Model S Delivery Issues and Communication Concerns

[NigelM]

I beg to differ -- many of these suppliers are start-ups too with thousands of anxious customers. The dominant opinion here on TMC is that I have to suck it up (and I will), but the point I'm trying to make is that the dominant opinion from my family and friends is that despite how cool the product is, customer / account management is critical and Tesla's not doing a good job to build the customer experience that they would expect from a $100k+ purchase, new technology or not.

Flasher, I agree with you. I was simply making the point that comparing Tesla producing cars, and delivering them, to a basic $20 product is unrealistic. Tesla have acknowledged that their communication wasn't (and still isn't) up to snuff and we don't need to keep quiet about that; I do think we need to give them a chance to improve and they seem to be doing that slowly but surely.

 

[Norbert]

George B seemed to imply that the factory building out of order was a mistake and shouldn't be happening going forward.

Not that I am aware of. I read his email as saying that it was unfortunate but necessary. He doesn't seem to expect the out-of-order numbers to grow, but doesn't completely exclude that.

- - - Updated - - -

None of the above is an excuse for their inability to properly communicate, and after multiple people from the company have owned up to the fact that they have big communication issues I would have expected folks here to stop making excuses for them. I don't care how I'll feel when I get the car. I don't have the car here and now, and don't feel the experience has been up to par. I'm absolutely going to speak on that.

Slowly. As far as GeorgeB's post here and his email are concerned, he said that their communication was "weak at best", but that there were reasons for it. He says they will sound like excuses, which means they are *not*. He also does not say that those reasons do not exist anymore. He only says that they will send certain communications, one of which he already sent.

I do not feel that I'm ignoring anything, and am not sure what else you disagree with.

 

[AnOutsider]

Not that I am aware of. I read his email as saying that it was unfortunate but necessary. He doesn't seem to expect the out-of-order numbers to grow, but doesn't completely exclude that.

As I said, his emailed implied.. to me anyway -- if you don't agree, that's fine, but you can't call me wrong for seeing something different than you.

He also does not say that those reasons do not exist anymore.

So what does all this mean? It means that when all is said and done, there will be about 26 Model S Signature cars that are built earlier than they should have been (most of which have already been delivered), and about 28 will have been built later than they should have been (all of which are now under a microscope everyday to make sure they get through production immediately and have delivery expedited). I wish we could have provided a more seamless experience, but we tried our best to prioritize weekly production orders while taking into account the quality we insisted upon, the parts we had, and the all-important sequence number.

Please note all the past tense used in that email. Does that not imply to you that these things, which "should [not] have been", are over and done with? The tone and wording, to me, implies that this was something that unfortunately had to happen, but that things are back on track now. Most of the cars that were "built earlier than they should have been" have been delivered, so we should be seeing less of out-of-order deliveries, no?

In any case, as I clearly stated earlier, I'm not too concerned with out-of-order deliveries at this point (and 30 cars is especially not a big deal), I'm more concerned in the lack of communication. Perhaps some can overlook that, and perhaps they have a reason that's not an excuse, but there's no excuse for that in my book. Especially with a purchase of this size.

 

[v12 to 12v]

If Tesla was actually advertising their product proactively, which they are not(yet?), then I would agree. The people in line for a Model S have pretty much been following it and seeking an Ev of its caliber. In the near future it should be available for others, currently It really isn't. When all of the systems are up and running and the backlog is to the desired length then there should be reason to complain if timelines are not met. As of now ~ 1 month, 3 months.. that isn't much of a delay at all for a product like this
and it is silly to be complaining yet ( besides the 2012 vs 2013 tax credit if that applies)
just my thoughts

Great point. I sought Tesla out, they didn't come to me. I'm a willing volunteer. I knew what I was getting into and the documents made it abundantly clear that everything was subject to change. I was very aware that this is a semi-custom car and aligned my expectations with that. So far, they are doing far better than I anticipated, with one exception.

I expected bugs and I anticipated our first drives to be "shakedown cruises". (Using the Merriam-Webster definition of shakedown:a testing under operating conditions of something new (as a ship) for possible faults and defects and for familiarizing the operators with it.) Maybe the fact that I am a boater had me more prepared for this part of the adventure.

Tesla still falls short when it comes to initiating contact and sending proactive or pre-emptive communications. It seems that communications has improved for some customers but not for others. Even a communication about why they are having communication issues would be helpful. I don't need hand holding but sometimes they have all but gone dark. That shouldn't happen. It sounds like they need a communications specialist on board.

