Model S Delivery Issues and Communication Concerns

[NigelM]

It's amusing the fellow that's asking folks that have been waiting 3+ years to be patient and says we sound like insane spoiled children then uses the "crying" emoticon for the ~9 months that "will be the longest wait of my life". That certainly seems like a double standard.

Seems like it sure, but *kinddog* is a new member who's on a Tesla "high" and who hasn't sat through the current frustration; let's cut him/her some slack, ok?

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

ask yourself, is anything really wrong in your life right now? good lord...

perspective, people. perspective.

Apologies if I come across as holier than thou or unfairly off-topic with this but, I got a bit of perspective yesterday after learning that one of my gym workout buddies is coping with his 5-year-old-son's leukemia relapse (after a gap of 2 years); the poor child has lost an eye now Yes, you'll not see me complaining here anymore even if my wait crosses the 3+ year mark come February...

 

[Sparrow]

Let's also keep in mind, this is the area of the forum to vent and compare notes on our concerns. It always feels a little better to know others share your frustrations.

 

[v12 to 12v]

there is the option of "being patient".

being a newcomer to these boards, please put some stock into my initial impression - that you all sound a little bit insane and very much like spoiled children. I can see being excited to get the car, but "bitter disappointment", calling the company a failure, and letting delays ruin the entire experience for you are a little extreme, don't you think?

ask yourself, is anything really wrong in your life right now? good lord...

perspective, people. perspective.

Welcome kinddog.

I'd like to think that we are blazing the trail so that when your time comes you are driving on a smooth super-highway.
I'm just lucky that I didn't get a chance to drive the car until last July. The test drive did crank up that anticipation.

(Maybe my temperment comes from the fact that I come from pioneering stock that facilitated exploration the west and assisted the earliest settlers.)

 

[ckessel]

(Maybe my temperment comes from the fact that I come from pioneering stock that facilitated exploration the west and assisted the earliest settlers.)

My ancestors were Oregon Trail folks, though I'm not much in dealing with travel and harsh conditions. Maybe I'm a recessive throwback to the ones that didn't make it...

 

[v12 to 12v]

My ancestors were Oregon Trail folks, though I'm not much in dealing with travel and harsh conditions. Maybe I'm a recessive throwback to the ones that didn't make it...

Your ancestors were probably re-stocked with supplies and given instructions by my ancestors in Fort Boise or Fort Hall Idaho. They also helped travellers cross the rivers there.

 

[Arnold Panz]

Let's also keep in mind, this is the area of the forum to vent and compare notes on our concerns. It always feels a little better to know others share your frustrations.

+1. I'd also add that this thread has managed to not become a whine-fest, which it could easily have become. Instead, most people present specific situations and examples of legitimate concerns in a pretty even-keeled manner, given the subject matter. Frankly, given Tesla's admission that communication to Sigs was below standard and they are using that experience to improve the overall reservation to ownership process, I'd say this thread has been a huge help to Tesla and all current and future GP reservation holders.

In fairness to kinddog, s/he clearly has no idea of the history or context for these complaints/concerns.

Kinddog, it might help to go back and scroll through this thread to get some idea of the context for these posts before telling everyone to get perspective. I think, under the circumstances, people have done a remarkably good job of keeping proper perspective, actually.

 

[132]

My greatest concern with the communication debacle is what the mid term effects will be concerning reservations and sales for Model X and gen III.
And it is a debacle. While it was nice to hear from George in his mass email, from a personal stand point it has had no effect. My window has come and gone; I don't have a new window; I had to initiate contact several times; Each time I only received nebulous answers as to where my car was in the process.
With this in mind I ask myself would I order a signature again if I could turn back the clock. Sadly, the answer is no. I would still be interested in the model S. But, I would not give an interest free 40k loan for 2-3 years only to be left in the dark.
I've had more than one friend jokingly comment "have you heard when youre getting your Delorian" or an equivalent thereof.
As a stockholder I have to ask " how is this going to effect the company's value and ability to attract customers for new products in the future.

 

[bonnie]

Apologies if I come across as holier than thou or unfairly off-topic with this but, I got a bit of perspective yesterday after learning that one of my gym workout buddies is coping with his 5-year-old-son's leukemia relapse (after a gap of 2 years); the poor child has lost an eye now Yes, you'll not see me complaining here anymore even if my wait crosses the 3+ year mark come February...

.. and you have just defined the difference between annoyances in life and problems in life. Thanks for the perspective.

 

[Norbert]

It's amusing the fellow that's asking folks that have been waiting 3+ years to be patient and says we sound like insane spoiled children then uses the "crying" emoticon for the ~9 months that "will be the longest wait of my life". That certainly seems like a double standard.

Sounding frustrated (if that's the right word), or expressing the emotion of impatience, is not at all the same as acting like a spoiled child (whether that applies or not).

- - - Updated - - -

That's irrelevant, nevermind that you knew what you were getting into as an early adopter. If you didn't know, that's your fault for not having researched enough prior to becoming an early adopter and understanding how the process can go, good and/or bad.

I don't have a reservation. What I do have, though, is a whole lot more at stake than some paper money.

