is there a trick to getting an e-mail response from service?

[crackers8199]

i've literally not gotten a response EVER when sending an e-mail to tesla service nor when i fill out the form online, unless i click the escalate box. that's the only way i've ever heard anything back...every other time if i send something without asking to escalate, no response. not once.

is there a trick to this or do i just need to keep escalating things every time i have a question? it seems so silly, but i'm not interested in calling them and sitting on hold for an hour every time i have a simple question...

 

[Knightshade]

The only time I ever got a reply to a non-escalated message it was:

6 weeks later

and

Claimed they saw I had resolved the issue via a service appoint (which I had not- I'd not been to a service center at all- and it wasn't a service question- and it still was not resolved at that point)

I replied to the reply pointing that second bit out. Never heard back from them.

 

[super20g]

I just asked the same thing... It's only been a few weeks for me... I thought that was absurd when I am just trying to give them more money... 6 weeks or even no reply at all, wow... They might need to hire a few people in customer service...

 

[Uncle Paul]

Critical issues usually get rapid response.

Chit chat, what about this, what about that, is it ready yet, when will it be ready, will you have the part in stock?can tie up a service tech all day. When they are up to their ears in deliveries or getting service customers in and out, they simply cannot spend as much time as they would like with customer inquires.

While this is not optimum for customer friendly service, they are simply prioritizing their time to do the critical stuff first, and then filling in the fine details later.

 

[Knightshade]

Critical issues usually get rapid response.

Chit chat, what about this, what about that, is it ready yet, when will it be ready, will you have the part in stock?can tie up a service tech all day. When they are up to their ears in deliveries or getting service customers in and out, they simply cannot spend as much time as they would like with customer inquires.

While this is not optimum for customer friendly service, they are simply prioritizing their time to do the critical stuff first, and then filling in the fine details later.

My question was my asking why my inside delivery advisor refused to take the $3000 I was trying to give him to add FSD prior to delivery, and if they would be interested in taking that money from me after all?

If I'd just relied on the customer service folks it would've never been resolved, and Tesla would've gotten $3000 less from me.

In the end, 2 weeks after that garbage non-response from Tesla, I had to physically go to a Tesla store and have someone there do it (who also had no clue why my IDA wouldn't do it).


Everyone I've dealt with in person with Tesla has been excellent.

Everyone I've dealt with via email or telephone has been absolutely horrific, prone to outright lying, and the few that claimed they'd actually handle something for me were all apparently utterly incapable of any follow-up whatsoever.

 

[super20g]

Once a customer it kind of feels like they drop you unless you really make noise... Or have a legit serious concern. At least online, perhaps better in person, but some of us live several hours away from a location.

Seems like they should have a knowledge base built up and at least able to give an initial response without waiting a month.

Hopefully this eventually gets attention because it doesn't seem like business is going to slow down anytime soon.

 

[cpa]

Yes, interminable waiting times when calling the all-purpose Tesla phone number is an annoyance. I need service appointments for both our S (post-warranty, but under the extended warranty), and our M3, (the headlights stay on all the time, even in bright daylight.)

The make a service appointment on our customized page is ridiculous. The new and improved, "make a mobile service appointment" button goes to a dead link.

I finally rose at 05:30 PST this morning and called the number. I only had a 10-minute hold time. The attendant notified me that Tesla is now taking numbers and returning calls effective yesterday (Wednesday.) I did not experience this phenomenon yesterday when the wait period was > 1 hour. Perhaps they implemented it after hours. I am supposed to receive a phone call from the local mobile unit within 48 hours. The attendant informed me that she has flagged my call for follow-up to see that I did receive a call and an appointment has been scheduled.

I also emailed Tesla through the normal method to ask for a call or an email to get servicing done on our S. That was 12 days ago. Never heard a peep. I believe that ordinary service appointments do not warrant escalation, but they do warrant a reasonable response time to work issues into their schedules.

With tens of thousands of Model 3's being sold nationwide in the past six months in addition to the normal quantities of S and X, Tesla should have anticipated the deluge of calls for various reasons, and taken appropriate steps then. Instead, they appear to be reactionary and can't figure out what to do.

 

[crackers8199]

The new and improved, "make a mobile service appointment" button goes to a dead link.

i have yet to even see the mobile service button. it won't let me do mobile service as an option.

 

[cpa]

i have yet to even see the mobile service button. it won't let me do mobile service as an option.

If you go to the "find us" page on the Tesla website, there is a smallish blue bar that proclaims, "Mobile Service is Available in This Area--DETAILS."

That does not work for me.

 

[StellarRat]

You have to sacrifice a chicken while dancing around the room and chanting, "Hear me Great Musk, in the name of Tesla and SpaceX and OpenAI, I beseech thee, grant me communion with your Apostles!"

 

[RDoc]

This service center collapse is a major part of why we're not trading in our S on a new one. My plan is to buy the extended warranty and see where Tesla is in a couple of years.

They're skating on thin ice in several dimensions IMHO, but fortunately for them, there's no competition. They still have some time.

 

[StellarRat]

This service center collapse is a major part of why we're not trading in our S on a new one. My plan is to buy the extended warranty and see where Tesla is in a couple of years.

They're skating on thin ice in several dimensions IMHO, but fortunately for them, there's no competition. They still have some time.

I'm sure this is just growing pains from all the new Model 3 owners coming on-board. You're smart to give them a while to sort them out. I think these problems are completely solvable for them. I've seen this at places I've worked at too. Rapid growth tends to lead to short term chaos.

 

[melius]

Critical issues usually get rapid response.

Chit chat, what about this, what about that, is it ready yet, when will it be ready, will you have the part in stock?can tie up a service tech all day. When they are up to their ears in deliveries or getting service customers in and out, they simply cannot spend as much time as they would like with customer inquires.

While this is not optimum for customer friendly service, they are simply prioritizing their time to do the critical stuff first, and then filling in the fine details later.

I dont know about this chit chat business. I will second the OP. Every electronic communication I have sent either from Tesla website or via email address to customer service or service center ranging from original order problem on June 30th that needed urgent resolution to delivery issues on car end Sept that DS told me to contact service center, have to this moment not been responded to. I agree that over the phone they seem nicer if you can speak to someone. One of the HQ support on the phone told me the names of people that received my emails and went so far to express surprise that they did not contact me back. The exception to electronic communication was when my delivery specialist contacted me before delivery and she responded to my emails very well. She was the best part of this purchase process.

Sad part is when I talk to friends who bought Teslas over the past many years, some of them say that customer service was the best part of Tesla (even during the issues with the model x). They are actually very surprised. So there has been a sea change (possibly from the massive increase in cars without adequate growth in CS) or maybe this is exclusively a problem for Model 3 owners? I would be curious if recent buyers of model s and x are still getting good customer service.

 

[Knightshade]

I think it's more a case of they're now selling like 3-4x the number of cars (and aiming for 5x) and didn't bother staffing up to handle that anywhere in the entire company except perhaps the actual factory.

We've seen it in delivery/logistics, in customer support, in replacement parts, and you'll be increasingly seeing it in vehicle service too.