Tesla should stop wasting $100s on Uber credits and offer customers the choice to wait

[AMPd]

Loaners are nice but I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, tesla would be better off investing in more factory employees who can make sure the cars coming off the line are free of any imperfections so that they won’t have to go back to the service center after they get delivered. A lot of the cars at the service center are in to get stuff fixed that should have been detected at the factory, instead tesla pushes them out and tries to deliver as many cars as possible. That leaves the service centers swamped

 

[Tesomega]

@AMPd - during my service visit I did not see any new cars coming in for fixing/repairs (at least while I was there for about 6 hrs on 1 day). While your statement may be true. I believe the issue to be more about not carrying the parts required to finish the work in 1 visit and not enough resources dedicated to perform diagnostics on reported issue. During 1 of my visits i clearly stated the Service Bulletin i need to get addressed and after keeping the car for 5 days they said they don't have the parts that required me to schedule another visit.

 

[whitex]

In Dublin, SC they have only 20 loaners for the whole SC for any given week. And that is way too few of the SC of this size and the backlog they create for themselves.

Elon claims to be an engineer, yet he fails to make this simple math: number of loaners should be equal to about 1.5 times the size of the park lot queue. Why more then 1x? To account for car in the parking lot waiting to be picked up. It would be 2x if everyone needed a loaner, but I accounted for some people choosing the Uber option.

You can argue the numbers up and down, but no way the ratio of loaners to parking lot queue should be to what they have today.

 

[PhilDavid]

Elon claims to be an engineer, yet he fails to make this simple math: number of loaners should be equal to about 1.5 times the size of the park lot queue. Why more then 1x? To account for car in the parking lot waiting to be picked up. It would be 2x if everyone needed a loaner, but I accounted for some people choosing the Uber option.

You can argue the numbers up and down, but no way the ratio of loaners to parking lot queue should be to what they have today.

Or they can save money/resources on BOTH loaners and $100-per-day Uber credits by allowing customers who prefer to wait at the Service Center, the option to do so. I wish they had an option on the App to specify you'd like to wait for the job to get done. Even if they offer "wait for the car" appointments only on certain dates of the week, that is still fine with me.

Most service appointments take less than a day to complete so imagine if they actually honored the date and time of the service appointment and worked on your car when you bring the car in. You then go to the customer lounge with your laptop and phone, get some work done in peace and drive your car back home. This requires just one trip to the service center and one trip back home.

What they have now is just so inefficient and wasteful. I'd like Tesla to save those $100s in Uber credits, not to mention the hassle and pollution of having to make another separate trip to pick up the car and drive around in a Uber. The Uber credits are especially wasteful when considering people who live a reasonable distance away from a service center.

 

[whitex]

Or they can save money/resources on BOTH loaners and $100-per-day Uber credits by allowing customers who prefer to wait at the Service Center, the option to do so.

Cars fixed while you wait are imply excluded from the required loaner equation as they don't add to the parking lot queue.

What they have now is just so inefficient and wasteful. I'd like Tesla to save those $100s in Uber credits, not to mention the hassle and pollution of having to make another separate trip to pick up the car and drive around in a Uber.

Not necessarily. While it sucks for customers, always having a queue of cars to work on increases tech's productivity (never idle time, never interrupted to go help with some other job for which the customer is waiting for, so no context switch cost), plus it allows Tesla to run multiple shifts (not many people want to bring their car in for a 2am appointment and wait). Whether the increased productivity offsets the cost of loaner/ubers and customer dissatisfaction is up for a debate, but since the end result is more cars serviced, given the shortage of service centers, it might actually be a way for Tesla to keep the appointment lines from blowing up. The alternative is all scheduled appointment done quickly, but way less cars serviced per day, so way longer wait for appointments. What is missing is the appropriate resource allocation for loaners.

 

[smilepak]

It sound like each manages their own policy. Also, if one SC worked on your car and it is still an issue, you have to take it back to the same SC.

One SC told me they no longer do loaners while another say it depends if they need to keep the vehicle longer than 24 hrs and on availability of the loaner.

