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Purchasing experience is SO much worse than it was a few years ago
- Thread starter bcsteeve
- Start date
Why? My Chevy pickup rides smoother and quieter, is more spacious, has better fit and finish, and has a much more luxurious interior than my new MYLR. Teslas have great technology, which I really like and is why I bought one, but they are not luxurious. When you start buying parts for your Tesla, you'll sure think you're at a Mercedes dealer.
Not much. Conversations evolve. I was responding to a comment about service centers and profit.
I picked up 12/14 in Mt Kisko. The whole delivery process is nasty (esp for CT registrants). I initially thought this was CT special case (no direct sells in CT, only Mt Kisko). I had minor issues with car quality (and I’m not too touchy, but do expect them to respond sensibly).
The whole process (post online ordering) is bizarrely bad! Folks what text you (either app, or even call you) are downright unprofessional and bring disrepute to Tesla. It seems like this “touchless” delivery process is cost saving crap. It’s that bad. And I don’t like saying this. Cars are very good.
Anytime you have to deal with a real person, they’re generally good. Credit to them. But boy there’s chaos as far as having correct info (multiple “text” msgs give totally false and contradictory info to customer - multiple cases when they said car was “on site” and ready for pick up anytime and then on a personal trip to the delivery center day before there was no such car “on site” and car had to be delivered after I made them aware!) Total BS there. May this was combination of year+qtr end as well as CT/NY special case but till I picked up the car I had 0 confidence on any info I was provided. Brooklyn, NY where car was sitting all along had their voicemail full!! forget about getting a response. I’m yet to fully process what happened at delivery - it was that bad and I travelled with family next day.
In essence, Mt Kisko center, felt like “leave your money here and get the x off and make sure you pick your car parked in the parking lot”. Why not get more resources Tesla and make this a good experience. I do see lot of demand (rebate - year end rush - expected changes) but still it’s 50k car. And first one for many buyers!
This experience and autopilot nagging has left not a very desirable experience for me. I hope things improve quickly for this part of Tesla experience. Car is very good so far. My 2nd.
Interesting - When I went to pick up my 2023 Model Y in late Nov. 2023 the delivery girl came in and said it's your turn. As we walked to the car inside the store she said she needed the my check. I said "I'd like to at least look at the car before I buy it as I've heard of some QC problems." She was nice and said I could look at it and she would be back. A couple of minutes later she was back and wanted to know if it was ok and could she have the check. I told her I wouldn't take long but I hadn't even opened the doors yet. She said OK but could she "at least see the check". Absolutely I said and showed her the check and she asked if I had my tag. I said yes and gave it to her. In a couple of more minutes she was back with the tag and a screwdriver but said she wasn't suppose to get the check before putting the tag on. I had looked enough to see that nothing major wrong was visible but for crying out loud. Less than 5 minutes to look at a $57,000 vehicle you are purchasing. Really?? After accepting the vehicle we had a nice conversation for another 15 minutes so obviously it wasn't a time issue. Just the way they do it I suppose. Communication is not the greatest for sure.
Had bad trailer hitch wiring defective from factory and that took over a month to get an appointment, 6 hours+ at the service center and an 80 mile one-way trip there. Replaced the entire hitch to replace the controller.
Now my software upgrade to 2023.44.30.8 is hung up at 100% and after 2 weeks of waiting to "hear back" from them I called again and they said they would text the service center to contact me. No contact, but 2 days later I got a message that I had an appointment at the service center (80 miles away) on February 16, so about 6 weeks from request for service to appointment and ZERO personal contact. Interesting business model??? Not one I used in my business for 42 years. I fired people for not returning client calls! One unhappy client can cost you a LOT of $$$. I guess if I had as much as Tesla it wouldn't be a problem. So far I really like the car, BUT ........
Had bad trailer hitch wiring defective from factory and that took over a month to get an appointment, 6 hours+ at the service center and an 80 mile one-way trip there. Replaced the entire hitch to replace the controller.
Now my software upgrade to 2023.44.30.8 is hung up at 100% and after 2 weeks of waiting to "hear back" from them I called again and they said they would text the service center to contact me. No contact, but 2 days later I got a message that I had an appointment at the service center (80 miles away) on February 16, so about 6 weeks from request for service to appointment and ZERO personal contact. Interesting business model??? Not one I used in my business for 42 years. I fired people for not returning client calls! One unhappy client can cost you a LOT of $$$. I guess if I had as much as Tesla it wouldn't be a problem. So far I really like the car, BUT ........
My own delivery experience was relatively smooth and painless. New Year’s Eve so you can imagine they were busy.
Waited maybe 15mins and the gentleman took us to the car, moved it to another spot so we could thoroughly check it. We came back in after an hour and told him our findings. He tried to fix them himself, he even went to the service center to get some instructions, and frankly told us he wanted to get a good review and was willing to do what it takes. No upselling, no pressure. The process was better than expected and WAY better than previous dealership experiences.
