Update: I finally got a call. They fixed the issue but couldn't tell me what the problem was. (Typical.) It was "an IT glitch" which diesn't make me confident AT ALL in their buying process.

How common is this. Teslas has sold hundreds of thousands of cars by now, and my transaction was almost as simple as they come. I'm financing through them, I have no trade-in, and my down payment was an electronic transfer. Very simple and straight forward. It's like trying to boil water and screwing it up.

I'm still not confidant I'll be able to pick up my car tomorrow.

 

Before replying, I'd like to toss in a note that there is no need to be rude! This forum gets quite a few people who blow off steam about bad experiences. It would be a full time job insulting all of them, so save yourself some time.

How common is this. Teslas has sold hundreds of thousands of cars by now, and my transaction was almost as simple as they come. I'm financing through them, I have no trade-in, and my down payment was an electronic transfer. Very simple and straight forward. It's like trying to boil water and screwing it up.

I don't know what kind of car you came from, but I find that's an extremely common occurrence with both Tesla, and any other brand which isn't a luxury brand with hand-holding concierge delivery service. With nearly everything else, there are always paperwork glitches. Sometimes before delivery, sometimes during, and even more annoyingly, after, when they call you up after you have the car already to come in and fix the paperwork.

I've also had cars where they forgot to install or include something they were supposed to, necessitating me driving all the way back there the next day, because my delivery was too late in the day and they were closing.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't trust Tesla to boil water. They're in the Innovation and Technology business, but NOT Customer Service.

 

I would say it depends on where you live. I had nothing but great customer service experience when I needed Tesla help.

 

@gt40mkii Sorry to hear. I bought mine, sight unseen, all via the app with no issue. Unfortunately it does sound like an IT glitch type issue. I haven’t heard of this occurring before. Hope you’re able to pick it up. Keep us posted.

 

I swear Tesla is just the worst. I ordered an inventory car last Friday, and did all my paperwork that day. Financing was approved on Monday. And after that NOTHING. My order is stuck somewhere in limbo and no one at Tesla can figure out what's wrong or how to fix it.

The process is stuck an making the final payment and reviewing all the agreements.

Everything before that in the app has a green check, but there's simply no way to make my downpayment. I'm supposed to pick up the car tomorrow at 5:00, and if that doesn't happen, I'm canceling the order and getting something else.

I'm BEYOND PISSED at this point. Tesla is just another in a long loine of companies that hide behind technology to avoid interacting with their customers -- particularly those with problems they can't easily resolve.

My brother-in-law and I both ordered Model Ys in January. I kept seeing my exact build pop up in inventory while my delivery date kept moving away. After three months, I got impatient and ended up switching my order to an inventory build. I had to drive 3.5x farther to get it, but the wait was finally over.

My BIL's order got "lost". It was delivered to the wrong location, but that ended up working out in his favor in two ways: 1) He only had to drive 80 miles instead of 480 miles to pick it up and 2) during the days-long delay, Tesla dropped the price by $2,000 from his original purchase price, so Tesla sent him a check (about three months later).

I would strongly recommend not buying any EV other than a Tesla at this time - I'd rather wait on a Tesla than buy any other brand of EV.

 

I would strongly recommend not buying any EV other than a Tesla at this time - I'd rather wait on a Tesla than buy any other brand of EV.

THIS 100%. It's amazing how quickly the frown of delivery woes can be replaced by the Tesla grin !

 

It sounds as if you haven't ever gotten a car transfered from one dealer to another.
Stuff happens with any dealer or Tesla. It's not the norm, but it happens everywhere

 

I've been buying and selling cars my entire life (dad collected antique cars,) I've been dealing with car dealers a long time.

My main beef woth Tesla is the lack of accessablility and transparency. And its not because of the dealership versus direct sale thing. Tesla likes to use that as an excuse, but regardless of the kind of business you are, one of your fundamental responsibilities is to provide the customer a good experience, regardless.

Tesla's purchace process is driven by their app, and almost NOTHING is explained in the app. The timing of events is implied by the left-to-right order in the app, but no where does the app explain what is required to complete a step. My app was stuck on Final Payment for days. The Start button was greyed out and I was unable to make my downpayment with no explanation why and no opportunity to investigate or fix the issue within the app.

Now if there's an issue with a purchase or financing at a dealership, I have at least three people I can actually call and talk to about this - the salesperson, the finance persion, and the general sales manager (never leave a dealership without this person's business card.) I can actually call these people and work the issue.

