Tires: Goodyear Eagle Tires, goodyear eagle, honda dealership

Question
I recently had it pointed out to me that my tires (put on about a year ago) were put on inside out.  I went to the Honda dealership and the guy was almost laughing at my concern.  Yes, since I am female, I think garages do not take me seriously.  I was told that there IS a reason that they should be put on with the printed side now showing "...inside..." BEING on the INSIDE. Should I demand they correct their mistake?  Should they have to put on new tires (for free) since I've driven on them for a year (approx 10k miles)?  
I really hope you can answer me in less than 24 hours.  :-)
Thank you,
Debbie

Answer
Debbie,

You are correct that when a tire says "inside", it kind of means it.  But, there are degrees of this.

Some tires have a fairly mild asymmetry, and it doesn't matter much which side is out.  But others are decidedly asymmetrical and really need to be mounted correctly.

However, even in severe cases, there isn't any harm down.  The harm was when you were driving, you weren't taking advantage of the asymmetry.

I am surprised by the dealers reaction.  The right thing would have been to fix the situation and apologize profusely. I think they have earned that you should take your business elsewhere.  

However, the problem isn't bad enough to require new tires.  After about a year, it might just be better to leave everything alone.  The way to tell is by the tread pattern - and for that I will need the make and model of the tire.  I can tell by looking.