The expectation is that EV makers are more nimble, but a customer-experience study of premium auto brands suggests otherwise. Tesla's responsiveness has slid, while Lucid and Rivian scored low.These are challenging times for customers looking to buy any kind of vehicle but, a newly released study shows, particularly difficult if you're shopping with an EV startup.
Electric-vehicle advocates and early adopters have long maintained the experience of learning about EVs, shopping for them, and buying them is better at those few brands that sell directly to buyers—Tesla foremost, now also Lucid and Rivian—than at conventional third-party franchised dealers of the sort used by Toyota, GM, Honda, Ford, and other established carmakers.Now a study from the research firm Pied Piper appears to turn that conventional wisdom on its head.
For the first time, this year’s survey included seven exotic brands, including Ferrari and Rolls-Royce, and three new EV brands along with Tesla. The exotics' scores were variable at best: high on some measures, low on others. But the EV-only brands as a group scored lower on responsiveness and steps toward closing a sale, and Tesla's ratings slid.Still, many of the study's findings suggest EV-only makers simply aren’t as responsive to inquiries as dealerships.
Tesla, the highest-volume EV maker, had rated above average or leading in earlier Pied Piper studies in 2019, 2021, and 2022. But its ratings have now slipped below the average. Tesla's "sales methodology has transformed more into order-taking than customer assistance," the company concludes."Tesla's model today appears to be, 'If you want what we sell, and require no assistance, it’s easy to order,'"commented O'Hagan.
What...you mean you can actually talk to a service advisor....nope ... Tesla Service is a oxymoron