"Roadside Assistance" Scam

[jim5359]

I just had a blowout today and Tesla Roadside assistance really screwed me. They would only offer me a loaner tire if I agreed to pay $121 to repair or $600.50+tax for a replacement. At first I said no and they immediately closed the case via text. I had to call and reopen the case and they gave me the same story. Tesla Roadside will now only provide a loaner tire if you agree to pay for a replacement ahead of time, while you are sitting on the side of the highway. I had no choice but to agree since I don't have AAA.

Over 2 hours later someone arrived with a loaner, but in order to get the loaner tire they insisted on taking my wheel to the closest Tesla, which was closed and 40 mins from my home. So now I have to drive 40 mins to pickup a new tire that Tesla overcharged me for.

Some will say "well it says that in the terms". Others will ask "why don't you have AAA"? I bought the car, and extended service agreement, with the promise of Roadside Assistance. They've changed the terms since I purchased my car. One previous time I had a blowout and they gave me a loaner and allowed me to keep the tire. I didn't have to agree to their high prices or have to go to the closest Tesla from where my tire went flat.

I paid $120K for my Model S and expect better customer service for that price. I will definitely get AAA in the short term, but this makes me seriously question buying another Tesla. I was thinking about buying a new Plaid, but this makes me want to consider a true premium brand like Mercedes or BMW.

 

[Bouba]

There is a lot to take away from this story...for a start you are right, when a company changes the terms and conditions it’s enough for any normal person to blow their stack...for that you have my sympathies.
$121 for a roadside repair doesn’t seem hugely out of order....but for that I would like a prompt service and not a literal run around. Check the AAA are happy repairing Teslas and can jack them up at the side of the road. And most important of all don’t assume that the legacy car companies and their dealerships (even so called luxury ones) care for you anymore once you’ve purchased the car....personally I would be surprised if $121 gets you a cup of coffee at some of these dealers

 

[jim5359]

There is a lot to take away from this story...for a start you are right, when a company changes the terms and conditions it’s enough for any normal person to blow their stack...for that you have my sympathies.
$121 for a roadside repair doesn’t seem hugely out of order....but for that I would like a prompt service and not a literal run around. Check the AAA are happy repairing Teslas and can jack them up at the side of the road. And most important of all don’t assume that the legacy car companies and their dealerships (even so called luxury ones) care for you anymore once you’ve purchased the car....personally I would be surprised if $121 gets you a cup of coffee at some of these dealers

It's not the pricing that I have an issue with. It's the customer service.

1. They advertise you get free Roadside Assistance, but then they require you to buy replacement tires through Tesla. And if you don't agree to pay whatever prices they are charging, for whatever tire they happen to put on your wheel, then they provide no assistance at all. And you must make a decision while you are on the side of the highway. Towing is not an option unless they have no spare tires available, and even then, I would have to have it towed to the closest Tesla Service Center (which was closed).
2. The only option was to swap with a loaner tire and return to the Tesla closest to where my car was disabled, not to the Tesla closest to my house. Since I was traveling on a Sunday when Tesla is closed, I now have to take time off from work and drive back to swap my tire. I guess I'm lucky it's only 40 minutes away in this case. If I was on a road trip I guess I'd have to stay in a hotel until Tesla opened and fixed my tire.

My last car was a Hyundai Equus (predecessor to Genesis G90). They treated me like royalty compared to Tesla, and that car cost about 1/3 of my Model S. I ran out of gas once and they sent someone to give me 3 gallons of gas. They didn't charge me a dime. There is no reason Tesla couldn't have allowed me to keep my tire and return the loaner tire within 5 days, as was their old policy.

For Model 3 or Model Y prices, these policies might be adequate. But for Model S and Model X prices it's not acceptable to me. I expect to see Model S and X sales continue to decline with the quality and level of service Tesla provides at these premium price levels. I will definitely be exploring other options.

 

[Bouba]

It's not the pricing that I have an issue with. It's the customer service.

1. They advertise you get free Roadside Assistance, but then they require you to buy replacement tires through Tesla. And if you don't agree to pay whatever prices they are charging, for whatever tire they happen to put on your wheel, then they provide no assistance at all. And you must make a decision while you are on the side of the highway. Towing is not an option unless they have no spare tires available, and even then, I would have to have it towed to the closest Tesla Service Center (which was closed).
2. The only option was to swap with a loaner tire and return to the Tesla closest to where my car was disabled, not to the Tesla closest to my house. Since I was traveling on a Sunday when Tesla is closed, I now have to take time off from work and drive back to swap my tire. I guess I'm lucky it's only 40 minutes away in this case. If I was on a road trip I guess I'd have to stay in a hotel until Tesla opened and fixed my tire.

