It's a shame Tesla Service is so bad

[SlegMD]

OK everyone, every time we have a positive service visit we need to document it on this forum so people can get their subjective analysis… corrected.

2/2 successful service visits for cybertruck with rental provided and reason for visit addressed.

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[CWiley]

OK everyone, every time we have a positive service visit we need to document it on this forum so people can get their subjective analysis… corrected.

2/2 successful service visits for cybertruck with rental provided and reason for visit addressed.

OK everyone, every time we have a positive service visit we need to document it on this forum so people can get their subjective analysis… corrected.

2/2 successful service visits for cybertruck with rental provided and reason for visit addressed.

I mean, you can...It's not that serious to me. Just an observation. Didn't mean to hurt feelings.

 

[CyberLucky]

Yes, observation. However, I do reverse my right to complain.

Reversal noted and agreed!

 

[SlegMD]

I mean, you can...It's not that serious to me. Just an observation. Didn't mean to hurt feelings.

It’s misleading. And of course we hear of the blunders. Perhaps hearing the successes may get an accurate feel of what’s going on?

 

[HaulingAss]

Even better would be if we didn’t have to use the service in the first place.

Tesla's are pretty close to that but, being a mechanical device, it will never be service-free.

I can say this: Of the 4 Tesla we currently have, and one that we traded in, none of them have needed anything unusual. All of them needed less maintaining and fixing that our best gas car that came before (a 1974 Volvo GL 144). Even that super reliable car needed more attention than any of our Tesla.

We just park 'em wet, plug 'em in, and forget about them until we need them again.

 

[HaulingAss]

OK everyone, every time we have a positive service visit we need to document it on this forum so people can get their subjective analysis… corrected.

2/2 successful service visits for cybertruck with rental provided and reason for visit addressed.

That's a good idea. We should probably stop responding to this thread.

It's pretty common for threads to be started with negative titles so that the Cybertruck curious will come here and leave with an impression that Cybertruck ownership is a disaster. Anti-Tesla cretins hate happy threads with real owners raving about how good the experience is, they need to put a damper on that.

When Tesla sales growth slows or reverses, there's a small army of clowns and business interests celebrating the decline. It's important to realize many of those same clowns like to feel like they are actively participating in the declines and will start threads like this to create or amplify false narratives.

Please note: I'm not saying everyone has only wonderful Tesla Service experiences, I'm saying there are a lot of people who like to amplify the negative experiences and act as if they are the norm and as predictable as the sun rising in the East. They want to give the uninitiated a sickening feeling with anything associated with Tesla. Hence the title of this thread. And the desire to constantly keep it alive near the top of Recent Threads.

Of course it's impossible to prove motives, and this will be denied with a bunch of meaningless hogwash, but I leave it at that. Most people can see through the BS.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

There are (1) structural issues with Tesla Service, there (2) are design/engineering issues with some models, and (3) there are people issues inside the service experience, and all three "problems" are different and may require different approaches to solutions.

Structural Issues. Tesla's recent insistence on doing everything through its app, avoiding expensive human interaction, was intended to be a benefit to customers - a new paradigm. It was also intended to automate interactions, provide documentation and history for every event, and make service more uniform across its platform. Sometimes it works great and feels like a solid customer service modality. However, it is unquestionably impersonal and forces us to fit sometimes complicated issues into their version of a service box, where a conversation with a human might be better. My solution is to quickly get past the app to a human. Sometimes this means driving over to my local SC and talking directly to a human, bypassing the system. I have the luxury of a nearby SC at both of our primary residences, so can do this without much hassle. However, our third personal property is 200 miles from a Service Center, and it can be a huge pain to request service. Because of the app's automatic visit scheduling (usually modified later by SC staff upon seeing the request), we are often inconvenienced due to parts availability issues and questions about loaners - it is never truly a service appointment until fully confirmed by a person at the local SC anyway.

These structural issues have evolved and continue changing, and I remain of two minds. Early in our Tesla ownership experience, 2012 & 2013, they would send "Rangers" to either fix the vehicle in our garage, or take it back 200 miles to be serviced. On two occasions, the ranger brought a loaner on a flatbed, and returned days later with our repaired car. With a 200-mile service distance (400 miles round trip), this meant an entire day of service center staff hours was lost, clearly an unsustainable model, but nice while it lasted. While my in-person-stop-by-the-SC approach works for me now, this isn't a solution for folks who have no nearby SC.

