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New to Tesla...Is it really that bad?

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Congratulations on winning Tesla service lottery. Again, your "excellent" Costa Mesa experience doesn't make this guy feel any better:

Bad service appointment, seeking recommendations

They didn't even make sure he had Uber credits for over 10 days while they were doing nothing on his car.

This discussion is a losing proposition for me, but I will try again. If they take in 100 cars a day and 1 person a day has a problem thats 1 percent. That one person might come here and complain. That doesnt mean they DIDNT have a bad experience but the 99 people who had good experiences did not come here and post "yep everything is fine".

If your experiences are bad, it doesnt mean everyones experiences are bad. It means your experiences are bad. Then people search on line and find others with bad experiences and think "everyones experiences are bad", when thats not true for "everyone" . I didnt win the lottery, that person lost it.

Without prompting, they gave me $200 in uber credits for a 1 day appointment because I had to drive there from carlsbad on a loaner tire to replace 2 bent rims. As I said, everyones experience is not bad, and some having bad experiences does not mean everyone does.

Taking a quick look at threads here, I am assuming you had a tesla that was bought back? Of course your opinion would be "they are all bad". It was bad for you. That explains your passion on the topic. Doesnt mean that its bad for everyone though, even if you want to think that.
 
Hey everyone. You all have been great with helping me with my charger install. I just got my Tesla X (used) and I am reading horror stories about customer service. Warranty not being upheld. Service issues. Is it really that bad? I am regretting getting the car at this point. Why is everyone still buying these? If I had I known prior I would’ve stuck with my BMW. Would love to hear others experiences.

thanks for your time and help in advance.
Thank you for starting this thread.
As others here will tell you, YMMV.
Back in 2013, when all that existed were a few thousand Model S (and, oh, sorry, a few Roadsters) Tesla service was INCREDIBLE!!!. Proactive.
I would get calls from them telling me my Model S had "called home as it needed a new battery (12v)) ... can we come to your house and replace it?" We were on first name basis with our ranger. And service staff.
I moves states and my car "died" in Florida and I called the 800 number. Call was answered by a rep. whom I had met several times in my prior state (it routed my call based on my phone number area code. She instantly arranged for the car tow, driver to get me home.
I told everyone about it!
Fast forward 100,000 cars and they simply cannot keep up.
Service in most (non urban) places is hundred(s) of miles from you.
But if it were 5 miles from you, their staff are, on average, incompetent at best.
You can no longer call for service. Everything is IMPERSONAL app based crap.
Sorry, but for a $100k+ car we deserve better.
The more cars they sell the worse it gets. EVERYWHERE.
USA and here in Europe.
The Model 3 has not helped.
Rolls Royce do not make a cheaper variant for a reason.
Owners of a "35k" car cannot expect the same service as a >$100+ car.
But Tesla thinks they can service both. Now neither.
I gave up when my neighbors laughed at me when the tow truck visited EVERY month.

</rant>
 
Model 3 owner here, since May of this year. I haven't had anything go wrong with my car as a factory defect, and my build quality was good. When somebody rear ended me at low speed at a traffic light I needed my bumper replaced. The local authorized body shop, at a Ferrari dealer, did not have good service, and it took a month to get the bumper from Tesla. The car had only cosmetic damage and was driveable, so no problem.

I still like the car though and don't regret getting it. I've had horrible service experiences on other cars. My 2017 Challenger R/T had a check engine light at 5000 miles and the dealership was terrible, not notifiying me of what was going on.
 
Thank you for starting this thread.
As others here will tell you, YMMV.
Back in 2013, when all that existed were a few thousand Model S (and, oh, sorry, a few Roadsters) Tesla service was INCREDIBLE!!!. Proactive.
I would get calls from them telling me my Model S had "called home as it needed a new battery (12v)) ... can we come to your house and replace it?" We were on first name basis with our ranger. And service staff.
I moves states and my car "died" in Florida and I called the 800 number. Call was answered by a rep. whom I had met several times in my prior state (it routed my call based on my phone number area code. She instantly arranged for the car tow, driver to get me home.
I told everyone about it!
Fast forward 100,000 cars and they simply cannot keep up.
Service in most (non urban) places is hundred(s) of miles from you.
But if it were 5 miles from you, their staff are, on average, incompetent at best.
You can no longer call for service. Everything is IMPERSONAL app based crap.
Sorry, but for a $100k+ car we deserve better.
The more cars they sell the worse it gets. EVERYWHERE.
USA and here in Europe.
The Model 3 has not helped.
Rolls Royce do not make a cheaper variant for a reason.
Owners of a "35k" car cannot expect the same service as a >$100+ car.
But Tesla thinks they can service both. Now neither.
I gave up when my neighbors laughed at me when the tow truck visited EVERY month.

