Missing USB Ports

[Ogre]

I dunno, this "hyperball" everyone is talking about sounds pretty cool

It’s a little south of Pupan.

 

[torifile]

Cult meetings are every-other Tuesday if you wanna join, but it's BYOB

Don’t you mean BYOUSB?

 

[EVDRVN]

Here's an intelligent question, posed to you and the whole community:

Why is it important for Tesla to proactively notify customers on this issue, or any other for that matter?

I agree that good communication makes for good customer service, but Tesla doesn't need to GAF about customer service. Demand far outstrips supply. They will be backlogged on orders for years. They don't need to explain anything to anyone, because if you vote with your wallet and walk away, it will have exactly zero effect on their bottom line. A resource expenditure that does not produce a return is irrational.

Communicating this issue would make the affected customers feel better, but does nothing for Tesla.

You must not own a business because that is the exact reason many people will not buy a Tesla. Never assume demand will exceed supply forever. Regardless this is not the type of message any business should send and it always comes back to bite companies at some point. Simple communication is easy and cost MUCH less than all the time dealing with complaints and angry customers and arbitration which Tesla does more than they should. Business 101.

 

[Ogre]

You must not own a business because that is the exact reason many people will not buy a Tesla. Never assume demand will exceed supply forever. Regardless this is not the type of message any business should send and it always comes back to bite companies at some point. Simple communication is easy and cost MUCH less than all the time dealing with complaints and angry customers and arbitration which Tesla does more than they should. Business 101.

Not defending Tesla’s pretty weak communications here, but just want to point out the sheer scale of things.

Tesla is doubling everything year after year. Just getting staff trained to deal with basic support issues reactively is likely a huge problem for them. Getting staff who feels like they have to agency to address this issue proactively on the spot is just not happening. It’s not that Tesla doesn’t care about support so much as they are pushing too fast, too hard and can’t stop pushing too fast and too hard.

Business 101 doesn’t deal with this kind of growth, not at this scale. The only company to come remotely close to this sort of massive growth shipping hardware is Apple and they had massive scaling/ support issues at various times as well.

Again, not supporting this or even suggesting people should “Understand” and gloss it over. But simple solutions work for simple problems and this is not a simple problem.

Maybe Tesla loses a few customers this way, but the alternative is *not* growing at 50% per year which is a non-solution.

 

[CyberGus]

You must not own a business because that is the exact reason many people will not buy a Tesla. Never assume demand will exceed supply forever. Regardless this is not the type of message any business should send and it always comes back to bite companies at some point. Simple communication is easy and cost MUCH less than all the time dealing with complaints and angry customers and arbitration which Tesla does more than they should. Business 101.

I guess Elon doesn't own a business, either.

Oh wait

 

[WhiteWi]

I guess Elon doesn't own a business, either.

Oh wait

Such a fanboi

 

[Geelmeel]

I pick up my car Monday, if it doesn't have them I'll accept delivery but hoping they give some comp for it. Like a key fob or something. Has anyone how experienced the issue gotten any comp?

 

[USCGDAV]

Yes, I just took delivery of a 2022 Y on Wednesday, and the 2 front USB-C sockets in the front console compartment, are missing. There's just two empty holes. Probably no co-incidence that the wireless charger pads don't work either.
Really ticked off - the price you pay for a car like this and basic equipment has not been installed. So right now the only way to charge my phone is to run a cable from the USB-C sockets in the back, or lock it in the glovebox...

You'll know it's bad when the car is delivered 4,000 lighter without the battery.

 

[Meteile]

Wait for it to be properly instructed by Tesla later?

Yeah not good enough, again if you're buying a $100k car you better be told when they're anticipating repairs. "TBD" aint good enough lol

 

[sleepydoc]

Here's an intelligent question, posed to you and the whole community:

Why is it important for Tesla to proactively notify customers on this issue, or any other for that matter?

I agree that good communication makes for good customer service, but Tesla doesn't need to GAF about customer service. Demand far outstrips supply. They will be backlogged on orders for years. They don't need to explain anything to anyone, because if you vote with your wallet and walk away, it will have exactly zero effect on their bottom line. A resource expenditure that does not produce a return is irrational.

Communicating this issue would make the affected customers feel better, but does nothing for Tesla.

well, let's see here...

Reason 1: Tesla is knowingly shipping a car that is missing parts. In general terms, this is a manufacturing defect. Customers are receiving defective cars with no warning or explanation and left to figure out what's going on and also left with the frustration of paying $50-60k for a defective car. After doing some research, the poor consumer is eventually able to figure out that this was likely intentional but "Tesla cares so little about me as a consumer that they didn't even bother to send me an email or put a sticker in the car; they just left me to figure it out on my own."

