Delivery call - WARNING

[interbear]

Think what you want. Do as you desire. Get your car when it becomes available. Feel free to blame it on bad customer service, but it's just reality.

Type and complain all you want. Tesla's not going to read the forum and magically fix the issue.

And by the way, where did you hear that Tesla has stellar customer service?

I’m not expecting Tesla to read the forum and fix it. Didn’t say that. Neither did I say that I’d heard that Tesla had stellar customer service. I knew it was a bit of a rollercoaster going in, I did my research before ordering. So I understand the reality.

However it’s not stellar customer service to give customers some flexibility within a delivery window that THEY have provided in terms of narrowing down to a specific date. That’s basic courtesy and customer service and recognises that people buying their cars typically have busy working lives and, in peak holiday season, may not be able to make a specific date that they communicate. It’s a pretty simple, straightforward ask to be honest and your attitude to it is, in my opinion, in the minority. You’re entitled to it of course, but I don’t agree.

 

[tess19]

Tesla is delivering so many cars, why can't they ask their customer to choose what day to they want the car then arrange it that way. Its not like they only have a few customers/orders to choose from. I am sure if they sort out the dates within the range in the email and then arrange delivery accordingly, everyone will be happy.

 

[dst87]

Tesla is delivering so many cars, why can't they ask their customer to choose what day to they want the car then arrange it that way. Its not like they only have a few customers/orders to choose from. I am sure if they sort out the dates within the range in the email and then arrange delivery accordingly, everyone will be happy.

The issue with this is that deliveries wouldn't be distributed throughout the week. There would be a disproportionate number who choose a weekend date. With the number of deliveries they're making it would be difficult to give everyone their first choice and still fulfil all orders.

But they really should be a little more flexible and understanding than they are being. We're lucky - we both work from home and work the hours we choose with minimal meetings (most of which are in the evening to align with colleagues in the US), so we could more or less pick up our car with about 45 minutes notice (hint hint, if Tesla delivery staff are watching... )

 

[RjbT3]

The more I read the more I think Tesla is really abusing the fact they have a desirable product with little to no competition. There is really no excuse for the awful customer service they are demonstrating. They are losing a LOT of goodwill from their customers here that could cost them down the line. By demonstrating that they really don't care.

 

[Artiste]

The more I read the more I think Tesla is really abusing the fact they have a desirable product with little to no competition. There is really no excuse for the awful customer service they are demonstrating. They are losing a LOT of goodwill from their customers here that could cost them down the line. By demonstrating that they really don't care.

They are getting away with it simply because there is no competition. Tesla aficionados will have us believe that no other manufacturer will get close for at least a decade, which personally I think is a load of crap. When there is completion Tesla will have to stop pissing on its customers or go out of business.

 

[leewillis77]

They are getting away with it simply because there is no competition.

Indeed. I too don't believe the Tesla hype beyond the fact that they *are* ahead technologically in terms of EV drive trains *today*. I expect there to be reasonable competition when it comes to swapping my car again (3-4 years from when my model 3 gets here). Based on their customer service so far I'd be very reluctant to recommend them to friends & family without a *big* caveat in the meantime.

 

[Ryder35]

I agree, the order process is a total shambles but it is not just a tech advantage, it is also a supply advantage. Who else is making EVs in this quantity? I started my EV journey 4 years ago with an i3. Took a 2 year lease assuming things would be a lot different and there would be more choice after 2 years. Still in an i3. The model 3 is the only readily available new car (i.e. not just a refresh like the leaf) I can think of having come out in the last 4 years.

 

[dst87]

I agree, the order process is a total shambles but it is not just a tech advantage, it is also a supply advantage. Who else is making EVs in this quantity? I started my EV journey 4 years ago with an i3. Took a 2 year lease assuming things would be a lot different and there would be more choice after 2 years. Still in an i3. The model 3 is the only readily available new car (i.e. not just a refresh like the leaf) I can think of having come out in the last 4 years.

I think some forthcoming options could be compelling (especially from VW) but even some of the well-rated cars currently available like the e-Nero just aren't available - 18 month wait according to a dealer I spoke to recently. And with pricing that is really not much lower than the base Model 3. I know which I'd pick.

I'm hoping that VW do something great with their EV offering, and make enough of them to meet demand. They're the only manufacturer that seems actually committed. For tech folks like hubby and I, the promise of software updates that actually fix problems and make your car better is a no-brainer and something that no other manufacturer has done. For that reason, I think Tesla will remain ahead (for us) unless legacy automakers have a drastic shift in their approach.

Volkswagen are saying the right things in this department. We'll see if they can also walk the walk.

