Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Wow...Tesla service really is that bad....

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
may be your high expectation of Tesla might have ruined everything or too much online Tesla nit picking postings but stay away from dealers-you know what I mean.

The biggest challenge for Tesla is the lack of quality customer service. Customer service lacks 'cuz the advisors KNOW that they will sell all of the models. So why bother?

If I'm spending $50K USD on a BMW/Lexus/Mercedes etc. then I'd get treated like royalty.

I'm not expecting amazing treatment but at least follow-up on your emails and call me as promised. Jeez...
 
I'm not expecting amazing treatment but at least follow-up on your emails and call me as promised. Jeez...

Really, that's all I feel like most customers are asking - just try to communicate effectively and honestly. Right now, Tesla's cars are so far ahead of the competition that most customers just put up with it, but the rest of the vehicle manufacturers are going to catch up eventually.
 
Eventually, these service issues are going to cost Tesla a significant bit of business. I haven't even received my Model Y yet, and I'm getting ready to walk away. One week ago, we were on our way to the service center to pick up our new MY, after the delivery date was changed 4 times, and 10 minutes before our delivery appointment, less than a mile from the SC, we receive a call that our MY was damaged in transit. They "just discovered" the unspecified damage while setting it up for delivery. Apparently the damage was severe enough that it can't be repaired anytime soon, and we'll be assigned another vehicle. They had no idea on how long that would take. We had opted for only two options, blue paint and the tow package, and told them we'd be open to another color if they'd get us in a car sooner.
Since that phone call one week ago, not a word from them. I've sent texts, emails, and voice mails to the SC, just to get an idea on when we could expect delivery. No response in a week. My account online tells me nothing.
They also cancelled my free supercharger miles (referral code) from my order, saying there was a state law against referrals in our state, but I've heard from other local owners that they got the miles on their MY, so that makes no sense. The only thing I've heard is an automated email saying my trade-in evaluation had expired and I'd have to redo all of that. At this point, I'm looking at other vehicles. I did a 24-hour test drive on a MY, and it's an absolutely amazing car which I definitely want to buy, but their customer service is just terrible.
Quarter just rolled so don’t expect them to be in a hurry.
 
Would you all do this again? I want to buy a Tesla but these horror stories are making me want to run in the opposite direction.

Most service centers are good, but some are apparently bad. I have always had good experiences with Tesla service. Always got a loaner and fixed whatever I asked. Many golf my cars before Tesla, I always had to fight to get things fixed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ElectricIAC
I really like my car... but it's been annoying getting the paint problems at delivery back in June fixed at Milford, CT...
- made an appointment shortly after 7/1, gave me an August date
- right before the August date they call and want me to take pictures of the damage and they can't find out who my delivery guy was (that took a ton of pictures)
- called me the day before to cancel and say they'll get back to me with a new date because it's going to a body shop anyway
- many, many weeks go by and I don't hear back so I call again
- get a date several weeks in the future
- drive the car 1 hour down to the service center and am told they want to inspect and my car won't be going in today
- drive 1 hour home and they schedule me again for a few weeks out
- drive 1 hour back down last Monday to drop it off and get a loaner
- I come at the scheduled time, they don't check me in for 35 minutes after I go back several times to see if they can take me (no other customers)
- they tell me it'll be 7-10 days (fine, they are working on 3 body panels)
- I get notified that it's going to the body shop in a "day or two"
- get a notification on Thursday that it's been transferred to the body shop and they'll call me on Monday with an update. I'll buy all of you a drink if I get any notification on Monday.

I'm assuming I won't get my car back until next Friday anyway...

I also notified them that at drop off that one of the backup lights is out... reminded them a few times. I'll bet that it's not fixed when I get it (just a hunch). If I have to make a 3rd two hour round trip for this I'll be... uh, displeased.

Still love the car though...
 
We just picked up our new Model Y from Highland Park in the Chicago area. Before we went in to get the car they caught some paint issues and would not give us the car until they were fixed. It pushed back the delivery a week and a half but was well worth the wait - the car was flawless. I can only say good things about our customer service experience with Highland Park - they were great. We've owned 5 new vehicles through the years - Chevy, Chrysler, Mazda and two Toyotas. They were all great cars but none of them were perfect.
 
