Consumer Reports not happy with Tesla Delivery experience

[JeffKeryk]

Jeff,

I think both your experience and CRs experience are valid data points, generally speaking.

My personal visit to the Tesla showroom was generally pleasant, but on the other hand I was asked to wait for the rep that I had booked an appointment with since he was talking to other customers. Because my wife was not there yet, I didn't care really, but if she had already arrived and we had to wait 20 minutes for an appointment that I made ahead of time, it wouldn't have been a good look in my eyes. As it was, it worked out fine though. $0.02.

Sure. Lexus of Stevens Creek, a huge dealership, basically sez, "Here's the price. Got a Black Card?"
Putnam Lexus, where I shop, is down right neighborly. And the deals are not nearly as tight...

Now for parts, forget about Putnam; zero discounting. Stevens Creek has one of the biggest parts (and service) departments in the US. Always willing to shave a little.

 

[edyvw]

Ha, to think they got me a loaner X3 service was doing a recall on a 13-year-old car.

 

[AZjeff]

Question for you: Why does the Fremont facility have little to do with reality? It happens to be the largest US car factory by production numbers.

Exactly. It has nothing to do with the reality of Tesla delivery sites across the rest of the US. Of course Tesla has it's act together at it's flagship Fremont facility, it would be beyond stupid if they didn't. RC said they weren't given a how to operate run-down. Inexcusable. You bought an update of the model you had, you didn't need it.

And they didn't need to see your trade because they know every last thing about it, all in a file somewhere that the car uploaded.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Exactly. It has nothing to do with the reality of Tesla delivery sites across the rest of the US. Of course Tesla has it's act together at it's flagship Fremont facility, it would be beyond stupid if they didn't. RC said they weren't given a how to operate run-down. Inexcusable. You bought an update of the model you had, you didn't need it.

And they didn't need to see your trade because they know every last thing about it, all in a file somewhere that the car uploaded.

Curious: How do you know "the reality of Tesla delivery sites across the rest of the US." ? You got me there...

Tesla customer sat tends to be the envy of the industry.

 

[alarmguy]

Here you go from Consumer Reports.
Not that it matters that much if the vehicle is a different class.
I feel many people trash CR except when data is in their favor

Source - https://www.consumerreports.org/car.../most-and-least-liked-car-brands-a1291429338/

 

[AZjeff]

Curious: How do you know "the reality of Tesla delivery sites across the rest of the US." ? You got me there..

Does your stellar experience at the flagship cancel or negate the experience that Comsumer Reports had? Did they make it up to make Tesla look bad?

Scroll through this teslamotorclub thread when you have a chance.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/thr...xperience-lacking-in-customer-service.303748/

 

[dnewton3]

Everyone's personal experience is valid. Anyone can have a good or bad experience. The question is this ... is that personal experience "normal" (is it what most experience)? The trends are not reported as favorable for buying a Tesla.

I said this a few years ago. As Tesla grows, so will its quality issues and customer problems. It's easy to be hyper focused on quality and customer service when you're making a few hundred cars a year. Start making hundreds of thousands, and using huge networks of humans to man/supply those networks, and the controls start slipping.

 

[demarpaint]

Me too.

Add me to that list. I'd be out of there so fast heads would be spinning. I have a very low tolerance for BS, especially when I'm spending my hard earned cash.

 

[RAVL]

CR has a left wing perspective on things. My .02 is that since Elon has gone activist, we have seen more complaints about Tesla in the press. Last month the WSJ did an article featuring interviews with people whose Cybertrucks were delivered dirty. It was on the front page, confirming my suspicion (as a reader of the WSJ since 1993) that the adults are no longer in charge. It went downhill when Murdoch bought it, then the new editor Tucker accelerated the decline - she should really be the online editor for E! But I digress.

Now CR has some utility if you like to see comparisons of televisions every month, battery powered leaf blowers compared to your wife’s hair dryer, or really value their opinions on cars (I don’t). Otherwise, it is interesting reading for two minutes while I wait at the dentist’s office, although even then some times I would rather stare at my phone.

My son and his friends really likes the cybertruck, however, and he is a young car guy, so I think they got the styling right, although it is not for me. Overall, from people I know who own them, Teslas seem to be the best electric vehicle.

I will buy an electric when they pry my 8 cylinder internal combustion motors from my cold, dead hands. More seriously, I will buy one when they figure out how to extinguish them in an accident (experience with fire on track or more precisely off track) and I am comfortable I am not buying a top loading two head VCR.

My advice is if you want a Cybertruck drive it (see if you can rent one even) and make up your own mind. Let the weenies at CR handle granola comparisons.

Have a good day everyone.

