I've been here a couple of times in the past two years, just for simple things like oil changes and everything has gone fine. This time, however, was definitely the most frustrating and unprofessional mechanic experience I have ever had, and I will definitely not be back. I have never felt so tossed aside as a customer. After my electric throttle system light started coming on and my car was having problems driving back to Big Sky through the canyon a couple weeks ago, I got home and called Foster's to schedule a diagnostic check and to get my tires changed over for winter. They scheduled me for about a week and a half out, and I told them the specific problems that had happened - about the light that had come on and the sounds and the driving issues that all came with it. I also told them I was driving from Big Sky, as they should maybe have in the system anyway since I've been a customer before. They did not give me an appointment time, but said they open at 8AM and whenever I get there for the day would be fine, and that they would be using Whalen Tire as a tire servicer for me since my snow tires are not on their own rims. I drove from Big Sky, got there at around 9:15AM and they told me they would get me in for the diagnostic that day, but I had to remind them what the issues I was having were, as they clearly had not noted any of that when I called to schedule the appointment in the first place. They said they were going to be closed the next three days (Friday through Sunday) and told me that there was a chance the tire place would have my tires swapped over by lunchtime. I sat in the waiting room for literally FOUR hours before someone popped their head in and told me they were "sorry things were taking so long." I asked if they had any idea how long things would take at this point, as I had already been waiting for four hours, and he replied "well, no, because Whalen is swamped we're waiting to see if they can get the tires done before 5 so we can run a diagnostic." At that point, the guys had had a solid lunch break, as I sat in the waiting room that was open to the garage and could hear them taking their break together and also noted that the garage was empty. There were no cars in there that they were actively working on at that point. Yet they decided to let my car sit down the road at Whalen, waiting for who knows how long, while they had plenty of time to run the diagnostic that I had scheduled with them a week and a half in advance, which was obviously more pressing than getting my tires swapped over. Fuming, I got up and left the waiting room, walked down to Whalen, and just by asking them, found out that they would not have time for my tires until the next day. I immediately called Foster's and shared this (very hard information to get, clearly) with the guys there, and said I would be leaving since it was going on five hours at this point that I had arrived at Fosters to get my car serviced. FIVE HOURS. The people at Whalen were very nice, and even offered to drive me somewhere if I needed - after I was over there for only maybe 10 minutes. A mechanic from Foster's eventually came to pick my car up from out front of Whalen, saying that they should be able to get it in for a diagnostic before the end of the day (it was almost 3:00 at this point, so they still had two hours of the work day left, for what should have been a fairly simple diagnostic). Thankfully, I was able to ride back to Big Sky with a friend that evening and then back out Whalen to pick up my car on Saturday. Foster's was closed, as they were in the middle of their three day weekend stretch. It is now Tuesday, and nobody from Foster's has reached out to me. I have no idea if they ever even ran a diagnostic at all...... after I arrived at 9:15AM of my appointment day, with no appointment time, and left around 3PM. There is literally no excuse for this lack of professionalism and for making your customer feel so pushed by the wayside. This place is a joke. read more