Is the app-based service structure it better than the old-school auto dealership service model? I don't think so, having regular interactions with other manufacturers, folks like Ford, Porsche, Mercedes, and all the Japanese manufacturers have upped their service game. Some, like Ford, also require using their automated system, but access to a human is much more immediate, and I have had nothing but excellent service experiences with many non-Tesla auto companies over the past 15 years since service became more of a priority for the entire industry. Bottom line: Tesla needs to figure out how to make humans more available in its service program. However, this runs counter to the observations in the third issue people - people issues.

Design/Engineering Issues. We are all beta testers to some extent. It comes with Tesla ownership. That was acceptable to me in the company's early years, and I had no complaints when my 2012 MS was essentially reconstructed over the first two years of ownership as Tesla engineered newer parts, replaced batteries, and upgraded poor supplier work. We were on a mission, and the experience was thrilling - as were road trips before Superchargers.

Is the fact that Tesla cannot source robust half shafts to handle the torque of a Model X after 8 years making the beta-design model troubling? Should we accept that some promised features still don't exist many years after being announced as "soon"?

I guess that also comes with the territory, but when you are producing hundreds of thousands of vehicles per quarter, as Tesla is today, you get less grace, less leeway from the kind of early adopter that Tesla owners had to be in 2012-2015. With volume like this, Tesla is measured in fit, finish, and reliability against Toyota, Honda, Volvo. This is where Tesla still takes too many chances - because it announces models and features before being fully baked, Tesla gets forced into releasing products before they should - so CT parts fall off, the basic exoskeleton thesis gets abandoned mid-design but after announcement, the first-year production roofs need more tint, and the promised self-driving features still don't exist ten years later.

Yes, it is now 11 years since Elon's AP announcement promising we'd be able to put our kids in the car and send them to school unattended by a human - my kids are long since grown and I am hoping this comes to fruition before my now-grandkids reach adulthood.

Like the structural service issues, the design issues are part of the Tesla deal. I am inclined to accept replacing my MX halfshafts every six months vs waiting years for the otherwise incredible driving experience. Consumer Reports would disagree, and I understand why. Customers must decide whether to accept this approach or leave it, because I don't see it changing.

People Issues. I live life under four basic truisms. Rule #1 - Incompetence reigns supreme. Rule #2 - You cannot have nice things. Rule #3 - No good deed does unpunished. I added Rule #4 this year after many years as a candidate - Nothing is ever easy.

Tesla is a victim of its success but it is also limited by its success. You cannot hire rocket scientists to work in an auto service center. Really good people simply will not accept being a customer service rep or a technician any more than Elon Musk will ever turn a wrench to fix a used Tesla. So we don;t get Elon Musk when getting any vehicle fixed - at best we get mediocre people who have chosen compromise careers. They may have drug, substance, or health issues, and they are limited by corporate policy. They are also limited by the structural service issues and engineering issues outlined above.

I have had great experiences with people at Tesla Service Centers, especially early on, but note that lately staff have become zombies - going through motions, repeating policy, providing obstacles to answers rather than solving problems. There have been really nice exceptions to that "incompetence reigns supreme" rule too in recent months.

What it comes down to is the luck of the draw, and persistence. I had a broken bed divider from the first day I had my CT - it took a dozen app interactions and four visits to three service centers to resolve - and then only after "fooling" the return system at the recommendation of a Tesla SC manager - I purchased a SECOND bed divider, and then returned the original broken one in the package that the second one came in, within Tesla's stupid 30-day return window. It shouldn't be that hard for a customer to get satisfaction - and it was a perfect example - no human ever found a way to solve my problem except to tell me how to game the structural systemic problem - on my own.

This was an example of all three Tesla service issues - requiring using an ill-suite app to get a broken accessory replaced, the poorly engineered latching system on the bed divider (since reengineered), and the people problem. I am confident that with Ford or Porsche in recent years I would not have experienced any of these three frustrations with that easy-to-solve customer problem.

Still a happy and committed Tesla customer, but yes, their new way isn't always better. I will keep returning for whippings because Tesla vehicles are better life experiences than any other transportation alternative, warts and all.

