Tesla Store Experience

[brianman]

When visiting stores, please get the name of the employees that provide you a notable experience -- good or bad. Ideally follow up with the store manager, but definitely get the person's name and mail one of the general teslamotors.com addresses so that they can reward good and correct bad representation.

 

[huntjo]

When visiting stores, please get the name of the employees that provide you a notable experience -- good or bad. Ideally follow up with the store manager, but definitely get the person's name and mail one of the general teslamotors.com addresses so that they can reward good and correct bad representation.

Agree that you should document the name of any personel that treated you with disrespect. If nothing else, you will add credibility to these experiences. As it is, I can see how customer service could discount your criticisms as invalid or made up to try to smear the company. The vast majority of experiences I have heard of are positive, and I have never seen them turn away someone from sitting in the car based on age or dress. Teen aged looking gang-bangers and grey haired golfers alike are all treated equally well in the Denver store. I am young-looking and have been to the store in jeans and t-shirt. When I meet new staff there they are always polite, helpful and yet I can tell they are surprised to hear that I am a signature owner rather than simply some kid poking around the store looking at mechandise out of casual interest.

Since there is more than one report of poor treatment, I can't assume that these are all made up. There may be in fact some bad representation out there, but there also may simply be a misinterpretation by a few store visitors. With proper documentation of the incident and perpetrator and escalating it higher within customer service, we can see if it is a culture problem or certain individuals that may be educated, re-assigned or fired. Remember, test drives are limited because the number of drivable cars is limited. Each store has maybe one road-tested vehicle available to them, and they usually try to arrange test drives with advance reservation rather than on the spot.

 

[AnOutsider]

Remember, test drives are limited because the number of drivable cars is limited. Each store has maybe one road-tested vehicle available to them, and they usually try to arrange test drives with advance reservation rather than on the spot.

We may also be seeing a tone or conveyance issue. If the rep states this in an apologetic and sympathetic tone (Oh, I'm so sorry, but due to how few cars we currently have available during the ramp-up, we're supposed to reserve test drives for reservation holders waiting on a test-drive before configuring their cars) vs a more dismissive tone (You can only drive if you have reservation.) that can make all the difference.

 

[Robert.Boston]

I wonder if Tesla should set up a reservation system for time at the store, like Apple has slots at the Genius Bar. People who plan a trip to the store (and, therefore, are presumably serious potential buyers) can be flagged in this way, provided a dedicated associate, and provided ample time with the car. Walk-ins would, of course, be provided courteous interaction.

I spent about four hours hanging out in the Natick MA gallery on 12/31, while my kids were off shopping. "Circus" is an apt term. I can see how challenging it would be for an associate to guess who was a serious buyer or not. One young guy I chatted with, pushing a baby stroller and dressed unassumingly, turned out to be comparing the MS to his M5 -- not something I would have guessed, but because I had the time, I could turn that into a good conversation (helps to be an owner, too, rather than an associate). It would surely help to have some sorting mechanism, but even that will be hit or miss. Another gentleman I talked to had popped over to the mall while his Audi was getting an oil change at a dealership nearby. We went for a drive in my car -- I think he won't be buying another Audi! Again, not something that the Natick folks could do, as they can't give test drives.

 

[c041v]

If the rep states this in an apologetic and sympathetic tone (Oh, I'm so sorry, but due to how few cars we currently have available during the ramp-up, we're supposed to reserve test drives for reservation holders waiting on a test-drive before configuring their cars) vs a more dismissive tone (You can only drive if you have reservation.) that can make all the difference.

This what exactly what was said to me by the manager of the Bellevue, WA store (I forgot to get her name, D'oh) when I booked my test drive last week. I am not a reservation holder. I called ahead a few days to ensure I could get a test drive so I wouldn't be disappointed after making the drive down. She was not overly pushy on asking me to make a reservation, but I believe her exact words were "the test drive is used to 'pull the last stop' on any potential customers who are thinking of making a reservation." Which, I think is fair given the fanfare, limited availability and, demonstrated results of the product.

As for the experience itself - it was fantastic! I booked the first slot of the day on 31-Dec. We arrived shortly after Bellevue square had opened and were the only people in the store. There were two reps in the store at the time, although I know the manager was not one of them as she had mentioned on the phone she would not be working that morning. I ended up dealing with Sean (Shawn?) who was a fairly laid back mid-20's guy. He answered all of my questions quite well, mind you there weren't many overly technical ones. I did manage to get him to tell me that they had produced between "2500 and 3000" Model S' in 2012, so take that for what it's worth. He also alluded to the crazy hours everyone was working over the holidays to make as many deliveries as possible, and that there would be a bit of a break for them in the new year.

I was told the tester is a quasi-production car, and some features such as the Panoramic roof were disabled. There was some wear on the seats, but I can only guess at how many people have been in that car. I'll save my test drive experience for another thread, but it was very, very good.

Overall, very positive experience. The staff seems pretty passionate and reasonably knowledgeable. I do however realize that being the only people in the store is probably a rare circumstance. My parents stopped by the Toronto store the other day and sent me pictures. Circus is an apt term.

I suppose it's worthwhile mentioning a bit about my parents' experience at that store as I doubt either will post it on here. My stepfather was quite impressed with the store itself, he liked the swatches and optional wheels, nice to be able to actually see and touch the finishings. He did not however have the best experience with the store's staff. He mentioned waiting some 20 min while an employee and a potential customer (Not sure if he was a Reservation Holder) were sitting in the unlocked S. Eventually he came over to the window and asked if the employee was ever going to get out. The employee responded with something like "Well, I work here." to which my stepfather responded "Well, there's a number of us here that would like to get the opportunity to sit in the car." the employee then got out and several other people filled the car. I chided my stepfather for not getting the employee's name as I mentioned that feedback from these experiences gets good exposure on the net and may help prevent potential customers from getting the wrong idea about the company.

I would throughly agree that it must be difficult for employees to distinguish potential customers from curious folk who have no intention of purchasing, perhaps this is a consequence of Tesla's retail model. Judging by appearance can be a costly mistake and I would think that if the store is quite busy, employees should limit themselves to 7-10 min for in-car experiences.

Note: I was somewhat surprised at the overall dimensions of the car. There was a Trade-in Roadster in the corral and I guess I had never quite realized how big the MS actually is. I find myself visualizing every Panamera I see on the roads as a Model S these days. The two must be pretty comparable in size.