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Service issues

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This is my 2nd Model S. I took delivery of this 2022 approximately 6 weeks ago and it has had unresolved issues since. My frustration is not so much with the problems but how it has been handled or lack thereof. When I took the vehicle home, I noticed the console default for shifting did not work.
Additionally the tire inflation sticker was for 19" wheels. I had obtained Tesla 21 wheels and tires after delivery but unlike vehicles I have owned in the past the Tesla had no reference to pressure requirements for multiple factory wheel/tire sizes (additionally when I contacted service, I received several pressure recommendations when in fact the pressures are quite specific). I requested a sticker for same. To date this also has not been resolved.

Now for the more egregious experience.
1) After receiving the vehicle with issues, I had to make and wait for service appointments on my new vehicle to resolve problems.
Rearranged my schedule to bring into service. 24 hours before 1st appointment they cancelled and rescheduled.
2) Several weeks later, did same identical cancellation with very little notice or explanation.
3) Next appointment I show up for service and then told parts were not in or available.
4) Was rescheduled again this time for unresolved and additional issues. When I went to pick up car was told the shifter issue parts and tire sticker still not available. Again patiently waited several weeks for next appointment
5) They then set up a mobile appointment for today between 8:30am and 1pm. 5 minutes before 1pm I receive a text that the appointment was cancelled because the tire pressure sticker was still not available. Ironically the main issue was a mechanical problem that has still not been resolved.

1st failed appointment was an accident, 2nd failed appointment was a coincidence, 3rd failed appointment was a trend, 4th and 5th time appears to be ambivalance and desregard for a customers time and requirements with apparently an indication of corporate culture.

Up to the day I sold my previous S had similar service experiences. In fact they never provided an update for the service manual that would not download and slow web connections. However in retrospect still gave Tesla the benefit of the doubt and purchased a new vehicle assuming that the service experience would have improved.

Several days ago I placed a deposit for a Tesla roof. Based on these experiences I am having reservations, and concerned that the corporate culture may be endemic and lead to additional issues with follow up should problems arise as well. In retrospect, I should have thoroughly gone over the 2022 S before taking delivery. Knowing what I know now, likely would have passed on the vehicle due to lack of service support and their level of ambivalence.

The vehicle is sophisticated and a pleasure to drive when working as designed. However having owned other automobiles in the same price range, I can not recall experiencing the same inferior service issues. Hopefully they will get it right in the future. Perhaps my best bet is to move on to another make and revisit Tesla in the future if or when they resolve customer support/service.

In my opinion service is Tesla's Achilles heel. I would have hoped that by now my experiences would not continue to be repetitive. Regretfully these incidences have taken what should have been a pleasurable experience and relegated them to a level of frustration and regret. As competitive options continue to increase, this can only serve to have a negative impact on Tesla's full potential.
 
This is my 2nd Model S. I took delivery of this 2022 approximately 6 weeks ago and it has had unresolved issues since. My frustration is not so much with the problems but how it has been handled or lack thereof. When I took the vehicle home, I noticed the console default for shifting did not work.
Additionally the tire inflation sticker was for 19" wheels. I had obtained Tesla 21 wheels and tires after delivery but unlike vehicles I have owned in the past the Tesla had no reference to pressure requirements for multiple factory wheel/tire sizes (additionally when I contacted service, I received several pressure recommendations when in fact the pressures are quite specific). I requested a sticker for same. To date this also has not been resolved.

Now for the more egregious experience.
1) After receiving the vehicle with issues, I had to make and wait for service appointments on my new vehicle to resolve problems.
Rearranged my schedule to bring into service. 24 hours before 1st appointment they cancelled and rescheduled.
2) Several weeks later, did same identical cancellation with very little notice or explanation.
3) Next appointment I show up for service and then told parts were not in or available.
4) Was rescheduled again this time for unresolved and additional issues. When I went to pick up car was told the shifter issue parts and tire sticker still not available. Again patiently waited several weeks for next appointment
5) They then set up a mobile appointment for today between 8:30am and 1pm. 5 minutes before 1pm I receive a text that the appointment was cancelled because the tire pressure sticker was still not available. Ironically the main issue was a mechanical problem that has still not been resolved.