</rant>


I would certainly agree that tesla does NOT provide an experience that many people who can afford a "100k car" new might expect, but neither do some other manufacturers who sell such cars. I have personal experience for at least 15 years with BMW, who also sells "100k" + cars, and dont think their experience is what someone who might afford such a car would expect either.

BMW treats you the same, if you buy a 35k X1 or a 130k M5.
 
This discussion is a losing proposition for me, but I will try again. If they take in 100 cars a day and 1 person a day has a problem thats 1 percent. That one person might come here and complain. That doesnt mean they DIDNT have a bad experience but the 99 people who had good experiences did not come here and post "yep everything is fine".

If your experiences are bad, it doesnt mean everyones experiences are bad. It means your experiences are bad. Then people search on line and find others with bad experiences and think "everyones experiences are bad", when thats not true for "everyone" . I didnt win the lottery, that person lost it.

Without prompting, they gave me $200 in uber credits for a 1 day appointment because I had to drive there from carlsbad on a loaner tire to replace 2 bent rims. As I said, everyones experience is not bad, and some having bad experiences does not mean everyone does.

Taking a quick look at threads here, I am assuming you had a tesla that was bought back? Of course your opinion would be "they are all bad". It was bad for you. That explains your passion on the topic. Doesnt mean that its bad for everyone though, even if you want to think that.

Thank you for checking out my profile, I am flattered. I didn't check yours. You are right, it is a losing proposition and I have a rule about not arguing with random people on the interwebs. Suffice it to say after they bought my first POS MX back I gave them another chance and poured even more money into a performance model. Soon after, service turned to crap.
 
Thank you for starting this thread.
As others here will tell you, YMMV.
Back in 2013, when all that existed were a few thousand Model S (and, oh, sorry, a few Roadsters) Tesla service was INCREDIBLE!!!. Proactive.
I would get calls from them telling me my Model S had "called home as it needed a new battery (12v)) ... can we come to your house and replace it?" We were on first name basis with our ranger. And service staff.
I moves states and my car "died" in Florida and I called the 800 number. Call was answered by a rep. whom I had met several times in my prior state (it routed my call based on my phone number area code. She instantly arranged for the car tow, driver to get me home.
I told everyone about it!
Fast forward 100,000 cars and they simply cannot keep up.
Service in most (non urban) places is hundred(s) of miles from you.
But if it were 5 miles from you, their staff are, on average, incompetent at best.
You can no longer call for service. Everything is IMPERSONAL app based crap.
Sorry, but for a $100k+ car we deserve better.
The more cars they sell the worse it gets. EVERYWHERE.
USA and here in Europe.
The Model 3 has not helped.
Rolls Royce do not make a cheaper variant for a reason.
Owners of a "35k" car cannot expect the same service as a >$100+ car.
But Tesla thinks they can service both. Now neither.
I gave up when my neighbors laughed at me when the tow truck visited EVERY month.

</rant>

Watch out GreenT, I can hear quick hands typing up a storm about how your experience is irrelevant and not representative of the masses.
 
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Reactions: GreenT
I would certainly agree that tesla does NOT provide an experience that many people who can afford a "100k car" new might expect, but neither do some other manufacturers who sell such cars. I have personal experience for at least 15 years with BMW, who also sells "100k" + cars, and dont think their experience is what someone who might afford such a car would expect either.

BMW treats you the same, if you buy a 35k X1 or a 130k M5.

Sorry about your BMW experience. I had am M5 for a few years, took it in at least 3-4 times for oil changes and few electrical issues. Service always quick, efficient and with a smile. Don't recall seeing any millennials chewing gum and with one airpod in their year telling me "sorry, can't give you a loaner, you"ll have to pick up your 3 year old in an uber". My wife drives a 2019 G550. Two months into ownership fuel tank gauge went bad. They sent a tow truck, dropped off a loaner after asking me which one I want, gave me a PERSONAL number of my SA who checked in with me 3 times per day. Eventually, they needed to replace the fuel tank. They filled the new tank completely with gas at $4.40/gallon before dropping off the car at my wife's work and picking up their loaner. Did I mention they have doughnuts and M&Ms?
 
Watch out GreenT, I can hear quick hands typing up a storm about how your experience is irrelevant and not representative of the masses.

Thank you for checking out my profile, I am flattered. I didn't check yours. You are right, it is a losing proposition and I have a rule about not arguing with random people on the interwebs. Suffice it to say after they bought my first POS MX back I gave them another chance and poured even more money into a performance model. Soon after, service turned to crap.

