Owners service experience

[kirvex1]

Hey folks,

We're about to finally commit to getting a Tesla and the only theme (and a pretty uncomfortable one) that we still encounter on the forums / Yelp / Google reviews is the customer service experience. The car will be driven mostly by my wife and we have 2 kids - she does a lot of driving around town and having a car at all times is quite critical for her. Judging by quite a few responses, sometimes people are having a very hard time getting the car serviced / scheduled for service / get a temp replacement with Tesla. Is this a valid concern these days? Have you seen any improvements on that front? Does it make sense to get a brand new one instead of, say, an inventory one that comes with discount / included bonus (I was thinking that since it's an "older" car, it might potentially have more issues and, thus, require more time in service if it comes to that).

Any feedback on that part of owning a Tesla is much appreciated.

P.S. I'm in Las Vegas, Nevada (if that matters)

 

[Phlier]

Hey folks,

We're about to finally commit to getting a Tesla and the only theme (and a pretty uncomfortable one) that we still encounter on the forums / Yelp / Google reviews is the customer service experience. The car will be driven mostly by my wife and we have 2 kids - she does a lot of driving around town and having a car at all times is quite critical for her. Judging by quite a few responses, sometimes people are having a very hard time getting the car serviced / scheduled for service / get a temp replacement with Tesla. Is this a valid concern these days? Have you seen any improvements on that front? Does it make sense to get a brand new one instead of, say, an inventory one that comes with discount / included bonus (I was thinking that since it's an "older" car, it might potentially have more issues and, thus, require more time in service if it comes to that).

Any feedback on that part of owning a Tesla is much appreciated.

P.S. I'm in Las Vegas, Nevada (if that matters)

I'm 135 miles up I-15 in St. George, Utah. Bought my Tesla from your local Tesla store last month.

I can't speak from personal experience, as I haven't had an issue that required visiting an SC. But I have spent more hours than I'd like to admit reading Tesla related forums.

The overall impression I get from all this reading is that in the early days, Tesla service was fantastic. Then it went downhill. Fast. They have since made a comeback, and servicing vehicles is no longer the chore that it used to be, and it's getting better over time.

But the chance of you needing to actually have service done on your car is pretty small.

The purchasing experience itself will range from bad to very bad, unfortunately. The car is so good, though, that you'll quickly forget about the negative purchasing experience.

My SA at the Las Vegas store was Jonathan. I was pretty happy with the service he provided. Might want to consider asking for him.

 

[notAnExpert]

Tesla, the car is great. Tesla, the company, is not as organized as traditional auto manufacturers (+dealer network) on the customer service side. So service seems to be a hit or miss.

If you drive the car a lot and are lucky enough to not deal with the company that much, you will be quite happy. Fortunately, I'm in that category.

 

[camalaio]

Location matters.

Appointments for nearest service centre to me (5 hours drive) are a month out, no loaners. Their "Mobile Service" team now is anchored to a nearby Supercharger 1.5 hours away, and their backlog was 1.5 months. I'm not sure if I had more severe issues where I'd end up in the queue. It's also downright impossible to talk to a human in service, calls go completely ignored.

Elon himself has acknowledged the service situation is very lacking, and he's normally quite optimistic.

 

[Fossil Fool]

I've had zero problems with my 3 and my wife's S. Right now is a great time to take a car from inventory with the end of quarter incentives.

People on forums are gonna hate. I don't have time to hate as I'm spending too much time having fun with our Teslas!

 

[mazers]

I'm in MD, have had the car for about 15 months and never had a problem with service. Had a mobile ranger come to work and rotate the tires and I've also taken the car to the service center for rotation. I've also had the rear glass replaced where they came to work, brought me a car, took mine to service, then returned mine to my home that evening. Also had a ranger come to the house and install a loaner tire when my wife ran over a nail.

 

[tvad]

Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best.

If you don't have AAA, then join at the Premier level as it provides the maximum towing distance. If you have AAA, but don't have Premier, then upgrade. Yes, Tesla offer Roadside Service, but reports in this forum suggest they could take longer than AAA.

Consider purchasing a portable air compressor and tire plug kit (not tire "slime" sold in the Tesla roadside kit), which could be used by a AAA service technician (likely for a fee), and help get your wife back on the road.