 

[CWiley]

There are (1) structural issues with Tesla Service, there (2) are design/engineering issues with some models, and (3) there are people issues inside the service experience, and all three "problems" are different and may require different approaches to solutions.

Structural Issues. Tesla's recent insistence on doing everything through its app, avoiding expensive human interaction, was intended to be a benefit to customers - a new paradigm. It was also intended to automate interactions, provide documentation and history for every event, and make service more uniform across its platform. Sometimes it works great and feels like a solid customer service modality. However, it is unquestionably impersonal and forces us to fit sometimes complicated issues into their version of a service box, where a conversation with a human might be better. My solution is to quickly get past the app to a human. Sometimes this means driving over to my local SC and talking directly to a human, bypassing the system. I have the luxury of a nearby SC at both of our primary residences, so can do this without much hassle. However, our third personal property is 200 miles from a Service Center, and it can be a huge pain to request service. Because of the app's automatic visit scheduling (usually modified later by SC staff upon seeing the request), we are often inconvenienced due to parts availability issues and questions about loaners - it is never truly a service appointment until fully confirmed by a person at the local SC anyway.

These structural issues have evolved and continue changing, and I remain of two minds. Early in our Tesla ownership experience, 2012 & 2013, they would send "Rangers" to either fix the vehicle in our garage, or take it back 200 miles to be serviced. On two occasions, the ranger brought a loaner on a flatbed, and returned days later with our repaired car. With a 200-mile service distance (400 miles round trip), this meant an entire day of service center staff hours was lost, clearly an unsustainable model, but nice while it lasted. While my in-person-stop-by-the-SC approach works for me now, this isn't a solution for folks who have no nearby SC.

Is the app-based service structure it better than the old-school auto dealership service model? I don't think so, having regular interactions with other manufacturers, folks like Ford, Porsche, Mercedes, and all the Japanese manufacturers have upped their service game. Some, like Ford, also require using their automated system, but access to a human is much more immediate, and I have had nothing but excellent service experiences with many non-Tesla auto companies over the past 15 years since service became more of a priority for the entire industry. Bottom line: Tesla needs to figure out how to make humans more available in its service program. However, this runs counter to the observations in the third issue people - people issues.

Design/Engineering Issues. We are all beta testers to some extent. It comes with Tesla ownership. That was acceptable to me in the company's early years, and I had no complaints when my 2012 MS was essentially reconstructed over the first two years of ownership as Tesla engineered newer parts, replaced batteries, and upgraded poor supplier work. We were on a mission, and the experience was thrilling - as were road trips before Superchargers.

Is the fact that Tesla cannot source robust half shafts to handle the torque of a Model X after 8 years making the beta-design model troubling? Should we accept that some promised features still don't exist many years after being announced as "soon"?

I guess that also comes with the territory, but when you are producing hundreds of thousands of vehicles per quarter, as Tesla is today, you get less grace, less leeway from the kind of early adopter that Tesla owners had to be in 2012-2015. With volume like this, Tesla is measured in fit, finish, and reliability against Toyota, Honda, Volvo. This is where Tesla still takes too many chances - because it announces models and features before being fully baked, Tesla gets forced into releasing products before they should - so CT parts fall off, the basic exoskeleton thesis gets abandoned mid-design but after announcement, the first-year production roofs need more tint, and the promised self-driving features still don't exist ten years later.

Yes, it is now 11 years since Elon's AP announcement promising we'd be able to put our kids in the car and send them to school unattended by a human - my kids are long since grown and I am hoping this comes to fruition before my now-grandkids reach adulthood.

Like the structural service issues, the design issues are part of the Tesla deal. I am inclined to accept replacing my MX halfshafts every six months vs waiting years for the otherwise incredible driving experience. Consumer Reports would disagree, and I understand why. Customers must decide whether to accept this approach or leave it, because I don't see it changing.

People Issues. I live life under four basic truisms. Rule #1 - Incompetence reigns supreme. Rule #2 - You cannot have nice things. Rule #3 - No good deed does unpunished. I added Rule #4 this year after many years as a candidate - Nothing is ever easy.