1st failed appointment was an accident, 2nd failed appointment was a coincidence, 3rd failed appointment was a trend, 4th and 5th time appears to be ambivalance and desregard for a customers time and requirements with apparently an indication of corporate culture.

Up to the day I sold my previous S had similar service experiences. In fact they never provided an update for the service manual that would not download and slow web connections. However in retrospect still gave Tesla the benefit of the doubt and purchased a new vehicle assuming that the service experience would have improved.

Several days ago I placed a deposit for a Tesla roof. Based on these experiences I am having reservations, and concerned that the corporate culture may be endemic and lead to additional issues with follow up should problems arise as well. In retrospect, I should have thoroughly gone over the 2022 S before taking delivery. Knowing what I know now, likely would have passed on the vehicle due to lack of service support and their level of ambivalence.

The vehicle is sophisticated and a pleasure to drive when working as designed. However having owned other automobiles in the same price range, I can not recall experiencing the same inferior service issues. Hopefully they will get it right in the future. Perhaps my best bet is to move on to another make and revisit Tesla in the future if or when they resolve customer support/service.

In my opinion service is Tesla's Achilles heel. I would have hoped that by now my experiences would not continue to be repetitive. Regretfully these incidences have taken what should have been a pleasurable experience and relegated them to a level of frustration and regret. As competitive options continue to increase, this can only serve to have a negative impact on Tesla's full potential.
In 2019, I took delivery of my first Tesla - preowned. It was apparent they didn't perform any quality and functional checks. It took repeated service appointments (and cancelations) over many months to fix the items that were not functioning. The experience was so off putting that I began to think I had made a huge mistake trading in my Audi A8L. Service haven't gotten any better, they fix the issue while breaking something else. 3 visits turns into 6 visits.
 
After calling Tesla to complain was told that service would get back to me within 24 hours. Frankly after weighing options will likely sell the car and move on. Sad since I was very pro TESLA until this final incident. As they say the bloom is off the rose. After this series of experiences have lost my passion in their products. Don’t want to set myself up for continued and likely future frustration and disappointment. And yes have been considering lemon law options. Thanks for the comments.
congradulations to TESLA for pissing off one of your advoctes to the point of cautioning others before taking the plunge.
 
Doccars, I see you are in Florida. Got my Plaid in late September and have had 2 visits to the Tampa Service Center. One was an airbag recall and the other was to get a trunk well cover that was missing at delivery..
Not sure which service location you are working with as their poor response is unforgivable.
I can only say my experience at Tampa has been very positive.
 
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West Los Angeles service center has been good. It took weeks until my scheduled work (intermittent dead screen and later 4G upgrade). For the amount of work, the car was kept for several days beyond what you'd expect. In both cases, I got 'bonus' service beyond what I paid for. So, the logistics are frustrating while the end result has been beyond my expectations.
 
For those of you that have had positive experiences, I wish I could say the same. I am glad that you have not had to share my frustration. I reside in the Palm Beach County, Ft Lauderdale area.

Update on issue:
Called toll free Tesla number yesterday. Was told that service center manager would reach out to me within 24 hours. Today I received not a call but an automatic message stating that I have a scheduled appointment set for March 7 ("Your technician will arrive between 8:30 AM and 1: PM at....). Identical to yesterday's cancelled appointment.

1) The service manager never followed through as I was promised. No call, no explanation for cancellation etc.
2) Since this will be the 6th appointment, why should I believe anything will be different. Am I supposed to make myself available only to have them cancel again minutes before the scheduled time? With no explanation or personal contact?
3) Based on my experiences to date, a courtesy call to explain this dysfunctional series of events is not unrealistic.
4) The fact that no one reached out to me speaks volumes as to their concern for customer service and satisfaction.

