Expectations of the purchase experience

[BrutalTruth]

Bear with me. I'm posting this from an alternative account so as not to besmirch any location, OA, manager, etc. I'm looking for community input regarding expectations of the buyer when working with Tesla as a company. I will try to present the information fairly. Thanks in advance.

I was lucky enough to go looking for a Model S just when the 90D discounts were happening about a month ago. I ran across a car that fit the bill, except it had around 1200 miles on it and would require shipping from another location. The original discount on the car was $16,700. Here are my issues via the time line they occurred.

1. I spent the first week making multiple requests and actually receiving 4 different payment estimates, none of them similar in any way. Minus one Tesla
2. About a week into the process, the pricing structure of the Model S changed and the cost of my vehicle was reduced another $2000. This happened automatically, no input from me was needed. Plus one Tesla.
3. I was originally told 2-3 weeks for delivery, so end of week two, I haven't heard anything, I call, I'm told more likely 4-6 weeks. Minus one Tesla.
4. Continued calls from me get them to just have the car shipped for the local shop to the pre-delivery inspection needed. Minus/Plus one Tesla.
5. Car arrives with about 600 more miles on it than expected. The remote store had it out as a loaner for 12 days after I put the deposit down and the person who had it put that 600 extra miles on it. I am actually the one who discovers this and points it out. Minus one (more?) Tesla.
6. I meet with the store manager who is sorry for the hassle, offers to provide a service package on the car. He then presents with paperwork that is incorrect again in relation to the price/payment for the car. Plus/Minus for Tesla.

I have driven Audi's/BMW/Jeep/Volvo. I've leased and purchased. This process seems incredibly frustrating and disappointing and I'm looking for people to tell me that this is a very unique one off, Tesla is having growing pains, it's a small company, SOMETHING to explain this haphazard experience. I am not trying to be down on anything, the car is nice, if it had presented to me with 1800 miles, I'm still likely to get it, but I'm worried what happens if I have a real problem. Is this what it is going to be like? I mean, it's a 100k car, I sort of expected a very smooth process without much work on my end.

 

[Tam]

...I sort of expected a very smooth process without much work on my end.

I wouldn't worry about a "real problem" because Tesla would make it right if there's one.

 

[Sawyer8888]

I bought new, but I can somewhat relate to your story. My purchase experience was also a little confusing and frustrating at times. My financing paperwork (US Bank) provided by Tesla had a few inconsistencies, including a payment that did not equate to the loan balance and rate. I could go on, but who'd listen? It all felt very unprofessional.

 

[Cbass206]

I just purchased a 90D and haven't received it yet. I will say that it's been a bewildering experience and much different than any previous car purchases. My local store was fairly pleasant but was absolutely incorrect on a number of questions I had. (Told me solid roof roof would take a roof rack, details on an inventory car being just totally incorrect, and some other small items that they should have dialed in). In addition, emails to financing and delivery folks are returned sometimes days later, and there is a very nebulous time frame for delivery.

I'm optimistic that this will all work out fine, and I'll have an all electric, autopiloted dream machine in my driveway soon. Still, I can't help but think that if I was spending 90k on a BMW or a Mercedes, I'd be having a different experience.

 

[Bebop]

I just purchased a 90D and haven't received it yet. I will say that it's been a bewildering experience and much different than any previous car purchases. My local store was fairly pleasant but was absolutely incorrect on a number of questions I had. (Told me solid roof roof would take a roof rack, details on an inventory car being just totally incorrect, and some other small items that they should have dialed in). In addition, emails to financing and delivery folks are returned sometimes days later, and there is a very nebulous time frame for delivery.

I'm optimistic that this will all work out fine, and I'll have an all electric, autopiloted dream machine in my driveway soon. Still, I can't help but think that if I was spending 90k on a BMW or a Mercedes, I'd be having a different experience.

Yeah, email responses are not prompt. I've been getting the same experience.

