Tesla Ranks Last in Dealership Mystery Shopping Survey

A survey by mystery shopping firm Pied Piper ranked Tesla last among carmakers for dealership experience.

Tesla ranked 34th out of 34 auto brands included for the fourth consecutive year.

Pied Piper hired 3,466 people to shop at 3,466 dealerships across the U.S. between July 2017 and June 2018 to evaluate criteria, including how frequently salespeople asked customers how they might use a vehicle, if they offered comparisons to competitors, and if they explained why customers should buy from their dealership. Pied Piper shopped 57 of Tesla’s 74 U.S. showrooms.

Pied Piper’s chief executive Fran O’Hagan told the L.A. Times sales staff for the highest scoring car companies on the index, “work hard to be helpful, rather than just sitting back and answering customer questions. For example, they fact-find to determine why a customer is visiting, what’s important to the customer, and how the customer intends to use the vehicle.”

Audi finished first in the survey, followed by Lexus and Toyota.

Tesla has always made an effort to offer a different car-buying experience. There’s no giant lot of cars and haggling. It’s more of a showroom experience guided by “showroom advisors.”

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has previously celebrated the last-place finish. In a 2016 tweet he implied that being bad at being “salesy” is good.

https://twitter.com/x/status/752680739213156353

See the full release from Pied Piper here.

 

[hill]

......snip......
Each year, this survey is the same ... somewhere between stupid and the dumbest thing ever.

great that some feel that way. Congratulations. Saw another X pulling into our clubhouse & chatted w/ the owner (i wasn't in the better half's X) for a few. He feels the same as you. He's only been to the SC 1X for service. But our X has camped at the SC for over 6 weeks out of ~18 months. I wish to God we would have gotten one of the many that are problem free.
.

 

[cpa]

I am sure that the situation has changed from a few years ago when our S was new. But in '14 and '15 I stopped by a couple of different sales showrooms while I had some time to kill.

Each time there were shoppers looking around; some would be speaking to a Tesla representative; others were just poking around. In both instances, the Tesla reps were not well-versed in the real world of driving a Tesla. They knew about the car. They knew about the features and options. The website clearly explained the prices and the options.

But these representatives knew nothing about owning and driving a Tesla. They were sadly uninformed about driving style, installing home charging, the app for your phone, destination charging, public charging (J1772, 14-50, and CHAdeMO), and trip planning.

All of us here know that the most common questions we receive from strangers include:

--How far can you go on a charge?
--How long does it take to charge the battery?
--Where do I charge my car?

It was regrettable that the representatives did not know how to answer those fundamental questions. And the only way to answer those questions is to get a handle on the customer's uses of their cars. Are you an aggressive driver? Will it be a commuter car? How long a commute? Monthly 250-mile trips? Annual 1,800-mile road trips? etc. etc.

Perhaps times have changed. But I can see where the low-key approach by Tesla might not score well in this sort of survey. It would be much better for Tesla's sales approach if Tesla had a small brochure that shared some of the fundamentals of driving a Tesla. Hand that to the customer during his visit in addition to showing off the car and its features. Then answer those questions specific to that customer.

 

[MrAustraliaTax]

I recall visiting our local Tesla store to pick up my then top-of-the-line P85D.

Lots of millennials milling around chatting amongst themselves and going out of their way to ignore us. No other customers in the store. Wasn't impressed.

The odd visit since then has been exactly the same.

 

[Barklikeadog]

Are you in a state that doesn't allow discussion of prices? And I've had salespeople of all ages suck at Tesla and other places. Not sure why this forum is turning into an anti-millennial thing.

PA seems to be very lenient on the Tesla sales model for many years now. I can only speak from my own personal experience. I didn't have an appointment and that seemed to be a bother even though I was the only one in the store. If i remember correctly, the showroom had a couple computer terminals to place an order. I didn't bother with that. I feel with the traditional dealership, they are there to try and serve you, but with Tesla, it felt like I was the one seeking them. The kid knew the car (model s) inside and out just fine.