Reason 2: Tesla has gotten a ton of negative press on this. That hurts their reputation and damages them as a brand. That has effect on stock prices, future sales, resale values, etc.

Even a simple press release would have changed the narrative to "Tesla is having the same supply chain issues as everyone else but is getting customers their cars as quickly as it can, even if some are missing a minor part that will be replaced as soon as possible."

Edit: how would people feel if they started shipping cars without the wireless charging pad, or the glove box, or substituted steel wheels for alloy wheels? Functionally, those are roughly equivalent to the missing USB port.

I see @WhiteWi already gave me a thumbs down. Guess I'm just a Tesla Hater.

 

[WhiteWi]

well, let's see here...

Reason 1: Tesla is knowingly shipping a car that is missing parts. In general terms, this is a manufacturing defect. Customers are receiving defective cars with no warning or explanation and left to figure out what's going on and also left with the frustration of paying $50-60k for a defective car. After doing some research, the poor consumer is eventually able to figure out that this was likely intentional but "Tesla cares so little about me as a consumer that they didn't even bother to send me an email or put a sticker in the car; they just left me to figure it out on my own."

Reason 2: Tesla has gotten a ton of negative press on this. That hurts their reputation and damages them as a brand. That has effect on stock prices, future sales, resale values, etc.

Even a simple press release would have changed the narrative to "Tesla is having the same supply chain issues as everyone else but is getting customers their cars as quickly as it can, even if some are missing a minor part that will be replaced as soon as possible."

Missing two usb ports is hardly defective car. Few reports from people who weren’t notified about it doesn’t mean they do it for every car affected! But in 21st century no one cares about facts so carry on.
P.S.
I disagree with you!

 

[CyberGus]

Reason 1: Tesla is knowingly shipping a car that is missing parts.

It's a d1ck move, no doubt.

Reason 2: Tesla has gotten a ton of negative press on this. That hurts their reputation and damages them as a brand. That has effect on stock prices, future sales, resale values, etc.

You're not wrong, but I'd say they get more negative press on things that aren't true ("TESLA OWNERS HAVE 25% HIGHER RATES OF SPONTANEOUS HUMAN COMBUSTION"). TSLA is up 3% today.

Even a simple press release would have changed the narrative to "Tesla is having the same supply chain issues as everyone else but is getting customers their cars as quickly as it can, even if some are missing a minor part that will be replaced as soon as possible."

A simple press release would require a marketing department, which Tesla does not currently believe they need.

To be clear, I'm not not NOT in favor of this behavior. I just don't believe it will hurt Tesla's bottom line for a very, very long time, if ever.

 

[T3SLAROD]

Two USB ports, Wireless Charging, Passenger Lumbar adjustment, Homelink, Radar…. No big deal…. But we’ll Jack up the price another $10k

 

[AikenSugarbush]

Missing two usb ports is hardly defective car. Few reports from people who weren’t notified about it doesn’t mean they do it for every car affected! But in 21st century no one cares about facts so carry on.
P.S.
I disagree with you!

Wireless charging also doesn't work, plus the missing mud flaps and PPF protecting the paint. I'm totally cool if Tesla lets you know up front and commits to correcting. They just shouldn't put the burden on customers to figure out what's missing.

Conflict Disclosure: Long-term Tesla shareholder who wants Tesla to be its absolute best and continue dominating the EV market.

 

[CyberGus]

Tesla is slowly starting to become a mid-tier brand with expensive vehicles. Sad but true.

I'm amazed that Tesla is still considered a "luxury brand". The S and X fit that category, but the Y is iffy and 3 certainly not.

Particularly without USB lol

 

[Ogre]

To be clear, I'm not not NOT in favor of this behavior. I just don't believe it will hurt Tesla's bottom line for a very, very long time, if ever.

This is what cracks me up. Your post was pretty cynical and realistic, but everyone seems to assume you are “Defending” Tesla here.

Tesla’s priority is getting cars out the door to customers.

Apple had the same problem with their Genius Bars. Support is hard when you are growing fast.

 

[WhiteWi]

Wireless charging also doesn't work, plus the missing mud flaps and PPF protecting the paint. I'm totally cool if Tesla lets you know up front and commits to correcting. They just shouldn't put the burden on customers to figure out what's missing.

Conflict Disclosure: Long-term Tesla shareholder

Wireless charger is still there it just doesn’t have USB port to connect to. Flaps and ppf as far as I remember is limited to certain market locations and not promised to be available everywhere.

 

[sleepydoc]

Missing two usb ports is hardly defective car. Few reports from people who weren’t notified about it doesn’t mean they do it for every car affected! But in 21st century no one cares about facts so carry on.

