New Purchase Experience for Neighbor Islands

[Hall-Morin]

Aloha,

It appears that our neighbor island customers will now have to pick up their new Tesla in Honolulu and deliver the car to Young Brothers for shipment. This has been communicated to a number of customers/potential customers on the Big Island. This is apparently a policy that has taken effect on October 1. This corporate decision is either a big mistake or a sign of rough spots ahead. Whatever the reason, it will create a really poor customer experience.

Prior to this change, the delivery experience in neighbor islands was already filled with room for improvement. Deliveries were being made out in the open and sometimes in the dark and delivery specialists rush through the process leaving customers unconfident in their first moments of ownership. The hope was that this would eventually improve. There are many ideas on how this could be. Requiring customers to take a flight to Honolulu in order to take delivery and for them to deliver the cars to the port is definitely not one of them. Tesla is requiring customers to jump through even more hoops to get their purchase, more than what other dealers are putting their customers through.

This is a very disappointing development - it sets the customer experience back several notches and will have an impact on the adoption of Tesla products in neighbor islands. I hope that this policy is rescinded and that customers are allowed to receive their cars at a local port.

Noel

 

[Polly Wog]

This indeed would be a huge step backwards for Tesla. If true, hopefully they learn quickly that this is a mistake and return to the policy of delivering cars to each island without the new owner having to go to Honolulu.

 

[JenniferH]

I'm on Big Island and purchased a M3 in September 2019, before the policy change, and they are still telling me it is likely I will have to fly to Oahu and make my own shipping arrangements. This is truly disappointing, needless to say, and an unfair added expense/difficulty. I wish I knew who to talk to.

 

[JenniferH]

I'm on Big Island and purchased a M3 in September 2019, before the policy change, and they are still telling me it is likely I will have to fly to Oahu and make my own shipping arrangements. This is truly disappointing, needless to say, and an unfair added expense/difficulty. I wish I knew who to talk to.

A

This indeed would be a huge step backwards for Tesla. If true, hopefully they learn quickly that this is a mistake and return to the policy of delivering cars to each island without the new owner having to go to Honolulu.

Because I placed my order on September, before the Oct.1st policy change, they have finally agreed to honor that and delivery to Big Island, as long as it is ready before the year's end. For weeks they were telling me I would have to fly to Oahu for delivery.

 

[Polly Wog]

It is very disappointing that you have had to work so hard to simply get what you were originally promised, @JenniferH! I don't think Tesla management gets the ill-will they are creating by this policy. Penny-wise, pound foolish, in my opinion.

 

[JenniferH]

It is very disappointing that you have had to work so hard to simply get what you were originally promised, @JenniferH! I don't think Tesla management gets the ill-will they are creating by this policy. Penny-wise, pound foolish, in my opinion.

I actually received great news yesterday after asking for regional manager to honor the policy that was in place when I ordered the car, which they agreed to on condition of it being delivered before end of year. Barring unforeseen delays, it should be delivered to Big Island first week of December. I'm so relieved! There were a slew of logistical problems that go with Oahu pickup. If I had not been obsessing on all the Tesla forums I would not have been privy to the policy change date of Oct.1st and would have had nothing to hold them to.