KBF
Model X owner (formerly Cdn Signature Model S)
"Every repair, every problem, turns into a screaming match..."
"I'm especially not OK with the fact that I need to act like an ass to get them to do anything."
"The tech in question, while they claim to be the best they have, is a complete imbecile. I usually get a few laughs in the SC when I do my impression of him because he talks like Lenny from Of Mice and Men. Sounds like he's always high...I think he is."
Never once in my entire adult life have I had to scream at someone or act like an ass or mock others to get a satisfactory resolution in business. I've had some delays in Tesla service in the past (customer since 2012), but they've always treated me with respect. Sometimes I do have to compromise just a little bit to get the ball rolling, but in the long run, far more things go my way when I treat others with respect even if I don't feel like they don't respect me at first, or if things don't move as fast as I think is reasonable. Especially when it comes to future issues - if I've been patient and kind (particularly to local individuals, like at a service center) the first time, then when I have a second problem, they are more relaxed and are willing to work with me.
I've worked as a manager overseeing warranty issues in retail in the past, and also as a business owner in recent years. I've dealt with customers who think they're 100% right and know more than me, when really there is more nuance at play. Even so, I'm still patient and I'm skilled at de-escalation - not everyone is. When a customer shows respect and willingness to listen and understand, and is willing/able to see my side in a conflict, I will usually go beyond the letter of the law with warranty and am generous. When a customer comes in confrontationally to coerce me into getting what they want, they end up getting the bare legal minimum.
However, customers who scream at my employees, or mock them, or act like an ass, are not worth dealing with - they take up far more time proportionally than everyone else, and create far more stress and tension by their rudeness - some employees get riled up and are rude back, others 'ghost' because they don't want to (and shouldn't) be subjected to verbal attacks. These things are not okay, even if "it works" to get your way. I've only had a couple of terrible customers in my years in business - one eventually apologized after resolution and tried better in the future; the other stayed a jackass and I told them to leave and never come back, to protect my employees. Doesn't matter how much business some jerks bring in, my employees' well-being is worth far more, and I have plenty of other customers that are a joy to deal with, even in conflict.
The customer is only "always right" in matters of taste. You're right: it's not okay that this issue is not resolved yet, and Tesla absolutely has a legal responsibility to cover warranty, but this is a two-way street. Your actions have clearly hampered the process and made things worse for you - you're dealing with humans who are either scared of you or hate working with you and have no respect for you due to how you treated them, it sounds like on multiple occasions. You will receive their worst because you put them on the defensive.
I hope you get your car problem fixed, and your human relations problem, too.
"I'm especially not OK with the fact that I need to act like an ass to get them to do anything."
"The tech in question, while they claim to be the best they have, is a complete imbecile. I usually get a few laughs in the SC when I do my impression of him because he talks like Lenny from Of Mice and Men. Sounds like he's always high...I think he is."
Never once in my entire adult life have I had to scream at someone or act like an ass or mock others to get a satisfactory resolution in business. I've had some delays in Tesla service in the past (customer since 2012), but they've always treated me with respect. Sometimes I do have to compromise just a little bit to get the ball rolling, but in the long run, far more things go my way when I treat others with respect even if I don't feel like they don't respect me at first, or if things don't move as fast as I think is reasonable. Especially when it comes to future issues - if I've been patient and kind (particularly to local individuals, like at a service center) the first time, then when I have a second problem, they are more relaxed and are willing to work with me.
I've worked as a manager overseeing warranty issues in retail in the past, and also as a business owner in recent years. I've dealt with customers who think they're 100% right and know more than me, when really there is more nuance at play. Even so, I'm still patient and I'm skilled at de-escalation - not everyone is. When a customer shows respect and willingness to listen and understand, and is willing/able to see my side in a conflict, I will usually go beyond the letter of the law with warranty and am generous. When a customer comes in confrontationally to coerce me into getting what they want, they end up getting the bare legal minimum.
However, customers who scream at my employees, or mock them, or act like an ass, are not worth dealing with - they take up far more time proportionally than everyone else, and create far more stress and tension by their rudeness - some employees get riled up and are rude back, others 'ghost' because they don't want to (and shouldn't) be subjected to verbal attacks. These things are not okay, even if "it works" to get your way. I've only had a couple of terrible customers in my years in business - one eventually apologized after resolution and tried better in the future; the other stayed a jackass and I told them to leave and never come back, to protect my employees. Doesn't matter how much business some jerks bring in, my employees' well-being is worth far more, and I have plenty of other customers that are a joy to deal with, even in conflict.
The customer is only "always right" in matters of taste. You're right: it's not okay that this issue is not resolved yet, and Tesla absolutely has a legal responsibility to cover warranty, but this is a two-way street. Your actions have clearly hampered the process and made things worse for you - you're dealing with humans who are either scared of you or hate working with you and have no respect for you due to how you treated them, it sounds like on multiple occasions. You will receive their worst because you put them on the defensive.
I hope you get your car problem fixed, and your human relations problem, too.