Service Center Experience.

[Bill Foster]

What $ level unlocks basic customer service like having at least one of the following: service center phone number, someone answering the phone at the said service center, a voicemail at a service center, maybe having a service center email address, somebody replying to emails, replying to text messages in a timely manner, a chat service, anybody to speak to at all?

The Berkeley service center literally has none of these.

Mobile rangers are cool and all, but what am I going to do while my car is in service or had an issue with my last service? The tesla official answer is, "Go to the app and make an appointment" (which is usually 2 weeks away) (┛◉Д◉)┛彡┻━┻

I’m just saying it’s not this ultra luxury car that some people on here seem to expect.

It’s really not much above a Honda Accord in terms of price, but it seems like people expect 400k car service.

I’ve found just being a human being and understanding not everything will always be perfect goes a long way. For the most part people are good and will try to make you happy with your purchase and service.

 

[MikeBur]

I’m just saying it’s not this ultra luxury car that some people on here seem to expect.

It’s really not much above a Honda Accord in terms of price, but it seems like people expect 400k car service.

I’ve found just being a human being and understanding not everything will always be perfect goes a long way. For the most part people are good and will try to make you happy with your purchase and service.

Your service experience sounds exemplar, and perhaps has not changed much over the past couple of years. Others have.
My own service experience, both in person and mobile have been great, though I’m also feeling the downward slide.

The service centers are overwhelmed in numerous locations and whilst it is very valid to state treat the staff respectfully, and everyone should, this is orthogonal to the OP question on the service being received. Pretty basic things are no longer available, eg. a phone number to check in status of car, status updates on progress of car when issues occur, having the parts in stock to perform the service, etc.

Some people have come from Model S and X to buy p3d cars based on the promise of new tech, robofleet, panel gaps whose tolerance variance can’t be measured, etc. their expectations likely require some normalization, though to call the model 3 not much above a Honda Accord is a disservice. Saying that, the level of service expectation from a Honda or Toyota dealer does appear to be better than a number of SCs. I run a number of vehicles including Honda, Toyota and Chevrolet. I can always speak to a human, get an appointment within a week and have multiple options to be updated when in service (and they do follow up).

Tesla service was second to none, and since the introduction of the 3 was promised to “at least” double the number is SCs to take into account the additional demand. Service centers were the wonderful mitigation for issues from the factory, that could simplify the huge number of permutations of hardware, firmware and general issues that factory let ship. I strongly believe the SCs are trying their best, though the strain is obvious and the pressure appears to still be building with no end in sight.
I have other Teslas as well as my wife’s 3 and my S. These are tangible concerns for me and I am seriously reconsidering the roadster on order based on the way I’m watching service be abused.

So, while we all should be considerate of service staff, it doesn’t excuse the lack of expectations a consumer should have, nor does it excuse the recent (seeming) policy of deny warranty by default.

A lot of these issues can be addressed with better, hopefully proactive, communication from Tesla. I don’t expect this anymore unfortunately - for service or just general honesty anymore. The once rabid evangelists I’ve interacted with on this forum for many years I watch becoming more cautious than evangelical, self-included. It’s truly is a shame as by the time Tesla realizes the consequence of this they will be dealing with many more legitimate competitors, aka choice for consumers. Whilst this will be a benefit to consumers and the secret mission, it may not be best for those who have investment in Tesla significantly.

/soapbox

 

[m3supra]

I’m just saying it’s not this ultra luxury car that some people on here seem to expect.

It’s really not much above a Honda Accord in terms of price, but it seems like people expect 400k car service.

I’ve found just being a human being and understanding not everything will always be perfect goes a long way. For the most part people are good and will try to make you happy with your purchase and service.

I'm not sure where you are getting that people are treating the Tesla staff badly, it's actually Tesla itself treating their staff badly by not giving them enough tools, personnel, training, etc. I and several other posters empathize with these employees as the company is not improving service. The stories in this thread are mostly about NOT being able to interact with Tesla employees because communication is totally broken.

I don't know why msrp is such a focus of yours or what 400k car service is, but if it's actually being able to speak with someone, maybe responses to emails/texts and not being directed to "make an appointment on the app" to cover literally every issue at every option when calling tesla support..... Then yes, I would like 400k level of service as all other makes and any other industries offer at least some level of this customer support to the non-billionaire customers.

Are peon honda accord owners at the mercy of an app that can only make service appointments and Bentley drivers can speak with a service concierge if they input their American Express Centurion card??

The Bay Area is the canary in the coal mine. Your service center might be great now, wait until every 10th car you see on the road is a Tesla. Or worse, the whole things comes crumbling down due to poor servic and there is no way to service your car.

 

[sq.in.]

The car is awesome but the wait for service is too long to just get car back with “could not duplicate” after finally requesting the service invoice. Perhaps we could get a call before getting car back. I could duplicate within minutes of getting car back after it was gone for a week for service scheduled 5 weeks before. It’s not like we can take it down the street to the GM service.

