Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Automaker to Make House Calls



Typically, when we think of someone making a house call, we think of a service repairman. However, there is one automaker going the extra mile - keeping customers out of their shops. Tesla automotive, the maker of the high-end $100,000 plus electric sports car, is launching a maintenance plan where mechanics travel to owners' homes or offices to perform repairs and tuneups.

Tesla isn't the first automaker to travel down this road before, offering a mobile service. Chrysler, Mercedes, Lexus and others have offered this service before, too. While this sounds like a novel idea, from all indications the service won't be cheap.

Tesla will charge vehicle owners $1 for every mile its technicians travel, from showroom to garage, with a minimum charge of $100 per trip. We guess if you can afford to pay over $100,000 for a vehicle, you shouldn't moan about paying the service repair travel expense. If you're near a dealer, your expense will be less than those far away from a Tesla dealer. Just wondering: Could this be the next phase of improving the service customer experience? Let's see where Tesla ranks in the industry-wide customer service survey next year before we judge.

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