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Customer Service Nightmare at Tyson's Corner, Virginia
- Thread starter electric2018
- Start date
I'm afraid Tesla customer dis-service stories are numerous, and not unique.
Your case may be particularly disappointing, but is unlikely to lead to any changes at that dealership.
For what it's worth, I've always found that aiming your phone, and recording the abusive interaction with a company rep tends to generate an instant sobering impact on the perpetrator.
It's one thing to be a d*ck in private.
On the other hand, the prospect of becoming a publicly infamous d*ck puts things in perspective in a hurry.
Thoughts of having the video posted on YouTube and shared with others, including company's CEO, and local news outlet, really does wonders to snap people out of a tail spin.
YMMV,
a
On an uncharacteristically positive note, I will (at least partially) disagree with you on this:
I recently learned that the piece-of-work who used to lead the Plano SC, the one who actually yelled at me on the phone, telling me that I'm a "problem customer" and that I'm privileged to drive a Tesla and I should just slam the door harder and crank up the radio to cover the various rattles they failed to fix, that one fine dude was recently fired.
The words of the employee who told me this were long the lines of "that was likely not his only such transgression".
Vip
Member
I am a pretty patient person but you know what if I came in 1 hour early and they refused to just take my keys to drop off the car I am going to be a bit rude or impolite. I'm sorry that is just stupid behavior on the managers part.
I am from NOVA and the Tysons (Tyco) Service center is the one I have to use due to its proximity. They are down right awful at calling back or picking up their phones. At one point I did not receive a call back for 10 straight days and called each day along with emails, texts, and tweets. For as expensive my Model S is having this level of service is disgraceful. Regardless of the area for which NOVA is known for high cost of living and folks with higher earnings you should expect that you will have more Tesla's being driven around this area. You should staff your service centers accordingly and adapt to your customers for which you are looking at many that purchased $100K+ cars well before the less expensive M3 was even released.
Dont forget that the Model S and X were the flagship vehicles and the customers that could even afford them are going to have a higher level of expectation around service and convenience.
Tesla cannot be in the business of cars just on its technology, but they have to operate as if they are truly a car manufacturer which is truly what they are. A Mercedes, BMW, or Porsche customer would not stand for this. Telsa has got to fix its service levels and do it very soon or risk having many customers jump ship as other well run companies come out with electric cars that compete at some point in the future with Tesla since their service crushes them today.
Dont forget that the Model S and X were the flagship vehicles and the customers that could even afford them are going to have a higher level of expectation around service and convenience.
Tesla cannot be in the business of cars just on its technology, but they have to operate as if they are truly a car manufacturer which is truly what they are. A Mercedes, BMW, or Porsche customer would not stand for this. Telsa has got to fix its service levels and do it very soon or risk having many customers jump ship as other well run companies come out with electric cars that compete at some point in the future with Tesla since their service crushes them today.
There are horror stories with all of them.
Agreed that none are perfect, but no call backs and cannot reach someone for a week or more and when you call the corporate number no one helps is not a normal way for most companies to do business and even less likely from companies that classify themselves as ones that cater towards a luxury car buyer.
It's not you; it's this location and/or this company. I have only used this location because I'm local, and have had several poor experiences in the one year that I've been an owner. The ordering process and delivery execution were both extremely poor (they lied to me and rescheduled delivery twice).
When I went to pick up the (pre-owned) Tesla, I waited for half an hour for the delivery person (Carlos) to become available. When he was available, he immediately put all of the papers in front of me to sign. I had not seen the car in person at this point. Obviously, I'm going to want to inspect the vehicle in person before finalizing the purchase. I told him this and said I needed 15-20 minutes to inspect/test the vehicle before I'd be ready (I could have done this when I arrived, obviously, but this was not presented as an option). After a little while, he came over and said he needed to sign the papers NOW. Fine. I told him that I saw a bunch of scratches on the paint that were not shown in the photos I was given when asking about the car before the sale, and I asked if I could have a complimentary bottle of touch-up paint due to this. He responded no, the car is sold "as is" and I could refuse delivery if I didn't like the condition (and, presumably, forfeit my $1,000 deposit). What an asshole response this is!
Getting the license plates and registration was a horrible experience (car was not registered with the DMV in a timely manner, I had to call the the Tyco Road location 5 times to follow up on getting the license plates and registration, I was lied to multiple times (Kelsey this time), and I had to rush to Tesla on a Saturday evening to get another set of temporary tags on the day that mine expired).
