Delivery Nightmare

[nvx1977]

well, at least you didn't wait very long to get your car. My Model 3 is about a year old now. This time last year, I waited 2.5 months from placing my order to picking up my car. Back then, we were poring over a crowdsourced spreadsheet trying to figure out Tesla's production patterns. Apparently I just missed a batch of Midnight Silver + 18" Aeros, and they wouldn't be making that config for another 3 weeks, which added to my wait time. And then living on the east coast, they had to ship my car via rail, which had multiple stops and delays. And the car was delivered covered in pine pollen (it had gone thru the south before coming up north), and the rear bumper was scratched up. My charge cable didn't work and they sent me a replacement one that was for Euro spec.

But... in the end, it all got sorted out and I love my car. It's kinda like parenting kids. Give it some time, and you kind of forget how hard it was that first year or so

 

[muleferg]

"There has been no VIN assigned to me as yet."


Go in your My Tesla/Tesla account. it will show there. Picking my P3 up today in Charlotte. This is my 4th Tesla and have never had a bad.

 

[OPRCE]

Signing papers on the kid's back since we didn't even have a table was a nice touch.

Next time remember to do it the only right way!

 

[OPRCE]

I would have asked him as many questions about the software development environment as I could. I would love to know how things "work" there.

Judging by the AP quality, it's about the same chaos as in deliveries.
I have the distinct feeling they're all interns over there.

 

[BozieBeMe2]

Hello All!

I've been a lurker for a while and I'd like to thank all of you for helping me actually pull the trigger on my Model 3 AWD.

I picked up my car Saturday but the process was truly terrible and its clear that Tesla still is not up to par with other auto manufacturers in regards to customer service.

I placed the order 2 days prior to delivery, and was notified that the car could be picked up at the Fremont Delivery Hub. I received no calls from a delivery specialist and when I called, I was directed to a full mailbox that disconnected me. Only though hounding emails was I able to actually get someone from Tesla to talk to me about my trade in, delivery time, and needed documents. I got all this 11:30pm the day before my delivery.

Saturday came and I was directed to wait in the parking lot for my delivery "specialist" to show up. I eventually got a call and I walked over to meet him. He informed me he was actually a software intern and had never even been in a model 3 before delivering to me.

He knew absolutely nothing about the car, but thankfully this forum and YouTube told me how most everything worked. He couldn't open the car, the trunk, didn't know it even had a glove box, and wasn't quite sure that the "extra" charging plug was for. I spent time showing him how to pair my phone to the car and setting everything up. Then he shook my hand to leave before we had actually signed any paperwork.

I asked him about registration, how transferring my trade in plates would work, and what else I needed to provide to Tesla. At that point, I didn't even show him my ID, I could have been anyone! He told me he needed me to sign a bunch of paperwork but I wasn't allowed to have a copy of any of it and that it would populate in my account later. I had to fight to get copies that day of everything in the transaction.

Then I asked him about my trade in and he said he wasn't told anything about that. He said I could take both cars home cause he didn't have any paperwork on that. Obviously that wasn't going to fly, so he called around and they sent another intern over with some trade in papers (all of which I had already filled out online) and they got in my old car and left.

It was pretty poorly handled and felt a lot like selling a car on Craigslist. Signing papers on the kid's back since we didn't even have a table was a nice touch.

I was particularly insulted that Tesla gave me the car with a 50 mile charge. It was just barely enough to get me home. They refused to hook it to one of the many open supercharges since they weren't allowed to give free charges.

We drove away from the Fremont factory pretty pissed off and disgusted how things went. I felt like a total afterthought to Tesla who was just in it to get rid of a car and they didn't care if you liked it or not.

After a few days with the car, I've calmed down. I only need to buy it once, but I get to drive it daily. The car is pretty spectacular in nearly every way. I just wish the delivery process could be more professional where I feel like a valued customer and not a mark.

Sorry for venting...happy to be here!

Congratulations on your faith in the car and sorry about having your faith in the company 'dented'.
Keep in mind this car will be a source of calming experiences going forth.
Tesla has had their share of bumblings when it comes to the hired help. In the procedures of staying a 'Lean Car Company',
some employees has been pressed into situations that they are ill equipped to handle. Please keep this in mind when it crops up and keep your sight on the target. It Will Improve as the company settles down. I Promise.
(for all that's worth)

 

[OPRCE]

Don’t buy your story. It sounds as true as Jussie Smollet’s story.

Wow, can you please break it down for us, Sherlock: which contradictory minutiae gave it away as an elaborate yet cunning fabrication?

