Wiki Model S Delivery Update

[travwill]

Ordered 5/11,
Confirmed 5/19
Sourcing for parts 5/19
Vin assigned 5/19
Que for Production 5/19
In production: 5/28
Complete:???
Delivered:???

Man, salt in the wound! I ordered in late April, confirmed 5/5 (email then), and still nothing, no start of production, etc. Very frustrated at this point as sold my other car since DS told me early June for a few days at first (and got a good deal), and seeing all those VINs that are 1000-2500 numbers higher completing...

 

[breser]

In my case, I know there was no production issue. Tesla has switched to shipping by train which is cheaper - at the expense of customer satisfaction. While Tesla doesn't have an Apple like balance sheet to splurge on customer sat, it still not an excuse for Tesla to not improve customer experience during the order/delivery process. If credible alternatives emerge, customers can become a fickle bunch.

I don't think Tesla has switched to train just because it's cheaper. I think part of the reason is because their volume can no longer support only using car transports direct from Fremont.

 

[evsolarman]

I don't think Tesla has switched to train just because it's cheaper. I think part of the reason is because their volume can no longer support only using car transports direct from Fremont.

I do not follow this reasoning.. Is there suddenly a dearth of car transport trucks in America? How hard can it be to properly protect cars during truck transport from the risk of damage? Doesn't it matter to Tesla that delivering the car sooner will delight almost every customer of Tesla? What value does the company want to place on that piece of the customer experience? Perhaps there are non-cost related, good reasons for Tesla to do this, but I would sure like to know some specific stats on why they are choosing this method now.

 

[bonaire]

ev - the time from confirmation to delivery now is shorter for many buyers in the USA than it was all last year. The longer time frame from production to delivery is in contrast to the much shorter time from confirmation to vin number issuance to production start and a generally regular 3-day production cycle. Is 10+20 = 20+10 ? If what matters is "my car is built, give it to me..." then you may need to take delivery in Fremont. You have something like a 5-6 week confirmation to delivery time-span. That is quite short compared to the last couple years. Those who ordered 85D in early October 2014 didn't see their car start production until early Feburary, 2015.

Tesla should offer "priority shipping" for those who want it faster. Just as many companies offer special shipping up-charges for priority.

 

[evsolarman]

ev - the time from confirmation to delivery now is shorter for many buyers in the USA than it was all last year. The longer time frame from production to delivery is in contrast to the much shorter time from confirmation to vin number issuance to production start and a generally regular 3-day production cycle. Is 10+20 = 20+10 ? If what matters is "my car is built, give it to me..." then you may need to take delivery in Fremont. You have something like a 5-6 week confirmation to delivery time-span. That is quite short compared to the last couple years. Those who ordered 85D in early October 2014 didn't see their car start production until early Feburary, 2015.

Tesla should offer "priority shipping" for those who want it faster. Just as many companies offer special shipping up-charges for priority.

Bonaire - The view that Teslas are now shipping a lot faster than before is little consolation to some of the newer buyers of Tesla. The first wave of buyers were enthusiasts who were willing to put up with more, but as Tesla's volume increases, they need to adapt to meeting needs of a wider spectrum of buyers.

But your idea of offering priority shipping is a great idea. It would be a simple way for Tesla to improve the buying experience. Give customers the choice, most may still prefer to wait the extra 2 weeks to get it by train once they understand the pros and cons. But there will be more transparency in the process. It is all about managing expectations.

 

[travwill]

Bonaire - The view that Teslas are now shipping a lot faster than before is little consolation to some of the newer buyers of Tesla. The first wave of buyers were enthusiasts who were willing to put up with more, but as Tesla's volume increases, they need to adapt to meeting needs of a wider spectrum of buyers.

But your idea of offering priority shipping is a great idea. It would be a simple way for Tesla to improve the buying experience. Give customers the choice, most may still prefer to wait the extra 2 weeks to get it by train once they understand the pros and cons. But there will be more transparency in the process. It is all about managing expectations.

Profit margin >25% on every Model S = to me, should include expedited shipping service already!

 

[bonaire]

Profit margin >25% on every Model S = to me, should include expedited shipping service already!

But they (as a corporation) are spending at a good rate and need to make sure not to pay expedited partial truckload long-haul shipping costs without concern for the bottom line. I think especially with the tighter gross margin of the 70D (more car per dollar than say an 85D) they need to think about all aspects of manufacture and shipping and overall cost containment. Out in California, I think they have it good - send full truckloads up to Seattle and down to San Diego and it doesn't cost too much. But then factor in east coast buyers and then Europe and Asia and they must really work to limit overall spending as they grow. I do think it is inevitable that tightening purse strings occur and this may be at the expense of "the experience". Maybe Tesla will slip from an "Augusta" golf experience down to say a "Pebble Beach" experience while they grow.

 

[Bgarret]

Profit margin >25% on every Model S = to me, should include expedited shipping service already!

I would guess that Tesla will do what the market allows. Apple's margin is > 2x what Tesla's is, doesn't mean that an Oompa Loompa delivered my IPhone 6 to my home with an amazing gobstopper. And seriously....97 posts in one month of membership to TMC..slow down Trav...easy on the exclamation points.

 

[Jhall118]

The longer time frame from production to delivery is in contrast to the much shorter time from confirmation to vin number issuance to production start and a generally regular 3-day production cycle. Is 10+20 = 20+10 ? If what matters is "my car is built, give it to me..." then you may need to take delivery in Fremont.

