The Legendary Tesla Customer Service

[IhateOPEC]

So, I get my car. I write a check the size of a college education. Flawless vehicle, but the delivery? Not so much. Two nitpicks. The phone chargers? One USB-C and one Iphone.

On a $55k car, could we maybe just stock all the common types still in use and allow the customer to choose? Aparently Tesla is on a shoestring budget when it comes to $5 cables. Small nitpick, but OK.

Second itsy bitsy problem. They include a NEMA 14-50 adapter. My garage has a NEMA 14-30.

Me:"Could I just change it out?"

TESLA:"We dont stock other adapters, (AT TESLA SERVICE), but you can purchase one on our website for an additional charge..."

Ok, so I just dropped SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS on a car, and you will not provide me a means to charge it?!

TESLA: "Sorry we didn't notify you about the type of adapter it came with." (Presumably so I could drop extra money on the adapter in advance.)

Legendary. Tesla. Service.

Way to wow the customer.

 

[skitown]

Sorry, but I think this policy is totally reasonable. I had a 14-30 in my garage too and had no expectation that Tesla should swap out adapters for me at their cost; so I bought one ahead of time.

 

[kavyboy]

They didn't have to swap it out, but they should have for good will. It was $35 retail, and a one-time expense. Penny-wise and pound foolish.
You should have been able to leave the 14-50 there and get a 14-30 in next-day mail. Again, it's not that they had to, but they should have.

 

[Zaphod]

So, I get my car. I write a check the size of a college education. Flawless vehicle, but the delivery? Not so much. Two nitpicks. The phone chargers? One USB-C and one Iphone.

On a $55k car, could we maybe just stock all the common types still in use and allow the customer to choose? Aparently Tesla is on a shoestring budget when it comes to $5 cables. Small nitpick, but OK.

Second itsy bitsy problem. They include a NEMA 14-50 adapter. My garage has a NEMA 14-30.

Me:"Could I just change it out?"

TESLA:"We dont stock other adapters, (AT TESLA SERVICE), but you can purchase one on our website for an additional charge..."

Ok, so I just dropped SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS on a car, and you will not provide me a means to charge it?!

TESLA: "Sorry we didn't notify you about the type of adapter it came with." (Presumably so I could drop extra money on the adapter in advance.)

Legendary. Tesla. Service.

Way to wow the customer.

Ok, I agree with you on the phone cable. Seems no brainer that they could just not include any with the car and just give two of desired kind when person picks up the car.

Disagree on the part about the adapter. Standard charging equipment provided has always included a 14-50 adapter. That is one of the most common plugs people use, so they included it. You're probably going to want to keep the 14-50 anyway since who knows if you will ever need it in the future. It's not a bad idea to have multiple adapters for emergencies, especially if you are planning on doing any road trips. 14-30, while common for dryers, is not as common for EV charging. Wouldn't something as important as figuring out your charging situation be something to figure out ahead of time? The mobile connector also comes with a 5-15 adapter so at least you could still charge.

 

[IhateOPEC]

Ok, I agree with you on the phone cable. Seems no brainer that they could just not include any with the car and just give two of desired kind when person picks up the car.

Disagree on the part about the adapter. Standard charging equipment provided has always included a 14-50 adapter. That is one of the most common plugs people use, so they included it. You're probably going to want to keep the 14-50 anyway since who knows if you will ever need it in the future. It's not a bad idea to have multiple adapters for emergencies, especially if you are planning on doing any road trips. 14-30, while common for dryers, is not as common for EV charging. Wouldn't something as important as figuring out your charging situation be something to figure out ahead of time? The mobile connector also comes with a 5-15 adapter so at least you could still charge.

It would be cost neutral. All NEMA adapters made by Tesla cost $35. Why wouldn't Tesla service:

1) Carry all accessories for sale. Its not like there is a huge amount available on the Tesla website.

2) Make whatever charging solution you have in your house available at time of purchase.

They make the adapters. It would be cost neutral. I get it, this website is for Tesla fanbois. What you fail to realize is that the "mass market" is not full of Tesla fans. Tesla will have to win the mass market over with a SUPERIOR customer experience. Usually that involves an expense to the company. In this case the net cost is ZERO.

