UPDATE 3/30/18
I received a call from Bob Thomas, the service manager, in regards to my review. He was very apologetic and understood my frustration. Gave me a thorough explanation of how I was unexpectedly charged for the extra work and is refunding me the entire cost. As a result, I’ve adjusted my rating to 5 stars.
My Equinox had been having issues with oil consumption and the model was part of a safety bulletin that verified the issue. In order to qualify for service covered under warranty, I had to take it in to have the oil checked every 1k miles for a few months, so this resulted in several trips back and forth. The technicians I met during this time were always friendly, helpful and professional.
My issues arose once the time came for my piston rings to be replaced (once it was verified that my car qualified for service). One of the previous techs had forewarned me that they would be so far down in the engine, that they would probably find additional issues NOT covered under warranty, but it would make sense to consider paying for the cost of the fix. He said if they did find those issues, they would call me first for approval to move forward with whatever it was. When I called to make the appointment, I asked the receptionist if she knew whether they would change my oil or not, as part of the warranty? She wasn't entirely sure and said I should ask the technician at the time of service.
The service was going to take 2-3 days to complete. I dropped it off on a Sunday evening with a Monday appointment. By Tuesday morning, I still hadn't heard anything so I called to check on it; it was before they opened so I left a voicemail. By 1:00 pm, I still hadn't heard anything, so I called again and was told that "it should be done by end of today, and as of now there have been no additional issues found. If something comes up, we'll call you. If not, we'll call you once it's done."
By 6 pm on Tuesday (they close at 7), I still hadn't heard anything, not even a notification that it was done. I called again and was told, yes, it was done and I could come get it. I was also told there would be a charge of $146 for replacement of a couple of coils. This was obviously news to me.. I told the guy I had called twice, and was never told about this. Whatever they replaced and the cost associated with it was not authorized. He said he would "look into it" and have more information by the time we arrived to pick it up.
I was stuck at home with no car (because of course the warranty didn't cover a rental), and my husband was at work. With less than an hour's notice, he had to drop everything he was doing and rush to the dealer before they closed to get my keys, so that I could drive to work the next day. By the time he got there, the only response he got in regards to the extra charges was "Yes, sorry, we screwed up." There was no explanation, no offer for a discount. He still paid for it, since we expected some extra charges but if the first tech hadn't forewarned me of this, I would have been LIVID. He picked up the keys, drove home to pick me up, then we drove BACK to the dealer (thanks to the extremely late notice of the fact my car was ready).
When he picked it up, my husband asked the technician if the oil was changed. The tech apparently looked at him like he was crazy and stated, "Of course we did." Quite a different response from the lady I spoke to on the phone initially, but okay. When I got in my car, I noticed 1) there was no windshield sticker to indicate when my next oil change was needed, and 2) my oil level meter hadn't been reset. I expect this type of thing from a garage, but not the dealer themselves. I called back the next day and confirmed that yes, they did change my oil and mailed me a sticker.
All in all, the customer service at this place was 50/50. The people at the front desks that interact with you initially are great, but the communication skills between all of them, which is imperative, is appalling. I would have expected WAY more communication on a service job as big as this one was.