Getting in touch with Tesla service at some locations is horrible

[hokiefan]

First things first... I love the car and it is fun to drive. I am a believer in the company. My late father's bucket list was a Tesla S that he enjoyed for his last couple months. That being said, we had our first major issue since taking delivery. The frunk safety latch won't release and my wife's friend's Christmas presents were trapped inside. Did some research and it appears this isn't an uncommon problem. Called support and they were closed for the night. At the time didn't think it was worth calling the roadside emergency number.

Next day my wife sits on hold for 45 minutes to try and schedule someone to come out and release the frunk and fix the problem. We are an hour away from a service center and with two kids its just not that convenient. We already had the car there once for a couple days to fix the turn signal problem, panel alignment, and paint issues. She finally gets through the wait on the phone and they tell her someone will call her back to schedule the ranger. That was 4 days ago. She called back yesterday and the same story. Rangers are scheduled out of Rockville and they will call you back today. Guess what? No call back.

I emailed the executive escalations address and they came back with "please call to schedule service or use the online tool, we are sorry we are busy right now". If I am going to drive all the way to a service center I want to make sure they actually have the part needed so I don't need to leave the car and drive there twice. Unfortunately there is no way to actually talk to the service center directly, everything gets forwarded to the national wait forever on hold number.

They need to figure service out, quick. Either more physical locations are needed or the phone and ranger support need to be staffed up. When the issue happened last Thursday the first available appointment online was for today. Luckily I've worked on a car or two and had tools to open up the frunk. I ended up using a torx bit in vice grips to unscrew the two bolts that hold the latch to the hood. I'm running out of patience and wondering what happens if I have a bigger issue with the car that won't let me drive it?

Any ideas? Any secret ways of contacting a local service department? Nothing is more frustrating than someone telling you they will call back and never do. I expect better from Tesla.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

At this point we don't need any more "service is horrible" stories. We already know that.

But please let us know when your service ceases to be horrible. That will be a sign that Tesla is fixing the problem.

I'm glad you got the frunk open.

 

[Piney999]

There should be a way to call your local center. Try calling your local center sales line, and then tell them you would like to wait on hold why they get someone from service. Keep trying!

 

[brobinson]

Unfortunately there is no way to actually talk to the service center directly, everything gets forwarded to the national wait forever on hold number.

If you select the 'check on the status of your car' option when calling it, it will ring the service center first. I've also found if you call during regular business hours, it rings the local SC before going to the national hotline. At least thats what happens when I call the Cleveland location.

 

[dhrivnak]

Sorry to hear that. And fortunately that has not been my experience as my service has been great

 

[josher32]

A couple alternatives to calling. Usually most service departments have an e-mail address. If it's not an urgent concern usually they will e-mail me back in 1-2 days. Another option is the chat room in bottom right corner of this website where you can chat with someone--https://www.tesla.com/support/software-v9 (only available I think 9 AM- 5 PM PST). The wait times for phone calls have significantly increased since Model 3 has been released. I'm sure they are working on improving this but these are growing pains.

 

[hokiefan]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I will try calling the local center and using the check status option or the sales option. The wait times would be bearable except for the fact that we aren't getting a call back. That is what is really grinding on me.

Called the roadside number and have been on hold for 30 minutes. Apparently even that isn't a reliable method of getting in touch with someone.

 

[TeeEmCee]

At this point we don't need any more "service is horrible" stories. We already know that.

But please let us know when your service ceases to be horrible. That will be a sign that Tesla is fixing the problem.

I'm glad you got the frunk open.

We may not need to hear more such stories but Tesla sure do. In about a year, people will start dialing 1-800-LOCAL-AUDI for their electric car service needs and it will be game over for Tesla if they’re in the same sorry state as today.

 

[Birdman325]

I would agree that "getting in touch with Tesla service is horrible" (although if it is not an urgent matter, it is dead simple to book an appointment online, although it may be 2 weeks out) and if you have an urgent issue, waiting on hold for at least 45 minutes just to talk to someone is a material problem, however, at least in my experience, once you get the appointment and get out to the service center, they are super friendly, helpful and accommodating. And even if you don't get a Tesla loaner, a no charge fully fueled car as a loaner for as long as you need it, is pretty nice.

 

[insaneoctane]

What's most disappointing about this is that the vehicle production rates are not a surprise to anyone. If anything Tesla has produced fewer vehicles than they had planned on as far back as 2 years ago. That is plenty of time to plan for service infrastructure, so why are these "growing pains"?

 

[neo302]

This is a fact. It is horrible.

 

[tskguy]

Dial our local tesla number and select the option for service.. Mine is 2.. Then immediately hit 2 again and it should directly roll to your local service team

 

[vjason]

Scaling service without solving the (occasional) issues getting parts won't help that much.

I'd be curious to know how much this issue could be addressed with improved QA at the factory (including upstream suppliers). I'm not saying this is the primary issue, but based on posts here it obviously plays a part.

 

[Birdman325]

Good point. My 3 trips to service (2 to body shop and 1 to tesla service) were for issues that were there when I picked up the car.

 

[lotusland]

I'm going in for a minor issue today. I used my Tesla account to request service, describing my issue. I had a response in less than a day. I was called by a service person who said the part had been ordered already and that I could come in about a week later to have it installed. So for me service has been fantastic so far. Also, greetings fellow Hokie!

 

[Merrill]

Sorry to hear about your problems, I have been dealing with my service center for 5 years and have had no issues. They have been super responsive and taken care of all my issues with both Tesla’s.

 

[josher32]

I'm going in for a minor issue today. I used my Tesla account to request service, describing my issue. I had a response in less than a day. I was called by a service person who said the part had been ordered already and that I could come in about a week later to have it installed. So for me service has been fantastic so far. Also, greetings fellow Hokie!

Yes I think alot of people don't know you can schedule service appointment through your My Tesla Account. Also what I've done knowing what they typically can and can't work out over the phone (most things need an appointment).

 

[Stirfelt]

And ..... it will get worse.
A reported 17750 Tesla 3's were sold in October, further demands on an already crowded SC schedule.
As long as Tesla's philosophy is to crank out as many 3's as possible, quality be damned, and leave it to the SC to correct the defects ... there will be no improvement in the SC experience.

I know that is a negative perspective .... but that is what you, the owners, are reporting on this forum.

It appears, however, that some SC's are responsive and professional.
Maybe a register of responsive SC's and ones to avoid should be created.

Tesla is the only entity that can fix the situation, and they will do it only if sufficient pressure is applied.

 

[skhenry81]

Be smart. The first thing I do with an manufacturer is develop a strong relationship with my SA. I know almost everyone in the Toronto Store by name. Whenever I need anything I just send my SA a text message and he springs into action for me. It doesn't hurt to bring in a box of donuts for the staff when you go in for service or pick up a nice bottle of something for your SA for Christmas. I'm 2 years into ownership and I can honestly say that Tesla has been by far the best in service of any company I have dealt with and my list includes; Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Land Rover and Audi.

The way you treat people in life goes a very long way.

 

[artsci]

That’s not been my experience and perhaps it depends in which service center one uses. I’m 15 minutes from Owings Mills, MD. I make online appts and usually get a confirmation within 5 minutes. When I call (rarely) someone picks within a minute or two.

Maybe I’m just lucky but I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Tesla service.

Accident repairs are a whole different story. Nothing but bad experiences on that front.