In the sense of: a real investment? Same here.

 

[Smallfootprint]

I have been a member of this forum for three days and I can already confirm that there is at least one Tesla rep who is a member of this forum and personally responding to complaints posted here. For better or worse, you will get a more rapid and thorough response if you post your complaint publicly than if you e-mail or leave a voicemail for your delivery specialist, possibly due to the logistical reasons cited by a prior poster that specialists are on the road most days.

Update/Correction: Most of you guys probably knew this already, but for the uninformed like me here it is nonetheless. I've been informed the best way to get a fast response to a query is to email [email protected], which creates an electronic ticket in the customer service system.

 

[dflye]

Similar to others' stories, hadn't heard a peep after finally entering delivery window last week; sent an email to my DES (both current and previous, as had just been handed off a week or so ago) asking for info on a prior unanswered question about the expected opening date of the service center in Raleigh (estimate now being 1st half of 2013, which somewhat lines up with the TM web site estimate of March 2013) as well as any update on delivery / delay.

Got an email reply from both the former and current DES in a matter of minutes, then a call from the current one shortly afterwards!

Unfortunately (although somewhat expected) my delivery window has moved from Oct 19 - Nov 2 to become Nov 7 - 21.

 

[Beavis]

Now that my window is also pushed out to 11/7 through 11/21, I am noticing so many others are also delayed and in that range. It doesn't seem like they've put a lot of thought into the new windows, they've just pushed them out in order to manage expectations. Am I alone in thinking this?

 

[Norbert]

Now that my window is also pushed out to 11/7 through 11/21, I am noticing so many others are also delayed and in that range. It doesn't seem like they've put a lot of thought into the new windows, they've just pushed them out in order to manage expectations. Am I alone in thinking this?

I think they are still very much in the 'unpredictable' phase. Improving communications won't help with that. It's a supplier and/or production problem.

 

[FlasherZ]

Now that my window is also pushed out to 11/7 through 11/21, I am noticing so many others are also delayed and in that range. It doesn't seem like they've put a lot of thought into the new windows, they've just pushed them out in order to manage expectations. Am I alone in thinking this?

My observation is that they're just pushing windows out as-is; until a car enters production, Tesla has zero idea when your car is going to become available. P188's "new" timeframe is 2 weeks before S1189's "new" timeframe, for example, and neither are based out of the bay area.

 

[xhawk101]

there is the option of "being patient".

being a newcomer to these boards, please put some stock into my initial impression - that you all sound a little bit insane and very much like spoiled children. I can see being excited to get the car, but "bitter disappointment", calling the company a failure, and letting delays ruin the entire experience for you are a little extreme, don't you think?

ask yourself, is anything really wrong in your life right now? good lord...

perspective, people. perspective.

+1

from my Samsung galaxy s3

 

[dsm363]

That's irrelevant, nevermind that you knew what you were getting into as an early adopter. If you didn't know, that's your fault for not having researched enough prior to becoming an early adopter and understanding how the process can go, good and/or bad.

I don't have a reservation. What I do have, though, is a whole lot more at stake than some paper money.

I knew there would be delays but I put my money down in May 2009 and just got the car when we were told fall 2011 at the time. The communication definitely could have been better so people have a right to voice their opinions. I was told the Signature would have a 'unique set of options that can't be replicated in the general production' and while that technically may be true, it's really just Sig Red paint and optional white leather (which I didn't get). What exactly do you have at stake in this, stock?

 

[JRP3]

there is the option of "being patient".

being a newcomer to these boards, please put some stock into my initial impression - that you all sound a little bit insane...

Insanity is closely related to genius :tongue:

Here's some perspective... This is a Tesla Forum that is designed to discuss issues related to Tesla (and with the exception of the small "off topic" forum, nothing else)..... Perspective does not preclude paying attention to the realities in front of you.

Correct. This is the "Issues and Communication Concerns thread, where people discuss their issues and concerns. When looking for perspective that would be in the "Perspecitve" thread, if one would wish to start such.

 

[Arnold Panz]

Just because I get excited about a baseball game doesn't mean I think it's more important than people starving in Africa. Perspective does not preclude paying attention to the realities in front of you.

Thank you for putting into words what I was thinking but couldn't articulate. I mean, of course there are a million more "important" things in the world than communications from Tesla. But this is my biggest purchase (other than my house)ever, by a wide margin, so having opinions and expressing them is totally natural. People get worked up about a lot less important things, but if that's their thing, nothing wrong with that, as long as its done respectfully and in context, which I believe we've all done here.

 

[Beavis]

My observation is that they're just pushing windows out as-is; until a car enters production, Tesla has zero idea when your car is going to become available. P188's "new" timeframe is 2 weeks before S1189's "new" timeframe, for example, and neither are based out of the bay area.

Well, I think you and Norbert are right but I really don't like to be managed. I'm a big boy. Gimme the straight dope. I know that my Delivery Specialist probably doesn't know the straight dope and my brain says I should be patient, but damn, that is hard when I am an emotional control freak about this car. I want my car now. Other people have theirs, where is mine? I want it, I want it, I want it. WTF is wrong with me?

Going to breath into a brown paper bag now.