Tesla is a victim of its success but it is also limited by its success. You cannot hire rocket scientists to work in an auto service center. Really good people simply will not accept being a customer service rep or a technician any more than Elon Musk will ever turn a wrench to fix a used Tesla. So we don;t get Elon Musk when getting any vehicle fixed - at best we get mediocre people who have chosen compromise careers. They may have drug, substance, or health issues, and they are limited by corporate policy. They are also limited by the structural service issues and engineering issues outlined above.

I have had great experiences with people at Tesla Service Centers, especially early on, but note that lately staff have become zombies - going through motions, repeating policy, providing obstacles to answers rather than solving problems. There have been really nice exceptions to that "incompetence reigns supreme" rule too in recent months.

What it comes down to is the luck of the draw, and persistence. I had a broken bed divider from the first day I had my CT - it took a dozen app interactions and four visits to three service centers to resolve - and then only after "fooling" the return system at the recommendation of a Tesla SC manager - I purchased a SECOND bed divider, and then returned the original broken one in the package that the second one came in, within Tesla's stupid 30-day return window. It shouldn't be that hard for a customer to get satisfaction - and it was a perfect example - no human ever found a way to solve my problem except to tell me how to game the structural systemic problem - on my own.

This was an example of all three Tesla service issues - requiring using an ill-suite app to get a broken accessory replaced, the poorly engineered latching system on the bed divider (since reengineered), and the people problem. I am confident that with Ford or Porsche in recent years I would not have experienced any of these three frustrations with that easy-to-solve customer problem.

Still a happy and committed Tesla customer, but yes, their new way isn't always better. I will keep returning for whippings because Tesla vehicles are better life experiences than any other transportation alternative, warts and all.
[/QUOTE

...Tesla Service is so bad that we try to avoid it at all costs. We try to do it ourselves. Put off service, hoping they will get it right by the time we take our trucks in for service. Avoid service lest they break something else. Live with minor issues to avoid having our trucks returned with a more significant problem. Funny, not funny!

That's a good idea. We should probably stop responding to this thread.

It's pretty common for threads to be started with negative titles so that the Cybertruck curious will come here and leave with an impression that Cybertruck ownership is a disaster. Anti-Tesla cretins hate happy threads with real owners raving about how good the experience is, they need to put a damper on that.

When Tesla sales growth slows or reverses, there's a small army of clowns and business interests celebrating the decline. It's important to realize many of those same clowns like to feel like they are actively participating in the declines and will start threads like this to create or amplify false narratives.

Please note: I'm not saying everyone has only wonderful Tesla Service experiences, I'm saying there are a lot of people who like to amplify the negative experiences and act as if they are the norm and as predictable as the sun rising in the East. They want to give the uninitiated a sickening feeling with anything associated with Tesla. Hence the title of this thread. And the desire to constantly keep it alive near the top of Recent Threads.

Of course it's impossible to prove motives, and this will be denied with a bunch of meaningless hogwash, but I leave it at that. Most people can see through the BS.

I own a Tesla Cyberbeast and enjoy it! I own Tesla stock and have an intrest in it growing. I have no motive beyond my observation... You can also be blinded by brand loyalty.

 

[PungoteagueDave]

I own a Tesla Cyberbeast and enjoy it! I own Tesla stock and have an intrest in it growing. I have no motive beyond my observation... You can also be blinded by brand loyalty.

This

It is often a tough environment on any product forum. I admin a couple, and find good people saying things they’d never express one-on-one. That happens here often, with fanbois defending everything, little allowance for balanced views, and regular accusations of ulterior (FUD) motivations, where the target (usually the OP) is simply providing a balanced observation, or seeking input, or expressing frustration.

I have been accused here of lying and fabrication, of not actually owning Teslas, trying to damage TSLA, etc, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The defenders of all-things-Tesla think (correctly in some cases) that bad actors will come here and get fodder for new posts and internet articles that can be used to move the stock or damage their interests or those of Tesla. This is at least partly fueled by Elon’s hatred of shorts. They therefore want to shut down anything that plays negatively with respect to TSLA, even if it is fair - because they think the most important thing is to stop those guys beforehand. I refuse to play that game, let the chips fall where they may, and participate in all forums in the spirit with which they should be viewed. If third parties want to use posts to sh*t on the brand or other nefarious reasons, so be it. Truth and justice prevails in the end.