 

[jkoya]

I didn't get an intern, but I did get a delivery advisor with an attitude who was in a rush. My frunk was badly misaligned and he refused to put it on my "Due Bill". He told me if Tesla sent them a car to deliver, then it met all their specs. I gave up asking him questions and when I got home, I called Tesla and had them add the misaligned frunk to my Due Bill. My Tesla delivery experience was by far the worst car buying experience I have ever had.

 

[Jbidwal]

I’m not surprised by your experience given how my ordering experience has gone so far. I think employees are basically acting like how they are valued. Tesla hopefully has a good car for us but this ordering experience has been anything but great. I got better treatment when I bought my first car which was a basic Honda. I just bought a black label navigator a few months ago and Lincoln basically does the whole buy at home we bring the car to you thing as well. That experience was night and day difference.

 

[Slarty_B]

I would have asked him as many questions about the software development environment as I could. I would love to know how things "work" there.

Of course I asked him just that. He said he was only working on implementing individual phone keys for different users. I didn't realize my wife would use the same login as me for the phone key. So he is involved in creating some way of having multiple phone keys for the same car.

 

[JQS3]

Welcome to the club! I love my Model X but every just about single interaction with the company (including my infuriating delivery experience) is simply awful. No one knows anything, no one takes ownership of any problems, anything they tell you is just as likely to be false as it is true. The car is my favorite possession but the runaround from the company is barely worth it.

 

[Westfaliaboy]

My delivery experience was pretty good - except for the fact it was -20C when I got it, so that precluded a whole lot of car inspection. I did however roll it right into the tire shop for a new set of studded Hakkapalitas so the tire guys had a good look, and I got a chance to look underneath as well. The delivery driver was a total professional who did it for a living and he was pretty cool about it, and picked up a blemish that was on the car that we'll be dealing with later.

What did SUCK though is I have been trying to get through to Tesla to talk about the price decrease etc and NO-ONE has bothered to return my emails..... No chat service on the canadian website so no instant access to someone that can help me. I did get my free supercharger stuff sorted (I think) but we'l see. That being said, the car is awesome, just awesome, so can put up with a lot of crap for that. Imagine how good it would be if the total customer service package was in place........

 

[OCR1]

I had a very pleasant delivery experience last week in Costa Mesa. My delivery advisor was very pleasant to work with and all went smoothly.

There were a lot of Tesla employees standing around with seemingly nothing to do. One of them came over to me while I was waiting to make small talk with me. He made a few comments about how people in Newport Beach all like to haggle over pricing because they are rich and they think they are entitled. I’m not quite sure why he felt the need to say this to me but he seemed bored and a little jaded, probably because of dealing with a lot of picky customers who complain about scratches and other minor stuff. Personally I would not want employees in my department saying things like this to customers. It’s one thing to think it, but another thing to say it out loud.

 

[docdeb27]

Hello All!

I've been a lurker for a while and I'd like to thank all of you for helping me actually pull the trigger on my Model 3 AWD.

I picked up my car Saturday but the process was truly terrible and its clear that Tesla still is not up to par with other auto manufacturers in regards to customer service.

I placed the order 2 days prior to delivery, and was notified that the car could be picked up at the Fremont Delivery Hub. I received no calls from a delivery specialist and when I called, I was directed to a full mailbox that disconnected me. Only though hounding emails was I able to actually get someone from Tesla to talk to me about my trade in, delivery time, and needed documents. I got all this 11:30pm the day before my delivery.

Saturday came and I was directed to wait in the parking lot for my delivery "specialist" to show up. I eventually got a call and I walked over to meet him. He informed me he was actually a software intern and had never even been in a model 3 before delivering to me.

He knew absolutely nothing about the car, but thankfully this forum and YouTube told me how most everything worked. He couldn't open the car, the trunk, didn't know it even had a glove box, and wasn't quite sure that the "extra" charging plug was for. I spent time showing him how to pair my phone to the car and setting everything up. Then he shook my hand to leave before we had actually signed any paperwork.

I asked him about registration, how transferring my trade in plates would work, and what else I needed to provide to Tesla. At that point, I didn't even show him my ID, I could have been anyone! He told me he needed me to sign a bunch of paperwork but I wasn't allowed to have a copy of any of it and that it would populate in my account later. I had to fight to get copies that day of everything in the transaction.

Then I asked him about my trade in and he said he wasn't told anything about that. He said I could take both cars home cause he didn't have any paperwork on that. Obviously that wasn't going to fly, so he called around and they sent another intern over with some trade in papers (all of which I had already filled out online) and they got in my old car and left.

It was pretty poorly handled and felt a lot like selling a car on Craigslist. Signing papers on the kid's back since we didn't even have a table was a nice touch.