 

[sq.in.]

It’s a 40k car for most people, it’s not a luxury car, it’s not a super car, its not impressive, it’s nothing but metal and vinyl.

do you expect them to kiss your boots when you walk in?

buy a RR or something if you want world class treatment.

My service experience has been nothing but great, what other 40k car company is sending mobile rangers to fix cars at the owners work, or house? There aren't any.

Just seems like there’s a bunch of previous Prius owners here expecting the world and shout from
The rooftops when they don’t get everything catered to them.

it’s no secret the service advisors at Tesla are working their ass off for relatively low pay compared to industry average. Give them a break and appreciate what they do.

For some of us, this car was an economic stretch.
Some of us did drive a Camry, back in '05 when it was the best value used car available. We came from many experiences with car other manufacturers and service centers and many of us likely had some dissatisfactions with service there too. Thankfully nobody directed us over to the Lexus lot.

Now, we enjoy being brand ambassador foot soldiers, talking to our friends and family in our middle class. We love that this is a new American car line at the very cutting edge and are thrilled for the very unique opportunity a Model 3 affords us to be a part of that.

We understand that we're not driving an X or S but we'd like to!
We aren't driving our car be exclusive- we view it more as sensible- though we will happily talk to anyone with a question or compliment....

It's understandable that a newer company would have growing pains as the number of their cars hitting the streets increases exponentially.
We too are just adapting to this whole experience and communicating them through this forum. The community and ideas to clean, protect, and enjoy the car efficiently are part of the joy.

Mobile Service is a wonderful idea and most of probably had great experiences with the people we ultimately communicated with at Tesla. We don't blame them or pretend to have any idea how hard they work or how much they're paid. Odds are, they're good people.
Communication is pretty cheap and that's the easiest path to improvements in service; texting is great but a call's still ok too.
It's a critical time. With so many more cars on the road, service requests will increase, offering more opportunities to create another unique experience for the new Tesla owner or remind them of those lost hours with the car they bought 7 years ago.

 

[GreenT]

I just discovered a friend of my best friend in Paris just bought a Model X.

Here the only service centers are way outside Paris, Lyon and Aix. All closed on weekends.

But they tell me they have already called for service and someone answered the phone AT THE service center.

Are the "rules of engagement" different here in Europe, anyone know?

 

[djayz]

@MikeBur
Extremely well said in your post and wholeheartedly agree.

I see Tesla as where Apple was when it transitioned from a company with a small but cult like evangelical following to the now mass market company. Back in the early days of Apple myself and many evangelists praised the stellar customer service and the Geniuses in the Genius bar that truly were geniuses and knew everything. Now while the service is still much better than most other tech companies, the Geniuses are high school drop outs that had a week of online training instead of 3 months at Cupertino like they used to, where instead of replacing your device on the spot they try to repair it etc etc.

As a result I don’t expect Tesla would ever offer the same service as they used to do now that they are fullly mass market BUT...they should at least offer the BASICS of service that even the cheapest of the cheap traditional auto makers do...like answer a freaking phone!

 

[m3supra]

I just discovered a friend of my best friend in Paris just bought a Model X.

Here the only service centers are way outside Paris, Lyon and Aix. All closed on weekends.

But they tell me they have already called for service and someone answered the phone AT THE service center.

Are the "rules of engagement" different here in Europe, anyone know?

I've had completely different service at the same service center which leads me to believe that there is no SOP (standard operation procedure) for service centers. Each service center might be completely different so your friend in Paris might have a good one. But that is probably temporary...

Europe sales are probably still low enough (except Norway) where they still have the staff to give basic customer service like answering the damn phones.

In N/A, particularly the Bay Area they just don't have the staff or are refusing to hire to keep up. Seems like the solution is make the customers make an appointment for everything (even if it's not relevant), we'll deal with them in a queue, and hopefully, some will just go away. We can't call, chat, and emails don't get answered for the most part. Just make an appointment 2 weeks later and then you can speak with someone.

 

[XLR82XS]

Sounds like I need to open an independent EV service center.

 

[m3supra]

Sounds like I need to open an independent EV service center.

Sounds like RichB is onto something. Download the service manuals for couple hundred + open shop + answer the phone = profit.

 

[Bill Foster]

Sounds like I need to open an independent EV service center.

Considering almost all of the work is warranty work right now, best of luck lol

 

[XLR82XS]

Sounds like RichB is onto something. Download the service manuals for couple hundred + open shop + answer the phone = profit.

He is - Ive spoken with him.

 

[XLR82XS]

Considering almost all of the work is warranty work right now, best of luck lol

They wont be forever - and plenty are on the road now out of warranty.

 

[m3supra]

Considering almost all of the work is warranty work right now, best of luck lol

There's tens of thousands of S & X coming off warranty. There is another world outside yours, shockingly.

