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

[Battpower]

the hopelessness I feel about the situation

Even though I am lucky at the moment, and (touch wood) all is OK with my car (pending a couple of small items being fixed) I am so aware from my purchase process just what that hopeless feeling is like, and how getting things fixed seems to rest on the shoulders of a very few individuals. If they are no longer contactable, you are stuck. It's not a good feeling. But if you can see it as a test of your communication skill and strength of character, may be you will eventually get satisfaction.

 

[Sandi]

For every one of you that gets pissed off, there are 10 people like me who are over the moon and thrilled to be using autopilot and really do not care if "Elon Musk lied to you" or whatever. If someone offered me $200,000 for my ordinary model 3 with the stipulation that I never drive a Tesla again, I would not be able to take it because I am addicted to autopilot and love almost everything about the car. My experience with the service center is that I have never been there, but once a really cool guy came to my house and gave me a bunch of keys for free.

I felt like that too about 18 months ago. Not any more

 

[FRE0]

I put a deposit on a Model S over a decade ago. I bought a Signature model (one of the first 1,000 MS made) and became an outspoken evangelist for the company. For the fist year, it was a whirlwind romance and I probably sold a dozen+ cars myself and Tesla treated me like a member of the family. A few years in, things started to get rocky as Tesla got more and more busy but I understood. 100,000 owners vying for its attention made for a different dynamic. But then the Model X and eventually the model 3 came into the picture and Tesla started to be more distant and more cold. At first it was just a lack of personal touch but over time, it became neglect.
Now, its an outright abusive relationship. Tesla literally doesn't pick up the phone (this is not a cute relationship analogy- they don't pick up the phone). They discontinued the "owner experience" group (they used to address owner issues) because... who cares? They cut out the loaner program. They lied constantly ("we're increasing the loaner program! We're building a new service facility just for Model 3! We're selling features we can't deliver!") . They started charging $200 "deductible" for issues that are covered by warranty (after 7 years of not doing so and never making it clear it was even a possibility). I wrote a plaintive email into the great void of "[email protected]" as a last hope that somehow Tesla cared enough to at least lie to me about all this. No response at all.
Tesla, which started out with customer service akin to Apple had slowly devolved into a company with customer service worse than Spectrum (or any other monopolistic company). I guess somewhere along the way they realized that treating customers well was not its best strategy to keep its stock price high. Any resources that had been put to serving customers was reallocated to sales. The lie they tell that they are "trying" is as insulting as a spouse telling you they're "trying" not to cheat. Trying is as simple as investing in customer service (or not divesting what was already in place).
If you've been a Tesla owner for more than 5 years, I can't imagine that you too haven't felt the same neglect and abuse.

I absolutely hate Tesla. I love the car but hate the company. And that is awful. Feels like saying I hate an ex-lover because I truly did love this company for years. I learned to love electric cars and I'm hopeful that some company that still prioritizes customers will make a great one. Otherwise, I may just be stuck with an ICE car because as much as I love electric, I refuse to be treated like crap. Tesla should be ashamed of itself for letting its customers down and for shaming its own product in the process.

Because I just bought a Tesla model 3 (middle of March 2020), I was alarmed and concerned by your post. I hope that either what you experienced is not typical or that Tesla will become more responsive to the needs of owners. If they do not their success will not continue.

I suggest that you get a subscription to Consumer's Reports so that you will be able to answer their questionnaires and make complaints in a way which is likely to get more attention.

 

[Sandi]

Even though I am lucky at the moment, and (touch wood) all is OK with my car (pending a couple of small items being fixed) I am so aware from my purchase process just what that hopeless feeling is like, and how getting things fixed seems to rest on the shoulders of a very few individuals. If they are no longer contactable, you are stuck. It's not a good feeling. But if you can see it as a test of your communication skill and strength of character, may be you will eventually get satisfaction.

Believe me, I have tried every which way but loose. I don’t even know what to do next. I am driving around in a car of which about a quarter of the functions don’t work.

 

[wasloan]

I would be really interested to see satisfaction data by region. Every complaint I've ever seen comes from someone in California where there are the most Tesla's per capita. Between LA and the bay area Model 3's are like Corollas. Meanwhile, every person I see replying saying their service was and still is great, is somewhere else with fewer Teslas. It seems like over-worked California service centers are the issue, not the service centers that see a normal amount of volume in other cities.

 

[FRE0]

So, do you have a car under warranty that is being denied a repair? Have you used the app to communicate?

Some of us refuse to get smart phones on which Tesla applications can run. Instead, we stick with small and convenient dumb flip phones on which the screen is always protected from damage and which will more easily fit into our pockets.

 

[Battpower]

Believe me, I have tried every which way but loose. I don’t even know what to do next. I am driving around in a car of which about a quarter of the functions don’t work.

Is it the cost of repairs that is the main problem for you, or finding a service centre that can actually get the problems fixed? It is ver disheartening when you really feel that there is just nobody who can deal with the problems at all. Do you have a choice of service locations? Can you gou outside of Switzerland for service?

