I have an agenda? That's news to me.
My Tesla order is still in the future. I knew AWD was coming and am waiting for that. If you are talking about my P85 then, sure, it doesn't have the sensors but its spec isn't quite what I would have ordered anyway - because I didn't order it, but bought it from a dealership. It was new, but dealer-specced. It's my stop-gap until I get the Model X. It is actually a very nice car, a very refreshing spec from what I usually do too and I had fun doing this side-step in car purchasing (compared to factory orders I always do), but my situation has nothing to do with people like breser who feel slighted for completely different reasons and an order of magnitude more compelling ones.
Trust me, I have absolutely no vested interest in this debate, because I expect everything and more to be available to me with the Model X Signature I have on reserve - all the better that I have new things to look forward to. And if Model X somehow misses this stuff, I always have the option to cancel that and order the P85D Model S of my dreams, this time with whatever exact specs I want. I'm in no rush, though, as that P85 is keeping me busy and Model X has got me hooked. If I eventually take a depreciation hit on the current Model S due to AutoPilot or whatnot, fine, but in reality I was going to take a depreciation hit anyway, planning to exchange vehicles so soon (well, who knows how long the X takes exactly). All this noise is insignificant for my personal purchase process, but I do find it significant as a community member. I think the response to some people's concerns has been appalling at times. I think support for these people and especially their point of view has been warranted and have offered it.
Look. People get disappointed. They can feel slighted and, yes, they do complain. Sometimes the complaints are even warranted. At other times they are worthy of listening to in any case. All that, too, is life.
I look beyond my own interest (because in this case I have hardly any) and beyond my own bias (really liking Tesla) - and seeing room for improvement in the customer experience. If I have an agenda, that's it.
I'm advocating, first and foremost, an understanding atmosphere of discussion for those who felt slighted by these events. I think that's the biggest thing we can affect here. I've felt people getting attacked quite harshly for outing their feelings on their new purchase and I think that kind of sucks. A supportive atmosphere is one where feedback and solutions could be hashed out, but also people could feel they can share their frustrations. Second, I'm advocating improvements - or at least solid discussion of improvements - to Tesla's process so that these changes could be handled with a little less disruption. Could there be, for example, some communications and sales policies in place to make these transitions more smooth for the customers. Say, offering info, discounts, perhaps delivery refusals or delayings in some cases to shield from disappointment where possible. This won't solve all cases, of course, but there is a real chance in my opinion of lessening dissatisfaction amongst customers. Finally, there have been a few cases where I think Tesla may have made mistakes in the sales process to a particular customer and have been advocating getting them fixed. It would be good PR.
One thing is for sure, I don't think pushing the complaints under the carpet would do good to anyone. Better to talk them through.
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We are all subjective creatures. A lot of people have trouble being sympathetic towards those who felt their purchase experience soured by this. That, too, is a form of selfish - not understanding or probably even trying to understand where these people are coming from. Hopefully discussion has opened some avenues of understanding in all directions.
In other cases it is fighting windmills, so I think that's all I have to say about that.