I still feel privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of making a car like the Model S possible. I wouldn't have made this leap of faith if it were not for the Roadster owners. They are the brave souls. Through them, I learned how Tesla handled issues with the development of the Roadster and how they cared for their customers. That convinced me that Tesla was up to the task. I'm still happily willing to put up with growing pains as the Model S gets its feet wet. As long as I am kept in the loop, I'm cool.

 

[Norbert]

As I said, his emailed implied.. to me anyway -- if you don't agree, that's fine, but you can't call me wrong for seeing something different than you.

I'm not calling you wrong. Just that I don't read it as saying that.

Please note all the past tense used in that email.

The quote of me is regarding the weak communication, but the quote of George is regarding the out-of-sequence production. Two different things. Regarding the communication, he says "solutions are in sight", which means, they are not there yet: they don't have a solution yet.

Does that not imply to you that these things, which "should [not] have been", are over and done with? The tone and wording, to me, implies that this was something that unfortunately had to happen, but that things are back on track now. Most of the cars that were "built earlier than they should have been" have been delivered, so we should be seeing less of out-of-order deliveries, no?

Yes, but "most" is not "all". So some of both categories are still imminent, and yours might be one of them. While it does imply that he doesn't expect the numbers to increase, common sense says he has no guarantee that future issues might not necessitate another instance or two.

In any case, as I clearly stated earlier, I'm not too concerned with out-of-order deliveries at this point (and 30 cars is especially not a big deal), I'm more concerned in the lack of communication. Perhaps some can overlook that, and perhaps they have a reason that's not an excuse, but there's no excuse for that in my book. Especially with a purchase of this size.

I'm not concerned with excuses. I'm saying that in perspective it is something one can deal with (or has to deal with, if you want), given that industry experts predicted not long ago that Tesla will be seriously challenged to go through the whole process, and that it will not be able to survive as an independent company.

As I said before, I hope that Tesla will not give out a long list of reasons. However I sure hope that they will be able to resolve anything causing unpredictability, which will allow better estimates and to sooner increase production rates.

 

[Jkam]

When I first put in my reservation for a Sig almost three years ago, I was assigned Sig#170. Somewhere along the line Tesla decided that Roadster owners who put in a Sig reservation would go to the front of the line and my number got reassigned to S#69. Never mind that some of the SSLs that were cutting in front of me had gotten their Roadsters and/or put in their Sig S reservations much later than my reservation. No problem, I’m still getting one of the first cars.

After finalizing my MPVA in May, I was told in June by my Product Specialist that my car was in production. On my MPVA I was quoted an August delivery, or “maybe even sooner.” I decided to skip the Get Amped! test drive tour in June because it would require me to travel and I figured that I’d have my car soon anyway. Last week of August rolls by and I hear nothing from Tesla. I have to contact the Product Specialist that took my MPVA order to ask what is going on. He says Ownership Experience Advocate will contact me shortly. I don’t hear from an OEA for three weeks. Only after I hear some other customers are getting their cars and delivery windows do I take the initiative to call Tesla to ask what is going on with my car. I didn’t even have contact information for an OEA so I had to call my Product Specialist to give me a phone# to call.

I was told that because I live in Hawaii, and Tesla is opening up a service center in Hawaii soon, my car will wait until the service center is in place before it is delivered. Seeing as Tesla couldn’t give me any confirmation that the service center opening was imminent, I called them back and said waiting until the service center is open is not acceptable (At present the best update I can get is the service center will be open by March 2013.). After a few days, supposedly it went all they way to the top, Tesla responds that I won’t have to wait until the service center is open to get my car. They will ship when it is ready. At that time, I finally get a delivery window of 10/10-10/24.

After returning from vacation, on 10/9 I contact my Delivery Experience Specialist to see if he has any updates about my delivery. A couple of days later I get a very short message that the car “is still going through our final assembly,” and I finally find out my VIN# is 499. So my car definitely was skipped in the sequence of building. By how much? I don’t know for sure, but definitely on the order of 100-150 cars after it should have been. Kind of odd that my VIN# is 499 considering that in June my product specialist said that my car was in production. In absolute terms (not factoring in the Founders) I should have gotten #170, but now I’m #499 or thereabouts. Kind of hard to swallow when you see reservations in the 800s getting VINs in the 200s regardless of George B’s email indicating that there are some outliers.

