Did anyone else get the call: "Reaching out to early adopters"?

[pnaecker]

Sadly, I got it, and it lowered my already tainted opinion of Tesla's business practices and level of concern for their customers.

First off, I will state that I understand and appreciate the need for a company like Tesla to sell aggressively, including selling to the existing customer base. But this call crossed a line.

The guy called me to say that they were "just reaching out to see how you like your car". And he lead me to believe that this was a customer-care phone call, checking up and seeking input from their loyal customers. I explained that through my recommendations I have helped sell a dozen or so Teslas, and that while I am currently dealing with so maintenance issues, I am overall happy with my car.

It turns out this was not a checkup call at all, but an attempt to get me to trade in for a newer model. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but just that if that is the purpose of the call, then it is wrong to fail to disclose that early on. But it gets worse.

Back story: my battery is failing - severely degraded charge rate, not degraded range - and Tesla isn't being straight with me about the problem or the solution. So when I shared my status (that I have an issue that is unresolved) with this Tesla representative and asked for his help in getting better response from Tesla, he said "I want to set the proper expectations", and basically said he would write down my concerns but I shouldn't expect any response from Tesla. He then said that my car with 124k miles is really too old to expect it to be without problems, and that many other early adopters are upgrading way before they get to that mileage.

So, it really _was_ a pure sales call, and there seems to be no mechanism built into the sales process to capture actual customer input and try to close the loop. Opportunity missed, IMHO.

 

[Petra]

I can't say that I've ever received a call like that from Tesla... but I wouldn't mind hearing back from the service center that has been ignoring me for a month.

 

[SocalMS]

HOW FRUSTRATING...!

 

[troypercival]

What's the year and model of your MS? I think as M3 revealing get closer the harder it is for Tesla to market and sell the MS so they are probably desperate for any sale lead. Wall Street is still quite obsess with Tesla quarterly delivery number so Tesla still need to show good number for 2nd quarter, they are probably pushing for the 2nd quarter delivery. Did you try to send owner feedback on Tesla website?

 

[Gravelpeople]

I also received a call inquiring if I was interested in trading up to a new Model S. It was a soft sell job but what actually surprised me more was that they were unaware that we already had a deposit down on a model 3.

I would like to give a big thank you to the service center staff in Eden Prairie, MN. My wife and I just returned from having our 2013 Model S serviced to deal with a battery issue. They bent over backwards to get a whole list of required service done in one day to avoid us having to spend a second night in town (we live 500 miles away). First supercharger experiences. Magic!

Thank you to Heather, Paul, Todd and all the crew for taking such good care of us.
The experience reaffirmed our faith in Tesla's commitment to service.

 

[jayman]

I also received a call inquiring if I was interested in trading up to a new Model S. It was a soft sell job but what actually surprised me more was that they were unaware that we already had a deposit down on a model 3.

I would like to give a big thank you to the service center staff in Eden Prairie, MN. My wife and I just returned from having our 2013 Model S serviced to deal with a battery issue. They bent over backwards to get a whole list of required service done in one day to avoid us having to spend a second night in town (we live 500 miles away). First supercharger experiences. Magic!

Thank you to Heather, Paul, Todd and all the crew for taking such good care of us.
The experience reaffirmed our faith in Tesla's commitment to service.

I'm amazed that any of you answer your phones. I can't get over it.

 

[Pinot.Noir]

Sounds like they targeted you based on your mileage. Very sad. Particularly when he advises that you shouldn't expect a response regarding your concerns? Not exactly a good path towards showing early customer appreciation. Very sorry to read this. Thanks to the OP for paving the way for the rest of us.

 

[David99]

I understand it must feel frustrating. They should make it clear why they are calling and not disguise it as a friendly touch base call. I got a call as well trying to get me to trade in my 3 year old car and buy a new one mentioning their original resale value guarantee. Turns out they offered $8k less than it was worth on the free market. A guarantee that doesn't guarantee actual market value but just their math that generates a ridiculously low value. :/

 

[LuPapa]

My Audi dealer sends me a trade in and trade up offer in the email and paper mail every six months. They use the service history of the cars and send us a soft trade in price. It's not a phone call though. I find phone calls about anything far more intrusive than email or paper mail.

 

[rjcbox]

Wow, you have 124k miles, and no loss of range. But the charge rate has deteriorated - by how much?

 

[Akikiki]

I don't see what the big deal was with them calling you. So it was a sales call. So what. Don't want to buy, tell him and hang up. No need for making a big deal out of them thinking/remembering to call you.

 

[kort677]

I think that some of you don't understand that in the auto business there are a few facets to the business. one of them is sales and another is service, these are usually separate businesses and they are not always coordinated.
as others have noted you are free to decline their offer or even hang up on the sales call. good salesmen accept rejection well.

 

[SweetP]

Yeah, I got the calll as well. No pressure and no big deal.

 

[bonnie]

I've gotten sales calls over the years, no big deal. Good sales people with some down time should be trying to drum up leads. I usually quickly let them know I'm not a good lead, but best of luck. And move on.

 

[doubleohwhat]

They should probably take a quick peek at the service record before a cold call. If a current owner is having service issues then a sales call is likely just a waste of time for everyone.

 

[bktiger86]

Wow that sucks. I understand Tesla is a company and they need to earn their revenues, but I really hope they do not end up like other car companies where they just care about the product and not about the customer basis.

 

[ohmman]

I got this call a few months ago. I told the caller that I loved my S and might trade it for a 3 when the time comes. They said they appreciated my business and hung up.

In the OP's context, I could see it exacerbating an already frustrated mindset around my vehicle. But in the context of someone without issues, it really didn't strike me as anything but a very low pressure sales call.

 

[Drew007]

Yeah this is very common across the industry and a common sales tactic for any business. Talk to a customer about what they currently own and their experience then slowly lead into the new features of current products. It's really no big deal...like someone said early I'm surprised you answered the call. If someone isn't in my contacts then I let it go to voicemail. If it's legitimate, I'll call them back. No need to waste my time.

 

[Shorty]

Yeah this is very common across the industry and a common sales tactic for any business. Talk to a customer about what they currently own and their experience then slowly lead into the new features of current products. It's really no big deal...like someone said early I'm surprised you answered the call. If someone isn't in my contacts then I let it go to voicemail. If it's legitimate, I'll call them back. No need to waste my time.

Agreed. I have had a call from the dealership towards warranty expiry on every car I have ever owned. It take a lot less effort to sell a product to an existing customer than finding a new one.

 

[MXWing]

I think you were expecting too much from a low level, low compensation lead generator.

As a TSLA shareholder, I would be upset if they were not doing whatever they could to deliver as many units as possible.

Doesn't sound like the sales person had the best responses to your concerns but I don't think she/he was expecting you to bite back with serious issues. The sales person is also an individual like you or I. Some are better at their jobs than others.

If you have service issues, you need to press along the right channel that can do something about it.

If the script was flipped:

Would you of noted all of your concerns? Would you assuage the customer, and try and put you with the best resource you knew to discuss your issues? Would you create additional value by figuring out how to handle upset customer cases and look to improve Tesla's image and service as a whole?

I suspect yes, but Tesla probably couldn't afford you.