 

[mk378]

The CyberTruck is a dud, and the company overall is having trouble going nationwide. It's a niche regional brand that's likely to decline as even loyal people get tired of the other models. I compare it to Ford in the 1920s trying to keep the 15 year old Model T as their only car. Other car companies overtook them with better products.

 

[andrew_j]

I am amazed at folks I know who fly to NJ in my area to have a sort of cruddy experience with Model Yand drive it back on weekend. 5-6 hr ride.

These are people who make $400-$600k incomes . I’d have it delivered but maybe they do that anymore ? I value my time on weekend.

The delivery experience leaves something to be desired , no agenda of Consumer Reports.

 

[JHZR2]

People often complain (rightly so) about the domestic Big Three dealer experiences.
It's only fair to comment on Tesla as well.
And if I spent over $100k and got that kind of treatment, I probably would have walked before signing the papers.

Not hard to spend nearly that money at a domestic big three dealership for the same type of treatment.

Actually my experience at dealerships has been pretty good.

One has to wonder about the rest of the story. Maybe @97prizm is an author for CR and is just letting the hate of EM come forth in the article? a bad dealer, bad overbooked day, etc. can all be contributing factors. Not good excuses. But factors all the same.

 

[wpod]

experience

 

[Torrid]

The CyberTruck is a dud, and the company overall is having trouble going nationwide. It's a niche regional brand that's likely to decline as even loyal people get tired of the other models. I compare it to Ford in the 1920s trying to keep the 15 year old Model T as their only car. Other car companies overtook them with better products.

You’re right. They’ve hit insane sales numbers with the Model 3 and Model Y, but the niche Cybertruck will be their undoing.

As far as service center experience goes (they aren’t dealers) I found the experience particularly hands off. If you’re looking to have a hand held and coddled through the process, you’re probably not getting that. It was sign something on an iPad screen and hand them a check. Go to the car, look it over and leave. I had a little less to sign than @JeffKeryk since I didn’t have a trade in.

I’d say the process was rather unremarkable, which I see as a positive because I really dislike the dealer experience. I want to buy what I want with a set price and leave. I’ve done enough haggling over the years that I refuse to do it again. That’s why I own a VW and a Tesla.

 

[Fair enough]

Saturn had the same fixed price buying plan, and the same let’s not have the annoying haggling experience, shall we? But then comes the trade in. I know I am not selling a car privately like I used to. Just take the beating and go. From looking at Hertz, the model 3 is pretty down there on trade in price.
Maybe in twenty years recycling of batteries will make one issue go away, the throw away nature of an ev once the battery is degraded. Although few people keep a car 15-20 years these days. Some trade it in like an iphone. Battery degradation isn’t an issue for them.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Does your stellar experience at the flagship cancel or negate the experience that Comsumer Reports had? Did they make it up to make Tesla look bad?

Scroll through this teslamotorclub thread when you have a chance.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/thr...xperience-lacking-in-customer-service.303748/

Certainly not. Conversely, does their experience negate mine? I am simply saying a few singular experiences do not tell the whole story.

It seems that different locations, different people, etc. deliver different levels of satisfaction. Pretty true in just about every business. I leased/bought 3 Accords from a dealership just south of here. The 1st deal was amazing, the 2nd pretty bad and the 3rd was a bit of both. The problem with the 3rd purchase was not the salesman; he was great. The decider tried to squeeze me. I left, only to have them call me back about an hour later with a "fair" deal. I felt bad for the salesman; he was very helpful.

Does Tesla need to improve? I'm sure that's true.

 

[andrew_j]

If I recall correctly both people mentioned NJ pickup was using an iPad and barely a human interaction. Some folks great with that others not so sure.

 

[dogememe]

If I recall correctly both people mentioned NJ pickup was using an iPad and barely a human interaction. Some folks great with that others not so sure.

Sounds like a dream. Too bad my next car will be a Honda Prologue, and the dealer that seems to have the most of them around here was the one that treated my aunt so poorly she bought a Subaru instead and I swore that nobody I know or care about would ever grace their location with our presence or business.

If I could get a fair price online, show up, inspect the car, sign a few already prepared things on an iPad, and leave, I'd be all over it.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Sounds like a dream. Too bad my next car will be a Honda Prologue, and the dealer that seems to have the most of them around here was the one that treated my aunt so poorly she bought a Subaru instead and I swore that nobody I know or care about would ever grace their location with our presence or business.

If I could get a fair price online, show up, inspect the car, sign a few already prepared things on an iPad, and leave, I'd be all over it.

The Tesla process is very easy, but for me the real win was the lack of hard sell add on stuff. I get so tired of saying, "No."

 

[dogememe]

The Tesla process is very easy, but for me the real win was the lack of hard sell add on stuff. I get so tired of saying, "No."

They tried to sell me a service contract that included free oil changes as well as catalytic converter protection. On a Bolt. That's the kinda stuff people are sick of.