Not saints, but definitely people that went out on a limb and "threw" their money at an unproven platform that had tons of kinks to work out, deal with a company going through growing pains, and also deal with sporadic refueling options. It's definitely a nice way of saying thank you for being there with us.
And you're definitely not a second-class citizen. Get off your high horse.
Lets not forget those who waited YEARS for their model S - even more years for their X. Yes, there are definitely kinks and they are still occurring. Talk to a Model X owner who spent 130K on a spiffed up SUV and then had it immediately spend weeks at the service center. Twice in January I had to take my S in and both times saw different model Xs.
And wow, lets talk with some of the REALLY early adopters who didn't even have a supercharger network. Or to those who now live on the edge or range for SCs, or who have none still, or who have no service centers within 200 miles because their states are assholes, or no service centers in their COUNTRY for that matter.
Or how some live over an hour or more away from their service center (like me) and have to spend an entire day to get an annoying but not major issue dealt with. And do it happily because we still love our car. And were willing to overlook those things even though others thought we were nuts. Or the guy who hasn't had his car for 7 weeks because Tesla can't source the rivets to reattach his rear bumper?
Or those who shelled out REAL MONEY for a car they fell in love from a company they believed in not knowing if the company would still be around in a couple of years and they'd be stuck with an overpriced computer on wheels that couldn't be serviced or repaired? And if the company went under the supercharger network could go POOF and then they'd be screwed if they needed to go anywhere far with their overpriced computer?
These issues are ALL faced by "early adopters" and will for a while - in fact I'd say the early Model 3 buyers will be early adopters too, since the service centers and supercharger network isn't quite there yet.
And this belief that because someone is "rich" enough to get the car they want but can't have that makes the ones who could afford it ELITE - not that maybe they worked hard through life to get to that point, or made good financial decisions, or whatever....forgetting that many went way out of their usual budget to buy a car from a man whose vision they shared - just like many will do with the Model 3. no that doesn't even occur to some people. Maybe society should get rid of ALL loyalty programs because god forbid we offend anyone.
And bottom line: this is how Tesla has always done it. They have done it with each reservation process - because for the millionth time - those owners, with their purchase, are what made R and D and infrastructure possible to begin with. That was spelled out by the company from the very beginning. Go back and read....it's all there. So why this is surprising or why anyone feels THIS TIME should be different is beyond me - regardless of the belief that "this car" should be different.
I mean I have every sympathy for those who feel bummed. And it's fine to feel bummed. But not fine to disparage the owners or the company. Not fine to think the company owes you anything. Not fine to feel entitled over this.
Interesting opinions here. Very interesting that some people are indignant and feel they are owed something by a company they have yet to do business with.
Sorry. End rant.