I can't do that at Tesla. If I call the sales location's phone number, I get an automated system with a 90-minute hold. I can send them a text (to a different number, texting the location's phone number does nothing.) and then MAYBE someone will call back later. And if they do, there's no accountability for them. I can't complain to their boss if they drop the ball because I don't know who their boss is. If I want to follow up on something, all I can do is send a text, and I'll get another support person and the process repeats.

A system like this CAN work, but Tesla needs to make improvements to the purchase experience in their app, add more sales support staff and increase their transparency. Buying a car is a complicated process. You can't manage it the same way you manage ordering a delivery pizza.

 

Seems like you are not set up to enjoy the car and have little patience for any hiccup. This car may not be for you. Can’t wait to read your posts about software updates that aren’t exactly what you want or how you want them.

 

The important thing we’ve learned from the timing of the first two posts is, as soon as you post on here about a frozen app button being researched by already informed humans, the issue will get resolved.

😁

Can’t say customer service will get better down the road but keep that trick in your back pocket. Heck, probably doesn’t even have to be posted here as I’m guessing a letter to Santa will work just as well; I’ll give it a try next time it happens to me and let you all know.

 

For all the perspective about their sales model being broken, poor, unable to support a business, I would suggest a review of the Tesla ‘scoreboard’ (pick one - sales over time, relative market cap, etc.) … scoreboards suggest it can’t be nearly as dire a situation as some strenuously insist on. LOL

 

I don't think that everything about Tesla's customer service model is broken, far from it. Virtually all of my face-to-face interactions have been excellent. But Tesla fails mightily in customer communication across the board. This in turn tends to make the customer feel underappreciated, invalidated, ignored.

The performance metrics you've chosen as grades of Tesla's performance are skewed in Tesla's favor and will continue to be until robust competition exists (if ever). I'd suggest that a more on-point metric in this regard would be customer satisfaction surveys.

 

Tesla and customer service are antonyms. The car is fine. The technology is far superior than most. However my delivery wasn't ideal either. I spent 4 hours texting the trade-in team about why my trade value went from $29k to $27k. We finally struck a deal at $28,600 hours before I picked up my vehicle. No one came out to my car, no one showed me anything whatsover. I made service aware of issues but they were mainly cosmetic or fit and finish issues. We waited an hour in the waiting room for them to fix the issues I've had.

The actual money transaction after the dust settled was extremely easy. It was quicker and simpler than buying an iPhone online.

For me the service department has been great too. This includes mobile service, the service center in Toledo and even Clarkston location. They were very attentive and actually fixed my concerns. They didn't blow me off like many domestic makers.

You don't get the royal treatment like you would buying a Mercedes, BMW or Audi. But then you don't have to pay for it either. I've bought 8 Benzes, 3 Bimmers and 2 Audi over the years. While the sales treatment was exceptional, you pay for them in terms of those $2K service fees in unnecessary "scheduled" services.

 

I got my Y at the Clarkston location.

 

The metrics I choose are ‘skewed’ in Teslas favor? How are they skewed?

A definition I quickly found for that term: make biased or distorted that is regarded as inaccurate, unfair or misleading.

I believe they are excellent metrics for the point I’m trying to make. People get on here and try to make it sound like Tesla’s customer experience is horrible and that they can’t function like that. I’m pointing out that there are very important and very telling metrics that suggest that their hyperbole is … hyperbole … and not supported by facts. Is the customer service universally awesome … no. Do many have excellent buying experiences, service experiences, etc … yes.

 

The metrics you chose are skewed (misleading, not on point) at this time because Tesla has no robust competition. This lack of competition allows Tesla's "sales over time, relative market cap, etc." to be misleading indicators of their level of customer service (the topic at hand).

And BTW, if you read my post in its entirety, you'll notice that I agree with most of what you contend. I simply disagree that your chosen metrics are a fair representation of Tesla's customer relations grade.

 

I’m not making myself clear - folks make it sound like Tesla’s business model simply can’t work. Doom and gloom. My point is that it is working great (see my metrics). The doom and gloom is hyperbole. And with that … I’m out.

 

@gt40mkii did you get your car? How did it go?

 

For the most part Tesla service has been good to me. I've heard the exact opposite from others. The same could be said for the sales side of Tesla. To me they were terrible. I'm not sure if I'm able put up with that again. But many others said it was the best experience ever!