 

[tritonx]

The extended warranty $200 deductible surprised me too. On our first 2012 S, it was as if we were still in new car warranty mode whenever we had to call in an extended warranty repair. For the Sig X, now I have to try and group as many problems as I can into one visit. As many early sig owners can attest, there are a ton of little things that need attention on these early models. If I pay the $200 each time for each one as I notice them, the cost is almost the same as without warranty.

 

[joefee]

I share the OP's experience. The only thing that has saved me is my long term relationship I have with an outstanding long term company employee. Old school "Customer Service" eg pickup the phone and talk to someone in corporate who can address your issue is dead. This is suicide for a luxury car maker. As a longtime Tesla evananglist and shareholder, Elon must bring back George B's customer experience vision to remake customer service performance better than the car's performance. In the early days I started the model-s-delivery-update thread (now approaching 3 million page views). I also created "The Total Delivery Experience poll" to give George B feedback on the "make me smile delivery program. Today I'm posting a new poll "Tesla Total Customer Service Experience poll". Please let Tesla know your customer service experience!!!

 

[Roys3]

I could not agree with this more. I have had my Model S for 5 years and originally sang its praises from the rooftops. Now I could literally weep everytime I get in the bloody thing. Nothing works and I am just advised to book a service and tell them what the problem is, then they will cancel the appointment and look at the problems. This is because there is no one to answer the phone. I am in Switzerland and I literally have no idea anymore who I can even report them to. I am driving around in a 100,000 franc car that has no music, rarely any navigation system, never able to look at anything online. They changed the dog mode to the lowest temperature of 19 degrees, which when it is hot, is not cool enough. I reboot the car anything between 5-10 times a week. I got the car as I travel all over Europe but our last trip to England was a horror. We had no internet which meant the car couldn’t calculate the charging stations so we had no idea where we needed to charge. The stress was horrendous. I have just paid 2500 for a new screen but I won’t spend another penny on it. I did get to speak to the manager of the while of Switzerland and he was amazing and I thought ge would finally sort the issues out. Then a week later he didn’t reply to an email and I found out he had left Tesla. Honestly I look at my Tesla and it is stunning but the stress and the hopelessness I feel about the situation and the anger at the amount of money it cost, just isn’t worth it. If anyone has any ideas who I can contact, please let me know, but the reality is, no one cares less

Damn, you got the triple whammy! - 1) Lemmon car. 2) Bad service. 3) Corporate bureaucratic carelessness. (Most of us get #3 at least.)
Sorry to hear it man... Give 'em hell! They deserve it.

 

[MP3Mike]

For the Sig X, now I have to try and group as many problems as I can into one visit. As many early sig owners can attest, there are a ton of little things that need attention on these early models. If I pay the $200 each time for each one as I notice them, the cost is almost the same as without warranty.

Make sure to check the terms of your ESA, as I think most of them say you have to report the issue, and get it fixed, as soon as you are aware of the problem. (i.e. you aren't allowed to save up a bunch of items to have fixed all at once.) I'm not sure how they would know you saved them up to deny you, but I wouldn't be surprised if that isn't coming.

I think some versions of the ESA even state that the deductible is per issue, not per visit. (This may be another case where Tesla isn't properly charging people for the ESA work yet.)

 

[Thp3]

Some of us refuse to get smart phones on which Tesla applications can run. Instead, we stick with small and convenient dumb flip phones on which the screen is always protected from damage and which will more easily fit into our pockets.

Yep that will become a problem.
It like complaining that you can’t talk to neighbors on the party telephone connection because everybody has their own phone line. Technology evolves and some people don’t want to.

The OP who has a 2012 Model S and dislikes current service is doomed, no parts, minimal experience and aging hardware. It’s like trying to maintain a wooden boat or a 1930s car. The support people work elsewhere. Yeah, stuff changes, people age and gray hair may arrive. It’s difficult to avoid.

yes it’s only 8 years old, but how many people have 8 year old phones or computers. Circuit boards and car networks in the Tesla are likely much different now. Even the mechanical Replacement parts are likely limited.

It’s less stress to upgrade the Tesla to a current Model S than it is to keep a 2012 in great condition. Just sayin....

I communicate with Tesla service over the app. It takes a day or two,but it works.

 

[Battpower]

Elon must bring back George B's customer experience vision to remake customer service performance better than the car's performance.

The short sighted, miopic bean counters probably won't let him.

But without it the best you are selling is just another car, and worst case as many find - not even a car any more.

 

[Battpower]

yes it’s only 8 years old, but how many people have 8 year old phones or computers.

But part (a big part) of Tesla's message is care for the environment. There are big efforts to try and move away from the massively destructive consumer / throw away society, and Tesla should be leading the pack. I get the impression that many owners with older cars don't begrudge paying, it's just that they don't want to be taken advantage of and they do want to feel that they still matter as customers.

Many batterygated owners would probably jump at a fair offer to contibute to a new battery.

 

[CeSinge]

I'm not from LA nor SF nor inbetween - Brussels, but also fully agree with the OP. Customer service here is impossible to reach except with the app (but what if you need to talk to someone?). Worse, no one ever picks up on the service number indicated on the SC, whether in Belgium or France: I triad a couple of times for well over 10 minutes.