I don't understand these people who complain that they've been buying cars for 40 years and every dealership experience has been horrible. How is it horrible? You're the buyer, you know what you want, you call the shots. Don't like it? Go to the next Chevy dealer 10mi away.

I remember buying my previous truck in July of 08... Went in there the end of the month... show me what you have. They happened to have a 60th anniversary edition F150 with crazy rebates. Can i take this for a test drive? Meanwhile you guys check out my current truck. I had an envelope of cash for a down payment.

Come back, ok, I'd like to see what the cost is after rebates and include the financing rebate. Truck costs XXXXX before tax/title.
Ok, and my truck? We will give you XXXXX.
Hmmm did I mention I just put new brakes on the truck? Give me a free service/oil x once a year and the keypad entry and you have a deal.

By the way, here is 5k cash so run the numbers I'll pick it up tomorrow.
Next day, sign papers, get keys, truck waxed and pristine, ready to go.
90 days later I had my credit union pay off the 8% Ford Credit loan,kept the $2k rebate, and had a loan for less than half the rate.
Don't have to be a genius to do this. I had a 40k truck with a $212 monthly payment.

 

[Barklikeadog]

I recall visiting our local Tesla store to pick up my then top-of-the-line P85D.

Lots of millennials milling around chatting amongst themselves and going out of their way to ignore us. No other customers in the store. Wasn't impressed.

The odd visit since then has been exactly the same.

On their days off they hang out in coffee shops with their $4,000 Apple laptops surfing social media. Maybe they put their $1k iphone on the table for others to see and be jealous.

 

[shrspeedblade]

I worked briefly in auto sales and I've frequently joked afterwards that of the 10 worst people I ever met, 3 of them are car sales managers, and seeing as how I've only ever met 3 car sales managers...

 

[rdstr]

I have owned 2 Lexus and multiple Toyotas, a Dodge,...etc...when I bought my Tesla, there were no pushy salesman that wanted to shake my hand and be my best friend....I went to the Tesla website, built my car, and when I was ready to buy had the pleasure of a helpful sales rep...no stress, just help completing a simple transaction...doesn't get much better than that! I'll take the Tesla experience any day!!!

 

[Brando]

Well, that's it. Tesla won't out sell at least 34 auto dealers that we know of. Going broke soon as the money runs out.
</sarcasm>

 

[Barklikeadog]

I have owned 2 Lexus and multiple Toyotas, a Dodge,...etc...when I bought my Tesla, there were no pushy salesman that wanted to shake my hand and be my best friend....I went to the Tesla website, built my car, and when I was ready to buy had the pleasure of a helpful sales rep...no stress, just help completing a simple transaction...doesn't get much better than that! I'll take the Tesla experience any day!!!

why let that stuff distract you from what you are trying to do? go in, agree on a price, buy a car. easy peasy

 

[LastGas]

In my life (and I'm 68 years old) I have had only two positive sales experiences at an auto dealership. The first was at Fairway Ford in Greenville, SC. I went to the dealership for the purpose of buying a car, and the salesperson asked me about how I would use the car, and suggested that a different model (not a more expensive one) than what I was intending to buy would suit me better. He was right.

The second was at a Tesla store at a mall in Bellevue Washington. I went there not intending to buy a car. I was just visiting the mall as a tourist. I had questions about electric vehicles and Tesla in general. I left knowing a lot more than I did when I came. A couple of months later, I bought a Model S over the Internet.

Every other car buying experience I've had left me feeling abused.

 

[jerry33]

In my life (and I'm 68 years old) I have had only two positive sales experiences at an auto dealership. The first was at Fairway Ford in Greenville, SC. I went to the dealership for the purpose of buying a car, and the salesperson asked me about how I would use the car, and suggested that a different model (not a more expensive one) than what I was intending to buy would suit me better. He was right.