It leaves the factory missing a part that allows it to function as advertised and intended. That is the definition of a manufacturing defect. It's not a major defect; you can still drive the car just fine and get around it by using the glove box, but it is still a defect. Also, can cars missing the USB module save dash cam video? Normally you use one of the USB C ports to plug in an SSD. If you can't, that's another missing feature.

It's a d1ck move, no doubt.


You're not wrong, but I'd say they get more negative press on things that aren't true ("TESLA OWNERS HAVE 25% HIGHER RATES OF SPONTANEOUS HUMAN COMBUSTION"). TSLA is up 3% today.


A simple press release would require a marketing department, which Tesla does not currently believe they need.

To be clear, I'm not not NOT in favor of this behavior. I just don't believe it will hurt Tesla's bottom line for a very, very long time, if ever.

True, Tesla gets it's share of undeserved negative press, but they don't need to add to it, and when there are reports that are accurate, the negative image they portray indirectly gives credence to the other incorrect reports.

This likely will have very little long term negative impact on Tesla, but it may and for any company to have an issue like this that is completely avoidable is really not acceptable. If I were an investor and I saw missteps like this because of the lack of a functioning marketing department I would not be happy.

 

[Kairide]

You imply that Tesla is going to scam people. ( Anti Tesla hyperball).

You do realize that Due Bills are standard across the automotive industry. Any time you buy a car and the dealership or manufacturer owe you anything after the sale, you need to get a Due Bill. If you actually review your contracts, it states that without a Due Bill nothing else is owed or implied after the sale. By not requesting a Due Bill, you are trusting that the dealership/manufacturer will keep their word. This is not just Tesla and most definitely not an anti Tesla statement.
I would not trust any dealership or manufacturer to keep their verbal word, including Tesla, Toyota, Ford, etc..

 

[EVDRVN]

Not defending Tesla’s pretty weak communications here, but just want to point out the sheer scale of things.

Tesla is doubling everything year after year. Just getting staff trained to deal with basic support issues reactively is likely a huge problem for them. Getting staff who feels like they have to agency to address this issue proactively on the spot is just not happening. It’s not that Tesla doesn’t care about support so much as they are pushing too fast, too hard and can’t stop pushing too fast and too hard.

Business 101 doesn’t deal with this kind of growth, not at this scale. The only company to come remotely close to this sort of massive growth shipping hardware is Apple and they had massive scaling/ support issues at various times as well.

Again, not supporting this or even suggesting people should “Understand” and gloss it over. But simple solutions work for simple problems and this is not a simple problem.

Maybe Tesla loses a few customers this way, but the alternative is *not* growing at 50% per year which is a non-solution.

I worked at an executive level position for a growing fortune 50 company. No

Not defending Tesla’s pretty weak communications here, but just want to point out the sheer scale of things.

Tesla is doubling everything year after year. Just getting staff trained to deal with basic support issues reactively is likely a huge problem for them. Getting staff who feels like they have to agency to address this issue proactively on the spot is just not happening. It’s not that Tesla doesn’t care about support so much as they are pushing too fast, too hard and can’t stop pushing too fast and too hard.

Business 101 doesn’t deal with this kind of growth, not at this scale. The only company to come remotely close to this sort of massive growth shipping hardware is Apple and they had massive scaling/ support issues at various times as well.

Again, not supporting this or even suggesting people should “Understand” and gloss it over. But simple solutions work for simple problems and this is not a simple problem.

Maybe Tesla loses a few customers this way, but the alternative is *not* growing at 50% per year which is a non-solution.

I have owned many growing business and worked at the executive level of a fortune 50 high-growth company. Not communicating a car is missing a key component is just not acceptable. Growth is not the issue it's poor management and lack of spending to cut costs where needed. Tesla changes parts on cars weekly with no issue and they know what the changes are, they can easily communicate this to delivery and sales. They have the worst CS platform ever, I've witnessed it first had and it 's not a growth issue it's a culture issue and cost cutting issue. They don't care, period and this is costing them lots of money on the back end. If you knew how many legal demands are sent re these easily addressed issues it would make your head spin. Perhaps Elon could spend some personal money fixing CS, it would pay off 10X. Tesla uses an Intern that has no legal experience to deal with demand letters and is completely ill equipped to resolve issues. Not a growth issue a staffing issue (Tesla is cheap) and it costs them in the end, I know this first hand. Tesla has had plenty of time to deal with customer communications, they just don't and they have the money to do it. This far out and it's still rookie hour in some areas, no excuses. Here is a tip that worked for me, opt out of the arbitration agreement, they won't blow you off when they know this and they won't back out of agreements.