Besides the service, with each software update the car gets worse: AP (AP1) is now so limited and useless that I never use it any more. Add to that the outrageous batterygate and regengate issues, which result in the battery reduced by 10%, the performance capped, the charging times seriously increased, the regen working at best 25% of the time (with the temperatures here)...

My conclusion is the same as others: it was, and maybe still is (for new ones) an amazing car, but the comapny is arrogant and doesn't care any more. I changed from true fanboy to 'well, maybe, with caveats'. I'm waiting to see the BMW 3 or 5 full electrics, or a lower priced Porsche Taycan - announced soon. I'll check Tesla, but will surely evaluate the others. Tesla is less and less the only option.

 

[gnemmas]

It amazes me that posters will defend the company and attack others for their experience. It is like questioning people has Covid-19. If I don't have it, they must be lying or done something wrong.

Be happy that you did not have it, yet.

 

[berchman]

Really? Does BMW have a different level of service quality for the 3, vs 5, vs 7 series vehicles?

I don't think so, but when I bring in my perfectly detailed (by me) rare (only 31 manufactured) 2000 M Coupe (immola red, sunroof delete), I get unsolicited compliments. My one experience with Tesla customer relations this past January when I asked for a test drive of an M3 AWD was good. The showroom was a two hour drive. The associate took me wherever I wanted and demonstrated the FSD. But I'm waiting for the Cybertruck.

 

[erniejenson]

I'm a Lexus owner and a Tesla owner. The Lexus service is better than any I have ever had. However the Lexus never breaks down so service isn't a big issue with me. It's very troublesome with Tesla when you can't talk to anyone and they don't respond when you leave them a message. Tesla has some nice people but it is reall hit or miss with them. I think they will get better.

 

[SO16]

I am constantly tempted to have one of my next cars be a Model S but these types of threads speaking of really bad experiences with the company keep me hesitating. I don't need a car company to hold my hand or coddle me. I just want a car that should something go wrong they will fix it promptly, answer my calls, and not charge me to fix what is under warranty. I may be spoiled as a long time BMW owner as well as also have owned Porsche, own an Audi, plus some exotics.

I know there are growing pains but these could all be foreseen. When you have X number of cars on the road and growing your base this fast the only way to decrease demand on the service network is to build such high-quality vehicles that you are not creating an excess burden on your support infrastructure. Bad quality strains service that much more.

Tesla has plenty of money and time to get this figured out and I hope they do. I'm the guy who wants to be a Tesla owner and simply wants to be able to sleep at night knowing the car works and when it doesn't it will get taken care of.

I’m glad I didn’t “NOT” buy a Tesla out of fear that I might experience poor customer service. Over 3 plus years and 45k miles later, it has been really good. No complaints but of course YMMV.

And even if I did have bad customer service experiences, I enjoy the vehicle for the time that it is not in service....which is the vast majority of the time.

 

[cpa]

Wait CPA, you are not tethered to your phone? How old are you?

I agree that App communication is not perfect. But I have to say, the no touch service arrangement has it Covid advantages.

Expect to see a lot of service arrangements moving to Tesla's model. But no virus transmission on phone calls, just very time inefficient despite what you say. A 30 year old can text more detail than they can speak in a certain amount of time. When you add in the 7 or 8 rings, and then the outgoing message, you are just wasting time. I mean how inefficient?

If your phone detected that you were a boomer and were not tethered to your phone in 2 secs and then no outgoing message, then maybe voicemail is time efficient. But that isn't the way phones are working in 2020. Maybe the next Android updates.

I hate calling clients. I love emailing them. And I turn 50 tomorrow. Imaging a 30 yo - average tesla employee age?

I infer from your reasoning that the time factor for Tesla is very important. I understand that in our capitalistic world time = money. Furthermore, the mindset of a thirty-something is now the benchmark for customer relations?

I further infer from your reasoning that the customer's time is worthless. This is where I disagree. My time is just as valuable as the Tesla representative, mechanic, or service manager's time. It is inefficient for both parties if texting back and forth to remove ambiguity or questions is our only recourse. Of course, there are times when texting is perfectly fine. But those times should be after the service is agreed, in progress, and close to resolution.

Yes, I am sixty-seven years old. Yes, I spent my high school and college years working retail where every customer was important. I concede that working a retail establishment in the '70s is not close to working an automotive establishment in the '20s. But there are enough parallels in customer relations that pervade both business situations. And Tesla seems not to recognize this currently.

I think this boils down to two situations: When everything goes off as planned without a hitch, it really makes no difference how Tesla works its service centers. Everyone wins. But there are those times when the wheels fall off. There are times when our situations do not fall into Tesla's cookie-cutter app. We customers don't know why or how the wheels fall off or how to get our situation cleared. Texts and emails are impersonal, faceless, and anonymous. Those situations are more efficiently handled through the spoken word. Tesla now has enough experience in the automotive world to be able to determine which situations need more customer care and those that do not.

I hate making mistakes, but I am human, and no matter how much I check my work, occasionally one slips through. I admit it personally to my clients, and I call them to explain what happened and what I will do to correct it. Texting and emailing are just craven cop-outs.