 

[EnjoyingLife]

Oh man, this post makes me nervous about my car. I too was told 2-3 weeks. It is 2nd week +1 day exactly. No words yet. I keep hearing, "it will be hear very soon". What makes it worse is there is absolutely 0 communication. Would be nice to hear, oh due to whatever BS excuse, the delivery date had to be pushed out. Instead, I'm just left in the dark. In any case, I would be furious to know that they had put 600 more miles on the car after you had put the deposit down. Now this is the exact words coming from my OA, "as soon as you put the deposit down, we'll have them take it off the floor so no one can drive it". It seems for you it wasn't the case or my OA was just saying things to make me put the money down. In any case, if I remember correctly, doesn't each 100 miles equals to about $100 off? I remember this because the second time I went back to inquiry about the car, my OA said, oh the car has 100 more miles on it so it went down for $100 or something like that.

 

[Bebop]

Oh man, this post makes me nervous about my car. I too was told 2-3 weeks. It is 2nd week +1 day exactly. No words yet. I keep hearing, "it will be hear very soon". What makes it worse is there is absolutely 0 communication. Would be nice to hear, oh due to whatever BS excuse, the delivery date had to be pushed out. Instead, I'm just left in the dark. In any case, I would be furious to know that they had put 600 more miles on the car after you had put the deposit down. Now this is the exact words coming from my OA, "as soon as you put the deposit down, we'll have them take it off the floor so no one can drive it". It seems for you it wasn't the case or my OA was just saying things to make me put the money down. In any case, if I remember correctly, doesn't each 100 miles equals to about $100 off? I remember this because the second time I went back to inquiry about the car, my OA said, oh the car has 100 more miles on it so it went down for $100 or something like that.

Yeah, the being left in the dark seems to be a common theme for whatever reason. It would be nice for at least some communication every so often. Just a simple..."Hey just checking in, and so far nothing new yet, your car is still on schedule for production, I'll keep you up to date".

 

[EnjoyingLife]

Yeah, the being left in the dark seems to be a common theme for whatever reason. It would be nice for at least some communication every so often. Just a simple..."Hey just checking in, and so far nothing new yet, your car is still on schedule for production, I'll keep you up to date".

Agree! So far it has been kind of a sour experience...and I haven't taken delivery. I'm almost temped to go to plan B and say screw tesla, I was gonna go buy the Porsche Panamera 4s like I was originally gonna do. The Porsche sales guy still calls to check in and ask if I would switch.

 

[Cbass206]

The fact that there are so many satisfied owners gives me a lot of hope. I worked with at least two of them, and they rave about their cars all the time. I know Tesla is a growing company that's scrambling to catch up with companies who have a ton of time and experience behind them. So for now, I stay excited. There is absolutely no question in my mind that Tesla would benefit significantly from a number of cultural tweaks, and the customer experience of the purchasing process is one of them.

 

[tccartier]

Thank goodness none of you are trying to buy a CPO. check out these threads
My very disappointing CPO delivery experience
My CPO buying experience timeline

It's not the waiting that is an issue as that is for the most part, "known going in" . It is the lack of communication, transparency, and information that would allow a buyer to see a path forward that is most frustrating IMHO.

 

[Tiger]

@JonMc I hate to say this, but Tesla really needs to add some QA people in the loop. Not all people can be trained to deliver quality services, some people are juts more into that kind of thing. There needs to be repositioning of personnel in the delivery chain.

 

[bnsn]

Agree! So far it has been kind of a sour experience...and I haven't taken delivery. I'm almost temped to go to plan B and say screw tesla, I was gonna go buy the Porsche Panamera 4s like I was originally gonna do. The Porsche sales guy still calls to check in and ask if I would switch.

Funny, I've been thinking this lately too. My CPO experience started really well, but tailed off after week 3. After a couple weeks of no communication, I was browsing the CPO listings and found another car I was interested in (Performance model with a couple different features than the one I put a deposit on, which is a Model S 60), emailed and texted my CPO SA and wound up getting status updates and because it sounded like it was coming soon, I stayed with the one I reserved. Here we are a couple weeks later again, with no communication. I'm thinking of saying screw it too. It was always a selfish purchase for me, my wife doesn't like my current vehicle anyway, and I've been shopping around now. My son plays hockey, and I coach his team. This year will be his first year with a lot of travel, tournaments everywhere from Fargo to Owatonna. Winter travel of those distances in the Tesla would be fine once the Supercharger in Fargo is completed (on the list, but who knows when). I just posted in the ND Supercharger thread, while the trip planning sites say I could make it, I'd be getting into Fargo with 10% or less, which is fine. But a Supercharger would make getting charged up faster and more convenient. I could request a destination charging hotel, but because all the hotels book up for the tournaments, I haven no idea which we would be assigned so I can't plan on it. Without the Supercharger, I'd have to rely on public charging to get juiced up for the weekend of local travel as well as charging up for the drive home.