The reason I checked, is because from the tenor of your post, it sounded "personal" so I was wondering if there was some reason for that. You can feel free to check my profile if you want. You will see that I enjoy my car, think its the best driving car I have had, but also understand that others have had issues with them. I enjoy the car, and also realize that tesla has some issues with service, even though my personal experiences have been good.

In general I know quite a few people with teslas and their experiences have been positive, and I am based in southern california so the "everyone in busy places has a bad experience" is incorrect.

In any case, sorry your experience(s) were bad.
 
My experiences with the SC have been great.

That said, I'd offer this, it shouldn't matter how much you spend, everyone should be treated well and the same. I have bought three Teslas, S 90D, S100DL and X100DL, and I don't expect to be treated differently than someone who bought a 3. I know some dealers give the higher end cars loaners and others not, but I don't believe in that. Treat everyone the same, I like BMW's approach in that regard. I'm tired of hearing the 100K car argument.

Sorry, but just because I or anyone else spent more shouldn't entitle me or them to a different service experience IMO.
 
Sorry about your BMW experience. I had am M5 for a few years, took it in at least 3-4 times for oil changes and few electrical issues. Service always quick, efficient and with a smile. Don't recall seeing any millennials chewing gum and with one airpod in their year telling me "sorry, can't give you a loaner, you"ll have to pick up your 3 year old in an uber". My wife drives a 2019 G550. Two months into ownership fuel tank gauge went bad. They sent a tow truck, dropped off a loaner after asking me which one I want, gave me a PERSONAL number of my SA who checked in with me 3 times per day. Eventually, they needed to replace the fuel tank. They filled the new tank completely with gas at $4.40/gallon before dropping off the car at my wife's work and picking up their loaner. Did I mention they have doughnuts and M&Ms?

Oh, I didnt say my BMW experience was bad. It actually hasnt been, through multiple 5 series, X5s, X3s, 4 series. Its good, but they dont treat anyone in an M5 any different than a 3 series in my experience. Its efficient, but not white glove.

Lexus and MB are better than BMW service wise in my opinion. Tesla is not as good as BMW, more like hyundai or kia. I bought my son a hyundai. Their service isnt "bad" but its not as good as BMWs. My experience has been pleasant, but I do miss not having an assigned SA like I do with my BMWs (who I have known for 10 years).

My point wasnt that tesla is great, far from it... just that its not all bad either, and its just like any other business... some good, some bad, and we hear much more about the bad than good. Wasnt trying to offend anyone who had bad service with that, or marginalize them.. just say that not "everyone" has had that experience, at least in my experience.
 
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Reactions: Stirthepot
Again, YMMV. My local service center in carlsbad is fantastic. I also had an awesome experience with the costa mesa service center, which I believe is the busiest one in the COMPANY, taking in over 100 cars a day. No, its "not that bad" for everyone, even in busy locations.

I understand statistics better than most. Even before going to the Costa Mesa service center I knew people were complaining, but it seemed like a better option than Buena Park which is only 3 miles from me.

The day I dropped off my X there was a younger gentleman going off on the service rep. The day I picked up my car there was another young gentleman going off on the service rep.

I kept my cool and was very polite the whole time picking up my vehicle (see the aforementioned thread). The Tesla reps were polite but they said they would take of my Uber credit charge. At this point, after 1 month and 3 unreplied emails that is tantamount to a lie. In my career, if I lie to a patient I increase my odds of being sued. It's just unprofessional and unethical. If they couldn't take care of the charge just say so... don't say you'll do something and never follow up on it. I can't stand people who make false promises to somebody else in person.

So while you may have had good results, I think the sampling size is large enough to show something is seriously off. Even some of the crappiest companies I've ever corresponded with have replied to emails because that is a paper trail.

As a TSLA stock holder I tried to help the company. I passed on getting a loaner even though they kept my vehicle for 15 days, got charged for an Uber ride which would be quite easy to fix at any normal dealership, and because of the Uber issue I avoided using Uber during those 15 days - instead using my ICE vehicle which cost me gas money instead of my free supercharging (no 240 line access). Worst of all they didn't fix 2/3 main issues I brought the vehicle in for.

At time of drop off, I reported the bad seal around the Falcon door leaking water into the cabin the tech said "yeah we see that often and we can fix it." When I pick up my vehicle they say "yeah there's nothing we can do." I would have pushed the issue but I had to pick up my kids from school and I already spent 1 hour waiting just to pick up my vehicle.

