As a longtime devotee to the Cadillac brand, it pains me to write this...but definitely want to give a heads up to fellow consumers out there, in hopes you can avoid having an experience similar to the one I recently had here.
Earlier this fall, I noticed an oil leak and took my car to Wallace to have them lend their expertise. They ran a diagnostic and I was told that it'd cost about $2,200 to fix the leak. A breakdown of the cost of parts and labor was conspicuously absent from the written estimate.
When I asked, the Service Dept told me the number of the part that was needed in the repair. But, again, no breakdown in regards to cost of parts versus labor. When I called a parts supply outlet on my own, I was told that the cost of the part was less than $150.
This particular vehicle was initially sold by Cadillac back in 2015, had been maintained fully in accordance with the owner's manual, and was experiencing this oil leak issue very shortly after the warranty had expired.
A short time later, my Cadillac stalled on the highway ('due to 'engine propulsion failure'), and I had it towed to Wallace for service. Because it was towed in after hours, I called and left a message with Wallace's answering service, so that the Service Dept would know why my car was there when they arrived in the morning. I asked them to run a diagnostic and get back to me.
For some reason, it took almost a full week for a diagnostic to be performed on the car. The Service Dept determined that the issue was a 'system anomaly' and billed me $75 for the diagnostic.
In the meantime, I called Cadillac CustomerCare, to ask for a goodwill discount on the relatively exorbitant cost of labor that I'd been quoted on the oil leak. The CustomerCare rep told me they'd review the issue, thanked me for my ongoing business, and assured me that Cadillac would cover the cost of the rental car I'd been using. That was very reassuring, at the time.
When CustomerCare called me back a few days later, they offered a very nominal discount. I was told they could elevate the case and have CustomerCare mgmt review. I was told they'd contact me later that afternoon, or the following day. I thanked them and waited...several more days went by with no word from CustomerCare, despite my attempts to call and reach them. Wallace's Service Dept contacted me and asked if I'd heard anything. I told them I hadn't...as their customer, I was expecting to hear from them.
Shortly thereafter, the Customer Experience Manager, Mike Rivera, called and left me a voicemail. No word on the car, the potential for a goodwill discount, etc...he was calling solely to say that they were in no way going to be covering the cost of the rental car. When I explained again that Cadillac had committed to covering the rental, he told me that I needed 'to go talk to Cadillac'. The Customer Experience Manager for Cadillac told a Cadillac customer to go talk to Cadillac.
At that point, I realized that I miiiiight not want to trust the mixed messages I was getting from the various Cadillac representatives I'd been speaking to. I returned the rental car, at a total cost incurred of about $850, and went without a vehicle for several days while I repeatedly tried to contact CustomerCare.
I reached out to Wallace Cadillac's Sales team, to inquire about the possibility of trading the vehicle in. They told me that I'd need to come in person to have the car appraised. I explained to them why that would be difficult, at the moment (my car was in their possession at the time). I gave them permission to appraise it without me being there, but never received an offer on the trade-in of my vehicle. I did, however, receive several end-of-month sales calls from the team there.
Unable to continue living for weeks on end without reliable transportation, I picked up my vehicle and took it to another seller, who offered me a fair trade-in price within an hour of my arrival.
If you value your time, money and general sanity, I highly recommend you choose a brand other than Cadillac or Wallace. read more