This reminds me of a Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" episode. The product is so good people are willing to put up with the nonesense. However once everyone has the secret recipe, the business model is no longer viable. Unfortunately the way other EV makers are floundering, we'll have to keep buying from the Soup Nazi for a while.

 

I ordered 23 Y on Tuesday on the app and found it in stock that day. At the most, $250 down payment and then financing input took about 30-40 mins. Pick up date was Wednesday so I picked it up the next day. Maybe we all forgot what the traditional dealership is like but I clearly remember... Negotiation of price, let me talk to my manager, that one on the paper is already sold, I can beat that price from another dealer, wheel care package, tire warranty, extra undercoating, and then the infamous floor mat.

I hope I brought some painful memories of traditional car purchases. Compared to all that, this process was seamless and almost perfect. A gentleman in a polo shirt asked for my ID, and then told me where my car was. Then I was off to my house. granted no one was there to show me how to open the trunk and how to fasten my seat belt but if I needed that information, it was on my phone. clips of videos were to be reviewed by me at my leisure before I went to pick it up.

One question. You guys keep talking about deliveries. Tesla delivers to your home? I didn't see that option, so I'm curious.

 

After going through this process a few times with our family, I can say it's been everything from sheer joy (ordered an in stock Model 3) to "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!" (purchasing my custom-ordered Model S).

After arranging financing, paying the down payment, and funding the loan, as I pulled into the lot excited for my S, I received a text from Tesla to the effect "Hey, we don't have your car here and we don't know when it will arrive. Sorry for the inconvenience". Yes, this was the last day of the quarter and it was a zoo at the Tesla store, but once I got to the store manager, she was incredibly helpful, took accountability and was very honest. She confirmed that I would not be getting a car that day but she would call me later in the evening with an update. True to her word, she did call and I recevied daily updates on the progress of my car, culminating in a home delivery approximately one week later. While very frustrated that day, I was impressed at her maturity and issue ownership.

Of course, the fit and finish looked like it was made by 9-year olds on a sugar high, but that's a separate issue.

Post-sale service for us has been great. We've had the mobile service a few times as well and that's been a great experience.

To the original poster - keep calm and be ready for the most amazing car you've ever owned. Tesla is still scaling their operations and are prone to operational glitches from time to time. It's frustrating but in the grand scheme of things, it's only a few days and the payoff of owning and driving a Tesla is like nothing else.

 

We got our Model Y in January of 2022, probably the longest wait-time time frame of all. It took 6 months to get it. To purchase the car, we went to the Tesla store, spoke with a very knowledgeable young lady, took a test drive, and ordered the car. Probably took about 30 minutes total. Tesla kept me apprised of the delivery date, which slipped a few times, and when they called to tell me the car was ready for me, I asked when I could pick it up. They said they would deliver it. About 5 minutes later, I got a knock on my door. It was one of the delivery guys. The other guy was driving the car into my garage. They walked me around the car, paired my phones with it, and made sure I was happy with the whole experience.

Later, when I had questions, I simply went to the Tesla store and spoke with, either a sales person or somebody in the service department. Satisfied every time.

Best buying experience ever!

 

I swear Tesla is just the worst. I ordered an inventory car last Friday, and did all my paperwork that day. Financing was approved on Monday. And after that NOTHING. My order is stuck somewhere in limbo and no one at Tesla can figure out what's wrong or how to fix it.

The process is stuck an making the final payment and reviewing all the agreements.

Everything before that in the app has a green check, but there's simply no way to make my downpayment. I'm supposed to pick up the car tomorrow at 5:00, and if that doesn't happen, I'm canceling the order and getting something else.

I'm BEYOND PISSED at this point. Tesla is just another in a long loine of companies that hide behind technology to avoid interacting with their customers -- particularly those with problems they can't easily resolve.

Tesla customer service is non existent. After having owned a Model S since 2015 I can say that with complete authority

 

Says something about the Company if you still have it after 8 years.

 

After reading the posts here I have come to the conclusion that because of the magic of the car no matter how much they complain they can't wait for that bad boy to show up.
Happy motoring.

 

I find Tesla service fabulous, it was tricky at first since it's by email and appp. I have found them responsive and professional.
I almost always begin with the app. Before resorting to email.

 

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that OP cancelled his order. His last of 4 total posts was the day after he opened the thread.

 

I really hope so. We have enough folks whose daily schedules include time to whine on this board.

 

...or, they finally got their Tesla and they've been out enjoying it and no longer have anything to complain about and haven't had time to return to report the good news!