Continuing to reach out to Tesla at this point seems like a waste of my time. If they show up for mobile service fine. If they don't so be it. At this point, I will likely sell the car as is and move on. I have invested too much time and aggravation attempting a reasonable resolution to a problem that I not only have no control over but was due to a defect in the manufacturing prosses of the product. Probably best to cut my losses. They appear to still have a waiting list for fulfillment. Apparently their mission is to bang them out, sucking in customers, and then you are at their mercy. We got you and have the upper hand, what you gonna do.....



The product has great potential, but the people behind the scenes pulling the strings, in my opinion are out of touch with their fiduciary responsibility re: customer satisfaction.


Thanks Tesla for taking the wind out of my sails. You have been successful in making my ownership experience an abomination.

For those of you who have relatively little or no problems with your Tesla you will likely continue to enjoy your vehicles. For the unfortunates as myself, "may the powers be with you" in the event service is required and you are confronted with the same numerous disappointments and ambivalence I have encountered.
 
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For those of you that have had positive experiences, I wish I could say the same. I am glad that you have not had to share my frustration. I reside in the Palm Beach County, Ft Lauderdale area.

Update on issue:
Called toll free Tesla number yesterday. Was told that service center manager would reach out to me within 24 hours. Today I received not a call but an automatic message stating that I have a scheduled appointment set for March 7 ("Your technician will arrive between 8:30 AM and 1: PM at....). Identical to yesterday's cancelled appointment.

1) The service manager never followed through as I was promised. No call, no explanation for cancellation etc.
2) Since this will be the 6th appointment, why should I believe anything will be different. Am I supposed to make myself available only to have them cancel again minutes before the scheduled time? With no explanation or personal contact?
3) Based on my experiences to date, a courtesy call to explain this dysfunctional series of events is not unrealistic.
4) The fact that no one reached out to me speaks volumes as to their concern for customer service and satisfaction.

Continuing to reach out to Tesla at this point seems like a waste of my time. If they show up for mobile service fine. If they don't so be it. At this point, I will likely sell the car as is and move on. I have invested too much time and aggravation attempting a reasonable resolution to a problem that I not only have no control over but was due to a defect in the manufacturing prosses of the product. Probably best to cut my losses. They appear to still have a waiting list for fulfillment. Apparently their mission is to bang them out, sucking in customers, and then you are at their mercy. We got you and have the upper hand, what you gonna do.....



The product has great potential, but the people behind the scenes pulling the strings, in my opinion are out of touch with their fiduciary responsibility re: customer satisfaction.


Thanks Tesla for taking the wind out of my sails. You have been successful in making my ownership experience an abomination.

For those of you who have relatively little or no problems with your Tesla you will likely continue to enjoy your vehicles. For the unfortunates as myself, "may the powers be with you" in the event service is required and you are confronted with the same numerous disappointments and ambivalence I have encountered.
I too am in the south Florida market. I’ve used two service centers and mobile service. Mobile service techs have been great. Customer service reps at both locations struggle with empathy and seem to always be under pressure. The rescheduling happens a lot and I’m guessing it’s a parts availability issue. I too am thinking of getting into another ev and ditching Tesla due to the service issues.
 
Chiming in here - I am a teacher, and in order to have my Model S serviced, I have to arrange for a sub and take the day off without pay. Monterey CA canceled my appointment this week for Monday morning on Friday evening, meaning I had no time to restore my work. I love my car but it needs to be fixed - there are several problems with it, two are warranty and one is a software issue they have failed to address with updates (car believes park assist is not working even tho it is). I really, really want to love Tesla. I am REALLY starting to hate the company with a passion. I will be traveling later this month & want to make a service appointment where I am traveling, and there is ZERO ways to do this. I called the center, and went through phone menu hell before being disconnected. I emailed them and it bounced. This is HELL. I wish I had bought the Prius instead.
 
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Buyer's Remorse

Update to my service issue.


Mobile service was out yesterday. After left office to drive home tried to use the shift bar (touch panel in console to shift car). This was to have been repaired during this latest service and 6th attempt for a resolution. Must have been a ghost service. When tried to activate shifting from this repaired item was as if nothing was done. Still same problem. Additionally Tesla refuses to provide door post sticker with 21" tire inflation pressures. Getting tired of attempting fixes and resolutions for my new 2022 Model S.

