Took delivery - poor experience

[mindzeye77]

Just wondering if anyone else had the same experience as me:

So I took delivery of my 2021 MYP at the Buena Park, CA dealership this past week and my experience was fine up until delivery time. First off, communication about my vehicle was minimal at most, if not absent. I had to be the one to reach out to a SA for any updates.

The delivery was changed to my home and set for 7/17/2021 when I specifically chose to pick up at the dealership when placing the order - I had to call and change it back. When I called, I was told I couldn’t take delivery until 7/18/2021 because the dealership needs one day to inspect and prep the car. Due to my work schedule I couldn’t pick it up until 7/20, so I was fine with that.

Upon taking delivery, no tutorial was given how to operate the basic functions of the car, or even offered, for that matter. They told me where my car could be found and never followed-up. As far as vehicle condition - it was dirty as if it just rolled off the truck. One headlight and door was slightly misaligned, there was oil/grease marks all over the driver seat and center console, and large adhesive residue from a sticker was left on the glass roof. What happened to the inspection requiring one full day? When I brought the defects up to the service advisor, he told me everyone went home and nothing could be adjusted or fixed that day (it was 4pm). I decided to accept delivery since the issues were minor. He then told me to make an appointment on my app and Tesla will contact me for mobile service to fix the headlight and door.

He waited next to me while I started to create the appointment and I told him there was no mobile service and that it is telling me to choose a date and service center. He told me to pick any dealership and date because it didn’t matter since Tesla will reach out to me with a mobile service date anyway, which could be as early as the following day. Well turns out he was 100% incorrect as I found out the following day and the type of service I requested for the headlight and door adjustment cannot be done using the mobile service. Now the service center is telling me I will need to leave the car there over night, which will leave me with no means of transportation for work.

If I’m paying $70,000+ for a vehicle (Model Y Performance plus add-ons), I expect some level of service. I’m not asking for a red carpet to be rolled out, but this was amateur hour. Tesla really needs to work on training their staff (as if quality control issues weren’t enough

 

[linux-works]

not sure its about training; my read after seeing report after report is that they just are understaffed and they have the Great Problem(tm) of selling too many cars (more than they can service).

there is no big push to expand service - if anything, they want to make more vehicles and vehicle types, instead of resting and catching up.

I got my 3 almost 2 years ago and while it was an end of quarter push, they did take time to show me the controls, it was prepped well enough and while the place was crowded (fremont) it was not totally out of control.

now, I'm not sure I'd get the same kind of vehicle or treatment.

yeah, the car is expensive by most standards but actually, its a mid-grade car with high-tech and expensive battery pack. its not REALLY a $70k car in the usual sense and tesla even treats their higher end customers poorly. no more loaner cars, etc etc.

old tesla is gone. the good old days don't 'scale' as they say.

 

[Gor-Gor]

no more loaner cars, etc etc.

old tesla is gone. the good old days don't 'scale' as they say.

I got a loaner vehicle for my first SC appointment recently. I had them check what appeared to be a problem with my driver/passenger windows. They told me at drop off that they looked within spec but would verify for sure. They offered a M3 loaner for the hour or so they had the vehicle so I didn't have to wait there. All in all the Oklahoma City service center is awesome, they went the extra mile when they didn't necessarily have to.

 

[mindzeye77]

The Tesla service center in Torrance, CA (where I’m taking the car) said they do not provide loaners and only offer Uber credits.

 

[hcsharp]

My recent delivery experience was the polar opposite of yours. The staff went over the top to make sure I was happy and took the time to answer all my questions. The car was flawless and very clean. The operation at Paramus NJ was well organized, and despite being quite busy, they took the time to help anybody who needed it. I suspect your experience was unusual, not the norm.

This was quite a contrast to our experience in fall of 2018 Model 3 delivery. That was rather chaotic but the vehicle eventually arrived flawless and clean. No panel alignment or paint issues of any kind. It's a relief to see that Tesla has dramatically improved the delivery process, at least for us and most of the Tesla owners I talk with.

 

[Nomad1]

I ordered a delivery to my Nevada business address and it was suddenly canceled without any clues and even $100 down payment was returned as is. I visited the dealership and they told me that since I'm not a citizen they can't sell me anything. Spent a day on the phone and finally was told that I need to hold a permanent driver's license (temporary permit doesn't work) with an address to get a delivery. And that also applies to picking up the vehicle at their dealership! In that case they are just ordering a delivery to the dealership address and you still need to have a license from the same state.

Also no one was able to tell me how to buy a vehicle for business without a dedicated owner person with a valid driver's permit. It also confuses me how they are going to sell vehicles to blind and disabled people that don't have a license although they are legally allowed to own cars to be driven by hired drivers.