Tesla wants to compete in the luxury space, but luxury doesn't mean the vehicle as well, it also mean the services after you own the vehicle. Porche, BMW, Lexus etc., all offer loaners and better SC experience. Granted they are individually owned and operated, but it goes back to the corporate to set some guidelines and policy.

 

[boaterva]

One problem is some repairs do take a while (undetermined) to troubleshoot. Those shouldn’t be a candidate for ‘waiting’.

I’m going in Monday to have the body controller replaced for that dang ‘car unlocks and relocks itself’ all the time issue I documented elsewhere. (Think how that sounded with the horn notification on!)

So, this should be a quick fix. I would think I could wait for this, no problem.

As I’ve said above, other times it’s been three days waiting for the alignment, inspection, and various other people to get around to our 3.

Takes over an hour to Uber home. One way. If it’s an hour or so for a quick repair, love to wait. Or I’d think a body controller could even be mobile.

(And I’ll hope to show them the charger issue that has periodically been plaguing my X for 15 months. Since I was told to bring it in anytime when it was present. But of course they won’t be able to swap out the main charger board Monday since that will require another appointment three weeks in advance.)

I sorta understand that but it’s hard to see when they have a car in to get it done and not do the whole process again for another fix when it’s a (simple?) board swap. Especially if I don’t care if they keep the car.

 

[aesculus]

So, this should be a quick fix. I would think I could wait for this, no problem.

Make sure you have the first appointment of the day. If not your changes diminish exponentially as the day goes on.

 

[PhilDavid]

Make sure you have the first appointment of the day. If not your changes diminish exponentially as the day goes on.

I wonder if certain days of the week are better for getting the car to be looked at on the day of the appointment rather than sit for days.

 

[Tesomega]

My simplest solution is offer a non-ev loaner (till they have expanded Tesla's service network and loaners) if they contracted with a rental provider, they could specify their preference for EV (if the customer prefers an EV and one is available). If none available rent a ICE. Its not like no one drives on an ICE anymore...

 

[PhilDavid]

My simplest solution is offer a non-ev loaner (till they have expanded Tesla's service network and loaners) if they contracted with a rental provider, they could specify their preference for EV (if the customer prefers an EV and one is available). If none available rent a ICE. Its not like no one drives on an ICE anymore...

Don't you still think scheduling people who prefer to wait for same day service is a better idea? The benefits are:

• You only make ONE round trip to the service center. Not two trips, once to drop off the car and again to pick up the car.
• You can drop off the car in the morning and be productive and get some work done during business hours.
• Tesla does not have to waste $100/day on Uber credits.
• Tesla does not have to worry about the wear and tear and depreciation of a loaner.
• Better for the environment: No polluting ICE loaner or Uber as well as no needless trips to pick up the car.
• This also promoted efficiency at the service center rather than stockpiling cars they are not able to get to for several days in some occasions.
• Better experience for customers who longer need to deal with being unable to reach anyone at the service center/obtain status updates.

 

[Tesomega]

You only make ONE round trip to the service center. Not two trips, once to drop off the car and again to pick up the car. - if this can be done sure, if one has the time to wait for their car I can support that.


At least In Dublin SC, they don't have a loaner pool, they have partnership with Enterprise to provide Tesla as Rental (Loaner). All I am saying is that if you are willing to give $100 for a UBER - let me drive my own ICE (if this is the only option available), so that I can be where I need to be and when I need to be for the short term while Tesla figures out the Tesla Loaner Pool situation.

 

[whitex]

My simplest solution is offer a non-ev loaner (till they have expanded Tesla's service network and loaners) if they contracted with a rental provider, they could specify their preference for EV (if the customer prefers an EV and one is available). If none available rent a ICE. Its not like no one drives on an ICE anymore...

Enterprise partnership is something Tesla already has been doing for a while, but even Enterprise can run out of cars. I was once dropping off my Tesla at the SC and was told Enterprise has ran out of cars, ICE or EV. It was an appointment scheduled a month in advance. Evidently Tesla doesn't book them ahead of time, and/or doesn't pay for enough rental capacity, I'm sure for enough money Enterprise can have a fleet of hundreds of cars on standby for Tesla, but of course that costs money.