Most recently, I had a problem with being unable to use a Supercharger (master charger needed to be replaced). I made an appointment (2 weeks out was first available). A few days before the appointment they text me that they have rescheduled me (for another 2.5 weeks later!) "due to backlog and capacity constraints" at that location. That is pretty ridiculous. Regular charging still worked but no Supercharging for an entire month is very inconvenient (I would not have been able to go on vacation, for example). Also, when I picked up the car after that I noticed that the driver's door is now squeaking (which it never did before). WTF?
When I went to pick up the (pre-owned) Tesla, I waited for half an hour for the delivery person (Carlos) to become available. When he was available, he immediately put all of the papers in front of me to sign. I had not seen the car in person at this point. Obviously, I'm going to want to inspect the vehicle in person before finalizing the purchase. I told him this and said I needed 15-20 minutes to inspect/test the vehicle before I'd be ready (I could have done this when I arrived, obviously, but this was not presented as an option). After a little while, he came over and said he needed to sign the papers NOW. Fine. I told him that I saw a bunch of scratches on the paint that were not shown in the photos I was given when asking about the car before the sale, and I asked if I could have a complimentary bottle of touch-up paint due to this. He responded no, the car is sold "as is" and I could refuse delivery if I didn't like the condition (and, presumably, forfeit my $1,000 deposit). What an asshole response this is!
Getting the license plates and registration was a horrible experience (car was not registered with the DMV in a timely manner, I had to call the the Tyco Road location 5 times to follow up on getting the license plates and registration, I was lied to multiple times (Kelsey this time), and I had to rush to Tesla on a Saturday evening to get another set of temporary tags on the day that mine expired).
Most recently, I had a problem with being unable to use a Supercharger (master charger needed to be replaced). I made an appointment (2 weeks out was first available). A few days before the appointment they text me that they have rescheduled me (for another 2.5 weeks later!) "due to backlog and capacity constraints" at that location. That is pretty ridiculous. Regular charging still worked but no Supercharging for an entire month is very inconvenient (I would not have been able to go on vacation, for example). Also, when I picked up the car after that I noticed that the driver's door is now squeaking (which it never did before). WTF?
Customers showing up early or late will delay the next one in line.
Similar to a doctors office.
The photos received in the second hand market are low resolution at Best and Never Cover every nick, scratch, ding, or dent that a used vehicle picks up.
Nor do they have to because Tesla doesn’t warrant Cosmetics.
You have every right to inspection and refusal.
And yes you get your money back.
If you had found bald tires, missing lug nuts, broken tail light or some other safety issue they would have addressed that and canceled the delivery themselves.
Any issues outside of cosmetics would be addressed as found and then corrected under the Balance Of The used car warranty
I wish the cars were certified Pre Owned and completely refurbished.
They tried that, it didn’t pay.
My observations, Every used Tesla is met with some Complaint.
Probably by an order Of a magnitude based on the complaints about their brand new cars.
After 20 or so of these every day, day in and day out to Managment it’s now take it or leave it.
And if You do Leave It the car will be turned over to another proud owner.
Maybe when Tesla starts pushing Their used cars out through Auctions like the ICE trade-ins things might change but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
rob.kibler
Member
I had a frustrating experience at the Rockville SC and ended up having a good service experience at Tysons:
I initially noticed the problem with my on-board charger in mid-July. I scheduled an appointment for service as soon as a time was available: about 3 weeks out, on August 2. On Jul 30th, I got a text from Thomas saying he has identified a fault, and I need to bring the car into the Rockville, MD. service center to have the charger replaced. Fine. I was impressed that this was diagnosed remotely. On Thursday, July 1, I signed all the papers. On Friday morning, 8:00 AM on August 2, as I was walking out the door to make the 8:30 AM appointment, I got the following text from Maria: “Good Morning, I am reaching out to let you about your service visit today. Our service shop is behind in service. If you do plan to come in for service, do understand that your Tesla will not be ready today. We are anticipate the completion for your vehicle by Tuesday. Thanks, Maria.“ I was startled and surprised. I immediately texted her back: “When should I bring the car in so that you are ready to work on it?”. I heard nothing back from Maria. I heard nothing back from anyone behind the Giant Wall Of Silence. Talk about being pissed. Tesla was backlogged so they proposed I bring my car in Friday morning so that it could sit in a lot for four or five days until someone had the time to work on it. Are you f*u*c*king serious? Since I heard nothing from Tesla, and didn’t know how to contact a human being at Tesla, I decided to wait until Monday to take my car in. But before Monday rolled around, someone behind the Giant Wall Of Silence decided to cancel my appointment. Somebody at the Rockville Service Center or wherever Maria works needs to be fired. So then my only choice seemed to be to make another appointment. The second time around the service was scheduled for the Tyson’s Service Center, and everything went as planned. I was happy with the timeframe and the communications from Paul and others at Tysons SC.