It appears that Tesla is so obsessed with banging out vehicle that they are not vetting the support end of repairs once vehicle is purchased and in owner's hands. I am entertaining making a formal complaint to NHTSB due to safety issues related to these defects. My advice to potential owners is look for Tesla alternatives. Perhaps in a few years as competition heats up they will mature and have requisite after sales support. The competition definitely has this infrastructure in place vs Tesla dysfunctional and frustrating support/lack thereof.

So if I don't get rid of the car first, will be on 7th service attempt with no confidence it will be resolved. If you feel having the latest technology supersedes the potential frustration and lack of resolution in the event of a repair, then make the purchase. This is my second Tesla and as previously noted had similar issues (some unresolved till the day it was sold). Only reason made the plunge again, is thought the company had worked out these deficiencies/service. Apparently I was wrong.

In summary, perhaps Tesla will get it right in the future, however for now if interested in an EV I personally suggest consider alternatives.

The vehicle has substantial potential. However the ownership experience/Tesla attitude and corporate culture presently detracts from the attributes.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Shame on me!!!!
 
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Another update on my issues.
Bellow is a copy of latest email thread with service.



From: xxxxxxx
<xxxxxxx@tesla.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2022 3:35 PM
To: xxxxxxx@gmail.com
Subject: Tesla Concerns
Importance: High

Hello Mr. xxxxxx,

I'm xxxxxxxxxx, the Service Manager for Tesla Delray Beach. I understand that you have some concerns regarding your vehicle, and I'd like to have the opportunity to discuss and get a resolution for them. Feel free to contact me on my cell phone xxxxxxxxx or to my email xxxxxxx@tesla.com. Thanks for being a Tesla owner!

Respectfully,

xxxxxxxxx | Service Manager

Tesla Service Center |
3000 S Dixie Hwy Delray Beach, FL 33483
24-hour 877.79.TESLA | P. (305)459-8660 Ext. 2177718
[email protected]

The content of this message is the proprietary and confidential property of Tesla Inc and should be treated as such. If you are not the intended recipient and have received this message in error, please delete this message from your computer system and notify me immediately by reply e-mail. Any unauthorized use or distribution of the content of this message is prohibited. Thank you.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: xxxxx <xxxxxxxxx.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2022 4:32 PM
To: xxxxx <xxxxxx@tesla.com>
Subject: RE: Tesla Concerns

I have nothing to add after 6 failed scheduled service appointments, numerous phone calls to Tesla support etc. They reassured me that they were documenting the issues. I was quite clear and concise during each of the 10, 20+ calls. It is therefore redundant and with all due respect insulting to have to go through it again. The fact that this information is once again being requested speaks to the flawed Tesla process and customer experience.

If in fact Tesla has not documented all these calls and services with requisite unresolved issues, it speaks to a dysfunctional process. It further substantiates any hope that Tesla has a sincere interest in fulfilling their fiduciary responsibility toward customer issues/satisfaction.

xxxxxxxxxxx

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: xxxxxxx <xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2022 5:29 PM
To: xxxxx <xxxxxxk.com>
Subject: RE: Tesla Concerns

Dr. xxxxxxx

Please allow me to listen to all the issues and get a resolution for them. I'm happy to discuss and get repairs complete as needed. Feel free to call me or tell me when I can contact you. I apologize for all the inconvenience; I'm sure that I can get things correct for you.

Respectfully,


xxxxxxxx | Service Manager
Tesla Service Center |
3000 S Dixie Hwy Delray Beach, FL 33483
24-hour 877.79.TESLA | P. (561)847-0512
xxxxxxx@tesla.com

The content of this message is the proprietary and confidential property of Tesla Inc and should be treated as such. If you are not the intended recipient and have received this message in error, please delete this message from your computer system and notify me immediately by reply e-mail. Any unauthorized use or distribution of the content of this message is prohibited. Thank you.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sent 3-11-22

To service manager Tesla:

All you or anyone from Tesla needs to do is look at the last alleged service performed 3-7-22, The shift bar/hazard touch pad and tire pressure placard are unresolved and safety issues. Again you can look up the numerous inquiries and appointments. If Tesla was remiss in logging them into the system appropriately then apparently you have additional problems. Again nothing has changed and with all due respect I am tired of repeating myself over and over again.