Okay, what you are saying is totally logical. However, psychologically it DOES make a difference. I am waiting for my second Tesla. The first one was an inventory car. I was scrambling to make sure I could afford it, that I didn't have time to worry about how soon it would get here. This one is brand new. The wait for production to start was fine. It shipped to Seattle in less than a week, after being built. That's awesome, I have no complaints. However, the service center is slammed, and I have to wait about 5 business days for an appointment to pick it up. For some reason, it is killing me. Communication hasn't been the quickest, and I even went down there and tried to find it among the 60 other new Tesla's (I think I found it). The anxiety at this point is pretty bad, which is funny because it is completely out of character.

The fact that the car exists in the real world just changes things for some people! Totally first world problems, but I do hope it gets better by Gen 3. It's 2015, and unfortunately even a month is quite a wait for people. Elon Musk always said that car buying is an emotional process. Emotionally, I think a lot of people really hate waiting. Maybe by 2020 it will come by hyperloop?

 

[bonaire]

Jhall - I don't think I would want to be a DS person when the Model 3 comes out I hope they only provide "DS Service" for Model X and Model S.

Did you upgrade to get the D option? Also - good to hear that you went from worrying about affording the 1st one to going in for a new one now without worry.

 

[JRP3]

The fact that the car exists in the real world just changes things for some people! Totally first world problems, but I do hope it gets better by Gen 3.

I expect it to get worse. They will be expanding into unknown territory at higher volume with much higher production rates. They won't have all the staffing and infrastructure in place ahead of time and will be scrambling to catch up for a while.

 

[kooljack]

It shipped to Seattle in less than a week, after being built.

How did you know its in Seattle already? .. I am in the same boat i guess.. traded in my 85 for the new D and is in transit to Seattle from the last 7 days. I am scheduled to pick up this Friday

 

[breser]

It shipped to Seattle in less than a week, after being built.

They don't use trains for transportation to Seattle. It's just trucks same as always.

That's awesome, I have no complaints. However, the service center is slammed, and I have to wait about 5 business days for an appointment to pick it up.

They're slammed because June is the last month to avoid paying sales tax.

For some reason, it is killing me. Communication hasn't been the quickest, and I even went down there and tried to find it among the 60 other new Tesla's (I think I found it). The anxiety at this point is pretty bad, which is funny because it is completely out of character

Just ask them to show you the car. I'm sure they would.

 

[ibdb]

How did you know its in Seattle already?

I would guess that your car rode up on the same truck as mine or one very close. We pick up on Wednesday. I talked to the Rep on Thursday and was told that my car was in Seattle at that time and could be ready for delivery by Tuesday. I couldn't make the Tuesday delivery (DOH!).

 

[Jhall118]

Jhall - I don't think I would want to be a DS person when the Model 3 comes out I hope they only provide "DS Service" for Model X and Model S.

Did you upgrade to get the D option? Also - good to hear that you went from worrying about affording the 1st one to going in for a new one now without worry.

Yeah, insurance gave me way more than I would have got trade in, or even selling. I was going to be responsible and replace the P85 with an 85D. However, as soon as my wife test drove the P85D, she had to have it. I would have been fine with an inventory one, but with how fully loaded all the inventory P85D's are, and with the price changes, it was pretty much the same price to just buy new. Gave me a month to remember what riding the bus was like

How did you know its in Seattle already? .. I am in the same boat i guess.. traded in my 85 for the new D and is in transit to Seattle from the last 7 days. I am scheduled to pick up this Friday

If you login into your Mytesla page, it changes from "in transit" to "Your Model S is being prepared for pickup or delivery". I also asked if I could see it the day the page changed, and I got a "it's not quite ready to see just yet". Which I took to meant "it's dirty from transport".

They don't use trains for transportation to Seattle. It's just trucks same as always.
They're slammed because June is the last month to avoid paying sales tax.
Just ask them to show you the car. I'm sure they would.

It would be kind of strange if I could sit in the car, and not just take it with me. That would probably make the whole thing worse. I would rather be a weird stalker. I don't really understand what there is to do? Take off the white stickers? I would prefer to do that myself. I could wash and detail it myself too. Everything is under warranty anyways. I just assumed there is some sort of checklist they go through, and I don't want to get in the way of policy.

- - - Updated - - -

I would guess that your car rode up on the same truck as mine or one very close. We pick up on Wednesday. I talked to the Rep on Thursday and was told that my car was in Seattle at that time and could be ready for delivery by Tuesday. I couldn't make the Tuesday delivery (DOH!).

We pick up on Wednesday around 4PM.

 

[breser]

It would be kind of strange if I could sit in the car, and not just take it with me. That would probably make the whole thing worse. I would rather be a weird stalker. I don't really understand what there is to do? Take off the white stickers? I would prefer to do that myself. I could wash and detail it myself too. Everything is under warranty anyways. I just assumed there is some sort of checklist they go through, and I don't want to get in the way of policy.

With my 85D they ended up doing some testing and found a problem that resulted in replacing the rear drive unit. So it's not just cleaning it up for delivery.

 

[Electricfan]

I just happened to be in the neighborhood, so I dropped by to see my car (don't pick it up until Thurs). Here's some pics. I'm going to try and not take the song playing on the radio as a "sign".

 

[bjwModelS]

How about some more pics of that blue one in front of you... :love::love::love:

 

[kjwcanary]

I would guess that your car rode up on the same truck as mine or one very close. We pick up on Wednesday. I talked to the Rep on Thursday and was told that my car was in Seattle at that time and could be ready for delivery by Tuesday. I couldn't make the Tuesday delivery (DOH!).

I pick my new 85D in Seattle tomorrow as well. Our cars should celebrate their birthdays together!

 

[Sosius]

Nice! Did you see a Midnight silver with tan leather while you were there? My car is at the Houston SC getting ready for truck delivery to New Orleans.

I just happened to be in the neighborhood, so I dropped by to see my car (don't pick it up until Thurs). Here's some pics. I'm going to try and not take the song playing on the radio as a "sign".