A change of heart

[artsci]

I’ve been reading with interest the many posts expressing disappointment with the interior appointments of the Model S and the unfavorable comparisons with the interiors of the other luxury cars the Model S will compete with. Because I have no personal interest in vanity mirrors, cup holders, and the like, at first I tended to be dismissive of these dissatisfactions.

But I’ve been giving though to the matter and I now agree that Tesla would be ill-advised to manufacture a car in the ModelS’s price range without very careful attention to the kind of interior details, fit and finish, and amenities discussed in these posts. Even though I will not use most of these amenities, given the cost of the Model S I will be very disappointed if the interior of the car does not measure up to the competition. Does Elon’s challenge to build the best sedan in the world apply only to the motive power, suspension, and handling? I don’t think so. The interior must measure up to the challenge as well.

So I’m willing wait longer for delivery of my car to have these shortcomings addressed.

 

[Todd Burch]

I'm pondering deferring when my email arrives in about a month or two...but will probably go forward unless the added wait will make a meaningful difference. I'll delay a month or two for added rear cupholders or a changed console...but I won't wait a year for it.

 

[contaygious]

Well the consoles will be aftermarket anyway so no use waiting for them.

 

[pguerra]

Agree with willing to wait longer for a better and more complete product (i. e. fix the six problems).

It is the right thing for Tesla to do. Releasing an incomplete product on the on the other hand, only risks backlash and bad press - while creating real fodder that can significanty curtail demand.

 

[brianman]

Sorry for the off-topic but...

@artsci - "R 8,781"? I didn't realize R #s had gotten that high in any market. With under 3,000 roadsters in existence, someone must be buying a lot or have lots of friends & family.

 

[KBF]

Maybe he has 2 reservations: r8 and p781

 

[VolkerP]

All,

Again I had to learn how easy it is to get my mind swayed by a group of esteemed co-enthusiasts. The Model S subforum has turned into a bunch of threads full of hand-wringing, whining, frustration-blowing posts. A simple thing like removing two rear seat reading lights made me join the herd of those feeling disappointed, short of posting a rather vitriolic compilation of shortcomings myself. But I pulled my act together again. :cursing:

OK there are problems. OK it is not encouraging if Tesla solves problems by removing features and forgoing to implement others which were partly promised, partly not but in high demand. But that is the way to go with any product development if a deadline approaches. It's not now or later, it's now or never. You cannot start with product 2.0. You cannot even announce all of the 2.0 features with 1.0 in production. See Osborne effect.

Those highly discontent with Model S as of now should defer. Your patience will be rewarded.

 

[brianman]

All,

Again I had to learn how easy it is to get my mind swayed by a group of esteemed co-enthusiasts. The Model S subforum has turned into a bunch of threads full of hand-wringing, whining, frustration-blowing posts. A simple thing like removing two rear seat reading lights made me join the herd of those feeling disappointed, short of posting a rather vitriolic compilation of shortcomings myself. But I pulled my act together again. :cursing:

OK there are problems. OK it is not encouraging if Tesla solves problems by removing features and forgoing to implement others which were partly promised, partly not but in high demand. But that is the way to go with any product development if a deadline approaches. It's not now or later, it's now or never. You cannot start with product 2.0. You cannot even announce all of the 2.0 features with 1.0 in production. See Osborne effect.

Those highly discontent with Model S as of now should defer. Your patience will be rewarded.

As a thought exercise...

1. Pick your favorite "luxury" feature on the Specs page. Or one that your significant other cherishes, etc.
2. Sign the MVPA, making $10k of your reservation non-refundable.
3. Wait a month (impatiently) as you hear no status updates regarding your vehicle.
4. The feature from step 1 and three other features that you considered "standard" for a luxury vehicle are quietly removed from the Specs page.

Would you be upset?

Your choices at this point are:
A. Forfeit the $10k by cancelling your reservation.
B. Quietly swallow the feature loss "like a good little Tesla/EV soldier".
C. Raise a stink about the feature loss with the press, hoping to shame/pressure Tesla into addressing it.
D. Politely contact Tesla (via e-mail, phone, in-person @ Amped, etc.) privately about your concerns and choices.
E. Post publicly, but in a measured, thoughtful way on a forum such as TMC.

TMC forum members have done A, B, D, and E. I haven't really seen a post that really fits the C description.

 

[jerry33]

If they did "D" would they post it on the forum?

 

[Arnold Panz]

If they did "D" would they post it on the forum?