I appreciate your apparent passion to assist. However please understand why as stated below I am tired and frustrated. Throughout my short ownership I repeatedly stated the same unresolved issues and dissatisfaction. With all due respect your words of encouragement were stated numerous times by other Tesla representatives. I naively persisted in following through with appointments and calls buying into their concerns and words of encouragement to resolve. In retrospect, I should have ended communication with Tesla more than a month ago after having repeated myself over and over again.

As an aside, the way I see it, Tesla’s problem is not unique. I have observed a similar scenarios with other companies and to a certain extent it either adversely effected their bottom line or pushed customers away. Tesla has a unique way of insulating issues such as this from higher management. As a result the company much to their detriment is handicaped from taking corrective action and moving forward. Or perhaps I am wrong and they just don’t consider these types of issues and customer satisfaction a priority. Either way I have been on the receiving end and realize it is a futile attempt on my part. I will and have shared my concerns and experiences with others so they can make an informed decision when considering a purchase.

From my standpoint, you all have worn me down. In theory it is a revolutionary product and I bought into this dream. In reality should an owner have issues, it can become a nightmare with resultant buyer’s remorse.

I will be moving on back to other products where my past ownership was more in line with realistic expectations and ownership experience.


Thanks again for reaching out to me but put yourself in my position. If upper management from Tesla has any interest or concerns to hear my issues I remain available.

I feel sorry for you having had this dumped in your lap as a result of apparently others incompetence. But I also feel sorry for me being the recipient.

xxxxxxxx

PS This is my second Tesla. I had unresolved issues with that one as well till the day it was sold. I gave Tesla another try under apparently the false pretense that things have changed. I was wrong, they haven’t.
 
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Sorry about your issues. I have found emailing the service manager or in less severe cases the shop supervisor of my local SC anytime things are not going right. For instance I have an appointment tomorrow and have not received confirmation from Tesla, despite 5 messages in the app, of a loaner. So i emailed the shop supervisor and kindly asked to get involved and make sure this happens (a couple other issues like the invoice not being correct that they are asking for approval).

Its good to follow the proper channels, i.e. tesla app first, then supervisor if needed, then manager if needed beyond that (next option is escalate to tesla corporate), this seems to be what you have done and its definitely a good thing the manager is now involved and you are emailing him directly HIs response mimics the same I get from my local SC when i email the supervisor/manager directly. They tell me they will speak with my advisor and the tech and get back to me. Do i sometimes have to follow up and things take longer than expected? yes. However I find if I communicate without anger and advise of my serious concerns and how I want it handled, they usually do a good job of making it right by the end of things. Your email, while I can empathize, is very combative, and it is less likely to get a good end resolution vs what I mentioned above. If you want things resolved, I would say try and work with the manager. If you are set on being done with this mess, well, then you are set.

Good luck either way.
 
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Appreciate your response. Perhaps you did not read through my original postings. It will give a better appreciation of my numerous efforts to resolve in a diplomatic and professional manner. However my experience has been consistently poor. They will not and do not allow this to be elevated after numerous requests. I am told that the only way this can be elevated to a field supervisor etc. is at the election of the service manager. Again numerous inquiries and no result. Kind of letting the fox watch the hen house. Apparently elevating this issue by the service department is tantamount to service admitting they have not been successful. Would likely result as a negative for them.

Given my litany of attempts feel my communications were in line with anyone faced with a similar ambivalence/documented experience. I therefore respectfully disagree that the inference of "anger/combative" is applicable however I do respect your right to an opinion. Apparently our definitions differ. Again thanks for taking the time to share your views.