 

[dmurphy]

My recent delivery experience was the polar opposite of yours. The staff went over the top to make sure I was happy and took the time to answer all my questions. The car was flawless and very clean. The operation at Paramus NJ was well organized, and despite being quite busy, they took the time to help anybody who needed it. I suspect your experience was unusual, not the norm.

This was quite a contrast to our experience in fall of 2018 Model 3 delivery. That was rather chaotic but the vehicle eventually arrived flawless and clean. No panel alignment or paint issues of any kind. It's a relief to see that Tesla has dramatically improved the delivery process, at least for us and most of the Tesla owners I talk with.

Very glad you had such a great experience! I've said - repeatedly - that Paramus should be training other Service Centers in how it's done. They've way way outgrown the physical building and lot, and yet -- still continues to deliver at a high level. I've always had excellent service there!

 

[jboy210]

My 2 deliveries have been flawless. One was at the Fremont delivery center and they were fast and efficient. The next was at the Dublin Service Center and they had the car nice and clean and let us check things over for 1/2 before we signed any papers.

 

[phanone]

Unfortunately you don't get customer service with a Tesla...pretty much they give you everything you need to learn about the car prior to the delivery. They provide you the videos and car manual via PDFs/Videos and that's pretty much it.

 

[Jpandes]

I bought a used 2017 P100D form the website sight unseen. After reading a few posts about people who had negative experiences buying used from Tesla, I was expecting the worst and hoping for the best. I got lucky. My car ready for pick up about a week after I paid for it. I had to go to a tesla location about 20 mins away from my house. The car had been detailed and looked pretty close to being flawless. It wasn't perfect, but I was buying a 4 year old car w/ 17,XXX miles.

When I upgraded to the MCU2, I was given a loaner because it took two days to do the install.

So far, my expereinces w/ Tesla's service has been fine.

 

[dc121gw]

Interesting article about Elon. There was a do-or-die quarter in 2018 and Elon pushed a lot of changes through. One of them was no more calls, because Elon doesn't like talking on the phone, so he thinks nobody else does, either.

I hate the sales/service culture at Tesla, but I keep buying the cars, so I guess they have correctly surmised they can be terrible at it and still have customers.

 

[Wheresmyvin]

Almost the same exact experience with OP at buena park. The sales staff are very nice and accommodating but the delivery team is terrible.

Car arrived like it was wiped last minute with a leftover rag they found nearby. Streaks everywhere like the windex and grease type. Tire shine was applied using a frayed brush they haven’t replaced in years. Spit shine and wipe treatment on all 4 wheels.

and don’t get me started on the interior. Grease fingerprints all over steering wheel and windshield area where they put the registration. Partially ripped off plastic stuck between trims like lodged food between teeth. Rear view mirror wiped most likely using the exhaled breath and t-shirt method.

They don’t inspect much it’s just scripted talk. They do need time to prepare that’s true. But If you have panel issues or anything Quality Control related then they will just tell you to schedule a service through your app. As long as the car starts and is drivable and chargeable they will pass the inspection.

Once you accept delivery, sign and paid your amount due, your hoping that your issues are fixed properly. After your service, you’ll see some are fixed but some aren’t and they’ll just tell you “We did look into that and it’s within spec.”

When there’s a problem, your always on the short end of the stick with Tesla. Especially when you’ve given everything they’ve asked for. I find it’s becoming more common recently.

 

[fade6]

Yep, MY last year and MS LR this year - both had issues on delivery. Literally had an interior panel on my ~$100K car falling off. Like really? No one saw that? It was very embarrising for all involved. Smudge marks everywhere. Scratches in 6 areas (and I mean significant scratches!) of the exterior. The MY last year had things falling off, buttons that didn't work, huge misalignments of seats/exterior panels. In both cases had to set up a service appt, which eventually did fix everything, but dang - it can and should be a better experience. Just sad.

 

[OrthoSurg]

Interesting article about Elon. There was a do-or-die quarter in 2018 and Elon pushed a lot of changes through. One of them was no more calls, because Elon doesn't like talking on the phone, so he thinks nobody else does, either.

I hate the sales/service culture at Tesla,here but I keep buying the cars, so I guess they have correctly surmised they can be terrible at it and still have customers.

There is nothing I hate more than phone calls.
Tesla represents everything I like

 

[Tman458]

we picked up our MS Plaid in Burbank last week. I didn’t expect much based on reading posts here, so it was as I expected. fit and finish was up to par as I was expecting the worst. Service, however, is non existent. Bunch of kids with an indifferent attitude. When inquiring about a 14-50 adapter the kid looks at me like I am idiot and tells me “that’s not our problem“!!! But, the car itself exceeded my expectations and has been a joy to drive and learn about.