I scheduled a mobile service appointment while there (as recommended by the SA) because one of the usb-c ports was misaligned and they came out a week later to my house. Again great experience.
Waited maybe 15mins and the gentleman took us to the car, moved it to another spot so we could thoroughly check it. We came back in after an hour and told him our findings. He tried to fix them himself, he even went to the service center to get some instructions, and frankly told us he wanted to get a good review and was willing to do what it takes. No upselling, no pressure. The process was better than expected and WAY better than previous dealership experiences.
I scheduled a mobile service appointment while there (as recommended by the SA) because one of the usb-c ports was misaligned and they came out a week later to my house. Again great experience.
Our experience was really bad, not at the delivery, but leading up to it. They were only available through the rep and her text number. We had a check from the bank and right up until we were half way to the delivery, 150 miles from where we live, the amount had changed. I texted that the number was wrong and that we were more than half way there to pick up the car. Getting necessary insurance info was another issue.
Once there the guy was efficient, said he would make the necessary changes to the paperwork, and that we would simply get a refund check in the mail. That took over two months with texting back and forth again for some kind of verification (it was over a thousand dollars).
The car is great, for the most part, but I really wonder if I would be willing to go through that kind of experience again.
Good luck, OP.
Once there the guy was efficient, said he would make the necessary changes to the paperwork, and that we would simply get a refund check in the mail. That took over two months with texting back and forth again for some kind of verification (it was over a thousand dollars).
The car is great, for the most part, but I really wonder if I would be willing to go through that kind of experience again.
Good luck, OP.
You can have the same exact experience at any dealership in America. Just call them up, tell them to get a car ready, and text you the final price when they get it calculated.
But, no, people don't want to pay MSRP. So, they go to a dealer and play those dickering games and then get discouraged and upset when it doesn't go their way. I've never had a problem buying a car at a conventional dealership. I look around and find the vehicle I want, decide what I want to pay, make the offer, and then walk if they won't accept it. Easy enough.
People put up with Tesla's idiotic sales process because they like their cars. I did read where the new app version is supposed to make the entire buying experience take place on the app, instead of hopping from emails to texts to the app.
Tesla updates its mobile app with AI assistant, highlights non-car products
Even if you offer MSRP for a new car at a conventional dealership there will be multiple layers of people trying to get in your wallet the entire time. They see every department as a profit center and their aim is to take as much as possible. I used to work in dealerships as a consultant, I would hear the salespeople bragging to each other about how they stuck it to one customer or another and how much extra money they made.
During a purchase transaction for the business I was told by a particularly douchey finance manager that I had to pay more because his department also needed to make a separate profit on the vehicle. He was trying to mark up my established line of credit interest rate another 2.5% to pad his pocket. I told him that at MSRP the dealership was making $4500 in profit plus holdback and flooring on the deal already. He wouldn’t relent and I needed the vehicle for one of the managers at the company, so I paid it. In the end I got him back and then some by paying the vehicle off on the first payment, which results in a chargeback of the 2.5% and a penalty for him. He called me give me a piece of mind, I told him he shouldn’t have been greedy in the first place.
I agree, that's what they do. At Tesla, all that extra money was built in. How else could they have lowered the price almost $20,000 and still be making a hefty profit?
It's all a matter of perspective. What usually took about an hour face to face at my Chevy dealer, Tesla managed to spread out over several days using texts, emails, phone calls, and the app with me never communicating with the same person twice. Smoke and mirrors, nothing simple or transparent about it.
fholbert
Active Member
Buying my Tesla was as easy as it gets. My time at the counter was 2 or 3 minutes. The car was sitting outside with my name in the windshield, I was escorted to the car by staff who helped us set up our phones and I was on the way home.
My only complaint, it was raining. I’m sure some here would blame the rain on Tesla.
My only complaint, it was raining. I’m sure some here would blame the rain on Tesla.
I purchased. ‘24 MY on 2/28 and it was the same routine: go look at the car and let
Us know if it looks ok. Signed the papers and goodbye! I got a better walk through from Subaru when I bought my outback and it was just a ‘normal’ gas car.
With all that said, we have an issue with a new delivery. My wife is interested in an available MY in either Savannah or Fayetteville, Ga. (Both at least 2 hours away) Normally I go pick up the vehicles so I can inspect, wash, get detailed, etc … my question is since it’s going to be in her name can I still go accept delivery of the vehicle on her behalf? During delivery are buyers ‘required’ to interact with any Tesla staff at the SC? Can I literally just go myself and use her new Tesla app/account at the service center to accept the vehicle and drive off without Tesla folks checking ID, papers, etc ….?
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