cliffbig
Been here awhile...
Had my first Equus service (oil change at 6600 miles--we enjoy the car, but my wife and I just don't drive that much, so we're just hitting the 6600 mile mark after 20 months). This was a really horrible experience, and it leaves me wondering if the dealer (Atlanta's largest Hyundai dealer) has abandoned its Equus commitment, or if Hyundai is no longer mandating any standards for Equus sales and service.
Yesterday when I called to make they appointment, they had a Genesis scheduled to be brought to me when my Equus was picked up; at 8:45 today they called and said they didn't. When I asked what went wrong, they said they'd get back to me; ten minutes later, they called and they did have a Genesis after all--it appears that it was a used car off their lot, but that was acceptable since I was just driving it for a few hours.
At the time they picked up my car, I also asked them to check the daytime running lights, since one of them was pointing higher than the other (several folks have commented on it, and I can see the difference when I pull up to a building or to my garage door).
The car was picked up at 9:30 am; I was told to give them until noon so they'd have time to clean/detail the car. At 1pm, I arrived at the dealership at 1pm, giving them an extra hour. The oil change has been done; the tech says that the headlights are set normally, even though I point out that they're not the same as other Equuses (Equui?), which is disappointing.
Then I notice the car has not been cleaned or detailed. I have already switched over several boxes of candy I had purchased for my business at Sam's Club before I discovered this; I ask if I need to take it out of the car. "No, the car will be indoors, and it'll only take about a half-hour."
An hour and forty-five minutes later, after several requests from me to find out what was taking so long (and FOUR different statements that "they're bringing it around now," which they obviously weren't) they bring the car back. It's now moderately clean, but incredibly hot because it was sitting in the sun most of the time. The candy is now melted and unsaleable due to the heat buildup on a black Equus. And I say "moderately clean" because there are still several spots (bird dropping residue, etc.) on the hood that were not cleaned off.
While I was wasting almost two hours, I went inside to look at a new Equus. The special area that had been constructed for the Equus--the area that they showed off with such fanfare when I was invited to the Equus unveiling in the fall of 2010--is now the parking area for a new Veloster. The Equus is stuck out on the floor with other cars with no special marketing are identification/promotional material
According to the receptionist, there is NO Equus specialist at Ed Voyles any longer. And according to the service rep I spoke with, no one has been designated to see to it that Equus-level service (including cleaning, etc.) is done. So all those extras we supposedly paid for appear to have been abandoned at Ed Voyles, at leaste.
While I'm waiting, I speak to the person to whom I'm directed when I ask for an Equus specialist (because they thought he had read some about the Equus). "I'm not an Equus specialist, but i can help," he says. I ask if he's heard anything about Blue Link for the Equus. "It has it," he tells me. I point out that it doesn't, and he's surprised. That immediately tells me that the Equus is just another car to move as far as he's concerned.
The manager was very apologetic, but apologies don't make up for almost two hours lost, second-rate service, and poor cleaning. At this point, I won't consider an Equus again once I decide to replace this one until/unless Hyundai can live up to their promises.
Absolutely wretched experience, and not at all what I was promised when I bought this car. I am left to wonder if Hyundai's lack of willingness to start a new brand for the Equus (as Honda did with Acura, Nissan did with Infiniti, and Toyota did with Lexus) was an advance indicator of a lack of commitment to the brand. It seems that retailers have already forgotten those promises they made...
Yesterday when I called to make they appointment, they had a Genesis scheduled to be brought to me when my Equus was picked up; at 8:45 today they called and said they didn't. When I asked what went wrong, they said they'd get back to me; ten minutes later, they called and they did have a Genesis after all--it appears that it was a used car off their lot, but that was acceptable since I was just driving it for a few hours.
At the time they picked up my car, I also asked them to check the daytime running lights, since one of them was pointing higher than the other (several folks have commented on it, and I can see the difference when I pull up to a building or to my garage door).
The car was picked up at 9:30 am; I was told to give them until noon so they'd have time to clean/detail the car. At 1pm, I arrived at the dealership at 1pm, giving them an extra hour. The oil change has been done; the tech says that the headlights are set normally, even though I point out that they're not the same as other Equuses (Equui?), which is disappointing.
Then I notice the car has not been cleaned or detailed. I have already switched over several boxes of candy I had purchased for my business at Sam's Club before I discovered this; I ask if I need to take it out of the car. "No, the car will be indoors, and it'll only take about a half-hour."
An hour and forty-five minutes later, after several requests from me to find out what was taking so long (and FOUR different statements that "they're bringing it around now," which they obviously weren't) they bring the car back. It's now moderately clean, but incredibly hot because it was sitting in the sun most of the time. The candy is now melted and unsaleable due to the heat buildup on a black Equus. And I say "moderately clean" because there are still several spots (bird dropping residue, etc.) on the hood that were not cleaned off.
While I was wasting almost two hours, I went inside to look at a new Equus. The special area that had been constructed for the Equus--the area that they showed off with such fanfare when I was invited to the Equus unveiling in the fall of 2010--is now the parking area for a new Veloster. The Equus is stuck out on the floor with other cars with no special marketing are identification/promotional material
According to the receptionist, there is NO Equus specialist at Ed Voyles any longer. And according to the service rep I spoke with, no one has been designated to see to it that Equus-level service (including cleaning, etc.) is done. So all those extras we supposedly paid for appear to have been abandoned at Ed Voyles, at leaste.
While I'm waiting, I speak to the person to whom I'm directed when I ask for an Equus specialist (because they thought he had read some about the Equus). "I'm not an Equus specialist, but i can help," he says. I ask if he's heard anything about Blue Link for the Equus. "It has it," he tells me. I point out that it doesn't, and he's surprised. That immediately tells me that the Equus is just another car to move as far as he's concerned.
The manager was very apologetic, but apologies don't make up for almost two hours lost, second-rate service, and poor cleaning. At this point, I won't consider an Equus again once I decide to replace this one until/unless Hyundai can live up to their promises.
Absolutely wretched experience, and not at all what I was promised when I bought this car. I am left to wonder if Hyundai's lack of willingness to start a new brand for the Equus (as Honda did with Acura, Nissan did with Infiniti, and Toyota did with Lexus) was an advance indicator of a lack of commitment to the brand. It seems that retailers have already forgotten those promises they made...