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Downgrade SR+ and get $2000 back?
- Thread starter Retaw
- Start date
Got some news, put down a deposit on April 30th, they asked me to configure a SR + and it was downgraded to SR few hours after my visit. May 1st: announcement of the new SR with 150 km & Tesla qualifies for the 5000$ EV inventive. I thought it will be the best deal ever since nobody got the SR locked so far. May 2nd: got a call from Tesla telling me that the SR that I bought will only get 150 kms at the delivery. So I had 3 options: cancel, upgrade to SR+ or drive a 150kms car. So I pay the extra and the car will be delivered next week.
In Canada, it doesn’t exist anymore.
You have the SR = 150km or SR+ = 386km...but in the US they still have the 352km...stupid it is...I know.
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Legen---dary
Member
I wouldn't say officially quite yet. Tesla is full of *sugar* so who really knows, but I was told there was a window of opportunity for those who were conned into getting the SR+ at the same time the clone-SR+ was available, and they should be able to 'downgrade,' missing pretty much just the heated seats and 20 miles of range.
I'm waiting to see what the actual downgrade involves lest I be 'accidentally' downgraded to the 150km-range compliance car they specifically told me they'd never have.
After this fiasco is over I'll upgrade the stereo on my own, bypass the seat heaters with manual controls of my own design. Hardwire the fog lights on, and if it's top-locked on the battery, just charge to 100%.
Tesla has screwed so many of us badly in Canada. Lies upon lies, and yet, I'm still in love with the car. It's so sexy I can't let it go. Therapy in my future.
My contract went from 47 600$ (SR with 352 km) to SR (44 999$)...if you are okay with the 150 kms...I guess you can do all the mod on the car to get it close to the clone SR+
Exactly lol
Legen---dary
Member
Again, it depends on when you bought. I picked my car up March 30. At that time there was offered a 352km SR vapourware special, and a 386km actual SR+. I could have bought either on that day, but was conned into the SR+ by comparing it to features of the vapourware car. For those in my situation, who purchased based on false information, we are apparently being offered to go back in time and get the SR version as it was on that day for anyone who did order. It's got nothing to do with the 150km version.
That was another scam. They specifically told me, after I checked with them multiple times, that the $5k federal rebate would never be available so I should go ahead and buy the SR+ right away. Then a month later they mysteriously made a compliance car such that we could now get the SR+, in BC anyway, for about $7000 cheaper. So people wanting the SR after that date (May 1st) would get an SR+ with a 150km range. Two different issues.
Tesla continues to fumble the ball on this issue by dragging it out and offering a litany of misinformation and misdirection.
They should fess up and make it right, sooner rather than later.
verystandard
Member
+1 for Legen---dary
I have very similar experience as him, we are both screwed by Tesla Dealers in BC and their goal is to boost the sales of the quarter end with all the tactics they can come up with.
While I wasn’t screwed by my dealer, I was told multiple times my car had Autopilot and I didn’t need to purchase it, so I’ve missed out on the reduced rate. I never expected Tesla to be able to predict the federal rebate being made available (or retroactive) so for that one I place the blame elsewhere. Still not sure why it isn’t retroactive for all of 2019 but oh well.
What irks me the most is that Tesla has probably the most loyal fan base of any company yet they continue to push them. Even if FSD was worth the $10.5k, it doesn’t hold that value when it was just on sale for what, $3k? And if you promise something will be available (SR+ downgrade), you can’t just go radio silent about it for months. I’m not about to downgrade, but if there’s going to be an incentive for those to stay on SR+ (like I don’t know, Autopilot...) just make that move. Don’t leave everyone in your company in the dark about it.
Listen, I agree with Elon about how we can’t have it both ways when it comes to price adjustments and features. And I don’t think the dealers are shady as much as they are just misinformed. But it also feels like they can’t figure out exactly what version of a Model 3 they want to sell. Low price high adoption? Or full feature set to build robotaxi fleet?
Oh well, in the end I still love every time I walk up to my Model 3 and climb in so I guess I’m not that hard done by. But it’s tough to determine if I really came out ahead by buying in March vs May.