I was particularly insulted that Tesla gave me the car with a 50 mile charge. It was just barely enough to get me home. They refused to hook it to one of the many open supercharges since they weren't allowed to give free charges.

We drove away from the Fremont factory pretty pissed off and disgusted how things went. I felt like a total afterthought to Tesla who was just in it to get rid of a car and they didn't care if you liked it or not.

After a few days with the car, I've calmed down. I only need to buy it once, but I get to drive it daily. The car is pretty spectacular in nearly every way. I just wish the delivery process could be more professional where I feel like a valued customer and not a mark.

Sorry for venting...happy to be here!

So sorry. They made a huge delivery push this month obviously using non delivery personnel to help do it. They should have been trained.

 

[rkarlberg]

Yes, it's true that Tesla has serious delivery issues right now. Obviously, most are just growing pains that will eventually be worked out. But how many are caused by regulations? The big car companies have a very powerful lobby, and in many states Tesla is severely limited in what they can do. For example, we live in NH, but had to drive to NY to pick up our Model 3. A new bill was just introduced in TX to ban Tesla from providing service in the state.

Our delivery was at the end of 2018, so it was chaos. Not a horrible experience, but they got us a rental to drive to NY, and the car was only about 30% charged, they just were not able to charge all the cars they were delivering in a short period of time. Not a big deal since we get 6 months of free supercharging.

Sure, I had a much better sales/delivery experience in the past with Lexus - they really make you feel like a valued customer. But how much does it cost to run all those dealerships? And this time, when my lease was up, they tried to get me to buy a new RX350, but in 3 years, there were no new features at all! With Tesla we get new features almost on a monthly basis.

Bottom line, there is just no comparison. The Model 3 has almost as much interior space as the RX350, but is so much more fun to drive, and the technology is very cool. After more than 20 years (6 cars) with Lexus, I can't imagine driving anything other than a Tesla. Maybe in a couple years, new Teslas will deliver themselves??

 

[woodisgood]

Yes, it's true that Tesla has serious delivery issues right now. Obviously, most are just growing pains that will eventually be worked out. But how many are caused by regulations? The big car companies have a very powerful lobby, and in many states Tesla is severely limited in what they can do. For example, we live in NH, but had to drive to NY to pick up our Model 3. A new bill was just introduced in TX to ban Tesla from providing service in the state.

Our delivery was at the end of 2018, so it was chaos. Not a horrible experience, but they got us a rental to drive to NY, and the car was only about 30% charged, they just were not able to charge all the cars they were delivering in a short period of time. Not a big deal since we get 6 months of free supercharging.

Sure, I had a much better sales/delivery experience in the past with Lexus - they really make you feel like a valued customer. But how much does it cost to run all those dealerships? And this time, when my lease was up, they tried to get me to buy a new RX350, but in 3 years, there were no new features at all! With Tesla we get new features almost on a monthly basis.

Bottom line, there is just no comparison. The Model 3 has almost as much interior space as the RX350, but is so much more fun to drive, and the technology is very cool. After more than 20 years (6 cars) with Lexus, I can't imagine driving anything other than a Tesla. Maybe in a couple years, new Teslas will deliver themselves??

Well said. Others may have different priorities, but I agree with you. No comparison with the product. And even in the overall ethos/mission of the company, which actually does matter to me. Execution is sometimes flawed for reasons I understand and some that I don't, and if that matters that much to people, by all means, they should shop a different brand.

 

[Slarty_B]

Yes, it's true that Tesla has serious delivery issues right now. Obviously, most are just growing pains that will eventually be worked out. But how many are caused by regulations? The big car companies have a very powerful lobby, and in many states Tesla is severely limited in what they can do. For example, we live in NH, but had to drive to NY to pick up our Model 3. A new bill was just introduced in TX to ban Tesla from providing service in the state.

Our delivery was at the end of 2018, so it was chaos. Not a horrible experience, but they got us a rental to drive to NY, and the car was only about 30% charged, they just were not able to charge all the cars they were delivering in a short period of time. Not a big deal since we get 6 months of free supercharging.

Sure, I had a much better sales/delivery experience in the past with Lexus - they really make you feel like a valued customer. But how much does it cost to run all those dealerships? And this time, when my lease was up, they tried to get me to buy a new RX350, but in 3 years, there were no new features at all! With Tesla we get new features almost on a monthly basis.

Bottom line, there is just no comparison. The Model 3 has almost as much interior space as the RX350, but is so much more fun to drive, and the technology is very cool. After more than 20 years (6 cars) with Lexus, I can't imagine driving anything other than a Tesla. Maybe in a couple years, new Teslas will deliver themselves??