Anyway, other than George B’s mass email, I have yet to hear a word from Tesla. My delivery window closes in two days. Since the MPVA, every communication I’ve had with Tesla had to be initiated by me and the responses were not immediate but a few days later.

I want to stay positive and I want to cut Tesla some slack, but it is an extreme test of my character to do so. Right now I’m at lost in the dark and frustrated beyond words.

 

[Johan]

Jkam, sad to read your story, that whole ordeal is just wrong. No matter how you spin it, that right there is poor customer care. Hope you get your car real soon!

 

[timdorr]

After returning from vacation, on 10/9 I contact my Delivery Experience Specialist to see if he has any updates about my delivery. A couple of days later I get a very short message that the car “is still going through our final assembly,” and I finally find out my VIN# is 499. So my car definitely was skipped in the sequence of building. By how much? I don’t know for sure, but definitely on the order of 100-150 cars after it should have been. Kind of odd that my VIN# is 499 considering that in June my product specialist said that my car was in production. In absolute terms (not factoring in the Founders) I should have gotten #170, but now I’m #499 or thereabouts. Kind of hard to swallow when you see reservations in the 800s getting VINs in the 200s regardless of George B’s email indicating that there are some outliers.

The fact you have a VIN means your car is somewhere inside in the plant. That's a good sign. That means you should be able to get a delivery specialist to go out and say where it is on the floor (possibly even get a picture of it!).

Also, Tesla has delivered to Hawaii already. So, they have a shipper that can get it there. I believe it's just a matter of getting it out of the factory.

There were some delays the other week, but it appears they have been resolved and the cars are flowing again. I'd give your contact one last call and see if you can push things along. I'm willing to bet they'll tell you it's on final burn-in or inspection and they're getting ready to drop it on a boat this week. But they should be giving you an update, as it sounds *very* close to delivery.

 

[Sparrow]

I was told burn in takes 1 to 3 days and then the car goes to "service inspection/rectification for another 1-3 days", before being taken to logistics to schedule delivery. Not sure how long logistics would take to get a car on a truck or boat in the case of Hawaii. My quote of 7 to 10 days to deliver to Atlanta may include the time to schedule it, at least I hope it does.

 

[shokunin]

I can't imagine why Tesla has not split up the remaining Sig deliveries (say 500) amongst the Delivery Specialists and give each Sig holder a phone call. 20 Delivery specialist, each getting 25 customers to call or leave a message every week until the car is delivered. Give the DS's a spreadsheet every Monday a list where each car is at, whether an exception was found and is being sent back for rework, or is in logistics waiting for delivery.

Tesla internal communications is borked, just a weekly update for the remainder of sigs can't be THAT difficult. I'm not talking about each time a status changes (eg, burn-in complete moving to QA/Service, problem found, back to production) that might happen during the week, if at the end of the week the status is still in burn-in then either send out mass emails or pick up the phone.

Come on Elon, this isn't Rocket science!

 

[Jkam]

When I first put in my reservation for a Sig almost three years ago, I was assigned Sig#170. Somewhere along the line Tesla decided that Roadster owners who put in a Sig reservation would go to the front of the line and my number got reassigned to S#69. Never mind that some of the SSLs that were cutting in front of me had gotten their Roadsters and/or put in their Sig S reservations much later than my reservation. No problem, I’m still getting one of the first cars.

After finalizing my MPVA in May, I was told in June by my Product Specialist that my car was in production. On my MPVA I was quoted an August delivery, or “maybe even sooner.” I decided to skip the Get Amped! test drive tour in June because it would require me to travel and I figured that I’d have my car soon anyway. Last week of August rolls by and I hear nothing from Tesla. I have to contact the Product Specialist that took my MPVA order to ask what is going on. He says Ownership Experience Advocate will contact me shortly. I don’t hear from an OEA for three weeks. Only after I hear some other customers are getting their cars and delivery windows do I take the initiative to call Tesla to ask what is going on with my car. I didn’t even have contact information for an OEA so I had to call my Product Specialist to give me a phone# to call.