 

[MrBadger]

April next year VW id.3 - i'm probably going to stick a reservation in today (depending on what salesman says) and see what it looks like when it is officially launched next month then make a decision to wait for VW or urm, wait for our Tesla. If it wasn't for superchargers, I probably would have given up with Tesla already - hope they don't start getting swamped with all the new cars on the road otherwise that advantage will be mute too.

Not far off tipping point for long range EV's I think. And I don't need Tesla like acceleration and their tacc/lka seems pretty good for what I would want - some standard bits are only in Tesla FSD by looks of it.

 

[Yev000]

The biggest advantage is batteries. I personally don't see any car manufacturer beating this. Chinese startup that will manufacture batteries and cars will compete. Just like they do on Android phones. Nokia is not dead, they make sell nice phones that are made in China. BMW will sell nice cars that are made in China too. Tesla will remain the gold standard.

The delivery customer service is poor because they don't have stealerships. You don't have someone whispering sweet nothings in your ear about your delivery date.

And yes, they don't care about individuals, only bulk sales. They are not tooled up to speak to customers.

Simply say YES to any delivery date and make excuses later. They will accommodate you when the date is close, not when it's wishy washy 1 month period.

We are currently in a period where ICE car manufacturers are still fighting back by claiming "no demand" for EVs while quitely creating more attractive EVs to compete. But they do not yet have the battery supply to mass produce those cars.

 

[Bigfinger]

Ah, but BMW dealers did that last week and the week before, and the week before that. Tesla UK is facing the prospect in the next three weeks of delivering ten times their weekly delivery amount of vehicles. ..from ten a day to a hundred a day - of a vehicle they haven't seen much of before..

er.... no, no they did not.

YTD sales for BMW are 90,021 we are in week 32 that's 2,813 a week spread over 146 registered dealers

so... thats 19.25 cars per dealer per week, in short that's less in a week than Tesla are hoping to do in a day /s

Car Registrations

Size of car dealership networks in the UK 2014-2017 | Statista

we can't really compare an ICE manufacturer with a fully established dealership network and EU production facilities with an extensive historical order book to base future production on to an emerging EV manufacturer making in the US now, can we?

 

[Artiste]

Yes, Tesla are ahead of the game at the moment and will be for at least the next couple of years. But I just don't buy the suggestion that it will be many years before competitors catch up. Up until now ICE manufacturers have had absolutely no incentive to invest in the EV market, but this has now changed. All cars will effectively have to be zero emission in just 20 years, so ICE manufacturers will invest and adapt or cease to exist.

And yes, Tesla has done a huge amount of innovation and will have a zillion patents to try to protect that. But intellectual property is notoriously hard to protect. Not long ago Guangzhi Cao, who used to be an autopilot engineer at Tesla, uploaded the entire autopilot source code to his personal iCloud account before he left the company. He now works for Xiaopeng Motors in China, and their instrument cluster is remarkably similar to Tesla's, to the extent that it has been described as a "Tesla clone". Make of that what you will.

 

[Andy_T_73]

I think some forthcoming options could be compelling

Was tempted to wait for the Polestar 2 due to go on sale next year but I think that's likely to be under £60k by the time it's available here.

 

[andyfox]

I agree, the order process is a total shambles but it is not just a tech advantage, it is also a supply advantage. Who else is making EVs in this quantity? I started my EV journey 4 years ago with an i3. Took a 2 year lease assuming things would be a lot different and there would be more choice after 2 years. Still in an i3. The model 3 is the only readily available new car (i.e. not just a refresh like the leaf) I can think of having come out in the last 4 years.

What about the Kona or E-Niro? They're both excellent EVs at a much lower price than the Model 3.
The main issue with them is supply. Order one now, maybe get it in 2020. This is where Tesla have the advantage as they produce their own batteries. For the other EV manufacturers, there simply isn't enough battery supply to go around.

That can, and will change, as more manufacturers come onboard and demand increases. Once the competition intensifies, Tesla might even choose to supply them with batteries and stop making EVs altogether. Stranger things have happened.

 

[Roy W.]

Was tempted to wait for the Polestar 2 due to go on sale next year but I think that's likely to be under £60k by the time it's available here.

I looked at the Polestar 2 at the Geneva Motor Show. It’s a nice car. Very solid. Very Volvo! But like you I think it’ll be rather more money than M3, and of course at the moment it doesn’t exist as a volume product.

So far other than Tesla, the only volume manufacturer of EVs has been the Nissan/Renault group. But their battery technology is way behind Tesla’s. The Kona is a nice car, but mine has been plagued by problems, and you simply can’t get them for love nor money. The same applies the the Kia e-Niro and Soul EV.