So not bad for everyone, but the incidence/prevalence of bad service is way beyond being a statistical outlier - it might be the norm.
 
Oceanside (now Carlsbad) provides a significantly better customer experience than any of the older Orange County service center locations. Tesla loaners with Autopilot, quick turnaround times for repairs (usually same day, in my case), staff who are friendly, calm, and actually answer the phone and return emails as promised.

I can't speak for Santa Ana or Lake Forest as they just opened, but both Costa Mesa and Buena Park are consistently overwhelmed to the point where they simply can't provide adequate customer service or timely repairs. My hope is that the two new service centers will ease the congestion in our region.

In the meantime, it's a 1-hour drive each way to Carlsbad, but to me it's absolutely worth the time.
 
My customer service experiences have been pretty darn bad. But fortunately my X has required very little service, and the bad service experiences are so outweighed by how much I love driving the car. My lease is up in a year and it's hard to imagine getting anything other than another Tesla.
 
36k miles on our 2017 75d
Any issue I have had has been taken care by my local service center, including the sensors in the FWD failing and my doors opening into my garage door. Put large dings in both FWDs. They took care of the whole thing.
Added a model 3 to our garage about a year ago.
No regrets.
 
Six years and two Teslas for our family and we've had really terrific experiences with our service centers here in Dallas and Plano. Our very positive ownership experience is the primary reason I've given our friends to buy their own Tesla cars (referring maybe 5 or 6 new owners now). I'm not discounting other owners' described negative experiences, just sharing my own for the OP to consider.
 
Reality is that most owners are very happy with their ownership experience, but those with problems tend to be "squeeky wheels". Amplify the problems.

I don't think that's the case at all. Rather, I think that most people don't have problems with their cars that are big enough to matter, but the ones who do have problems seem to have the same problems over and over again, which amplifies the rage.
 
Long time Tesla customer - purchased our first S P85 (VIN 3xxx) in early 2013, when the nearest Service Center was over 1000 miles away.

We've since traded that in - and now have an S 100D and X 100D (no ICE's in our family).

As a rapidly growing company (Tesla is still an oversized startup company), it periodically goes through growth spurts, when the company has to make major adjustments to better support the larger volume of vehicles.

We're going through one of those times this year - and expect Tesla will figure out how to economically support the rapidly increasing number of vehicles they are selling.

A couple of factors to consider:
  • Overall, Tesla vehicles require much less maintenance and support than an ICE - with fewer moving parts, so less frequent service appointments should be needed
  • Tesla is shifting their service strategy to provide most service through mobile service vehicles (80% of service can be done outside of a service center) - relying less on service centers. In the long run, this will provide more convenient service support - but will take time to get this strategy full implemented.
  • Forums tend to overemphasize negative posts. People with a bad experience are more likely to post - even if the vast majority of customers are not having serious problems, a few customers with a bad experience can make things appear worse than they are.
Even though we've been seeing problems reported by other Tesla customers - we haven't seen that - we had a service appointment for our S a few months ago - and everything went smoothly without any problems.
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: GreenT
The nature of forums may bias the reporting but the fact that

•You can't call to make a service appointment - in fact you can't call at all
•You can't set up a service appointment via your MyTesla account any more
•e-mails about service issues go unanswered
•The Tesla App appointment mechanism (the only way you can get an appointment) doesn't work always
•Appointments aren't generally available for at least a couple of weeks

which are all things that anyone can easily verify, all speak to problems with Tesla support. This is, IMO, a big black eye for Tesla and one which should be right at the top of management's list.

An interesting aspect of this that I had never thought of before was revealed when I found out that the kid that installed my solar system left Tesla because he couldn't stand the constant anger of customers to whose homes he went to do repairs.
 
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Reactions: GreenT
People come to online forums to complain. Most Tesla owners are out there happily tooling around, unaware that this forum even exists.
I didn't come to the Forum to complain! it's a great source of info & comfort at times. Of course you will find nay sayers on any forum, but the wealth of knowledge shared here is amazing & I appreciate that more than anything
 
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Hey everyone. You all have been great with helping me with my charger install. I just got my Tesla X (used) and I am reading horror stories about customer service. Warranty not being upheld. Service issues. Is it really that bad? I am regretting getting the car at this point. Why is everyone still buying these? If I had I known prior I would’ve stuck with my BMW. Would love to hear others experiences.

thanks for your time and help in advance.

Forums for every vehicle type are generally negative. No one gets on and talks about every great experience, by in large people get on to bitch when things are bad. The proverbial 5% make 90% of the noise type thing...

Enjoy your MX!