Tesla Changes $100 Flat Fee For Pickup Service Without Notice

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Tesla used to charge a flat fee of $100 for its mobile servicing pickup, but now it has ended this flat fee without any press release or notice to customers, says a report from Auto News. Instead of a flat fee, Tesla is now charging it based on the distance.

End of an economical and convenient service

Tesla gave its prepaid plan customers an annual subscription and replacement fee that covered all wear and tear parts but not the tires. The one-year, 12,500-mile plan was priced at $600, and by paying $1,900, it could be extended to cover four years and 50,000 miles. Owners were required to bring the car to the service center to take advantage of the plan or pay a flat fee of $100 per visit for getting the car picked up.

Greg Zanghi, Tesla’s director of service operations, said while announcing the mobile service squad in 2010 that customers wanted a convenient, clean and fast service, and the company adopted the “house call” approach as it perfectly matched the customer’s demand.

It is not known when Tesla scrapped $100 flat fee, but on its website, the company notes that the “service begins at $100 per visit and increases based on your distance from the nearest Tesla service center.” The issue came to light when a Model S customer who was expecting $100 for transporting the car to the nearest service center (202 miles away) was quoted $606 for the same service.

Why did Tesla scrap it?

Tesla created the Mobile Service Squad after the launch of the Roadster to reassure customers that they could access the service anytime they needed to. Tesla also calls the squad the “Rangers.” The company started rolling out the Model S in 2012, and this mobile service became a big selling point at that time.

“We needed to introduce a way for early customers out of range of a service center to have a seamless Tesla ownership experience. Since then, we have invested heavily in brick-and-mortar locations to serve our rapidly growing customer base,” the EV firm said.

In 2012, Vice President of Global Service Joost de Vries said the fact that the company was moving beyond automobile service of the past 100 years meant that it was bringing a new service customers’ way. Customers can make an appointment at any of the Tesla Service Centers and a mobile technician visits the customer at their home or office to perform an annual inspection, warranty work or anything for which there is no need to lift the vehicle.

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