I am your grandparents. I just bought a $55k car. I get it home and cannot charge it. Explain to me why I am wrong for being upset.

Go.

 

[Zaxxon]

I agree that it'd be in Tesla's interest to stock the other adapters (and phone cables) at delivery centers and offer to swap them out as needed, either for free or at a discounted swap cost.

But the car also comes with a 5-15 adapter, so you can certainly charge (slowly).

 

[creativeguy]

You are not looking at the USB cable situation correctly. Tesla never intended to give you 2 cables. They intended to give you 1 usable cable. In order to do that, they give you one of each. Asking for 2 cables that are the same is the same as asking for a free second cable.

 

[Zaxxon]

You are not looking at the USB cable situation correctly. Tesla never intended to give you 2 cables. They intended to give you 1 cable. In order to do that, they give you one of each. Asking for 2 cables that are the same is the same as asking for a free second cable.

Uh, no. Tesla intended to give each car two cables, and that's what they're doing. Don't be obtuse.

 

[Altes]

Sorry, but I think this policy is totally reasonable. I had a 14-30 in my garage too and had no expectation that Tesla should swap out adapters for me at their cost; so I bought one ahead of time.

NO ITS NOT REASONABLE ON A LUXURY CAR

 

[skitown]

NO ITS NOT REASONABLE ON A LUXURY CAR

Please stop yelling at me.

 

[Altes]

So, I get my car. I write a check the size of a college education. Flawless vehicle, but the delivery? Not so much. Two nitpicks. The phone chargers? One USB-C and one Iphone.

On a $55k car, could we maybe just stock all the common types still in use and allow the customer to choose? Aparently Tesla is on a shoestring budget when it comes to $5 cables. Small nitpick, but OK.

Second itsy bitsy problem. They include a NEMA 14-50 adapter. My garage has a NEMA 14-30.

Me:"Could I just change it out?"

TESLA:"We dont stock other adapters, (AT TESLA SERVICE), but you can purchase one on our website for an additional charge..."

Ok, so I just dropped SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS on a car, and you will not provide me a means to charge it?!

TESLA: "Sorry we didn't notify you about the type of adapter it came with." (Presumably so I could drop extra money on the adapter in advance.)

Legendary. Tesla. Service.

Way to wow the customer.

Totally agree, they are competing with BMW AUDI and MB. they should act they they have been there before.
Service lacks any professionalism and expertise on car. Three trips to service w/o issues being resolved, repeat trips to replace parts removed by "technicians" (actually out of work college kids).

 

[skitown]

I had a Tesla Mobile Ranger deliver my car free of charge to my home after a repair done at their service facility 100 miles away. BMW never did that for me when I owned their cars. And yes, Tesla is also competing with Audi. 1.2 million Audi owners get to return to the the dealership three times to fix a fire risk that Audi seems to be having trouble quickly repairing.

https://www.newsomelaw.com/blog/aut...on-audi-vehicles-over-coolant-pump-fire-risk/

 

[ewoodrick]

Nitpicks, definitely.

My delivery team asked for the phone that I had and they got the cables needed. But one of my phones has the charge port not centered on the bottom, so it has problems. I know that I've had another one on top.
You just can't solve every problem for everyone. But my delivery team solved my need for a USB-C and USB-Micro.

Since you've been on the forum for a number of months, you should have known what connectors come with the charging cable and already ordered it. It's hard to carry all the connectors for all of the plugs. There's a couple of adapters that I would like that they don't even make.

It's hard to make everyone happy.

 

[Zaphod]

It would be cost neutral. All NEMA adapters made by Tesla cost $35. Why wouldn't Tesla service:

1) Carry all accessories for sale. Its not like there is a huge amount available on the Tesla website.

2) Make whatever charging solution you have in your house available at time of purchase.

They make the adapters. It would be cost neutral. I get it, this website is for Tesla fanbois. What you fail to realize is that the "mass market" is not full of Tesla fans. Tesla will have to win the mass market over with a SUPERIOR customer experience. Usually that involves an expense to the company. In this case the net cost is ZERO.