 

[0cylinder]

This thread details my experience with the SC: Very frustrated first-time owner

I’m just saying it’s not this ultra luxury car that some people on here seem to expect.

It’s really not much above a Honda Accord in terms of price, but it seems like people expect 400k car service.

I’ve found just being a human being and understanding not everything will always be perfect goes a long way. For the most part people are good and will try to make you happy with your purchase and service.

I'm not expecting 400k car service. I expect at least the level of service you'd get with a base model Hyundai that costs 1/3 as much as a Tesla. I didn't even get that today. The technician's attitude was also unacceptable. Them being "overwhelmed" is no excuse - at peak hours fast food workers are also overwhelmed and under tremendous pressure, yet they all manage to maintain a smile and treat all customers with courtesy. I don't think the technician would have lasted 1 hour in McDonald's with the attitude he gave me.

Tesla being young and new is also no excuse. In fact, they are entering the space with more than enough role models to emulate when it comes to basic fit and finish.

The Model 3's relative affordability, combined with new incentives in many countries, has led to explosive growth in demand, which is awesome. But many of those buyers are people who aren't willing to tolerate embarrassing QA issues just to be able to brag about having the latest high-tech toy. If you piss off too many of the new buyers gained this year, then how are you going to get new buyers next year?

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

I'm not expecting 400k car service. I expect at least the level of service you'd get with a base model Hyundai that costs 1/3 as much as a Tesla. ...The Model 3's relative affordability

Hey don't compare a Hyundai to a Model 3.
Hyundai has the following, (Santa Fe vs. Model 3 lets say)
1 - 67% high strength steel construction
2 - Great paint quality
3 - Sheet metal that doesn't bend if you look at it funny, and when it does repairs are cheap
4 - The dealer will spend hours with you during the sale to walk you through every feature step by step
5 - Heated and cooled seats, with a pretty nifty automatic button that just makes everything comfortable
6 - Physical buttons, yes some of us still like it
7 - Interior noise level of 65db vs 70db in Model 3, that's almost 4 times as high
8 - Proper insulation, both thermal, and sound
9 - Clearance some of us like that
10 - Cheaper insurance
11 - Supercharge at 3000mph
12 - far many more super chargers
13 - A beautiful pano roof, that actually opens, and doesn't come with the inside rain feature, and has a power retracting roof just in case the sun gets bothersome
14 - Laminated glass to keep noise out and heat in
15 - Carplay
16 - Wireless charger
17 - 5 year warranty, 10 year drive train
18 - So damned easy to work on, even a n00b can do oil changes, filter changes, the air filter is .. open the hood, right in front of you, like changing an audio cassette
19 - Accessories that don't cost an arm and a leg
20 - Heads up display
21 - 3 year road side assistance that covers everything
22 - 4 service centers (dealers) within 10 mile radius from me, and plenty of third party shops
23 - A manufacturer that doesn't remotely disable features
24 - A basic autopilot that I have more confidence in
25 - I can put a tow hook on it, U-Haul will install it for $200
26 - Backed by a company that isn't always teetering on the edge of bankruptcy
27 - Far more comfortable seats
28 - Way more inside space and utility
29 - 1/3rd the cost, compared to X, 10K cheaper than a dual motor model 3.
30 - Spare tire
31 - probably more, but the above are enough to get the fanboys triggered.

Yeah don't compare Hyundai to an overpriced soda can with an electric motor.

 

[pdx_m3s]

Hey Guacamole we get it, you’re sour on Tesla. You don’t even own a Model 3. Why spend your time here? Find another forum to spend your time on.

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

Hey Guacamole we get it, you’re sour on Tesla. You don’t even own a Model 3. Why spend your time here? Find another forum to spend your time on.

pdx_m3s - indeed, I should move on, you are right!
It'll help me, not waste time here.
And, it'll help you keep increase the fanboy percentage here.

But having hung around here for ~ 7 years, old habits die hard.

 

[pscarroll]

Well I like Tesla, but with bubbles in my dash and Tesla canceling my appointment to fix the problem in an attempt to run out my warranty because I drive so much, I tend to agree with Guacamole.

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

@pscarroll .. it's Sir Guacamolaf .. thank you very much! But yes, it's crap like that, that turned me from fanboy to a not-repeat-consumer.
Anyway, @pdx_m3s is right, I need to kick this habit of visiting this forum.

To be honest, it's bittersweet. I feel so awful deep down inside to see this beacon of EVs go to trash. I wish all of us drove reliable EVs, how much cleaner our cities would be. Sighhh.. I only hope they find their way back, and in a few years I can find myself the wheel of another EV. But right now, deep down, it feels sad. Even though it's the right move, it's like breaking up with a hot and high-maintenance girlfriend. I'll get over it I am sure, but some times I do miss her .. then I come here, and find y'all stuck with your high maintenance girlfriend and smile with great reassurance. I'm sure I'll get over my breakup. Cheers!