Elon Musk: Stop your end of the quarter mad dash....it hurts delivery experience

[bellwilliam]

Took delivery of my S today. There were a ton of Tesla (30+) at the service center. They are all to be delivered by end of the week. This is crazy, there are only few people working at Service Center. Quality of delivery is not top notch.

1. my S was not fully charged, it shows ~100 miles range. Where do Tesla think I live ? luckily I live 40 miles away, but I could not of gone to all the places I wanted today.
2. my S was not washed.
3. interior was not clean.
4. paint "armor" was 2nd rate, some were bubbling.
5. passenger door don't latch properly 70% of the time.

my rep was helpful and knowledgeable, but did or couldn't do nothing about 1-5.

*what's up with no rear floor mat, are we back in Yugo era ?
*what's up with no HPWC delivery. If you can't deliver, don't take the money upfront
*firmware still at 4.2. what's up with that ?
*what's up with ghetto Service Center. this is a "luxury car"
*can the web browser be any crappier ?

Mr. Musk: stop the delivery mad dash, stop trying to appease Wall Street. Trying to move all the cars out this week, just means less cars delivered next week. It also doesn't make business sense.

 

[carrerascott]

4.3 has been put on hold due to some bugs. I still have 4.2. My car was delivered 3/7 with 140mi of range. Some of your complaints may be due to end of qrtr rush but others aren't. I also haven't received HPWC or rear spoiler... Think those are supplier issues. But I'm happy to get my car now and wait for those items, vs waiting for my car until those items could be delivered at the same time...

 

[rlpm]

4.3 has been put on hold due to some bugs. I still have 4.2. My car was delivered 3/7 with 140mi of range. Some of your complaints may be due to end of qrtr rush but others aren't. I also haven't received HPWC or rear spoiler... Think those are supplier issues. But I'm happy to get my car now and wait for those items, vs waiting for my car until those items could be delivered at the same time...

+1

I expect a few things on my due bill at direct delivery next week. Anything else I notice I'll tell ownership about. So far, they've been very responsive and willing to address my issues. I don't expect post-delivery to be any different.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Your 1-5 points may be quarter related (your particular Service Center having to handle too many deliveries) but the other things (4.2, HPWC, "ghetto Service Center", web browser) have nothing to do with any quarter "dash".

Tesla already had the strategy from the start of delivering cars first and options later. The idea is to get the car into consumer hands rather than having everyone wait until those options can be supplied. I think given the choice most people will take the delivery first. It has nothing to do with any quarterly rush to deliver cars.

 

[FredTMC]

I want TM to succeed and i own the stock. I love my MS (took delivery in Feb and have had no big issues). I believe in TM and Elon. Being a new public company can be very challenging in general. Look at all the challenges a new auto manufacturer faces. There aren't any new successful mfgs making any sizable volume except for TM. And MS is no ordinary car.

Lets all give this new ambitious revolutionary company a little slack... Especially at this critical end of quarter crunch time. There are so many naysayers about the long term prospects for this company (e.g. Huge short %). If TM doesn't meet their guidance, they get slammed by the street since the street only generally cares about quarterly performance (to a large degree).

I have complete confidence that TM will take care of whatever you need regarding your "crunch time" delivery ("maxQ" time in SpaceX lingo). Every delivery they can book matters greatly for Q1. Have some sympathy and don't kick them at their busiest time. Thanks all.

 

[Jason S]

5. passenger door don't latch properly 70% of the time.

Passenger front, correct? Takes more effort than people seem to want to use?

It works itself out in my experience. Just tell people to close the door harder in the meantime.

 

[kendallpb]

4. paint "armor" was 2nd rate, some were bubbling.

Call re. the bubbles; they'll make good. In my state, paint armor is done by a third party; we noticed a few very tiny bubbles--I was like "well, I had to look really closely to even notice, so it's no big"--and my DS was like "no way, you noticed, we'll get it fixed." It turns out the bubbles were actually specs of dirt causing the bubbles, and the armor had been on for a short enough time the paint armor guy was able to peel, clean, re-apply. When I expressed a little skepticism, Nathan was like, "It's just a piece of plastic, if it doesn't look good, we can remove and put a new piece on--no worries." (I'm paraphrasing; he doesn't talk like that. ;-) ) If you get no satisfaction from "your rep" (you mean your DS?), talk to the service person; if that doesn't do it, call or e-mail ownership.