As you know from reading the forum, service appointments can put your car out of service longer than other brands (primarily due to parts shortages). You will receive some sort of replacement transportation depending on the length of time in service. If it's a short service, then you will likely receive Uber credits.

 

[m3supra]

As others mentioned, it's all about location, individual service center, and number of Tesla's on the road. Here in the Bay Area, there are just too many Tesla's so service quality is absolutely the worst and there's never enough loaners (probably a handful at each SC outsoured to Enterprise). You can't even speak to anybody unless you uber to the service center. If you are expecting to drop the car off and be able to have reasonable communication about your vehicle, that's not going to happen and that's just how it is.

If having a car at all times is crucial and don't have a backup vehicle, then you might want to wait a while and speak to some other owners in your area that have had service very recently. The results of record sales combined with customer service cuts and not enough service center expansions are starting to be very evident.

For example, my last service was windshield replacement which was promised by end of the day the next day. My service center closes at 6pm during the height of traffic time in one worst areas in the country. The entire next day I was attempting to get in contact with anyone at sevice center or customer service (chat, email, phone) with not a single response. My uber credits were expiring that day and I also have a child requiring a child seat to get around. My SC has no email address listed on the Tesla site and the phone system has only voicemail for the parts department. They only communicate via text which of course gets totally ignored until they feel like responding.

After a barrage of texts and emails I got a single response that 5:15pm (closes at 6) that it was ready for pickup. Almost 2 business days of radio silence then a mad rush to book an uber and sit in traffic clenching my B-hole. Even a simple "we're working on it, we'll keep you updated" would have sufficed and expected of ANY form of customer service. Also did not receive a work order (illegal in CA) until after harassing customer service via email couple days later. Also found a crack in my screen protector.

Tesla service could not give any more fuuuuuucks about you.

 

[disapr]

It's so hard to know the sensitivity of an online user... It's also difficult to know how often said user posts online when something positive happens vs a negative event.

I've had a great experience with Tesla service and will either be adding a Model 3 or Y.. Or X for my wife soon.

Get the Tesla.. You'll love it.

 

[richyrich]

Yes, very location dependent but also realize that almost everyone with a negative service issue or experience posts here whereas people rarely come on just to say things went great, so you get a very skewed perspective just going by forums. It's not all rosy but I'd wager the vast majority of owners have no issue with service.

Personally I'm 2 hours away from the nearest service center but I've NEVER been in 1.5 years and 60,000km. Local rangers have helped me with a few things and have been amazing, including getting to me in 2 hours when I got one of the first frozen Model 3 charge ports last winter. They got me going that day, escalated with HQ and got me the revised part fitted within weeks - all done with them coming to me at home, work or a client site. You probably have rangers and they can deal with pretty much everything that doesn't need a lift or body/paint work.

The contrast to my previous cars and dealers is stark - years of being forced to do lots of servicing that was probably unnecessary (but good income for them), "like it or lump it" appointment availability, indifferent staff, waiting around for cramped shuttle buses, and paying through the nose for it all. Absolutely zero concerns for me about Tesla service - life is a lot easier for me than it ever was with a gasser.

 

[dirkbike1]

I would recommend a new post:
How is Las Vegas Service Center performing?

 

[woodisgood]

There's definitely a level of disorganization and occasionally mild incompetence with Tesla Service, but everyone I've encountered tries really hard to make it right. It's clear they are busy.

We've been lucky to not have any MAJOR issues that left us angry or wanting to write demand letters and speak to managers, just minor inconveniences that kind of make you shake your head and say, "Hope they can improve that soon!" Examples:

1) Mobile service out to replace a defective daytime running light in my garage, under warranty. Awesome of course! The minor inconvenience was he didn't adjust the headlights together so one headlight was very dim and one was very bright. Had to drop by a service center for a quick fix.
2) Had windshield replaced (cracked from rock impact), process was pretty seamless through the app and at the SC. Minor inconvenience is that they forgot to put the bolt caps back on the windshield washer arms so the bolts are exposed. Need to figure out how to get those....

This is different from traditional dealership services, where dishonesty is probably the most relevant concern. What that means as a customer is you don't really need to walk in on the defensive...understand that most of the employees and the company have good intentions and want to take care of you. With that attitude, you'll get better service too. Personally I'll take the Tesla Service experience over and over again, because I know they'll keep improving, and the "heart," so to speak, is in a completely different place from usual vehicle servicing.