PS> They used to cover gas for any ICE rentals, that apparently is no more too.

 

[PhilDavid]

You only make ONE round trip to the service center. Not two trips, once to drop off the car and again to pick up the car. - if this can be done sure, if one has the time to wait for their car I can support that.


At least In Dublin SC, they don't have a loaner pool, they have partnership with Enterprise to provide Tesla as Rental (Loaner). All I am saying is that if you are willing to give $100 for a UBER - let me drive my own ICE (if this is the only option available), so that I can be where I need to be and when I need to be for the short term while Tesla figures out the Tesla Loaner Pool situation.

When you wait though you only make ONE round trip, often during rush hour, and not two round trips.

My issue is that the Service Center is discouraging you from waiting for straightforward service tasks. The current system where they pile up cars they can;t attend to for several days while wasting hundreds on Uber credits just perpetuates waste and inefficiency.

The App should let you specify a preference to wait at the service center and perhaps they can offer this option only on certain days of the week? The whole issue here is to not offer timed appointments if they can't get to your cars fr days. I'm sure like us many others would prefer to have their own car to drive for several days rather than a Uber or loaner as your car sits there in a parking lot for days.

 

[FatherTo1]

I like the Uber option to supplement the loaner program. I realize some SCs no longer provide loaners. For the time being, our Rocklin, CA SC still prioritizes loaners. I am glad for the Uber option today.

I arrived at 8:50am to drop off my Raven S to have both front axles replaced. I assumed I would get a loaner but none were available so they offered Uber credits. No problem because our local area is saturated with Uber drivers patrolling around. I knew the wait for Uber would be less than five minutes, plus it gives me the opportunity to log in on my laptop and do work during the ride time. Unfortunately, six attempts at sending me Uber vouchers failed. Exasperated, the SC advisor asked if I would mind paying for Uber and sending her the receipt for reimbursement. I didn't have a problem with that and had offered to wait since I could still remote in and work in the lounge area. However, the tech said it could be a four hour wait so I summoned an Uber.

Towards the end of the day I inquired about my car and learned that the shipment that had arrived contained the wrong parts. By this time, they did have a loaner reserved for me and they were able to send $200 in Uber credits to my phone so I could hail a ride back to the SC. I am a software engineer and have the benefit of working remotely anywhere, so the traveling back and forth really doesn't inconvenience me much. I know that isn't the case for others. I still appreciate how the staff at our local SC is always professional and tries to bend backwards to help out the customer. I feel they're genuinely trying to do the best they can, and for that effort I didn't even bother sending in my Uber receipt for reimbursement.

Long story short, I needed the Uber credits as the wait was going to be a tad too long to hang out in the lounge, and I ultimately still received a loaner. If anything, having an Uber driver chauffeur me around reduced my work downtime and allowed me to stay productive on my laptop. I asked if I get to keep the generous remaining Uber credits but the advisor said they expire at midnight -- makes sense. If you compare the daily cost of a loaner, Uber credits may actually save Tesla money.

 

[Tesomega]

Rocklin, CA SC may have a different policy. In Dublin SC, as soon as you step out of the Service Center your queue in the Loaner program is gone..So much for all things equal in Tesla.

 

[PhilDavid]

Rocklin, CA SC may have a different policy. In Dublin SC, as soon as you step out of the Service Center your queue in the Loaner program is gone..So much for all things equal in Tesla.

I wish all service centers establish a way for customers to request same day service via the App.

Most jobs in an EV can be done in an hour.

 

[Chaz]

During my last visit to the closest SC (1.5+ hours away), there were no loaners and they gave me a week's worth of Uber credits ($100/day). My car ended up sitting outside for 9 days until they were able to work on it. They didn't enable service mode until then and I could see the car's exact location in the overflow parking lot and that the interior temperature was exceeding 109 degrees during the day. In fact, I had to ask them to plug my car in as the battery got down to 10%. The repair ended up taking less than 2 hours. I had to pay out of pocket for the return Uber ride up there with the promise of reimbursement. It's been three months and my emails go unanswered.

Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence every time I drop my car off there. The car usually cannot be looked at for at least 2-3 days and they assume that you are dropping the vehicle off for the appointment and not waiting. Why not just schedule an appointment when there are techs able to work on the vehicle? It seems to be a time/resource-management issue. I understand that they are overwhelmed with the influx of new cars with issues, but they should not continue to schedule appointments if they already have a three-day (or more) queue of cars. I would prefer that they reschedule my appointment 3-4 days in advance if that means I can have my car back in one day at a future appointment. I have never been able to wait for my vehicle (which has been serviced at least 9 times in the last year) and they have always taken three or more days for any repair at the SC. I have also noticed that the waiting area, which used to have a TV (with live content), snacks, waters, coffee, and soft drinks, is now barren with a scrolling Tesla ad on the television. If I didn't love my car so much....

On a positive note, the Tesla mobile techs (formerly known as the Rangers) in Colorado are pretty fantastic, knowledgeable and accommodating. Our local tech, Jack, has had my whole front fascia removed in my work's parking lot to replace headlights, he has reprogrammed my key fobs, manually pushed software, replaced small body panels, etc. Maybe if they had a couple more of these guys, they could alleviate even more of the congestion on the SC for the more common/easier fixes.

 

[PhilDavid]

During my last visit to the closest SC (1.5+ hours away), there were no loaners and they gave me a week's worth of Uber credits ($100/day). My car ended up sitting outside for 9 days until they were able to work on it. They didn't enable service mode until then and I could see the car's exact location in the overflow parking lot and that the interior temperature was exceeding 109 degrees during the day. In fact, I had to ask them to plug my car in as the battery got down to 10%. The repair ended up taking less than 2 hours. I had to pay out of pocket for the return Uber ride up there with the promise of reimbursement. It's been three months and my emails go unanswered.

Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence every time I drop my car off there. The car usually cannot be looked at for at least 2-3 days and they assume that you are dropping the vehicle off for the appointment and not waiting. Why not just schedule an appointment when there are techs able to work on the vehicle? It seems to be a time/resource-management issue. I understand that they are overwhelmed with the influx of new cars with issues, but they should not continue to schedule appointments if they already have a three-day (or more) queue of cars. I would prefer that they reschedule my appointment 3-4 days in advance if that means I can have my car back in one day at a future appointment. I have never been able to wait for my vehicle (which has been serviced at least 9 times in the last year) and they have always taken three or more days for any repair at the SC. I have also noticed that the waiting area, which used to have a TV (with live content), snacks, waters, coffee, and soft drinks, is now barren with a scrolling Tesla ad on the television. If I didn't love my car so much....

On a positive note, the Tesla mobile techs (formerly known as the Rangers) in Colorado are pretty fantastic, knowledgeable and accommodating. Our local tech, Jack, has had my whole front fascia removed in my work's parking lot to replace headlights, he has reprogrammed my key fobs, manually pushed software, replaced small body panels, etc. Maybe if they had a couple more of these guys, they could alleviate even more of the congestion on the SC for the more common/easier fixes.

This is just about the same as my experience. What a waste of time and Tesla's own money on Uber credits

I completely agree -- if they can't attend to the car on the scheduled day, they should give you the option of bringing your car in when they can actually work on it. I don't understand the point in having timed appointments if they can't even attend to your car on the day (or the next day!) service was scheduled.

Allowing customers to request service appointments while they wait will put an end to this nonsense with customer cars sitting for days as whoever schedules these cars at service centers ends up wasting hundreds of Tesla's funds on Uber credits while providing poor service for customers who are needlessly without their car for days.

 

[DCEV]

Has anyone had any luck trying to get them to service the car while you wait? Wish this was an explicit option on the App so you can schedule same-day service while you wait.

I need to schedule a service appointment and I'm dreading that they will needlessly keep my car for days when I prefer to take the car in and wait for them to work on the car and drive my car back home.

The whole text message thing with the service center is utterly broken. It's miserable as they they barely reply and when they do, you'd be lucky to get an answer to the question or concern you raised