First service experience - 2020 Model S Performance

[Jan Fiala]

They need to separate out S/X and 3/Y for service tiers.

The S and X should get loaners and car washes no matter the service needed. This is just expected when one drops a hundred grand on an automobile.

The 3 and Y should have Uber unless the car needs to stay overnight at which point a loaner should be provided. Car washes aren’t as big of a deal to this buyer and could be offered as an up sell.

This isn’t rocket science but, that said, at least they’ve gotten much better about scheduling, appointment management, and parts/repairs wait times. They need a little lipstick on the process for the high end customers and someone to answer the damn phone.

There is quite new (1y old) service center called Tesla Service Prague Lite in my region. I was just trying to get an appointment for my MS 2017 and the earliest date was end of March. I switched app to TM3 2019 (same account) and the earliest appointment for the exact same request was TWO WEEKS EARLIER.... I'm really pissed.

 

[Wyomingtim]

Give it time, you're new here...

BulldogsRus Joined: Nov 12, 2018
Wyomingtim Joined: Jul 24, 2018

Got it. I'll listen to the old timers more carefully.

 

[Greengolfer]

I have always gone to the service center on Palm Desert CA. The service has always been good. The Uber credits are a little bit of a step back in service, but my wife's last service at the BMW dealer was an Uber credit visit as well. I know the "No car washing" policy started as an effort to save water in So. Cal. At least that is what the email said when they confirmed my appointment.

 

[PhilDavid]

Hey gang

After finding spots of oil a number of times on my garage floor under the front driver's side wheel, I made an appointment to have my Model S examined. I had suspected the front motor driveshaft was potentially the culprit after reading another member's similar experience. I filled out the request for service in the app, describing the problem, including a photo of said oil, and after a few weeks brought it in when I was told to. Which was last Wednesday morning.

The service process is a little different than I was used to, at say - Porsche - which is the world I am coming from. Basically (and maybe this is common at all Tesla service centers) I got into a line with my car similar to waiting for a ride at Disneyland. A customer service rep took my name, asked me the problem, and said to wait in said line and when I got to the front a service technician would discuss my issue with me.

After maybe 25 minutes or so I got to the front of the line (later upon picking up my car I heard someone very upset that they had waited 90 minutes), described the problem again, and even sent the photo to the service tech (who was super nice) over Airdrop on my iPhone. It was then that I mentioned I had some additional issues I would hoping could be addressed while they had it - most importantly that the car pulls like crazy to the right on acceleration. He said that would require a separate visit, and might either be misalignment or basic torque steer. I explained how the car only pulled under acceleration, and he did a walk around to check tire wear, which he said was even. The car is ~3 months old, BTW.

I'd read online that they no longer give out loaner Teslas and he told me that the car would be ready in 1.5 days and they'd send me a voucher for Ubers. I suspect I could have requested a rental, as there is an Enterprise Rental guy setup there, but figured the Uber credits would be just fine. I just had to cancel a trip from LA to Long Beach for lunch that would have blown through the daily allotment.

Two days later the app informed me that the car wouldn't be ready until the following Monday. Then on Saturday morning the App said it was ready and that issue had been a leak in the air suspension. Parts had been ordered and replaced, but I could not pickup until business hours M-F. I was a little bummed but whatever. However, I didn't automatically receive more Uber credits, nor did I have any knowledge of how to request more. Correspondence seemed to be handled through the app (which is great) and texts that stated not to reply. My wife was away for the weekend, so I used her car, no biggie.

But I started to wonder.

I took an Uber (sans credits) over today to pickup the car. That same line of Teslas was there, but significantly longer. Everyone I dealt with was perfectly nice. I mentioned the Uber credit thing and they told me to send them the receipt for the Uber I took over to pickup the car, and they went to retrieve my car.

When they brought me to it I was a little taken aback. I'd dropped it off completely spotless, and it'd clearly sat out in the dirty LA rain over the weekend. I was bummed, is it too much of an ask to receive a clean car back?

Some settings were changed, and my usb drive removed from the port, but otherwise the inside seemed okay.

I made another appointment from the app, while sitting there, to do the whole thing again in 2 weeks. Kind of annoyed.

Now granted, in the grand scheme of things, there is nothing major to complain about, but I have to say that this experience was far from "premium" (the car is over $100k, which is a premium purchase). There were so many areas where a little more effort, care, and thoughtfulness could have taken my service experience from meh to ah. I know that Tesla is still working out the kinks in a number of areas and I've excepted that part of the price to admission is understanding that they still suck at things like fit, finish, and well, paint. But it seems overall Tesla could step up from mid-range brand to premium if they just had a little more focus on QA along the way.

I'd love to hear other folks' experiences. This was at the Burbank location.

By the way, don't get me wrong. I love the car and only want good things for Tesla.

Thanks for sharing your experience but as much as I love the company and my car, Tesla Service can be a miserable mess. I love the car but the service experience is the worst I've experienced with any car I've owned and all their "innovations" like text message communication is making a bad experience even worse. They only seem to want to reply to text messages they feel like responding to.

When I took my car in for a scheduled service appointment, they did not even work on my car for 5 days. During that time, it sat there baking in the sun where bird poop permanently etched on the paint I was so disappointing because I could have brought my car in when they were ready. What's the point in the car sitting in their parking lot and wasting money on Uber credits when I'd much rather drive my own car?

They never kept me informed of the status of the car. Ignored all my requests for an update, and the App said the car would be ready some date in the PAST which they never bothered to update.

This is what you get when there are no humans to answer the phone. There is zero accountability. They can blow off and ignore customers. They seem to be more focused on "software innovations" for service rather than employing humans who care a customer can interact with.

What a shame that the best car you can buy comes with what I consider to be the worst service in the car industry. Even a Kia dealer will answer the phone and give you an update on your car if you call them.

In an ideal world, I'd buy my Tesla from Tesla but take it to my local Mercedes dealer for service where they handle service exceptionally well, are super responsible with customer communications, and take incredible care of their customers AND their cars. The Mercedes dealer at least pretends like they give two sh!ts about providing decent service compared to when I take my Tesla in for service where i feel like I'm waiting in line at some snooty nightclub for the privilege of just being able to get in and treated poorly.

 

[Battpower]

My visits have been outstanding!

Is that OK?

Or, more truthfully, the staff are usually great, but the system is often inept, long-winded and works against itself.

 

[Battpower]

This is what you get when there are no humans to answer the phone. There is zero accountability.

That pretty well sums up the whole essence of dealing with Tesla.

 

[BulldogsRus]

BulldogsRus Joined: Nov 12, 2018
Wyomingtim Joined: Jul 24, 2018

Got it. I'll listen to the old timers more carefully.

...then you would've comprehended my post, or been more active here since joining.