I sent this email to the General Manager of Tesla-Paramus NJ, the Operations Advisor-Paramus NJ and the Service Department in Peabody, MA. I did extensive research before buying this car and did so with some reservations. I post this so that anyone considering buying one does so with their eyes open:
I purchased a car from you that was delivered on Thursday the 18th at your location in Paramus. We got up at 4:30 in the morning, drove an hour to the Portland, ME airport, flew to Newark, took an Uber to Paramus and arrived promptly for our 10:00 AM delivery appointment.
After driving it home (400 miles), arriving home at 9:00 PM and plugging in the charger; the next morning my phone would not communicate with the car nor would it open the car. I called roadside and they were able to retrieve the card keys from the glovebox. The car appeared to work fine. When I went out later to use the car, a warning appeared on the screen that I should pull over safely and that the car was shutting down due to battery issues. I called roadside and spoke with “Joey”. He dispatched a tow truck to haul the car to the nearest Service Center which is in Peabody, MA. Just speculation, but Joey suspects that the trouble rests with the new Lithium Ion 12v battery. The car shows a charge of 222 miles, but would not charge to the full 80% charge despite two attempts to do so.
We received NO assistance when we picked up the car. The representative at the desk was most concerned with the remaining money due on the account and said “there are videos you can watch in the car”. I said I wanted to see the car before funds changed hands. The exterior of the car appeared in perfect condition, but they refused to allow me to see the interior of the car until I gave them the check (??????). I handed over the check and accepted delivery and asked for help getting set up which was refused. I might add that this is the first car I have never driven before purchasing it.
“Joey” assured me that this was a high priority situation and that it would get your attention. He also assured me that a loaner car would be available, but that I had to get it out of Paramus due to cost center concerns (my words, not his, but that was the gist). I have called you 10 times over the past 24 hours and have received no response from you. I have left 4 messages with your service department asking that you call. On three of the Service Advisor calls, they said that they would send you a message asking that you call me.
I have been completely ignored and the amount of frustration I am experiencing is through the roof. I contacted CARMAX to see about selling the car and they want to see it first. They are suspicious given the very low miles on the car and won’t give me a price. I don’t see that as a viable alternative at this point and I am stuck with this car unless I can get relief under the Maine Lemon Law.
I have copied Peabody so that they also have a record of this. I am considering renting a car to be in Peabody on Monday morning (2 hr and 15 min drive) as there is no way to speak with anyone and there is no accountability at Tesla for anyone or anything. All calls get routed to people with no experience and no authority in order to shield those who have the ability to make any decisions and the authority to take corrective action to make this right.
I should also note that when the car was towed, it was a flat bed that raised it up into tree branches. There likely are scratches on the roof. I would appreciate it if Peabody could closely examine the roof for any evidence of this.
As this may only be a 12v battery issue, I was told that Tesla Rangers do not come this far. That would have been my preference and would have avoided the towing experience.
I was uncertain that I had actually made the appointment after hanging up with “Joey." When I went to do so, there was a possibility for a Ranger to come here, but it would have been on June 7th and I couldn’t afford to be without the car that long. So the information he gave me was incorrect.
I finally received a response from Dawn-Marie at your office. She is working on getting me a loaner from Peabody, MA with an Uber to get me down there. I asked if they could bring me a car, but she indicated that this would likely not be possible. VERY inconvenient.
This car has 400 miles on it…just a trip from New Jersey to Maine. This is a $55,000 purchase, not an insignificant amount for us. The fact that the car was in our possession for only one day and is already in the shop and useless doesn’t inspire confidence in the Tesla product. The fact that we are the only ones outraged and being inconvenienced by this is astounding.