I don't recall the charge on mine, when I picked it up, but it may have been plugged in at the time (I remember being shown the charging--just not sure if it was actually charging when I picked it up). Still, I find it amusing that you're complaining about something that didn't cause you any problems--you live 40 miles away. Lucky? While a full starting charge is optimal, it sounds like they have a lot of cars and they may have had to pick and choose which to charge, noted you were 40 miles away, and done the most charge they had time for. (shrug) I'm not sure luck had anything to do with it--possibly good planning, though. 100 miles is more than enough for you to go home and right back to the Service Center.

Big heavy doors; push harder and close firmly, IMHO. The browser seems fine to me. I don't have 4.3 yet either, but it's not a major change so I don't care. They roll out slowly, and if they're pausing it while working out some kinks, so much the better! I'd rather get it right than get it quickly. ;-)

The not-washed/not-clean is unfortunate and unprofessional.

I have no idea what you mean by "ghetto Service Center"--never seen it--but it's a Service Center, not a Store. Does it need to be in the ritziest part of town?!

Anyway, congrats on your car! Enjoy!

 

[bellwilliam]

1 more gripe I got: poor panel fit. this won't pass Lexus bearing test. upon closer examination, it won't pass Chevy quality control.

on the door not latching well, I meant passenger side front. all other doors are fine.

as for paint armor, it isn't tiny bubbles, it is a 1" bubble.

as for not getting HPWC on time, I am complaining Tesla charging me now. Tesla should charge when they ship.

firmware 4.3 is a big deal for us Southern California Edison customers. We pay ~60 cents / kwh at peak hour, 1/3 of that at off-peak. time charging matters.

I believe Tesla is getting out as many cars as possible before quarter end, then deal with quality issues at a later date. They should of caught many of the issues during QC, if there is such a thing.

 

[AMPd]

I laughed at the ghetto service center remark.
Honestly I laughed at all of your complaints

Do you mind posting pictures of the poor panel fit?

 

[K Hall]

At least he has a service center.:smile:

 

[yobigd20]

IMO they should really stop using third party vendors for various things, especially for the paint armor. What they need to do is hire some expert XPEL Ultimate installers and put the good stuff on. Self-healing, full hood, all edges wrapped, no lines showing....

same goes for these third party tire warranty things, which I think someone said is also through third party. $700 (or $900) for tire warranty? Doh, that's absurd. I sort of feel like they are taking advantage of "those who don't know any better". If any of you have bought tires elseware and seen the typical road hazard warranties offered, they are usually around $10-25 per tire. That's $40-$100, not $700-$900. Sheeeesh.

http://www.edmunds.com/auto-warranty/understanding-tire-warranties.html "Road hazard warranty prices vary, based on the tire and the vendor, but on average, they range from $10-$20 per tire."

 

[GSP]

At least he has a service center.:smile:

Amen to that.

GSP

 

[swegman]

Note that the tire plan covers not just the tires, but also the wheels.

 

[Suzieq]

Honestly I laughed at all of your complaints

This is no laughing matter, particularly the comments about the car not being washed, inside and out.

Think about it. This is a very low bar. In fact, it's a minimum.

If I pick up a rental car, and it is not clean, I ask for a different car. It's not like getting on a public bus, where you might understand if it's not clean.

It is an expensive luxury automobile. While I can forgive a new manufacturer certain issues, I cannot forgive a dirty car on delivery. That is completely preventable, and totally unprofessional. I would say that anyone who is willing to accept a dirty car on delivery might themselves have issues.

 

[ModelS1079]

My car had a fine dust, acquired on the delivery truck that brought the car to my street. Tesla simply offered a free detail whenever I wanted, suggesting I do this in the Spring. They are on it next Thursday. I'd be shocked if they did not offer you the same.