All the other makes seem to be paying lip service to EVs, but simply roll out endless concept cars coming “by 2021”. Tesla have the huge advantage that they have their own battery factory. All the others are reliant on third-party suppliers, who only have a finite capacity to divvy out between their customers.

Tesla also has the big advantage of running like an autocracy. Elon makes the major decisions. He’s hands on. That makes the company very nimble. Compare that to, say, VAG, a huge behemoth of a business, where every decision has to go through layer after layer of middle management to get anywhere.

I’ve no idea if Tesla will maintain their advantage, but personally as long as they don’t go bust, I think there is a reasonable chance.

 

[Artiste]

The delivery customer service is poor because they don't have stealerships. You don't have someone whispering sweet nothings in your ear about your delivery date.

Some people really dislike dealing with sales people in traditional dealerships, though I've always rather enjoyed the bartering. But for those who dislike it I don't know why they don't use online brokers. I bought my last car (new model Audi A6 through autoebid, and for that I received:

1 An incredible 22% (£13,121) saving on the OTR price (the deal is still available today)
2. An estimated delivery date 12 weeks later that turned out to be accurate to within 48 hours
3. Delivery to my home address at a time and date convenient to me

There's no way Tesla will be offering any of this in the near or even distant future, especially with their utterly shambolic back office setup and appalling customer service.

 

[Peteski]

Yes, Tesla are ahead of the game at the moment and will be for at least the next couple of years. But I just don't buy the suggestion that it will be many years before competitors catch up. Up until now ICE manufacturers have had absolutely no incentive to invest in the EV market, but this has now changed. All cars will effectively have to be zero emission in just 20 years, so ICE manufacturers will invest and adapt or cease to exist.

And yes, Tesla has done a huge amount of innovation and will have a zillion patents to try to protect that. But intellectual property is notoriously hard to protect. Not long ago Guangzhi Cao, who used to be an autopilot engineer at Tesla, uploaded the entire autopilot source code to his personal iCloud account before he left the company. He now works for Xiaopeng Motors in China, and their instrument cluster is remarkably similar to Tesla's, to the extent that it has been described as a "Tesla clone". Make of that what you will.

ICE manufacturers are simply going to push mild hybrids for the next decade or more and market them heavily as EVs. Yes they will make proper BEVs too, but in limited numbers at the slowest rate they can possibly get away with. In the background they are still pumping out diesels and petrols by the millions.

I agree China is where the serious EV competition is most likely to come from, at least in their home market. Whether those Chinese cars will even become available in the UK is more questionable, especially clones.

 

[Peteski]

Some people really dislike dealing with sales people in traditional dealerships, though I've always rather enjoyed the bartering. But for those who dislike it I don't know why they don't use online brokers. I bought my last car (new model Audi A6 through autoebid, and for that I received:

1 An incredible 22% (£13,121) saving on the OTR price (the deal is still available today)
2. An estimated delivery date 12 weeks later that turned out to be accurate to within 48 hours
3. Delivery to my home address at a time and date convenient to me

There's no way Tesla will be offering any of this in the near or even distant future, especially with their utterly shambolic back office setup and appalling customer service.

You must be impressed by DFS sales methods then?
What discount and delivery estimate can you get for an Audi e-tron?

 

[Artiste]

You must be impressed by DFS sales methods then?
What discount and delivery estimate can you get for an Audi e-tron?

I've never shopped at DFS so I don't have an opinion. But a £13K saving is a £13K saving.

And I don't want an e-tron - horrible car. But I'll be very interested in an A6 EV when it eventually comes out in maybe 3 years.

No one is arguing that Tesla is way ahead of the game at the moment. But there are some on this forum who say it will be decades before other manufacturers catch up, and I think that is complete manure!

 

[Grymbok]

No one is arguing that Tesla is way ahead of the game at the moment. But there are some on this forum who say it will be decades before other manufacturers catch up, and I think that is complete manure!

There's a great Bill Gates quote on this: "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction."

It seems to me right now that the main UK/Euro car manufacturers are trying to slow EV adoption, as others have said. They're doing as little as they can to show compliance, while Tesla are all in.

The tipping point will come when EVs start to be seen as more desirable than ICE by a substantial minority (30%+) of the car buying public. At that point the big firms will start being pulled forward to take EV seriously and they'll quickly catch up to Tesla's lead.

At that point, the question will then be whether Tesla have been able to keep pushing forward so they can build a new moat.

But really all this stuff is just for fanboys and investors. As a car buyer, the Tesla Model 3 was clearly the best EV in my price range I stood a chance of getting in the next six months. If it's successor still is in five years time when I want my next car then I'll stay Tesla. If someone else has lapped them then I'll take advantage of that and get a better car...