What irks me the most is that Tesla has probably the most loyal fan base of any company yet they continue to push them. Even if FSD was worth the $10.5k, it doesn’t hold that value when it was just on sale for what, $3k? And if you promise something will be available (SR+ downgrade), you can’t just go radio silent about it for months. I’m not about to downgrade, but if there’s going to be an incentive for those to stay on SR+ (like I don’t know, Autopilot...) just make that move. Don’t leave everyone in your company in the dark about it.
Listen, I agree with Elon about how we can’t have it both ways when it comes to price adjustments and features. And I don’t think the dealers are shady as much as they are just misinformed. But it also feels like they can’t figure out exactly what version of a Model 3 they want to sell. Low price high adoption? Or full feature set to build robotaxi fleet?
Oh well, in the end I still love every time I walk up to my Model 3 and climb in so I guess I’m not that hard done by. But it’s tough to determine if I really came out ahead by buying in March vs May.
willow_hiller
Well-Known Member
For those of you who are casually throwing around the word "conned." Do you think any Tesla employees willfully lied to you? That they knew ahead of time how things would shake out and decided not to tell you to make an extra buck?
Y'all need to take some personal responsibility for your own actions. Nobody forced you to buy the car.
Y'all need to take some personal responsibility for your own actions. Nobody forced you to buy the car.
Legen---dary
Member
Tesla, the corporation - the executives - were the ones doing the conning, not the low level employees. Some of them were also lied to and now lack clear recourse.
Tesla actually did con people, the evidence of which has been discussed many times here. I was a trusting fool. At the time, for me, Tesla could do no wrong. So yeah, I'm responsible for my own naiveté, but I'm also responsible for trying to let others know that despite the overarching good Tesla is doing, at a corporate level they're stuffed with money-grubbers; ones who will step on customers without regard for the resentment they generate, seeing these customers as disposable. Just another corporation that doesn't mind walking over a few dead bodies to get to where they want.
I suppose my ongoing emotional responses are due to the fact I held Tesla to a higher standard for so long, and am now suffering disappointment commensurate with and inversely proportional to such.
The are, objectively, con artists. That is, they inspire confidence through deception in exchange for money. I can't imagine a more sad state of affairs.
I expect this from virtually all corporations, just not those run by Elon. I thought he had moral gumption beyond the norm.
Hopefully this explains my use of the harsh words you note.
willow_hiller
Well-Known Member
All car sales involve informational imbalances. I cannot imagine a world where sales staff are informed of the upper-management's decisions on an ongoing basis and keep all customers apprised of that information.
"Welcome to our Hyundai dealership! Got your eye on the new Kona EV, huh? Well let me tell you that corporate has already decided to add a much faster on-board charger next month, and is already developing a dedicated EV platform that will blow this current model away! ... Wait, where are you going?"
By your definition every car ever sold was a scam.
"Welcome to our Hyundai dealership! Got your eye on the new Kona EV, huh? Well let me tell you that corporate has already decided to add a much faster on-board charger next month, and is already developing a dedicated EV platform that will blow this current model away! ... Wait, where are you going?"
By your definition every car ever sold was a scam.
willow_hiller
Well-Known Member
All of these semantics aside, I think Tesla is unique in occasionally offering upgrades, downgrades, or rebates when these imbalances greatly impact their customers.
My scenario above was a real one, the Kona is immediately getting an upgrade to their on-board charger upgrade from 7 kW to 11 kW. I can imagine their customer service staff laughing behind their screens if someone who bought a launch model asked for compensation or an upgrade.
There are enough people asking for a downgrade, I do believe Tesla will make good on that promise. As with many things Tesla, it's a matter of when, not if. Developing a method of downgrading is probably not their foremost priority right now, and could take a fair amount of work for all we know.
Are there any purchasers of the original software locked S or X vehicles watching this thread? How long did it take Tesla to develop an upgrade button on your Tesla account pages?
My scenario above was a real one, the Kona is immediately getting an upgrade to their on-board charger upgrade from 7 kW to 11 kW. I can imagine their customer service staff laughing behind their screens if someone who bought a launch model asked for compensation or an upgrade.
There are enough people asking for a downgrade, I do believe Tesla will make good on that promise. As with many things Tesla, it's a matter of when, not if. Developing a method of downgrading is probably not their foremost priority right now, and could take a fair amount of work for all we know.
Are there any purchasers of the original software locked S or X vehicles watching this thread? How long did it take Tesla to develop an upgrade button on your Tesla account pages?
