I've tried waiting for 45 days before writing this review so my immediate anger is over now but I still feel compelled to write this to find out if I am the only one or this is how customers are treated at Tesla Service Shop (Tyson's Corner, VA).
We have a Tesla that we regretfully purchased last year not knowing that we'll have to put up with Tesla's arrogant, unprofessional, rude service staff at Tyson's Corner facility in Virginia which happens to be the closest and only service center in this area.
A bit of back ground... I tried setting up an appointment a number of times but Tesla's staff would conveniently cancel it asking me questions on the problem that were beyond my technical abilities. If the car monitor is failing and freezing, why should I do the diagnostic and create flags in the car's event recorder and how do I do that when the whole thing is frozen. But then luckily the AC stopped working and started making a loud noise that they couldn't deny service on. So I was scheduled an appointment a week later (without an AC for a week).
We found out that we had to be elsewhere the same day so we thought we could leave the car about an hour earlier. Any dealership would allow to leave your car a bit earlier. I stood in a line and when I reached to the nice CS associate, he was about to take my key when someone from far behind (Mr. Andrew) says "You cannot leave your car - You have to be here exactly at 1:00 PM". I was puzzled how could that make sense and who is this guy volunteering. So I asked, this makes no sense, why should I stay here for an hour just to hand you the key that can be taken now. The guy insisted that this his policy. I asked if I can talk to the manager. The guy (Mr. Andrew) said he is the manager. I said, in this case I'd have to tell you what else was I was not happy about as my appointments were cancelled many times without ever talking to me. He got upset and told me that he is not going to provide service and if I tried complaining, he'd call police. I was still puzzled why this guy is so upset. I had to be upset as he was not willing to take my car where I had already waited for a week without an AC. My argument would be - I never started any bad communication till Tesla staff told me that they wouldn't take my car even with an appointment. Sorry guys, I had never heard this before from any dealerships. I can take my VW to Toyota dealership and still get a decent treatment but here I had an expensive car visiting the dealership for the first time and was thrown out of the dealership.
What made me understand this guy's problem was even worse. My wife (a white person) spoke to him where Mr. Andrew was still using unprofessional language and threats. And all of sudden Mr. Andrew wanted to take the car in. Clearly the manager needs to have racial training dealing with brown or other color folks. How can he be stubborn about his policy with me but changes it altogether for my wife?
Here are my recommendations to Tesla:
1- Help Mr. Andrew by giving him a week off so he is less stressed and behaves.
2- Provide this manager with customer service training along with racial tolerance and basic manners training.
3- Provide this center enough man-power so they are able to take care of customer. Although this issue is not about mechanics but purely about rude & unprofessional behavior of a service manager.
4- If the manager is unable to improve - help him find a job at K-Mart, Cable TV operators (etc.) so his talent of rudeness is acceptable and all parties live happily everafter.
5- Find a manager who is polite, knows that customers are not enemies, willing to help customers, tends not to hate people due to their color or ethnicity, willing to implement easier rules for customers - on par with industry.
6- If all of the above doesn't work, open up new centers for customers so we have a choice.
I am sure there are a lot of good people available and willing to work why Tesla wants to hire such rude and unprofessional manager. And if it has to be the only person, can he not be trained to be courteous and professional if not nice or pleasant?
We have a Tesla that we regretfully purchased last year not knowing that we'll have to put up with Tesla's arrogant, unprofessional, rude service staff at Tyson's Corner facility in Virginia which happens to be the closest and only service center in this area.
A bit of back ground... I tried setting up an appointment a number of times but Tesla's staff would conveniently cancel it asking me questions on the problem that were beyond my technical abilities. If the car monitor is failing and freezing, why should I do the diagnostic and create flags in the car's event recorder and how do I do that when the whole thing is frozen. But then luckily the AC stopped working and started making a loud noise that they couldn't deny service on. So I was scheduled an appointment a week later (without an AC for a week).
We found out that we had to be elsewhere the same day so we thought we could leave the car about an hour earlier. Any dealership would allow to leave your car a bit earlier. I stood in a line and when I reached to the nice CS associate, he was about to take my key when someone from far behind (Mr. Andrew) says "You cannot leave your car - You have to be here exactly at 1:00 PM". I was puzzled how could that make sense and who is this guy volunteering. So I asked, this makes no sense, why should I stay here for an hour just to hand you the key that can be taken now. The guy insisted that this his policy. I asked if I can talk to the manager. The guy (Mr. Andrew) said he is the manager. I said, in this case I'd have to tell you what else was I was not happy about as my appointments were cancelled many times without ever talking to me. He got upset and told me that he is not going to provide service and if I tried complaining, he'd call police. I was still puzzled why this guy is so upset. I had to be upset as he was not willing to take my car where I had already waited for a week without an AC. My argument would be - I never started any bad communication till Tesla staff told me that they wouldn't take my car even with an appointment. Sorry guys, I had never heard this before from any dealerships. I can take my VW to Toyota dealership and still get a decent treatment but here I had an expensive car visiting the dealership for the first time and was thrown out of the dealership.
What made me understand this guy's problem was even worse. My wife (a white person) spoke to him where Mr. Andrew was still using unprofessional language and threats. And all of sudden Mr. Andrew wanted to take the car in. Clearly the manager needs to have racial training dealing with brown or other color folks. How can he be stubborn about his policy with me but changes it altogether for my wife?
Here are my recommendations to Tesla:
1- Help Mr. Andrew by giving him a week off so he is less stressed and behaves.
2- Provide this manager with customer service training along with racial tolerance and basic manners training.
3- Provide this center enough man-power so they are able to take care of customer. Although this issue is not about mechanics but purely about rude & unprofessional behavior of a service manager.
4- If the manager is unable to improve - help him find a job at K-Mart, Cable TV operators (etc.) so his talent of rudeness is acceptable and all parties live happily everafter.
5- Find a manager who is polite, knows that customers are not enemies, willing to help customers, tends not to hate people due to their color or ethnicity, willing to implement easier rules for customers - on par with industry.
6- If all of the above doesn't work, open up new centers for customers so we have a choice.
I am sure there are a lot of good people available and willing to work why Tesla wants to hire such rude and unprofessional manager. And if it has to be the only person, can he not be trained to be courteous and professional if not nice or pleasant?
