New Owners Workshop?

That must be new... We didn't get one when we picked up our car from the factory in 2013.

Sound like a good idea for them to start doing these. Where did you see this advertised?

santorin4 said:

Has anyone attended one of these Tesla sponsored New Owner's Workshops? I just got an email invitation to one, and was wondering if it was worth the while and if it really lasts 4 hours??

TIA!

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First time I hear this, but a great idea. Bringing experienced Model S owners together long time owners will help getting over the first mistakes and insecurities.

This was mentioned while I was working at the Seattle delivery center in June, though I didn't hear any details. They wanted to make sure all the new owners got an invite. It didn't sound like they had done it before, though they didn't specifically say that. They had cards printed that ask for feedback. They asked if I could be at the one on July 18 in Seattle (the only one I know about) to help answer questions; I plan to be.

I suspect there will be some brief presentations but I doubt they will be presenting information for 4 hours; I think it's intended to be more of an "open house" where you can drop in for how long you like, and have a chance to circulate to various "stations" (delivery, service, etc - I'm not sure exactly who will be there, but I know they were working hard to get it fully staffed) and ask questions. I wouldn't think of it as a must-attend; but if you have the free time and have any questions, it seems like a great opportunity to ask them - as well as to meet other owners. If you are at all inclined, I would encourage you to give it a try.

Sounds like a great idea, and one we've suggested to Tesla on a few occasions.

Please keep us informed as to how this goes. What they do, what they present, etc.

If they don't cover it in the class, I would especially suggest covering CHAdeMO adapter, especially if is is just a WA thing. Especially with the WCEH in Oregon and Washington and all the CHAdeMO in that deployment.

That's pretty good customer service right there. 4 hours seems very long though and I probably would not have found it useful (I nerded out over every piece of literature, forums, videos, etc. while I was waiting for the car!). Come to think of it, I probably spent way more than 4 hours watching videos alone ... haha.

- K

I agree that it is a great idea, but I wonder if they plan to hold such events in less populated areas where Tesla stores and Service Centers are much further from many new owners. In my case the nearest Tesla location is a 4 hour drive.

I'm glad to see service centers starting to do this.

This is a great idea, because delivery can be information overload for some people. After they've driven the car for a few days or weeks they'll have some questions and be ready to absorb more information. Now that Tesla is going more mainstream, a lot of owners are less informed than the early adopters, and don't know what it is that they don't know.

I attended this event yesterday.

There were no speakers, just a bunch of employees at various stations (i.e. charging, service, care, software, etc) to answer questions. In addition to several Seattle staffers, they had pulled in several employees from Bellevue, Portland and CA. Attendees could walk around, ask questions, take advantage of the refreshments, enter to win some accessories (which were sitting on display, a popular request from new owners) in a raffle, and take home a small swag bag. They had several loaner cars sitting out to help explain questions and answers.

It sounds like they have done a small number of events like this in the Bay area, and they are thinking of expanding the program though of course they will start small. They were trying hard to solicit feedback to find out what type of information customers found most useful. I think they said they had invited 200-300 of the most recent owners; about 50 people showed up which is a pretty good response rate. Some of the owners just came in to check it out; others came with written lists of questions.

I think it's a great idea. A lot of the attendees seemed really happy with what they learned. Tesla has a toll-free number that owners can call 24/7 for questions, but some questions are easier to ask/answer when both parties are sitting in the car; and some people are just more comfortable with that. Plus this gave some of the customers a chance to mingle and talk to other customers.

We attended one today in South Florida. It was a two hour event and was specific to using the Trip Planner. They rotated groups of 3 through the display car and walked folks through the technology and use. I thought the information provided was good, it was informative and it was a nice social gathering of current and soon to be Tesla owners.

The store manager said they planned on doing the events every third Sunday of each month and that topics would be based on questions they are receiving for owners and perspective buyers. They provided Panera Bread Coffee and Sandwiches.