I was told that because I live in Hawaii, and Tesla is opening up a service center in Hawaii soon, my car will wait until the service center is in place before it is delivered. Seeing as Tesla couldn’t give me any confirmation that the service center opening was imminent, I called them back and said waiting until the service center is open is not acceptable (At present the best update I can get is the service center will be open by March 2013.). After a few days, supposedly it went all they way to the top, Tesla responds that I won’t have to wait until the service center is open to get my car. They will ship when it is ready. At that time, I finally get a delivery window of 10/10-10/24.

After returning from vacation, on 10/9 I contact my Delivery Experience Specialist to see if he has any updates about my delivery. A couple of days later I get a very short message that the car “is still going through our final assembly,” and I finally find out my VIN# is 499. So my car definitely was skipped in the sequence of building. By how much? I don’t know for sure, but definitely on the order of 100-150 cars after it should have been. Kind of odd that my VIN# is 499 considering that in June my product specialist said that my car was in production. In absolute terms (not factoring in the Founders) I should have gotten #170, but now I’m #499 or thereabouts. Kind of hard to swallow when you see reservations in the 800s getting VINs in the 200s regardless of George B’s email indicating that there are some outliers.

Anyway, other than George B’s mass email, I have yet to hear a word from Tesla. My delivery window closes in two days. Since the MPVA, every communication I’ve had with Tesla had to be initiated by me and the responses were not immediate but a few days later.

I want to stay positive and I want to cut Tesla some slack, but it is an extreme test of my character to do so. Right now I’m at lost in the dark and frustrated beyond words.

So 45 minutes after I posted the above, I got an email from Tesla stating that my car is done and is awaiting logistics (shipping). There were a couple of pictures of my car and VIN# included in the email. Interestingly it was not from my Delivery Specialist, but someone else (another DS?).

Was it coincidence that shortly after I posted my situation on this board I got a message from Tesla? Who knows? I will assume the best, but one positive communication doesn't make up for this whole saga.

 

[timdorr]

So 45 minutes after I posted the above, I got an email from Tesla stating that my car is done and is awaiting logistics (shipping). There were a couple of pictures of my car and VIN# included in the email. Interestingly it was not from my Delivery Specialist, but someone else (another DS?).

Was it coincidence that shortly after I posted my situation on this board I got a message from Tesla? Who knows? I will assume the best, but one positive communication doesn't make up for this whole saga.

Exactly as I predicted

 

[Norbert]

Was it coincidence that shortly after I posted my situation on this board I got a message from Tesla? Who knows? I will assume the best, but one positive communication doesn't make up for this whole saga.

Except maybe if it is a big one with 4 wheels...

 

[Bardlebee]

So 45 minutes after I posted the above, I got an email from Tesla stating that my car is done and is awaiting logistics (shipping). There were a couple of pictures of my car and VIN# included in the email. Interestingly it was not from my Delivery Specialist, but someone else (another DS?).

Was it coincidence that shortly after I posted my situation on this board I got a message from Tesla? Who knows? I will assume the best, but one positive communication doesn't make up for this whole saga.

To be fair, if it was your post that tipped them off then their online team is doing a pretty good job of watching this forum. Did you ever send them a long email such as this post and not get a response like that? If not, perhaps it was coincidence. Either way, I think its a good thing that if they saw your post they did something, for PR sake.

 

[Arnold Panz]

Come on Elon, this isn't Rocket science!

As is often the case, dealing with human beings and human emotion is much more challenging and difficult than putting a rocket into space or an awesome electric car on the road. If there's one thing we've learned these last couple of months, Tesla can build an EV better than anyone in the world, but in dealing with people they're definitely not ahead of the curve.

- - - Updated - - -

So 45 minutes after I posted the above, I got an email from Tesla stating that my car is done and is awaiting logistics (shipping). There were a couple of pictures of my car and VIN# included in the email. Interestingly it was not from my Delivery Specialist, but someone else (another DS?).

One of the lessons that I think Tesla has learned is that they can't have the Delivery Specialists as the people primarily responsible for communicating with reservation holders in the months and weeks prior to delivery. The DSs are out daily making deliveries, often many days in a row, making it logistically impossible for them to communicate regularly with people. So Tesla is assigning people in HQ to do all communications until the car is almost ready to be delivered, then the DS can communicate with the owner-to-be just to set up delivery logistics. This will free up the DSs and ensure that reservation holders have someone to talk to who can get back to them in a timely manner.

If done properly, this should alleviate some of the more egregious communications failures of the past couple of months, like JKam's unfortunate story.