I totally agree. I was initially very upset, but after driving the car for over a week, its clearly the best car I've ever had. My past BMWs really don't hold a candle to the model 3, and I can forgive a whole bunch for just how great the car is. Let's hope Tesla cleans up their act by the time I'm ready to replace my wife's car.

 

[smartypnz]

Done Teslas 3 times since 2013. 2 of 3 were less than stellar (end of quarter rush). Had one ICE experience during that time.
Let's see..... ICE delivery
1. Almost punched the Sales manager for lying about final price after Cashier's check was drawn.
2. Color changed twice till the one we wanted miraculously appeared as we walked away ( and guess what - "a premium color which will carry an extra charge")
3. Extraneous charges for ridiculous minor items.

But we did wave to them when we drove away in our Tesla.

Anyway, point is, it seemed like we were being reminded of one of the reasons why we switched away from 'Dealers'. The Tesla experience(s) may have been less than stellar - but still far better and you don't drive away feeling raped.

 

[BriansBucketList]

There are a few things to ease the pain.

I was part of the 3rd quarter push and had read many delivery stories. I think I found a site that listed the busiest days, and chose Tuesday. I heard anicdotal rumors they could sell my vin to another customer, so I emailed ahead that I was financing and the bank had the vin also. When I got there, I checked in, but quickly found my car, checked it over for 20-30 minutes and workmanship was good, not great. I’ve seen slightly better and much worse. People were buying Tesla’s two at a time. Didn’t a bunch of delivery specialists get let go ? Similar to what someone said, they have great products but their processes need refining.

 

[puckpurnell]

Hello All!

I've been a lurker for a while and I'd like to thank all of you for helping me actually pull the trigger on my Model 3 AWD.

I picked up my car Saturday but the process was truly terrible and its clear that Tesla still is not up to par with other auto manufacturers in regards to customer service.

I placed the order 2 days prior to delivery, and was notified that the car could be picked up at the Fremont Delivery Hub. I received no calls from a delivery specialist and when I called, I was directed to a full mailbox that disconnected me. Only though hounding emails was I able to actually get someone from Tesla to talk to me about my trade in, delivery time, and needed documents. I got all this 11:30pm the day before my delivery.

Saturday came and I was directed to wait in the parking lot for my delivery "specialist" to show up. I eventually got a call and I walked over to meet him. He informed me he was actually a software intern and had never even been in a model 3 before delivering to me.

He knew absolutely nothing about the car, but thankfully this forum and YouTube told me how most everything worked. He couldn't open the car, the trunk, didn't know it even had a glove box, and wasn't quite sure that the "extra" charging plug was for. I spent time showing him how to pair my phone to the car and setting everything up. Then he shook my hand to leave before we had actually signed any paperwork.

I asked him about registration, how transferring my trade in plates would work, and what else I needed to provide to Tesla. At that point, I didn't even show him my ID, I could have been anyone! He told me he needed me to sign a bunch of paperwork but I wasn't allowed to have a copy of any of it and that it would populate in my account later. I had to fight to get copies that day of everything in the transaction.

Then I asked him about my trade in and he said he wasn't told anything about that. He said I could take both cars home cause he didn't have any paperwork on that. Obviously that wasn't going to fly, so he called around and they sent another intern over with some trade in papers (all of which I had already filled out online) and they got in my old car and left.

It was pretty poorly handled and felt a lot like selling a car on Craigslist. Signing papers on the kid's back since we didn't even have a table was a nice touch.

I was particularly insulted that Tesla gave me the car with a 50 mile charge. It was just barely enough to get me home. They refused to hook it to one of the many open supercharges since they weren't allowed to give free charges.

We drove away from the Fremont factory pretty pissed off and disgusted how things went. I felt like a total afterthought to Tesla who was just in it to get rid of a car and they didn't care if you liked it or not.

After a few days with the car, I've calmed down. I only need to buy it once, but I get to drive it daily. The car is pretty spectacular in nearly every way. I just wish the delivery process could be more professional where I feel like a valued customer and not a mark.

Sorry for venting...happy to be here!

My delivery was also terrible. It took a month to straighten out registration with the state of Connecticut plus more. Ugh! Be that as it may, after three months and almost 2,000 miles, I absolutely love my AWD LR Model 3.

 

[rkarlberg]

My delivery was also terrible. It took a month to straighten out registration with the state of Connecticut plus more. Ugh! Be that as it may, after three months and almost 2,000 miles, I absolutely love my AWD LR Model 3.

Yeah... Connecticut is another state fighting against Tesla (Tesla blocked (again) in Connecticut after judge rules in-state activities illegal). Why does registration have to be so difficult? Some states allow temporary plates, some don't... so hard for companies to deal with all that.