Why is Tesla service department (SD) customer service so bad?

[precisionmike2]

The repair/axel placement that was scheduled for one day took four... and the day after I got the car back, i got messages about traction control disabled, cruise control disabled, something with braking... so back it went, on a truck for another day. They called back the next day and said all fixed, the "wheel speed sensor" was NOT properly installed when the replaced the axels and bearings...

 

[ckoval7]

FWIW, the SD/SC/"dealer" in Owings Mills, MD is very responsive through the app. They still talk to you like you're a bunch of pixels on a spreadsheet line, but at least they usually reply back pretty quickly. But the Tesla service experience is definitely as impersonal as it gets. I am fine with minimal interaction with humans for car issues, but unless you physically show up to the service center the only interaction you will ever have is messages through the app (and sometimes SMS).

You and I seem to have completely different experiences with the Owings Mills folks. I find that if I want a response I have to message first thing in the morning or shortly before they close. If I message middle of the day, someone might respond eventually, and if I message after hours, it gets ignored entirely.

 

[.Slug]

As a new owner of my first Tesla, all these nightmare service experiences scare the poo out of me regarding continuing to own my Model 3 Performance. I'm coming from ICE mfrs who very easily stand by their quality and customer service and I am used to being serviced incredibly well by them. I'm seriously dreading my first warranty repair request. I'm 1900 miles and about a little over a month into ownership now, largely problem free (minus the rear seat rattling like a can of loose bb pellets, which I plan to just fix myself with some extra washers and tape).

 

[HabitualUser]

Tesla's Service infrastructure has not kept pace with the number of new cars being delivered every quarter.

I've been a long time owner, and this is a sad fact. Literally every part of Tesla Service is just as bad as it was in 2015. From communication, to sourcing parts, Tesla just doesn't not have this figured out. The service center employees are overworked and under-motivated to make the experience better for customers.

The key issue is TIME. It takes too damn long to complete any serious service issue; what should take a day, takes a week. And god forbid if you need body work repair! Now you are talking months.

It's sad, because this is the one thing that legacy auto does better than Tesla, and overtly so.

 

[Mensra]

I had a service appointment scheduled that Tesla moved three times so that the final appointment was more than six weeks after the initial appointment. I dropped the car off this past Monday at 9 o’clock in the morning (mind you, I live almost 2 hours away) and they still have yet to bring the car in to have it looked at. It has been sitting in the parking lot for two days, now on the third. By the way the initial appointment was for a piece of rubber trim that was starting to fall off!

 

[jboy210]

I've been a long time owner, and this is a sad fact. Literally every part of Tesla Service is just as bad as it was in 2015. From communication, to sourcing parts, Tesla just doesn't not have this figured out. The service center employees are overworked and under-motivated to make the experience better for customers.

The key issue is TIME. It takes too damn long to complete any serious service issue; what should take a day, takes a week. And god forbid if you need body work repair! Now you are talking months.

It's sad, because this is the one thing that legacy auto does better than Tesla, and overtly so.

Have you had any bodywork down lately? 3 months to fix a rear-end accident on my daughter's BMW SUV. Price when the $3K-> 6K -> 11K as they started working on the car and had to order more and more parts. The insurance company will only authorize a basic look-see. And as they find more damage the shop does a new estimate that the insurance company has to approve. Then parts are ordered, then the car is worked on when they can fit you in. Each cycle takes weeks. Glad we have an extra car to loan her. The $21/day the insurance company authorized would not cover a car rental, which is hard to get on a long term.

And even for ICE cars repairs are taking longer and longer. My family runs an auto repair business and parts are simply not available or take weeks to get on upper-end vehicles, like a Mercedes S class.