The second was at a Tesla store at a mall in Bellevue Washington. I went there not intending to buy a car. I was just visiting the mall as a tourist. I had questions about electric vehicles and Tesla in general. I left knowing a lot more than I did when I came. A couple of months later, I bought a Model S over the Internet.

Every other car buying experience I've had left me feeling abused.

That is two more good experiences than I've had (we're about the same age). When I purchased my S, there wasn't a gallery, so i did it all online. If it wasn't for that, I might have had one good experience.

 

[dgpcolorado]

why let that stuff distract you from what you are trying to do? go in, agree on a price, buy a car. easy peasy

That's fine if you are an aggressive type A personality. Not all of us are.

I bought my Tesla via phone and email and it was delivered to me, so I never met any sales people. However, I've been to the Salt Lake City store a dozen times, since the Supercharger Station is located there. The staff have always been helpful and friendly and seem to deal with their customers well. Perhaps it is a Utah thing.

 

[avenson]

This survey seems really bizarre. The moment sales people start asking me what I intend to do with a car my eyes roll. So based on the criteria they've outlined, last would be best.

As far as the Tesla sales experience, I've always had a positive experience in the Tesla store. My OA figured out very quickly that I had done my research and likely knew more than him about a number of aspects of the car and just worked to find one in inventory that was good fit. I've found that no matter what dealership I'm in (Lexus down to Ford) the sales people rarely know very much about the cars and it is much better to do your own research.

* YES I agree! Last in this list of out-dated criteria means First Place in the 21st century. Near San Rafael CA, I just completed a test drive of EVs at BMW, Toyota, Chevy, and Nissan. They are SOooo traditional and old fashioned. TESLA: THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU! Don't change a thing!

 

[retinaguy]

It's also funny that Porsche is so low when I find their showroom experience to be good precisely because they don't have a salesman hover over you. I think this survey is more useful for people who don't know what they want in a car so they have to be guided through the experience. If you know cars and what you want, the only thing is the price. And a good dealer will treat you with respect so you will be a repeat customer and use their service department.

 

[ZooSean]

The sales team in Tesla shall be trained more. I agree. The show room experience is not good at all. This is the fact. Tesla makes good products, so as Apple. Tesla does direct selling, so as Apple. But Apple store experience is much better than Tesla show room..

 

[Barklikeadog]

That's fine if you are an aggressive type A personality. Not all of us are.

I bought my Tesla via phone and email and it was delivered to me, so I never met any sales people. However, I've been to the Salt Lake City store a dozen times, since the Supercharger Station is located there. The staff have always been helpful and friendly and seem to deal with their customers well. Perhaps it is a Utah thing.

I'm not that type, I believe that you are better off if you are a conservative personality. Do your research ahead of time, figure out what you want to spend, ignore all of the other stuff. I never go in there thinking I'm going to beat the other guy and get the best deal. Just be smart and use common sense. They have to make a commission/profit too.

The only aggressive thing I might do is mention other vehicles I'm considering. which is truthful

 

[Jim T]

This so-called 'survey' should be published April 1st...

 

[jgs]

It all makes sense when you reflect that mystery shoppers are a tool contracted and paid for by business owners to snoop on their employees. The goal of the dealership owners is not, of course, customer service (except secondarily). It’s closing sales. No surprise then, that the metrics used by the mystery shoppers look like a to-do list provided by a dealership owner, because that’s what they ARE.

Basically the goal of the survey is to report “what’s the dealershippiest dealership”. Tesla should, indeed, be proud to come last. If they ever DON’T come last, they should worry.

 

[nervus]

Those mystery shoppers expected something like this?

 

[digicool]

Before I placed the order for my X90D in 2016 I visited BMW and Audi dealerships to test drive their comparable SUVs. Despite an appointment at Bellevue Audi, I couldnt find anyone that could even greet me for 15 mins. Salesguy at Bellevue BMW was trying hard to avoid giving me a test drive of their X5. After a lot of insisting he let me test drive one.
Audi topping the list makes me wonder what the list is trying to rank.