I initially noticed the problem with my on-board charger in mid-July. I scheduled an appointment for service as soon as a time was available: about 3 weeks out, on August 2. On Jul 30th, I got a text from Thomas saying he has identified a fault, and I need to bring the car into the Rockville, MD. service center to have the charger replaced. Fine. I was impressed that this was diagnosed remotely. On Thursday, July 1, I signed all the papers. On Friday morning, 8:00 AM on August 2, as I was walking out the door to make the 8:30 AM appointment, I got the following text from Maria: “Good Morning, I am reaching out to let you about your service visit today. Our service shop is behind in service. If you do plan to come in for service, do understand that your Tesla will not be ready today. We are anticipate the completion for your vehicle by Tuesday. Thanks, Maria.“ I was startled and surprised. I immediately texted her back: “When should I bring the car in so that you are ready to work on it?”. I heard nothing back from Maria. I heard nothing back from anyone behind the Giant Wall Of Silence. Talk about being pissed. Tesla was backlogged so they proposed I bring my car in Friday morning so that it could sit in a lot for four or five days until someone had the time to work on it. Are you f*u*c*king serious? Since I heard nothing from Tesla, and didn’t know how to contact a human being at Tesla, I decided to wait until Monday to take my car in. But before Monday rolled around, someone behind the Giant Wall Of Silence decided to cancel my appointment. Somebody at the Rockville Service Center or wherever Maria works needs to be fired. So then my only choice seemed to be to make another appointment. The second time around the service was scheduled for the Tyson’s Service Center, and everything went as planned. I was happy with the timeframe and the communications from Paul and others at Tysons SC.
I have had so many problems with that service center that I refuse to bring my car there any more. Go to Rockville, MD or make them come to your house when possible. The service there is much better. Every time I've brought my car to Tysons, they screwed up something unrelated. I have scratches and dents allover my console from them replacing a failed MCU, Snapped trim pieces and clips that they attempted to cover up, missing lug nuts and wheel covers, missing screws, Rattling noises coming from fans under the dash, not to mention the remote diagnostics people rebooting my car's computer in the middle of a very heavy rain storm while driving on the highway at night.. Almost caused an accident as my wipers stopped working.. could barely see as it were, etc.
Tesla service in general is ****ing terrible these days. I think the company as a whole does not care about people who bought more expensive vehicles regardless of color. I've honestly been telling friends and family NOT to purchase at this time because of it. Last time I created a service appointment for my Model X, my wife's Model 3 started having really strange issues like autopilot being somehow unavailable for 3 days even though it was turned on in settings. I'm fairly certain they did this (though they wouldn't confess to it) because in my notes for the service appointment I had mentioned that my computer froze and it was letting me do 80 on autopilot in the city. When I asked them to make sure they were working on the correct car, they cancelled my appointment and told me to create the appointment on the correct car.. even though the appointment was for the correct car. Then they stopped responding to me altogether when I pointed out their mistake and asked them to re create the service appointment I had already waited 3 weeks for. They're losing business because of this crap..
To top it all off, I'm pretty sure all of the people building these cars are as high as a kite. My car's rear vents had never worked since I took delivery of it in early 2018. I finally got the service center in Maryland to look at it. They had to take the entire car apart and connect the hose under the floor of my MX that was never hooked up. That worries me.
Oh, yeah, and if you referred anyone in Virginia like I did. you also got screwed out of any referral rewards.. they don't bother to tell you that when you refer people tho. Its in fine print somewhere and due to some dumb law in VA.
Tesla service in general is ****ing terrible these days. I think the company as a whole does not care about people who bought more expensive vehicles regardless of color. I've honestly been telling friends and family NOT to purchase at this time because of it. Last time I created a service appointment for my Model X, my wife's Model 3 started having really strange issues like autopilot being somehow unavailable for 3 days even though it was turned on in settings. I'm fairly certain they did this (though they wouldn't confess to it) because in my notes for the service appointment I had mentioned that my computer froze and it was letting me do 80 on autopilot in the city. When I asked them to make sure they were working on the correct car, they cancelled my appointment and told me to create the appointment on the correct car.. even though the appointment was for the correct car. Then they stopped responding to me altogether when I pointed out their mistake and asked them to re create the service appointment I had already waited 3 weeks for. They're losing business because of this crap..
To top it all off, I'm pretty sure all of the people building these cars are as high as a kite. My car's rear vents had never worked since I took delivery of it in early 2018. I finally got the service center in Maryland to look at it. They had to take the entire car apart and connect the hose under the floor of my MX that was never hooked up. That worries me.