You complaint about not enuf delivery specialists is right on - those guys are busting rumpus to make as many deliveries as they can and the (pre-paid) inventory is piling up - in Boston (Watertown), 28 vehicles were patiently awaiting a home last week. Looked to me like the cars were getting frustrated and really would have rather been driving. I think they do an awesome job (the DS's), but they need to be cloned asap.

 

[NigelM]

Part of this is definitely that everyone still wants their car NOW TODAY(!) and to be honest I don't blame them as I was like that also. Not making excuses for anyone at Tesla but it can't be easy when you've got 30 cars lined up and owners who all want immediate delivery. Example: How many chargers/outlets does the service center have? I'll bet they just couldn't get all the cars charged and washed in time.

The comments on rear floor mats has been discussed elsewhere and I personally agree that there should have been something; but that isn't related to timing of delivery.

 

[Beckler]

OP, I like how you're telling Musk how to run his business. Whatever man. Not much sympathy for your "issues". Most of what you list just means in effect they're a few days late delivering your car. Big deal.

 

[Krugerrand]

This is no laughing matter, particularly the comments about the car not being washed, inside and out.

Yeah, it is a laughing matter. I know that as soon as I read 'ghetto', I laughed out loud and immediately rolled my eyes dismissing everything else the OP said.

I would say that anyone who is willing to accept a dirty car on delivery might themselves have issues.

That's funny too and there go my...

 

[Rodolfo Paiz]

I would say that anyone who is willing to accept a dirty car on delivery might themselves have issues.

I could say that someone who can so easily condemn another human being whom they've never met, by a single comment on an Internet forum, might themselves have issues. I could say that, but I would never do so since I know just how absurd such conduct would be.

 

[brianman]

Took delivery of my S today. There were a ton of Tesla (30+) at the service center. They are all to be delivered by end of the week. This is crazy, there are only few people working at Service Center. Quality of delivery is not top notch.

1. my S was not fully charged, it shows ~100 miles range. Where do Tesla think I live ? luckily I live 40 miles away, but I could not of gone to all the places I wanted today.
2. my S was not washed.
3. interior was not clean.
4. paint "armor" was 2nd rate, some were bubbling.
5. passenger door don't latch properly 70% of the time.

my rep was helpful and knowledgeable, but did or couldn't do nothing about 1-5.

*what's up with no rear floor mat, are we back in Yugo era ?
*what's up with no HPWC delivery. If you can't deliver, don't take the money upfront
*firmware still at 4.2. what's up with that ?
*what's up with ghetto Service Center. this is a "luxury car"
*can the web browser be any crappier ?

Mr. Musk: stop the delivery mad dash, stop trying to appease Wall Street. Trying to move all the cars out this week, just means less cars delivered next week. It also doesn't make business sense.

Evaluating on the merits:
1. Unless you specifically requested a complete standard (or range) charge prior to delivery, 100 miles range isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact it's probably a sign that your battery has been in the mid-zone rather than aggressively topped off. If they gave it to you with something like 20 miles rated, you'd definitely have a beef.
2. Likely bad form, I agree. Details and/or pictures would be useful here for discussion purposes.
3. Likely bad form, I agree. Details and/or pictures would be useful here for discussion purposes.
4. Unacceptable, but stuff happens. Make sure it's on your due bill to get it fixed.
5. This has been reported as an issue more than a few times on the forum. IIRC, there's an adjustment some people have had done. I don't think it's critical to note this on your due bill.
6. Rear floor mat/matt. This is not "news" to anyone that's been following the forum and read any post with the word "mat/matt" in it. For a long while (months) it's been discussed.
7. There are taxation and other reasons why some prefer to purchase the HPWC at delivery rather than as a separate purchase later. I suspect Tesla would not have balked if you requested to strike the HPWC from your delivery cost (and cancel your 'reservation' for one). Did you ask?
8. Need more details.
9. Yes, it could be a lot worse. That said, it could definitely use some improvements.
10. Do you have stats or official public information to support the "mad dash" assertion? My recollection from the latest Conf Call was that, if anything, they ramped down somewhat from end of calendar 2012 as part of shifting from temp hires to full time employees and generally reducing costs.