I've loved Tesla for 7 years. But after years of abuse, I'm out

[Battpower]

Making service / after sales a cost center isn't a bad start because that clearly equates a monetary value / cost to 'getting stuff right'.

It also helps justify budget / resources to address needs.

 

[Battpower]

tested and optimized end-to-end

3 crucial things right there.

Testing requires clear, valid standards / objectives.
Optimized requires understanding of what's possible as well as where you stand and what you regard as optimal.
End to end means you need to understand where the ends are! Some might say the showroom. Others the delivery point. Others when the first owner sells the car.

My view is that the end is when the car reaches a point where no one feels there is any value left as a functional vehicle.

 

[tcoombes]

Making service / after sales a cost center isn't a bad start because that clearly equates a monetary value / cost to 'getting stuff right'.

It also helps justify budget / resources to address needs.

I have done a lot of turnarounds in my career and helped organizations of all sizes with innovation, efficiency, and growth. Tesla is low hanging fruit! I would fix their service on contingency for a small percentage of efficiency savings while driving customer sat through the roof. It is absolutely possible and would not cost Tesla a dime, but would in fact add to the bottom line. I am anxiously waiting for Elon’s call...

 

[Battpower]

I have done a lot of turnarounds in my career and helped organizations of all sizes with innovation, efficiency, and growth. Tesla is low hanging fruit! I would fix their service on contingency for a small percentage of efficiency savings while driving customer sat through the roof. It is absolutely possible and would not cost Tesla a dime, but would in fact add to the bottom line. I am anxiously waiting for Elon’s call...

Don't hold your breath!

Have you ever come across heavily engineer loaded businesses that struggle with the concept that their output might have flaws?

 

[tcoombes]

Don't hold your breath!

Have you ever come across heavily engineer loaded businesses that struggle with the concept that their output might have flaws?

Right! Two things move the engineers - cooler tech and innovation. Finances are a scorecard and means to an end. Tie them all together and wait for the right reactionary moment and there might be a chance.

 

[Vector2]

I have done a lot of turnarounds in my career and helped organizations of all sizes with innovation, efficiency, and growth. Tesla is low hanging fruit! I would fix their service on contingency for a small percentage of efficiency savings while driving customer sat through the roof. It is absolutely possible and would not cost Tesla a dime, but would in fact add to the bottom line. I am anxiously waiting for Elon’s call...

I bought my first used Tesla just this past month. I decided to drive it 500 miles home since I bought out of state, and immediately some issues came up. First was the 12v socket which blew a fuse. Next day my AP went out. At first I thought the app was a brilliant idea because I was able to make an appointment and select the issue. I put in a request for the 12v, and then the next day added the AP issue and a couple other minor things. Lo and behold, on my day of service, out of the laundry list of issues the guy who greets me thinks the only thing needing fixed that day is the 12v.

What good is an updateable service app if no one looks at the updates?

 

[tcoombes]

Excellent tech only works if it is integrated effectively with process, training, and productivity. Not to say that the current support system is excellent tech, but even if it was you would still be right - it must be used correctly for the intended outcomes.

 

[Mau22]

SigGuy,
10000% times agree with all your statements!
After spent 270k for my 3 ms in 4 1/2 years their Costumer service went down the toilet.
I will not even mention how I went from free floor mat ....free spoiler ....free free “no worries it’s on us”
(Yea right nothing it’s free in this world ) to NOBODY answer your dhamm calls.
Complain letter......”S”........ to the Service Man, Corporate office, dead horses.
They just lost another , what they called me, “exceptional ......” Costumer.

 

[MXLRplus]

Wow. Some folk have zero understanding about how humans are, and how this affects companies.

I've always said that using the Service Centers and Superchargers as a cosit center was foolish. People love free stuff, but it doesn't work.

If Service was a profit center, it would be an area of the organization that will flourish. People like being rewarded for good work. There is no upside to doing exceptional for and still lose money at it. Might as well do a crap job if it's free.

Supercharging, ditto. Tesla could have become US DCFC standard. But they never ran it like a business until it was too late. If charging was a profit center, Tesla would actively pursued DCFC customers from all brands. Volkswagen would have hired Tesla to do their Electrify America network since Tesla would have been positioned as the only viable sourcing. They could have made billion of dollars in profit by now.

Sometimes being 'compelling' is a terrible way to give good service while making big profits.

 

[croman]

Just because Tesla says their service centers aren't profitable doesn't mean they don't generate a profit. If Tesla just built their damn cars properly out of the factor, the service centers would be profitable. Instead they are busy fixing issues no other brand has to deal with from new cars. Trust me, 50% of my service was from issues from when my car was built (including a miswired HV, 12V that died after 4 months, and a panoply of delivery issues with the vehicle).

It isn't on Tesla for not monetizing right. They just execute poorly and then spend forever running around fixing what should've been done right in the first place.

It is also insane to expect Tesla to magic billions needed for Supercharging networks with the expectation EVs will become dominant. It would've killed Tesla and they'd have gotten nothing from it because no one else is selling EVs.

 

[MXLRplus]

Just because Tesla says their service centers aren't profitable doesn't mean they don't generate a profit. If Tesla just built their damn cars properly out of the factor, the service centers would be profitable. Instead they are busy fixing issues no other brand has to deal with from new cars. Trust me, 50% of my service was from issues from when my car was built (including a miswired HV, 12V that died after 4 months, and a panoply of delivery issues with the vehicle).

It isn't on Tesla for not monetizing right. They just execute poorly and then spend forever running around fixing what should've been done right in the first place.

It is also insane to expect Tesla to magic billions needed for Supercharging networks with the expectation EVs will become dominant. It would've killed Tesla and they'd have gotten nothing from it because no one else is selling EVs.