My last car was a Hyundai Equus (predecessor to Genesis G90). They treated me like royalty compared to Tesla, and that car cost about 1/3 of my Model S. I ran out of gas once and they sent someone to give me 3 gallons of gas. They didn't charge me a dime. There is no reason Tesla couldn't have allowed me to keep my tire and return the loaner tire within 5 days, as was their old policy.

For Model 3 or Model Y prices, these policies might be adequate. But for Model S and Model X prices it's not acceptable to me. I expect to see Model S and X sales continue to decline with the quality and level of service Tesla provides at these premium price levels. I will definitely be exploring other options.

My only advice…don’t get a Volvo

 

[Yelobird]

It's not the pricing that I have an issue with. It's the customer service.

1. They advertise you get free Roadside Assistance, but then they require you to buy replacement tires through Tesla. And if you don't agree to pay whatever prices they are charging, for whatever tire they happen to put on your wheel, then they provide no assistance at all. And you must make a decision while you are on the side of the highway. Towing is not an option unless they have no spare tires available, and even then, I would have to have it towed to the closest Tesla Service Center (which was closed).
2. The only option was to swap with a loaner tire and return to the Tesla closest to where my car was disabled, not to the Tesla closest to my house. Since I was traveling on a Sunday when Tesla is closed, I now have to take time off from work and drive back to swap my tire. I guess I'm lucky it's only 40 minutes away in this case. If I was on a road trip I guess I'd have to stay in a hotel until Tesla opened and fixed my tire.

My last car was a Hyundai Equus (predecessor to Genesis G90). They treated me like royalty compared to Tesla, and that car cost about 1/3 of my Model S. I ran out of gas once and they sent someone to give me 3 gallons of gas. They didn't charge me a dime. There is no reason Tesla couldn't have allowed me to keep my tire and return the loaner tire within 5 days, as was their old policy.

For Model 3 or Model Y prices, these policies might be adequate. But for Model S and Model X prices it's not acceptable to me. I expect to see Model S and X sales continue to decline with the quality and level of service Tesla provides at these premium price levels. I will definitely be exploring other options.

Roadside assistance does not mean free parts and labor. Comparing $5 in gas to a replacement tire and labor is a bit different in comparison. Service is rarely defined by purchase price so expecting a latte and Royal treatment is a bit confusing. Frustrating sure but not really world ending.

 

[ewoodrick]

I just had a blowout today and Tesla Roadside assistance really screwed me. They would only offer me a loaner tire if I agreed to pay $121 to repair or $600.50+tax for a replacement. At first I said no and they immediately closed the case via text. I had to call and reopen the case and they gave me the same story. Tesla Roadside will now only provide a loaner tire if you agree to pay for a replacement ahead of time, while you are sitting on the side of the highway. I had no choice but to agree since I don't have AAA.

Over 2 hours later someone arrived with a loaner, but in order to get the loaner tire they insisted on taking my wheel to the closest Tesla, which was closed and 40 mins from my home. So now I have to drive 40 mins to pickup a new tire that Tesla overcharged me for.

Some will say "well it says that in the terms". Others will ask "why don't you have AAA"? I bought the car, and extended service agreement, with the promise of Roadside Assistance. They've changed the terms since I purchased my car. One previous time I had a blowout and they gave me a loaner and allowed me to keep the tire. I didn't have to agree to their high prices or have to go to the closest Tesla from where my tire went flat.

I paid $120K for my Model S and expect better customer service for that price. I will definitely get AAA in the short term, but this makes me seriously question buying another Tesla. I was thinking about buying a new Plaid, but this makes me want to consider a true premium brand like Mercedes or BMW.

Since you joined a long time ago, I'm assuming that your Model S isn't a new one. Free roadside I think stops at some point.

So you think that it's okay for someone to bring you a new tire and wheel and then you just go away and forget to exchange them?

There are many other towing services that would be happy to accommodate you, AAA not required.

Sounds to me as if Tesla helped you out of a bind and didn't really charge that much for it.

 

[jim5359]

Free roadside I think stops at some point

I purchased the 4 year extended service agreement and I have 1 more year on it. It includes Roadside assistance.

So you think that it's okay for someone to bring you a new tire and wheel and then you just go away and forget to exchange them?