I am your grandparents. I just bought a $55k car. I get it home and cannot charge it. Explain to me why I am wrong for being upset.

Go.

I can guarantee it is not cost neutral. Different adapters will be different costs to manufacture. There are costs associated with carrying inventory, cost associated with extra personnel time finding and swapping adapters, etc. Of course maybe we are talking dollars and cents here, but even if half the people who have reservations wanted to swap, that is potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.

No, this website is not just for "fanbois" and is not constructive stating as such. I have no problem calling out Tesla when called for, but being upset about this is bit excessive in my opinion. I'm not going to tell you are wrong for being upset. If that's how you feel, that's your prerogative. But, not sure how much you paid has anything to do with not having received the specific adapter you want. If anything, with such a large purchase and something as critical as being able to charge, I would have done due diligence on my end to make sure I was prepared and had what I needed.

Lastly, as I and Zaxxon stated, you can charge as you are still provided a 5-15 adapter that can be used. It will charge very slow, but you can charge.

 

[McRat]

I'd say the lack of inventory of charging equipment at point of sale for an EV is a flaw. From BMW to Zero.

How much are they actually saving not having a couple HPWCs, UMC's, and adapters in inventory at a Tesla Store/SC where they only sell EVs?

What if your UMC fries, gets stolen, or you damage it? Park your car for days? Heck, what if it['s busted from the factory?

One of the points of resistance to EVs is the charging procedure. Most folk do not know about different outlets or specs, and there's not Tesla parts at O'Reilly's or Walmart.

The thought that Tesla is a better company for not fully supporting home charging equipment is laughable at best.

 

[skitown]

I'd say the lack of inventory of charging equipment at point of sale for an EV is a flaw.

Totally agree this is an opportunity for them to sell more adapters and provide a better experience. And I would expect that they do this in the future.

 

[McRat]

...

Lastly, as I and Zaxxon stated, you can charge as you are still provided a 5-15 adapter that can be used. It will charge very slow, but you can charge.

120v is not just very slow, it is deciding you bought a POS and now regret it. It's not a Volt or BMW REx. It is useless without a charge.

That's over 2 days for a full charge.

 

[jeffro01]

So, I get my car. I write a check the size of a college education. Flawless vehicle, but the delivery? Not so much. Two nitpicks. The phone chargers? One USB-C and one Iphone.

On a $55k car, could we maybe just stock all the common types still in use and allow the customer to choose? Aparently Tesla is on a shoestring budget when it comes to $5 cables. Small nitpick, but OK.

Second itsy bitsy problem. They include a NEMA 14-50 adapter. My garage has a NEMA 14-30.

Me:"Could I just change it out?"

TESLA:"We dont stock other adapters, (AT TESLA SERVICE), but you can purchase one on our website for an additional charge..."

Ok, so I just dropped SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS on a car, and you will not provide me a means to charge it?!

TESLA: "Sorry we didn't notify you about the type of adapter it came with." (Presumably so I could drop extra money on the adapter in advance.)

Legendary. Tesla. Service.

Way to wow the customer.

You're completely out of line, it's that simple. Tesla has ALWAYS shipped with a NEMA 14-50, two seconds of research would have told you that ahead of time.

So again, this is entirely on you, not Tesla...

Jeff

 

[TexasEV]

It’s well known, and all over the Tesla web site’s home charging pages, that all Teslas come with 14-50 and 5-15 adapters for the UMC, and a J1772 adapter. It’s been that way since the first Model S in 2012. Every Tesla store has a 14-50 outlet on the wall for demonstration purposes. If you’re paying that much for a car, which is very different from any car you’ve previously owned, why didn’t you do the slightest bit of research on how you would charge it at home? Or even just ask if it comes with what you need to plug in to the 14-30 outlet you have, rather that assuming the car will come with the particular adapter you need.

 

[WileyTheMan]

120v is not just very slow, it is deciding you bought a POS and now regret it. It's not a Volt or BMW REx. It is useless without a charge.

That's over 2 days for a full charge.

From a drained battery, which you don't let happen if you know you're on a 120v circuit.

In most cases, it's a manageable solution until you can get something better.