Oh, yeah, and if you referred anyone in Virginia like I did. you also got screwed out of any referral rewards.. they don't bother to tell you that when you refer people tho. Its in fine print somewhere and due to some dumb law in VA.
Redmiata98
Member
It’s not in the “fine print” and buried. The prohibition of rewarding referrals for Virginia residents is explained clearly in the details on the referral process rewards. It sucks but Tesla is not at fault here. Blame the strong Auto Dealers lobby and the legislature for this. We are one of the two only states that come under this situation.
diamond.g
Active Member
In my case, I took delivery of my vehicle in NY and moved to Virginia and then referred several people. There was no indication or anything anywhere.. The Tesla app even let me order the signature black wall charger.. but it just never arrived and when I contacted Tesla they got back to me 3 weeks later letting me know I wasn't going to get anything because of the law.
diamond.g
Active Member
Would it have been better if Tesla just disables the loot box for Ohio and VA folks, or at least people that have addresses in those states?
Redmiata98
Member
My parents (Jan '18 Model 3 LRR+PUP) and I ('13 P85+, '16 P100D, Sep '18 Model 3 Perf) and I have had good service experiences from 2013 - 2018 across Watertown and Dedham in MA and Rockville MD and (maybe only one time?) in Tyson's Corner. They've worked really hard to make things right, including compensating for errors coming out of the factory.
I *do* see some behavior changes over this period and think that the most recent behaviors are driven by the vast ramp-up in volume along with puzzlingly erratic corporate behavior around service staff and sales staff/physical stores.
I would be surprised not to be able to drop my car off an hour early. I try to be sitting outside in the parking lot when they first open up.
I absolutely believe that there are service "horror stories" out there about Tesla (including those in this thread and including those about other car manufacturers) and am simply offering the data I have. Since I've been paying attention in mid-2013, I've seen people praising Tesla service to the skies and other people relating tales of service woe. There appears to be a lot of reporting bias, as people with decent experiences don't report in -- only people with bad experiences and people with *exceptionally* good experiences. So it's hard for me to judge the trend, especially if you want to normalize it across vehicle count or staff headcount or some other variable.
I *do* wish Tesla would invest more in service and after-sales support... I'm still waiting on my '18 M3 badging, my '18 M3 properly grandfathered in for Supercharging, my '16 MCU yellow-screen replacement. And, since I'm on a mini-rant, I wish they'd stop hyping the heck out of Full Self Driving, over-promising and under-delivering for many years.
Alan
I *do* see some behavior changes over this period and think that the most recent behaviors are driven by the vast ramp-up in volume along with puzzlingly erratic corporate behavior around service staff and sales staff/physical stores.
I would be surprised not to be able to drop my car off an hour early. I try to be sitting outside in the parking lot when they first open up.
I absolutely believe that there are service "horror stories" out there about Tesla (including those in this thread and including those about other car manufacturers) and am simply offering the data I have. Since I've been paying attention in mid-2013, I've seen people praising Tesla service to the skies and other people relating tales of service woe. There appears to be a lot of reporting bias, as people with decent experiences don't report in -- only people with bad experiences and people with *exceptionally* good experiences. So it's hard for me to judge the trend, especially if you want to normalize it across vehicle count or staff headcount or some other variable.
I *do* wish Tesla would invest more in service and after-sales support... I'm still waiting on my '18 M3 badging, my '18 M3 properly grandfathered in for Supercharging, my '16 MCU yellow-screen replacement. And, since I'm on a mini-rant, I wish they'd stop hyping the heck out of Full Self Driving, over-promising and under-delivering for many years.
Alan
JoshM
Member
Tysons does not want you to drop off your car early because they have pretty much zero parking. Their lot is always full and there is no accessible parking nearby. That's why they ask you to not drop off early.
I've had my car serviced at Tysons multiple times. I'd say overall it's a good experience but not necessarily smooth. They were always very friendly with me, but also I can tell they are very busy so they don't necessarily take the extra time to chat it up.
Oh, and to further illustrate just how full the lot is at Tysons, they have to park cars a half mile away in the parking garage where I work. There are probably 20 Teslas there on any given day. Employees walk/drive/bike/etc. back and forth to/from the service center. So take everything in perspective, I guess.
I've had my car serviced at Tysons multiple times. I'd say overall it's a good experience but not necessarily smooth. They were always very friendly with me, but also I can tell they are very busy so they don't necessarily take the extra time to chat it up.
Oh, and to further illustrate just how full the lot is at Tysons, they have to park cars a half mile away in the parking garage where I work. There are probably 20 Teslas there on any given day. Employees walk/drive/bike/etc. back and forth to/from the service center. So take everything in perspective, I guess.