how do I get one of these "local project managers"?!
I'm guessing they get assigned when your install is actually scheduled, but you don't meet them (or get their contact info) until they come for a pre-install walk through - which typically happens a week or less before install.
I'm in the middle of a solar roof install without powerwalls in northern Virginia, so the process might be different for panels or powerwalls or other locations. Here are the roles I've encountered since my process started in July:
Pre-commitment sales rep: helpful
First assigned project advisor: contacted me soon after deposit, was helpful, but was impossible to contact thereafter
888 Customer Service Reps: helpful, usually able to connect quickly to other departments (advisors, scheduling, permits, ...), sometimes need to wait a while on the line
Scheduling reps: helpful (and the only "centralized" staff who have called me back)
Second assigned project advisor: never heard anything from her or even spoken to her despite multiple contact attempts
Survey tech: nice guy who politely told me he couldn't answer a lot of my questions when I mistook him for the local project manager
Local project manager: very helpful, responds quickly to texts and calls - but I only met him last week a couple of days before the start of my install
I've read others here that have had excellent project advisors, so it may just be luck of the draw.
Email (my preferred form of communication) seems to go into a black hole for everyone.
Maybe I'm just too old - I have trouble getting email responses from my son too.
Hope that gives a little better perspective.
I was annoyed at first, but eventually just decided to move forward and accept that limited communication and long timelines were going to be part of the process.
Hopefully, Tesla can fix this part of the business before they run out of super-fans who are willing to put up with it.