That all being said, a major accident can be a huge headache. I think wait times for parts are improving, but it can be messy.

 

[XLR82XS]

I would recommend a new post:
How is Las Vegas Service Center performing?

Good idea. The good news, OP, is that you have a large service center in Vegas to handle any service issues and hopefully receive expedited service.

 

[camalaio]

Yes, very location dependent but also realize that almost everyone with a negative service issue or experience posts here whereas people rarely come on just to say things went great, so you get a very skewed perspective just going by forums. It's not all rosy but I'd wager the vast majority of owners have no issue with service...

On the other hand, people like me have been posting since before we even got the car. I've definitely had some minor car issues that result in major service contact issues, but I didn't come to the forum just for issues. If nothing else, we should really really keep in mind that Elon himself has acknowledged that service is entirely insufficient right now.

... including getting to me in 2 hours when I got one of the first frozen Model 3 charge ports last winter. They got me going that day, escalated with HQ and got me the revised part fitted within weeks - all done with them coming to me at home, work or a client site. You probably have rangers and they can deal with pretty much everything that doesn't need a lift or body/paint work...

Please do tell me more about this frozen charge port problem I might have the joy of experiencing in a few months

... The contrast to my previous cars and dealers is stark - years of being forced to do lots of servicing that was probably unnecessary (but good income for them), "like it or lump it" appointment availability, indifferent staff, waiting around for cramped shuttle buses, and paying through the nose for it all. Absolutely zero concerns for me about Tesla service - life is a lot easier for me than it ever was with a gasser.

I find it interesting this is the total opposite of my dealings with Honda. They have their own issues (verbally promised loaners at time of sale, however no such things as Honda loaners... they do however have shuttle vehicles that are around every 15 mins or so) but overall they can book me an appointment within the week, give me an estimate of how long the work will take, and generally stick very close to that estimate (if not completing the work much earlier than expected). I can plan my day around Honda service! I still have no estimate for my upcoming Tesla "mobile" service I have to drive 1.5 hours out for, and the original service centre appointment 5 hours away refused to give me any time quote or even commit to being complete within a couple days. Simply not acceptable for someone so far away, and why I don't recommend Tesla if such a scenario would be impossible in some way for you (e.g. needing to be available for work).

I would recommend a new post:
How is Las Vegas Service Center performing?

Yes. Do this, great idea. There's even a California-specific area in the forums here: California

 

[m3supra]

Many tout mobile service as a perk, but mobile rangers are limited in what they're able to do in your driveway/work. Most of these minor issues that they take care of can be ignored and fixed when it is convenient. My first ranger fix was passenger door window alignment (issue caused at a previous SC appointment). My second ranger appointment was to fix time door chrome trim piece the first ranger bent the eff out of.

Anything out of the rangers' limitation puts you at the mercy of the worst service in the industry.

 

[MXWing]

P.S. I'm in Las Vegas, Nevada (if that matters)

Yes because when I tell you it’s worth it to spin the roulette wheel, it makes more sense contextually.

Lots of owners have a wife and two kids so you won’t be unique here.

Get a car with warranty and dive in. The waters warm.

 

[Shopaholic]

I have over 25k miles in a little over a year with very few complaints, but service is a serious problem with Tesla. I hope they will improve over time, but so far appears to get worse than better at least in Bay Area. They find an excuse not to cover a service and want to be paid just to look at a problem, never heard of such at an ICE dealer before.

 

[kirvex1]

Thank you very much for all of your responses / suggestions! Really appreciate it.

I'm about 10 minutes away from the service center, so I suppose that's a positive thing.

Scheduled a test drive for P3D for tomorrow, we'll see how it goes

Also, will create a topic specifically for Tesla owners here in Las Vegas.

 

[Petrocelli]

I think you should at least look at the Hyundai kona.

 

[MXWing]

I think you should at least look at the Hyundai kona.

Dollar for dollar you make highly questionable* decisions If you spend a penny on a brand new EV that is not a Tesla.

Feature set, performance, $kw, cachet, everything.

* I’d not mince words but my post can’t help OP if it ends up in snippiness.