Of course not. I had to sign through DocuSign promising to return the loaner tire within 5 days or they would charge me full price for it. My only complaint is in the past they let me take my tire with me so I could get it fixed at a tire shop of my choice.

Sounds to me as if Tesla helped you out of a bind and didn't really charge that much for it.

You make it sound like they did it out of the goodness of their heart. But I paid for this service as part of my extended service agreement ($4K+). That's the point. It was advertised to me as a free included service, but at some point they changed the policy, so I'm not getting what I was originally promised.

There are many other towing services that would be happy to accommodate you, AAA not required.

Apparently, you are unaware that these services rape you because they can get away with it. They know you are in a bind and they take advantage of it. I thought I was covered by Tesla. But now that I know about their new policy, I have now joined AAA and won't rely on Tesla anymore.

 

[jim5359]

Roadside assistance does not mean free parts and labor. Comparing $5 in gas to a replacement tire and labor is a bit different in comparison. Service is rarely defined by purchase price so expecting a latte and Royal treatment is a bit confusing. Frustrating sure but not really world ending.

I never expected a free replacement tire and never said that I did. The wheel loaner program is written in their terms and service. It is a free loaner for a few days to give you time to fix or replace the flat tire. I'm not asking for something they didn't promise me when I bought the car. And yes, Roadside Assistance normally does include some free labor. Most Roadside policies (including Hyundai) will come to you and replace a flat with a spare tire for free. But Teslas don't have a spare tire, so the free loaner is their alternative solution. The scam is they require you to buy a new tire from them rather than allowing you to buy it at the Tire Center of your choice.

 

[hpartsch]

It's not the pricing that I have an issue with. It's the customer service.

1. They advertise you get free Roadside Assistance, but then they require you to buy replacement tires through Tesla. And if you don't agree to pay whatever prices they are charging, for whatever tire they happen to put on your wheel, then they provide no assistance at all. And you must make a decision while you are on the side of the highway. Towing is not an option unless they have no spare tires available, and even then, I would have to have it towed to the closest Tesla Service Center (which was closed).
2. The only option was to swap with a loaner tire and return to the Tesla closest to where my car was disabled, not to the Tesla closest to my house. Since I was traveling on a Sunday when Tesla is closed, I now have to take time off from work and drive back to swap my tire. I guess I'm lucky it's only 40 minutes away in this case. If I was on a road trip I guess I'd have to stay in a hotel until Tesla opened and fixed my tire.

My last car was a Hyundai Equus (predecessor to Genesis G90). They treated me like royalty compared to Tesla, and that car cost about 1/3 of my Model S. I ran out of gas once and they sent someone to give me 3 gallons of gas. They didn't charge me a dime. There is no reason Tesla couldn't have allowed me to keep my tire and return the loaner tire within 5 days, as was their old policy.

For Model 3 or Model Y prices, these policies might be adequate. But for Model S and Model X prices it's not acceptable to me. I expect to see Model S and X sales continue to decline with the quality and level of service Tesla provides at these premium price levels. I will definitely be exploring other options.

I don't understand the thinking on #2. If there is a service center 10 min away - having them drive 40 minutes away is a huge expense in labor/mileage/potential overtime/etc. They never said they'd take your tire to service center closest to your home.

There is no way Tesla can repair a blown out tire btw. In this situation, your going to be buying a new tire from Tesla at their marked up prices. They should have never even offered that to you.

That being said, I understand your frustrations on #1. I too was fooled with the roadside assistance. Once I needed roadside assistance, I quickly saw through this bs and said screw it. I was fortunately able to walk to a HD - get a compressor and limp to a Discount Tire.

Based on this experience, I will never rely on Tesla roadside assistance for any type of tire service.

Personally, I think this service just need to be dropped. It causes more negativity to the brand, especially for new users.

 

[jim5359]

I don't understand the thinking on #2. If there is a service center 10 min away - having them drive 40 minutes away is a huge expense in labor/mileage/potential overtime/etc. They never said they'd take your tire to service center closest to your home.

I wouldn't expect them to drive my wheel anywhere. The whole point is, before they allowed me to keep my wheel and get the tire fixed/replaced wherever I wanted, including a place close to my house. And then I could return the loaner tire to the closest Tesla. Now they will not allow you to keep your wheel. They insist on bringing it to the closest Tesla Service Center. During normal business hours this isn't a big deal because you could just drive right to the Service center and get it taken care of, but if you happen to be far from your house during off business hours when you get a flat, you'll have to return to that Tesla Service Center within a few days to get your wheel back.