Legen---dary
Member
Those underhanded sales techniques are not my issue. Days after I bought my car Tesla decided to include AP and lower the combined price of the package by $1300. That was annoying but nothing more.
I'm not even discussing the physical features of a car. The first issue is the vapourware that was used to knowingly upsell people, and the second was being deceptive about the Canadian compliance car.
In both cases I cannot believe that Tesla had zero forethought regarding the timing. It's my belief that both instances were entirely premeditated, without regard for the customers who offer the lowest margins.
Don't get me wrong though. I love Model 3 more than I should, and relaxing in the car while charging up -- as I'm doing this very moment -- is my chill time. I'm just trying to be somewhat objective about events.
In these two particular instances, vapourware and compliance car, Tesla should be seen as very guilty by any objective judge.
I'm reasonably confident they'll address the first issue, but not the second. Had they not outright lied about the compliance car, and I'd waited only 30 days, I'd have saved about $7000, had the same car, and 5x the km of free supercharging.
They've not only lied to me and cost me directly, but indirectly they've devalued my car by about $7000 as well, again in 30 days.
It's quite the burn. If I do decide to get the performance MY in 18 months or so, I'll at least go in expecting to be deceived. A positive I suppose.
My apologies in advance if I didn't understand correctly, but to me it looks like nobody conned anybody.
You had the opportunity to buy a car with 340+Km of range with 2 different setup (SR and SR+). you chose the SR+.
Now you can downgrade to SR getting the difference back. So this is good. first problem will be (hopefully) solved
30 days later Tesla came out with a car that meet the Canadian requirement of costing less than 45000CAD.
This is in theory a SW change.
Now you are saying that the executives knew well in advance they were going to do this change and Tesla overall conned you.
I would not be so sure about that. You don't have any information.
If we were talking about 1 day, maybe we can discuss, but weeks after I couldn't claim I've been conned.
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Tesla pulling similar tricks in the past would indicate this thread is no accident. Anyway as I have mentioned if they didn't want to let people downgrade then don't announce it, they don't need fanboys to irrationally defend their bad business practices.
The federal rebate(Canada), is also no accident. Like some of you mentioned low level employees probably didn't know about it. However, that doesn't mean they should just shove whatever information they think is true but isn't confirmed. I have had many times where Tesla employees would tell me things that aren't even remotely true just to get me to not cancel my order.
On a side note, I really wish my Model 3's backup camera would stop blacking out 50% of the time >.>/.
The federal rebate(Canada), is also no accident. Like some of you mentioned low level employees probably didn't know about it. However, that doesn't mean they should just shove whatever information they think is true but isn't confirmed. I have had many times where Tesla employees would tell me things that aren't even remotely true just to get me to not cancel my order.
On a side note, I really wish my Model 3's backup camera would stop blacking out 50% of the time >.>/.
Getting back to the original topic of this post...
I just don’t see Tesla downgrading all of these previously sold SR+ models to an SR and issuing refund checks to all of those previous buyers. It doesn’t make any logical sense. Why would they do that? They’ve already sold all of those cars. They don’t issue refunds when prices go down.
There was one reference to a downgrade in a blog on the website last month, and complete silence on the subject since then. Tesla needs cash. They don’t need to be issuing refunds to buyers of previously purchased cars. I really have no idea why they offered to do so on the blog in the first place, but if they had any intention of doing so I think they would have done so by now.
I just don’t see Tesla downgrading all of these previously sold SR+ models to an SR and issuing refund checks to all of those previous buyers. It doesn’t make any logical sense. Why would they do that? They’ve already sold all of those cars. They don’t issue refunds when prices go down.
There was one reference to a downgrade in a blog on the website last month, and complete silence on the subject since then. Tesla needs cash. They don’t need to be issuing refunds to buyers of previously purchased cars. I really have no idea why they offered to do so on the blog in the first place, but if they had any intention of doing so I think they would have done so by now.
My speculation/hope is
Tesla will downgrade people once the software is ready. Depending on how many persons will require the downgrade Tesla maybe will chose a different strategy
1) Few persons - refund = money back
2) Middle number - refund = AP
3) Lot of people - refund = free supercharge for XXMIles
Fact: I asked again about my case number for my SR+ downgrade yesterday and so Tesla is still waiting for the SW to be created and they'll contact me. Every person i ask in Tesla confirmed they're allowing downgrade, when is the big mystery
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