How is Tesla support and service post-PTO?

[uscpsycho]

I have another thread going where I'm trying to figure out if there are any production issues with my system, and it seems like that's going to be harder to figure out than I thought. Meanwhile, Tesla has been bugging me to pay and get my PTO. I want PTO so I can start sending power to the grid but I'm worried about paying before I've got all the possible issues ironed out, because Tesla hasn't exactly been responsive to issues and seems to be in denial about some. I'm paying in full, no payments, so once they have my money I lose all leverage.

So my gut tells me to not pay until I am certain everything is just right because if I pay I'll really have trouble getting Tesla to address any possible issues (or acknowledge them).

What has people's experience been with Tesla support and service after payment/PTO? Are you getting the run-around or do they fix things? And do you still have to deal with your bonehead project advisor or do they have real technical support?

 

[holeydonut]

There's a big ol' thread about this:

How long between inspection and PTO? [various areas]

Hello all, I hope I can get some feedback on the following situation: System passed inspection end of May, I made the down payment (as required by the contract) within the next 2 days. The project advisor stated they are unable to reach out to PTO team to submit the paperwork since the down...

teslamotorsclub.com

I think the general theme is that Tesla is pretty good at getting PTO, so most people are paying after passing the inspection. Good luck!

 

[jjrandorin]

(moderator note)

The customer service thread is here:

Discussion: Tesla Energy / Auto Customer Service

The couple say they have now faced 18 months of recurring, damaging leaks, a severe mold infestation that forced them out of their home for three months, and an ongoing dispute with Tesla over how much money Tesla will pay for repairs...

teslamotorsclub.com

Please feel free to read through that thread, and if desired, post in it regarding tesla customer service. its a polarizing topic. In general, tesla is ok, but can be slow to respond, or difficult to escalate things. Other than that, please direct any other discussion to the other thread. By "please direct" I mean I will likely merge anything posted in this thread after my post here into that one.

 

[uscpsycho]

There's a big ol' thread about this:

How long between inspection and PTO? [various areas]

Hello all, I hope I can get some feedback on the following situation: System passed inspection end of May, I made the down payment (as required by the contract) within the next 2 days. The project advisor stated they are unable to reach out to PTO team to submit the paperwork since the down...

teslamotorsclub.com

I think the general theme is that Tesla is pretty good at getting PTO, so most people are paying after passing the inspection. Good luck!

My question isn't about how long it will take to get PTO after I pay (although I do care about this so thanks for the link).

My question is how responsive is Tesla to fixing issues after you've paid in full. I guess you can take PTO out of the equation, that first post was TMI and all the PTO stuff just made things confusing... What I want to know is if it will be harder to get Tesla to fix problems with my system after I've paid them? Because it's not exactly easy now and I'm afraid it will just get worse after they've been paid.

(moderator note)

The customer service thread is here:

Discussion: Tesla Energy / Auto Customer Service

The couple say they have now faced 18 months of recurring, damaging leaks, a severe mold infestation that forced them out of their home for three months, and an ongoing dispute with Tesla over how much money Tesla will pay for repairs...

teslamotorsclub.com

Please feel free to read through that thread, and if desired, post in it regarding tesla customer service. its a polarizing topic. In general, tesla is ok, but can be slow to respond, or difficult to escalate things. Other than that, please direct any other discussion to the other thread. By "please direct" I mean I will likely merge anything posted in this thread after my post here into that one.

OK, I posted my question in that thread.

 

[holeydonut]

My question isn't about how long it will take to get PTO after I pay (although I do care about this so thanks for the link).

My question is how responsive is Tesla to fixing issues after you've paid in full. I guess you can take PTO out of the equation, that first post was TMI and all the PTO stuff just made things confusing... What I want to know is if it will be harder to get Tesla to fix problems with my system after I've paid them? Because it's not exactly easy now and I'm afraid it will just get worse after they've been paid.


OK, I posted my question in that thread.

Yeah, if you're TLDR those mega threads... there are 3 general themes we see pop up on the forums.

1) If your system goes completely offline due to an inverter failure, you're possibly facing a 2 months delay to get a diagnosis; replacement part; received; and a new inverter.

2) If your system is "underperforming", but still producing, then Tesla will probably tell you the system is within spec and you'll just be hosered and frustrated.

3) If your system has some other easier to fix issues like faulty wiring, a dead panel, or other stuff not bottlenecked by supply chain shortages, Tesla usually gets these sorted out fast.

4) If your system is fine, then you're a happy camper

 

[jjrandorin]

Yeah, if you're TLDR those mega threads... there are 3 general themes we see pop up on the forums.

1) If your system goes completely offline due to an inverter failure, you're possibly facing a 2 months delay to get a diagnosis; replacement part; received; and a new inverter.

2) If your system is "underperforming", but still producing, then Tesla will probably tell you the system is within spec and you'll just be hosered and frustrated.

3) If your system has some other easier to fix issues like faulty wiring, a dead panel, or other stuff not bottlenecked by supply chain shortages, Tesla usually gets these sorted out fast.

4) If your system is fine, then you're a happy camper

I think this is a pretty accurate summary of the mega customer service thread.

Because it's not exactly easy now and I'm afraid it will just get worse after they've been paid.

I dont think its going to change much at all (your experience) either pre or post PTO, as it relates to service. The only real difference is you wont be talking to your advisor at all, you will be dealing with tesla tier 1 support (which you can at least get on the phone, as it relates to tesla energy support).

Holding your payment may make you feel better, and it is likely to prevent tesla from actually addressing stuff in your system / applying for PTO, but support isnt going to change in any meaningful way.

