supposed law. Instead, the service manager handed me a printout from the Ford owner’s manual, specifically page 58, which states, *“In general, tires should be replaced after six years regardless of tread wear.”* This was presented as their justification for refusing to mount the tires. However, it’s clear this is a recommendation, not a regulation. Their inability to distinguish between the two and their insistence that no other shop would mount the tires left me frustrated. Curious, I called two other local tire businesses and was told they’d need to inspect the tires but would likely mount them if they were in good condition. So much for “no one else would do it.” Safety is, of course, paramount. I understand the concerns about older tires, even those with low mileage and good storage conditions. What frustrates me isn’t the dealership’s adherence to their policy—it’s the lack of communication and accountability. They didn’t mention this policy when I scheduled my appointment weeks in advance, nor did they apologize for the inconvenience it caused me. There was no acknowledgment of the time and effort I spent driving in a snowstorm, no attempt at service recovery, and no sign warning customers of this practice. A simple heads-up when scheduling the appointment would have allowed me to avoid the hassle and find another solution. A courteous apology or even an offer to help me find a shop that could mount my tires would have gone a long way. Instead, I got defensiveness, misinformation, and an unwillingness to take responsibility for their failure to communicate. Customer service is about more than following policies. It’s about how those policies are applied and how businesses treat their customers, especially when things go wrong. My experience at Mike White Ford in Ponderay, Idaho, was a lesson in how not to handle a situation. I hope by sharing this story, I encourage businesses—especially those in small communities where trust and word-of-mouth matter—to prioritize communication, honesty, and service recovery. That’s what keeps customers coming back, storm or shine. More

When driving north on Hwy 95 south of Sandpoint, a deer jumped into the front of our Ford Explorer. Eventually the deer damage caused the Explorer heating system (the heat that blows out the top and bottom jumped into the front of our Ford Explorer. Eventually the deer damage caused the Explorer heating system (the heat that blows out the top and bottom or the dashboard & the seat heaters & the thermostat and heat info that posts onto the dashboard) to each turn on and off for unpredictable periods (from a few minutes to a few hours or a few days) and these periods got longer and longer. It was very disrupting earlier in the winter. After speaking with the Mike White service staff, they obtained the needed equipment and they arranged to come to our house and pick up the Explorer to take to Mike White Ford and returned the Explorer to our house right after the Explorer was repaired. The repairs were excellent. Wonderful!!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! Jim (& Lindsey) Hughes Sandpoint Idaho More