If you were on a road trip you would need to stay in a hotel until Tesla fixed your tire. The bottom line, don't count on Tesla Roadside Assistance. Unfortunately, this seems to be the industry norm now for cars with no spare tire. Do yourself a favor and get AAA.

 

[MikeChicago]

My only advice…don’t get a Volvo

I had two Volvo's and both were head and shoulder above just about everything else I've owned over the years. Great buying experience, great service, and both were flawlessly reliable. All we ever did was maintenance.

 

[MikeChicago]

I feel your pain here. This is certainly not the kind of experience I would expect from any automaker, let alone a "luxury" one, as Tesla likes to position itself. They should offer you better options for repairs or at least offer a price match policy on the same time make and brand from any local, reliable supplier. That would, in my opinion, solve the problem entirely. You'll need a new tire. If they match the lowest cost available, no harm done.

As is now, this looks to be nothing less than a $10 bucket of popcorn you get at the movies. Captive audience. Zero choices. That's not a customer-centric approach and you are right to be upset.

 

[hpartsch]

I wouldn't expect them to drive my wheel anywhere. The whole point is, before they allowed me to keep my wheel and get the tire fixed/replaced wherever I wanted, including a place close to my house. And then I could return the loaner tire to the closest Tesla. Now they will not allow you to keep your wheel. They insist on bringing it to the closest Tesla Service Center. During normal business hours this isn't a big deal, but if you happen to be far from your house during off business hours when you get a flat, you'll have to return to that Tesla within a few days to get your wheel back.

Gotcha. Understand the frustration. Over the past 6 years tesla has been constantly changing terms/service expectations/cutting costs. Do I agree with it - not necessarily. But they are making business decisions. Again, I wish they'd just cut the roadside assistance rather than disappointing/ticking off buyers.

Completely off topic, but just so you aren't surprised. My vehicle has a service appt tomorrow. Looks like no uber credits/loaner. Not even sure if I'll be able to wait in the service center. They are saying get a ride - it's going to take >24 hrs. And this is for an issue which they will likely say unable to replicate even though I have a video recording of it occurring.

 

[jim5359]

Completely off topic, but just so you aren't surprised. My vehicle has a service appt tomorrow. Looks like no uber credits/loaner. Not even sure if I'll be able to wait in the service center. They are saying get a ride - it's going to take >24 hrs. And this is for an issue which they will likely say unable to replicate even though I have a video recording of it occurring.

Don't get me started on Tesla Service. Last year my Model S was in service for over 4 weeks. They couldn't figure out what was causing a voltage error in the computer.

• Replaced Series/Parallel 4 Way Coolant Valve.
• Replaced 1st Generation Battery Electric Coolant Heater.
• Replaced A/C Compressor (Dual Motor).
• Replaced HV/LV Ancillary Unit.
• Replaced Large Rear Drive Unit.
• Replaced 2nd Generation (Dual Motor) DCDC Converter.
• Replaced 2nd Generation 12v Auxiliary Battery.
• Replaced Battery Management System (BMS) (HV Battery 2.0).

The entire 4 weeks I had to constantly call and checkup. They never gave me any updates in the app.

 

[hpartsch]

Don't get me started on Tesla Service. Last year my Model S was in service for over 4 weeks. They couldn't figure out what was causing a voltage error in the computer.

• Replaced Series/Parallel 4 Way Coolant Valve.
• Replaced 1st Generation Battery Electric Coolant Heater.
• Replaced A/C Compressor (Dual Motor).
• Replaced HV/LV Ancillary Unit.
• Replaced Large Rear Drive Unit.
• Replaced 2nd Generation (Dual Motor) DCDC Converter.
• Replaced 2nd Generation 12v Auxiliary Battery.
• Replaced Battery Management System (BMS) (HV Battery 2.0).

The entire 4 weeks I had to constantly call and checkup. They never gave me any updates in the app.

I had to get rid of my S. I was in for service every 3 months. It was killing me, even in warranty. Felt like I had another kid. I kept thinking something else couldn't break - but then it happened, again and again. Hopefully since you have a 2016 - your pain is slightly less. But not sure, most of those parts/repairs look quite familiar. And I'm sure you got a longer more inclusive list . I eventually let go and deleted mine.

 

[jim5359]

Hopefully since you have a 2016 - your pain is slightly less. But not sure, most of those parts/repairs look quite familiar.

It's not every 3 months, but I have had way too many issues for a car of any price, let alone the price of the Model S. I keep making excuses for Tesla because it's such a great car, but if you consider the total ownership experience, it leaves much to be desired.