If Service was a profit center, then what motivates them to have poor service?

If I'm wrong about Superchargers, then why are most the Teslas sold today no longer coming with free supercharging. I remember when Elon said 'Teslas will have free supercharging for life'. And this was before you could go to most of North America in a Tesla. Today, CCS locations outnumber Tesla SCs by a multiple. Was it 3x? Those could have all been SCs.

Today if I go to a Supercharger in this region it's 70kW then slows down after 55%. It's free for me, but silly. I'm better off with an Audi, Hyundai, or Jaguar if I need a quick fill to finish my chores. Why are those brands now faster? The DCFCs are a profit center.

 

[Mau22]

EXACTLY!
But as you know this forum has a lot of “ bind spot” costumers.
See what you want and don’t want to see the real issues here.
Issues from the manufacturing phase. Issue where supposed to be handle in a .....let’s say “”””reasonable “”””” manners and “””””””time””””””...? ( my list is long like the Old and new Testament) FORGET about it.
Don’t give a s........about free stuff , I largely paid their cars and every single annual, monthly, daily what ever it needs check up services.( largely excluding big tips when work was nicely done)
Just unbelievable ......

 

[croman]

If Service was a profit center, then what motivates them to have poor service?

If I'm wrong about Superchargers, then why are most the Teslas sold today no longer coming with free supercharging. I remember when Elon said 'Teslas will have free supercharging for life'. And this was before you could go to most of North America in a Tesla. Today, CCS locations outnumber Tesla SCs by a multiple. Was it 3x? Those could have all been SCs.

Today if I go to a Supercharger in this region it's 70kW then slows down after 55%. It's free for me, but silly. I'm better off with an Audi, Hyundai, or Jaguar if I need a quick fill to finish my chores. Why are those brands now faster? The DCFCs are a profit center.

Those supposedly 3x CCS only exist because ICE companies tried to kill us all and lie but got caught. They wouldn't have done **** all otherwise.

 

[MXLRplus]

Those supposedly 3x CCS only exist because ICE companies tried to kill us all and lie but got caught. They wouldn't have done **** all otherwise.

I was driving a CCS car before the VW settlement. EVgo, ChargePoint, EVConnect, etc, are not owned by Volkswagen or Tesla. In fact the VW settlement is giving huge bucks to political cronies and families. And spending money on the failed Hydrogen Fiasco. Toyota has done more damage to EVs than Volkswagen has.

There is bad information on this forum concerning DCFC technology and deployment.

 

[P100D_Me]

Just because Tesla says their service centers aren't profitable doesn't mean they don't generate a profit. If Tesla just built their damn cars properly out of the factor, the service centers would be profitable. Instead they are busy fixing issues no other brand has to deal with from new cars.

Astonishing that this trend continues, I've owned plenty of cars where I typically sell them before warranty is up and in most cases I've never had any additional work done aside from the regular service intervals.
I don't know how Tesla works but it really appears they run it like a restaurant where the chef never tastes the food and it's the waiters who cop the grief when it is bad.

 

[cpa]

If Service was a profit center, then what motivates them to have poor service?

They are the only game in town.

 

[linux-works]

EXACTLY!
But as you know this forum has a lot of “ bind spot” costumers.

I think that happens on halloween a lot. must be the masks.

 

[SigGuy]

By the way, one thing I didn't expand on is outright lying to customers. I'll give you an example... a service center told me "we discontinued the loaner program a little while ago". I complained strongly that I really needed a car over the next few days but they were insistent that the loaner program just didn't exist anymore and so there were no loaners to give.
The next day, a family member of mine brought their Model 3 in to the same shop and dealt with the same person and she provided him a loaner. I called her on it and via email (because I couldn't reach her by phone of course). No response.

I don't suppose they lie for sport or because they have evil hearts. I just think they do whatever then need to get to the next car without any consideration for what is doing right by the customer. Doing wrong is often easier in the short term than doing right. If you don't prioritize doing right, you will often do wrong by default. This is true in life and I why children often lie while adults do less so (all jokes aside).

 

[whitex]

If you are talking about the model S or X, I agree with you, but what about the model 3. And how does service balance between the two? Margins on the 3 are pretty slim: should profits on the S and the X fund loaners for model 3 owners?

Is that like saying profits from Lexus should fund loaners for Yaris owners? Should Tesla split into 2 service centres? I don't have the answers, just thinking out loud.

Well, Yaris owners do get loaners when fixing stuff under warranty - they get a yaris equivalent. Of course, they simply don't need as much service as Tesla - my sister had one, other than scheduled oil changes, which they did in under an hour wait (no need to drop your car off for up to 4 days for a 1 hr service like at Tesla - such as when I dropped my MS off for a 45 minute brake service), she never saw the dealer. I had a recall on a Toyota Sienna once (it was out of warranty too), got a free loaner for that (a Camry).

If Tesla cannot figure out how to make it work to compete with the other guys, maybe at least be honest. Buy a model 3, make sure you have a car to drive up to a week at a time whenever you bring it in. Buy a Model S or X, you get a loaner. Or maybe admit that nobody gets one no matter what, so people buying Tesla can plan accordingly (get some insurance or never buy a Tesla as your only car). They should still live up to the advertised "everyone gets same or better loaner" for people who bought it when that was advertised (I'm not even suggesting to try to live up to Elon's investor call hallucinations of everyone getting a P100D loaner) or admit that anything Tesla advertises is only true the second it's advertised and gone any time after that. Honest communication here could go a long way.

 

[whitex]

I had a bad experience previously buying a Ford. I had a bad experience with service at Volkswagen. I had a bad experience with service at the Buick dealer.
If I refuse to buy a car based on bad experiences with dealerships I assume I will soon be riding a horse to work.

Only until you have a bad experience with the stables...