 

[Larry Chanin]

As is often the case, dealing with human beings and human emotion is much more challenging and difficult than putting a rocket into space or an awesome electric car on the road. If there's one thing we've learned these last couple of months, Tesla can build an EV better than anyone in the world, but in dealing with people they're definitely not ahead of the curve.

Josh,

Tesla has made some mistakes in communications which they've admitted. However, despite the miscues there is no question that to date the overall purchasing experience for both my wife and I has greatly exceeded any prior experience we've had with conventional dealerships. Going to a conventional dealership has always been like having a root canal. Going to a Tesla store is like going to your favorite local restaurant where they know you by name. One is an unavoidable chore, the other is just plain fun.

Sure Tesla can improve, but overall they know how to deal with people and they definitely are ahead of the curve when compared to most conventional dealerships.

Larry

 

[Charged_Up]

My experience was sort of similar- sig 92 vin 506- and went through a period where communications were abysmal- emails not returned, phone calls ignored, etc. Was given sept mvpa date with a wink and now that it might be late August- now looking like very end of October or very early November. after a stern and pleading communication initiated by me, I finally got noticed- and in fairness to Tesla, they have been making strenuous efforts since to accomodate me, keep me fully posted, and make me aware of progress. I tried to explain that they were destroying enormous goodwill and referral sales and I really think the message was heard. I urged mgmt to reach out to all similarly delayed sigs and it appears maybe they are. Won't undo all the damage, but they will discover that most will tolerate delays etc. as long as they are communicating. Nobody spending $100k on anything wants to feel ignored.... And I think that just about everyone agrees that they're looking forward to driving the car which by all reviews is going to be a great experience. So here's hoping that the message has been heard, the lesson learned and that those that follow the sigs will get the 1st class service that should accompany a first class car!

 

[Arnold Panz]

Josh,

Tesla has made some mistakes in communications which they've admitted. However, despite the miscues there is no question that to date the overall purchasing experience for both my wife and I has greatly exceeded any prior experience we've had with conventional dealerships. Going to a conventional dealership has always been like having a root canal. Going to a Tesla store is like going to your favorite local restaurant where they know you by name. One is an unavoidable chore, the other is just plain fun.

Sure Tesla can improve, but overall they know how to deal with people and they definitely are ahead of the curve when compared to most conventional dealerships.

Larry

Larry,

I don't disagree with you, and I'm lucky because I pop in the Dania store every couple of weeks, and always enjoy my visits there, so I quite agree with you. My point, which was a bit tongue in cheek, is that ironically, Tesla has probably been as or more challenged by customer service issues than building the most advanced, radical car in the world as they've gotten to this point. That's probably not something they were expecting to be one of their biggest challenges, and that was my only point.

I'm a huge believer in the Tesla sales model and fully expect Tesla to quickly get ahead of the curve once the communications issues get worked out, but I was really just referring to that, not visiting the stores or the sales strategy.

 

[FlasherZ]

I think you should forward this to someone at Tesla. You present some serious issues that they should be aware of.

I did. I sent it to ownership@, delivery@, and cc:ed to George. I received an apology that was similar to George's post (2 days before it came out), and a promise to send my status weekly on Friday afternoons. They missed the very first one and I had to chase it down on Sunday myself. I received an introduction to the regional delivery manager, who has assigned my specialist and we have a conference call scheduled to go over the details next week. I'll see if things improve, but color me skeptical given my experience.

 

[Jason S]

I did. I sent it to ownership@, delivery@, and cc:ed to George. I received an apology that was similar to George's post (2 days before it came out), and a promise to send my status weekly on Friday afternoons. They missed the very first one and I had to chase it down on Sunday myself. I received an introduction to the regional delivery manager, who has assigned my specialist and we have a conference call scheduled to go over the details next week. I'll see if things improve, but color me skeptical given my experience.

I wrote an email to my specialist and got an email back from somebody handling the email who just happened to have pictures of my car just before it entered testing and prep. 6pm tonight pictures according to the file properties and matches the weather we've been having... 40 minutes before I sent my email asking if I could add a Roadster adapter to the order and a week after my last contact from my specialist. So, with some luck, my signature estimate could be on track.

If they are routinely taking pictures of cars before they enter burn in and prep, then we may see a bunch more pictures soon.

So wewt! on the one hand and best wishes for others awaiting news.