TLDR, I'm debating saying screw it and buying something else.

 

[Mick2811]

I'm not sure why, but this thread has made me feel a little more comfortable. 2 weeks ago I ordered a "new" Model S 90D....which was located in Boston, about 9 hours away from me. At the time of the down payment, I told the sales associate I would be willing to fly out and pick up the car and drive it back. It took about a week for the "delivery specialist" to contact me via e-mail...at which time he stated the request to ship the car had already been placed. After another week of emails back and forth the car is still sitting in Boston awaiting shipment. It wasn't until I called the Boston store directly and spoke with a sales manager that I found out that IF I had taken delivery of the car in Boston...I would have been required to pay sales tax in both Mass & Ohio. Why didn't my specialist explain this? I'm hoping the car moves quick!

 

[BrutalTruth]

I just don't see what another option is. There isn't a battery powered car in this category right now to compete with the Model S. No one else has the charging network. Is there even another all wheel drive battery car of any kind? Volvo has a hybrid, but not all battery, might have an all battery in a year or two. It sounds like others have varied experiences and this may be an issue more with growth and training. I suspect what I hear about the 'Tesla smile' is true that a lot is forgiven and forgotten after the car is received. That's great, but if they take buyers for granted, in a few years, they may not be repeat customers.

I want them to do well, thus my interest and down payment, but wow, for a car in this price category, I expected very different service.

So my advice to others is to stay on top of your OA and delivery team, make sure you are getting what you asked for or were promised.

Thanks for sharing your own experiences.

 

[Sawyer8888]

[QUOTE="BrutalTruth, post: 2254995, member: 64020"]I want them to do well, thus my interest and down payment, but wow, for a car in this price category, I expected very different service.[/QUOTE]

One of my wow moments came when I requested a copy of my purchase agreement, which is the single page detailing the options and total price, that also included my home address and contact information as well as the VIN. What I received was someone else's purchase agreement. I knew what they were buying and how to get a hold of them. I filed that under "see-no-evil" and pretended it didn't happen. I also hoped that my own agreement was not haphazardly being sent to the wrong party. I haven't mentioned this snafu on TMC until now. I hope they get their act together - I mean, I do have some of their stock.

 

[Buster1]

I believe that Tesla is a great company, and they make a fantastic product. But is Forum is littered with horrible/poor/ugly/bad CPO buying experiences.

I think that if you're buying anything but a brand new custom build car, Tesla just doesn't have a solid plan.

 

[caltechkid]

I think that if you're buying anything but a brand new custom build car, Tesla just doesn't have a solid plan.

I've gone through that path 4 times, each time has been more painful and like others I am a fan of the company. To the folks that say Tesla does everything to make things right in the end - I can guarantee this is not necessarily true. Lack of accountability with respect to effective responses and actually fixing a recurring problem can be pervasive. I also hope they up-spec skill sets on the retail side - I've heard so many false promises being made by clueless retail side employees it starts to smack a bit of a used car "dealership."

 

[tccartier]

I believe that Tesla is a great company, and they make a fantastic product. But is Forum is littered with horrible/poor/ugly/bad CPO buying experiences.

I think that if you're buying anything but a brand new custom build car, Tesla just doesn't have a solid plan.

+1 I'm 2 days away from delivery of my CPO Model S right now and I can tell you it has been a mess and it still is a mess there are still questions as to what equipment is on the car or not on the car communication has been abysmal at best responses were slow to non-existent nearly all communication was initiated by me. They are now asking me on my Tesla page to pay the remaining balance before I even see the car. I can tell you that's not going to happen.