In a shocking report, Reuters has unveiled a disconcerting truth about Tesla Inc, the leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer. It appears that Tesla had created a secret team to cancel service appointments of customers who complained about the inaccurate driving-range projections. This revelation raises questions about transparency and customer satisfaction within the company.
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Tesla Owners Call Deceptive Readouts
As per the above report, the dashboard readouts gave highly optimistic driving range projections. This misled the users about how far they can go before requiring to recharge the battery pack. Basically, thousands of Tesla customers were given “rosy” estimates of their vehicle’s range. This lead to disappointment and frustration when the actual range fell far short of expectations.
The Plight of a Tesla Model 3 Owner
A new owner of a used 2021 Tesla Model 3 embarked on a family road trip, expecting to achieve the claimed 353 miles of range on a full charge. However, reality struck when the owner realized that the actual range was often less than half of the advertised figure, especially in cold weather. Convinced that his car had a defect, he reached out to Tesla and booked a service appointment in California. Much to his dismay, he received text messages stating that the “remote diagnostics” found no issues with his Model 3, and his appointment was canceled without any further investigation.
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The Diversion Team in Action
The report suggests that Tesla employees were given instructions to obstruct any customers who complained about poor driving range from scheduling service appointments. Allegedly, the company established a secretive “Diversion Team” in Las Vegas for this. Its primary goal was to cancel as many range-related appointments as possible. This move was taken to alleviate the overwhelming number of appointments at Tesla’s service centers, where frustrated owners sought answers to their range-related grievances.
The motive behind this elaborate scheme was two-fold. Firstly, by canceling service appointments, Tesla reportedly saved approximately $1,000 for each appointment canceled. Secondly, it aimed to ease the burden on its service centers, which were dealing with a flood of complaints. Most of these were from owners who expected better range based on the advertised estimates.
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What We Think
The emergence of this report casts a cloud of doubt over Tesla’s commitment to customer satisfaction. It even raises concerns about the company’s practices. The “EVgate” scandal has the potential to tarnish Tesla’s reputation as one of the pioneers in the EV industry. As discussions about an EV factory in India are underway, stakeholders must closely watch how Tesla addresses these allegations. In fact, it even needs to take steps to regain the trust of its customer base.
What are your thoughts on this? Would you still prefer an EV over an internal combustion vehicle, given these revelations? Transparency and accountability are crucial in the automotive industry. And it is up to companies like Tesla to demonstrate their commitment to their customers and the EV revolution.
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