Some might, but it certainly isn't required.

I would argue that we've inadvertantly done C. with many of the posts on this forum. Reading the transcript of the investors conference call, it's fairly apparent that the research analysts (and presumably investors) are reading this message board and basing at least some of their investment advice/decisions on what they see here. Additionally, we know that people at Tesla are reading at least some of these threads, so to the extent that there is an effort at a semi-public campaign to get Tesla to change some of these items, simply doing E inevitably leads to doing C.

 

[Norbert]

It's been a while since I read someone saying that there are lots of reservation holders who 'd love to get their Model S *tomorrow*, and would be upset if production is delayed because of cup holders or something that can be taken care of by going to amazon.com, typing "magnet LED lights", and paying $20, or don't even care about that in the first place.

Maybe I should start a thread for that and make sure it gets bumped every 5 min.

 

[kevincwelch]

...going to amazon.com, typing "magnet LED lights"

This one would be especially apropos for the center dome light.

 

[jerry33]

Some might, but it certainly isn't required.

That was my point. We don't see "D" because most of those who would do "D" wouldn't post (and if they post is it still a "D", even if they sent a PM?). There is no way we would know the number of "D"s.

 

[Norbert]

This one would be especially apropos for the center dome light.

Depends on your family.

I thought more about something like this:

Amazon.com: ACDelco AC340 LED Stick Magnet Touch Light with Batteries, Assorted Colors: Home Improvement

 

[smorgasbord]

View attachment 8343

I have one of those in a closet at home. Since it doesn't turn off automatically, you end up replacing the batteries too often.

 

[Norbert]

I have one of those in a closet at home. Since it doesn't turn off automatically, you end up replacing the batteries too often.

That's because your closet door doesn't have windows. Apparently you just have to touch it.

 

[1young1]

I am also thinking of deferring my delivery for a more integrated and "luxurious-looking" center console, power-folding side mirrors and better fit and finish leather. I would rather wait a few more months for these features than take delivery of the car now and have to live without them during the 8-10 years I own the car.

 

[kevincwelch]

I am also thinking of deferring my delivery for a more integrated and "luxurious-looking" center console, power-folding side mirrors and better fit and finish leather. I would rather wait a few more months for these features than take delivery of the car now and have to live without them during the 8-10 years I own the car.

I think the consensus is that you will be waiting a long time if that's what you are waiting for...

Personally, as much as I dislike not having those small amenities (cup holder, lights, console), I am not going to defer because of that. I would only defer if I felt I hadn't driven the car yet or haven't read enough of the "real life" feedback from those who received their Model S's long before me.

 

[heems]

It's been a while since I read someone saying that there are lots of reservation holders who 'd love to get their Model S *tomorrow*, and would be upset if production is delayed because of cup holders or something that can be taken care of by going to amazon.com, typing "magnet LED lights", and paying $20, or don't even care about that in the first place.

Maybe I should start a thread for that and make sure it gets bumped every 5 min.

All the whiners are basically saying is that they are not early adopters. They may have pretended to be one because they had $5K sitting around, but when it mattered they are bulking at the prospect of being an actual early adopter. They are missing the main attraction and caught up on incidentals - very non-early adopter behavior. They guy docks a rocket with the space station and these forum members complain about the paint job on the rocket not being the same quality as one that NASA would build. Give me a break. Time to separate the whanna-be supporters from the real ones. Tesla has engineered a marvel and it has become a problem? Unbelieveable.

My message to Tesla - concentrate on 1.0. Get it delivered with high quality within the scope of what was intended to be 1.0. The rest will work itself out.

 

[Larry Chanin]

All,

Again I had to learn how easy it is to get my mind swayed by a group of esteemed co-enthusiasts. The Model S subforum has turned into a bunch of threads full of hand-wringing, whining, frustration-blowing posts. A simple thing like removing two rear seat reading lights made me join the herd of those feeling disappointed, short of posting a rather vitriolic compilation of shortcomings myself. But I pulled my act together again. :cursing:

OK there are problems. OK it is not encouraging if Tesla solves problems by removing features and forgoing to implement others which were partly promised, partly not but in high demand. But that is the way to go with any product development if a deadline approaches. It's not now or later, it's now or never. You cannot start with product 2.0. You cannot even announce all of the 2.0 features with 1.0 in production. See Osborne effect.

Those highly discontent with Model S as of now should defer. Your patience will be rewarded.

Hi Volker,

Well written posting. You've nicely summarized my own thoughts on the matter.

Larry