I have had good experiences with tesla support, both car and energy. Sometimes I have had to gently prod, and sometimes I have had to wait (and wait and wait), but in the end, I have been satisfied in the resolution to my issues. Some others feel different.

 

[uscpsycho]

2) If your system is "underperforming", but still producing, then Tesla will probably tell you the system is within spec and you'll just be hosered and frustrated.

This is how I'm sure Tesla handles performance problems and it's the scenario I am most trying to avoid. However, thanks to the help of the people here I'm not too worried about under-performing anymore.

The other concern is getting them to cover damage that happened during installation. Possibly harder after they've been paid than before.

 

[jboy210]

2) If your system is "underperforming", but still producing, then Tesla will probably tell you the system is within spec and you'll just be hosered and frustrated.

My experience has been that they do address this, but only after having a significant amount of data gathering and it is handled by someone above the any person you talk to on the phone. In my case, someone at a higher level took several months' worth of data and decided a section of the solar tiles were underperforming. After they did this, the local team had a crew come out and replace these tiles which resulted in a 15-20% performance increase. This entire process took about 2.5 months after my initial entry using the app and involved one additional phone call.

 

[c1916]

This is how I'm sure Tesla handles performance problems and it's the scenario I am most trying to avoid. However, thanks to the help of the people here I'm not too worried about under-performing anymore.

The other concern is getting them to cover damage that happened during installation. Possibly harder after they've been paid than before.

I had several items on my punch list and I REFUSED to pay until they resolved them. They dragged their feet and tried to bully me into dropping my proven damage claims. It took more than a month of daily calls (at that time, calls were still accepted) to get IN WRITING confirmation of the adjustment they would pay me for my damages.

I then made payment.

Now they're saying...cool, we'll give you the check for damages AFTER we get to PTO, which just happened for me. Not sure how quickly that check will come, but I would NOT make payment until you have in writing your damages resolved to your satisfaction....BUT, know they won't move you to PTO until you've made payment. So, you'll need to decide what's more important for you.

 

[uscpsycho]

I had several items on my punch list and I REFUSED to pay until they resolved them. They dragged their feet and tried to bully me into dropping my proven damage claims. It took more than a month of daily calls (at that time, calls were still accepted) to get IN WRITING confirmation of the adjustment they would pay me for my damages.

I then made payment.

Now they're saying...cool, we'll give you the check for damages AFTER we get to PTO, which just happened for me. Not sure how quickly that check will come, but I would NOT make payment until you have in writing your damages resolved to your satisfaction....BUT, know they won't move you to PTO until you've made payment. So, you'll need to decide what's more important for you.

Thank you for sharing your experience. At one point Tesla suggested that they would reimburse me for the cost of repairs. My response was that THEY needed to arrange for the repairs since my time is valuable and I don't think they are going to reimburse me for the time I'll need to find someone to fix it. They didn't respond directly to that. Did you ever try to get them to handle the repairs instead of you?

If I have to go out of pocket, my expectation is that I would deduct this from my final payment rather than pay in full and then start begging them for reimbursement. The sooner I can be done dealing with these clowns the better.

Regarding calling them, have they officially stopped accepting phone calls? It's not my imagination/just me?

 

[c1916]

I wouldn't even consider letting them do so.

I have cement board siding on my home. While it's not commonplace, it's not exactly unique. Tesla hired a sub to do my roof tear-off and that sub had NO FREAKING CLUE how to treat cement board siding. They did so much damage it actually required two repairs. I let the original sub bring in a repair crew the first time and THAT CREW had no idea how to work with cement board and actually made matters worse. The original sub finally hired a crew that was Hardie board "certified (or whatever)" and the cost of repairs was into 5 figures. The sub paid it because they caused the original damage, but Tesla hired the original sub, and in my mind cannot be trusted in terms of bringing in a quality crew.

In addition to the siding, they screwed up my gutters...I provided them with three quotes and was fine with being reimbursed at the lowest of the three.

In addition, when installing the panels, they screwed up a joint and I had water in the house, I had a paint contractor that I always work with, they agreed to pay without questioning multiple quotes, and

Finally, when they updated my panel, they screwed up the surrounding wall...that's a $50 fix....and THAT'S the one they refused to cover.

If you value your time over quality...sure, see if they'll recommend a crew. But, I don't trust their version of quality and it's worth it for me to do the contracting.

And no....you cannot use your punch list as an offset to your bill. I tried, but they refused to pay my punch list items until after PTO, and of course, PTO means you have to have paid, so yes...I have to bug them once a week.

 

[RKCRLR]

In general, I haven't been impressed with Tesla's after-sales service. But I wasn't impressed with their pre-sales service either. There were a few representatives that were helpful (when you can get through to them) but the majority of time is is a bureaucratic morass, dropped calls, transfers to wrong departments, dead-end robotic menus, etc.

 

[Fruitcake]

I have another thread going where I'm trying to figure out if there are any production issues with my system, and it seems like that's going to be harder to figure out than I thought. Meanwhile, Tesla has been bugging me to pay and get my PTO. I want PTO so I can start sending power to the grid but I'm worried about paying before I've got all the possible issues ironed out, because Tesla hasn't exactly been responsive to issues and seems to be in denial about some. I'm paying in full, no payments, so once they have my money I lose all leverage.

So my gut tells me to not pay until I am certain everything is just right because if I pay I'll really have trouble getting Tesla to address any possible issues (or acknowledge them).

What has people's experience been with Tesla support and service after payment/PTO? Are you getting the run-around or do they fix things? And do you still have to deal with your bonehead project advisor or do they have real technical support?

The words "dick" and "suck" come to mind.