 

[Sterling Shadow]

I had a good experience getting my Tonneau replaced. Model S Plaid loaner, 2 day turnaround. I elected to not have the needed body work done due to all the online horror stories. The wavy panels just adds uniqueness I guess. Need to go back in the near future to replace/fix a faulty front passenger seat sensor that occasionally thinks someone is sitting in it without anything on the seat. I get a seatbelt alarm and the AC settings turn on for the ghost passenger.

 

[CWiley]

This

It is often a tough environment on any product forum. I admin a couple, and find good people saying things they’d never express one-on-one. That happens here often, with fanbois defending everything, little allowance for balanced views, and regular accusations of ulterior (FUD) motivations, where the target (usually the OP) is simply providing a balanced observation, or seeking input, or expressing frustration.

I have been accused here of lying and fabrication, of not actually owning Teslas, trying to damage TSLA, etc, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The defenders of all-things-Tesla think (correctly in some cases) that bad actors will come here and get fodder for new posts and internet articles that can be used to move the stock or damage their interests or those of Tesla. This is at least partly fueled by Elon’s hatred of shorts. They therefore want to shut down anything that plays negatively with respect to TSLA, even if it is fair - because they think the most important thing is to stop those guys beforehand. I refuse to play that game, let the chips fall where they may, and participate in all forums in the spirit with which they should be viewed. If third parties want to use posts to sh*t on the brand or other nefarious reasons, so be it. Truth and justice prevails in the end.

For the record my original post was...

" It's a shame..." (dot, dot, dot)

You would need to click on that to see the ... that Tesla service is so bad, part.
Abmin changed the full title to " It's a shame that Tesla service is so bad " putting the statement in full view without clicking on the thread.

 

[CyberLucky]

For the record my original post was...

" It's a shame..." (dot, dot, dot)

You would need to click on that to see the ... that Tesla service is so bad, part.
Abmin changed the full title to " It's a shame that Tesla service is so bad " putting the statement in full view without clicking on the thread.

Perhaps the reason why people might get the wrong impression and wonder what the actual point of your post was is that it's just a one paragraph general complaint with no specifics, no particular issue, no explanation of your experience. Just "Tesla service bad!" and some foot stomping. You then later state that you made your post based on *other people's* posted bad experiences. So really, you're not adding anything at all - it's the forum equivalent of click bait (which to date has admittedly proven quite effective).

How about elaborating on *your* actual bad service experiences? What went wrong for you, which Tesla service center was involved, and how can that help the rest of us learn from your experiences?

 

[riggster]

...Tesla Service is so bad that we try to avoid it at all costs. We try to do it ourselves. Put off service, hoping they will get it right by the time we take our trucks in for service. Avoid service lest they break something else. Live with minor issues to avoid having our trucks returned with a more significant problem. Funny, not funny!

Seems pretty good in Oklahoma City. Sorry to hear that your service center sucks.

 

[CWiley]

Perhaps the reason why people might get the wrong impression and wonder what the actual point of your post was is that it's just a one paragraph general complaint with no specifics, no particular issue, no explanation of your experience. Just "Tesla service bad!" and some foot stomping. You then later state that you made your post based on *other people's* posted bad experiences. So really, you're not adding anything at all - it's the forum equivalent of click bait (which to date has admittedly proven quite effective).

How about elaborating on *your* actual bad service experiences? What went wrong for you, which Tesla service center was involved, and how can that help the rest of us learn from your experiences?

I can see your point.

I was simply reading through post one day to get caught up and noticed several issues while reading, I observed, thought to my self...it's a shame... and posted my thoughts. That's all there is to it.

 

[CWiley]

Perhaps the reason why people might get the wrong impression and wonder what the actual point of your post was is that it's just a one paragraph general complaint with no specifics, no particular issue, no explanation of your experience. Just "Tesla service bad!" and some foot stomping. You then later state that you made your post based on *other people's* posted bad experiences. So really, you're not adding anything at all - it's the forum equivalent of click bait (which to date has admittedly proven quite effective).

How about elaborating on *your* actual bad service experiences? What went wrong for you, which Tesla service center was involved, and how can that help the rest of us learn from your experiences?

I've already elaborate on how service removed a third party rearview mirror camera (totally unrelated to my being there to have the light bar installed), left it hanging by its wires and refused to reinstall it.... long story.

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