  • Love
Reactions: Electroman
Would you all do this again? I want to buy a Tesla but these horror stories are making me want to run in the opposite direction.

Despite the lack of service, I'd absolutely buy another Tesla again.

And there are tons of repeat buyers who think like me, which doesn't help this situation.

The service advisors reasoning:
It sells anyways so why bother?
Tesla makes and sells EVERY SINGLE vehicle anyways, so why care so much about helping customers?
 
Many of these service issues would disappear if Tesla could address the many significant and systemic initial quality shortcomings these cars suffer from.

For instance, the SC doesn’t have the manpower or expertise to resolve significant panel alignment and paint issues and have to reallocate resources to (inefficiently) deal with them. The SC’s are dealt a bad hand and I imagine most are doing the best they can under the circumstances. The current approach of “fix it later” simply isn’t sustainable quarter after quarter. They have to increase quality and workmanship standards in Fremont or they are never going to dig out.
 
Most of my service has been great so far other than getting parts. I have a dented trim piece above my rear door from delivery that still hasn’t arrived and I’ve had the car 6 months. I just blast corporate on not providing the service centers with the tools to do their jobs when I get a review email.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ElectricIAC
Would you all do this again? I want to buy a Tesla but these horror stories are making me want to run in the opposite direction.

Hi, for me no, wouldn't do it again. I returned my Model Y Performance and while Tesla was willing to get me an identically configured vehicle since the original didn't work, I declined. I had a couple weeks worth of patience, but that dried up and I never want to repeat the hassle.
 
Would you all do this again? I want to buy a Tesla but these horror stories are making me want to run in the opposite direction.

a great question....like others here, i've had numerous SC visits for our MY we've owned for 3 months. There are 2 SCs near us and can attest that 1 is superior in customer service to the other. By superior, I mean they are responsive and TRY to make things work. Its a low bar, but the other SC just doesnt have their act together at all so not even close.

If I would have known then what i know now (!), I THINK I could have avoided some of these issues (and avoided the terrible interactions with the SCs) by tackling them head on...but its an amazing car, just terribly unfortunate (and not a great long term strategy) to have terrible customer service that fails to meet expectations even at a low bar. Am confident I can go into next purchase a lot smarter in the Ways of Tesla the next time around.
 
I hope Tesla reads these posts

I don't think they'll care to fix it because of the customer experience.

They should care to fix it because it costs them millions of dollars to fix these defective cars under warranty. Doubt they'll care as much about the customer experience until they're not selling every car they produce.

I just got my car back from them and I left with almost as many problems as I went in with...

They installed the tow hitch
Fixed my roof rattle

New problems...
They fixed the rear driver side door alignment, but in doing so the front driver side door is now not aligned and looks like its not closed all the way when is in fact closed all the way.
They scratched the glass on the driver side b pillar.
Left some sort of sticky substance on my trunk after installing the tow hitch that I can't get off
The whole backside of the car has a spotty sticky substance all over.

I now have to schedule another appointment probably a month or so out to get these resolved. Terrible experience for me, which I doubt they care about...but they will start to care about how much all these visits for cars under warranty start costing them.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4454.JPG
    IMG_4454.JPG
    564.4 KB · Views: 78
  • IMG_4419.JPG
    IMG_4419.JPG
    670.8 KB · Views: 56
  • IMG_4416.JPG
    IMG_4416.JPG
    511.6 KB · Views: 70
  • Informative
Reactions: Riguy
^ wow!! I would be super pissed if they did that shite to my car! Especially scratching the pillar glass which now has to be replaced.

Don't know how far you are from the SC.. but , f@^$ the emails.... I would be there the very next morning in a very "unpleasant" mood :mad:

It just strengthens the case for flat out rejecting cars with even minor imperfections....
 
  • Funny
Reactions: fparent
A fixed price franchise car dealer model would not have these issues.

Tesla would have to pay the dealer to fix the cars. What we have with Tesla is an incentive for the factory manager to ship crap.

A car dealer could not risk their business by delivery so many cars with clear defects.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NY_Rob