Sandpiper,
"Do they communicate well? No. Are they getting better? Yes, I think so."
I think this is where we are parting company.
Tesla is doing some daring, smart, difficult and very good things. Tesla also has a problem with the way it handles customers (IMO). The question our back and forth raises for me is do we accept the bad behavior for the benefit of the good? I do not know the answer to that question. What I do know is that the following list is not poor communication, it is intentional behavior.
Sought to trade in my BMW at the end of 2012 (CarMax or AutoNation days - I forget which) knowing that if I waited until I got my P85 in early 2013 my BMW would have rolled over another year's depreciation in a matter of a month or two. I delivered the BMW to the SC in December and collected my P85 early the next year. Tesla was trying to sort their initial "am I a dealer?" issues so they refused to give me the Florida Sales Tax credit on the BMW. To be clear, Tesla had a Florida Auto Dealers License else they would not have been able to sell cars in Florida. They were just unsure about how they were going to proceed and there was nothing in it for them to deny the sales tax credit. Their answer was to take the money out of the customer's pocket. To be clear, as a dealer in Florida, Tesla has a duty to collect sales tax and Florida law provides for a sales tax offset on trades. The decrease in tax to me comes from the state so absolutely no money was coming out of Tesla's pockets. Had the delivery of my trade cooincied with taking delivery of the P85, I could have refused delivery. It did not and I did not. I raised cain on this issue for months and finally got a warranty extension consideration (which turned out useless as, when I sold the car a few months later to get a P85+, Tesla forgot all about it and did not transfer the extension to the new owner).
The PD is announced. I place an order and, knowing P85+ values will plummet once the PDs start shipping, I ask to deliver my P85+ trade early. Tesla is starting its CPO program at this time to capture the flood of MS trades and better control the secondary market. Tesla offers a low number. I sought out other wholesale numbers and found one of Tesla's own wholesale partners who offered me $9K more. I went back to Tesla and asked them to do a courtesy trade of my car through to this wholesaler (again, a party they regularly do business with on ICE trades). They refuse saying the only way for me to get the Fl Sales Tax credit is to take their $9K lower number. Again, for clarity, if you hold a Fl Auto Dealers License you have an obligation to act as the State's agent and collect sales tax. The tax obligation is between me and the state; Tesla is only in the middle of that transaction as a result of their obligation to collect the tax. Tesla used this position to attempt to buy my car for $9K less than existing wholesale. I disposed of the car elsewhere.
Fast forward to today and we are discussing buying a performance model car then having the manufacturer reach out and take that horsepower away if you have the audacity to use it. I'm not taking about going to the race track or drifting; I'm talking about driving it like most any normal buyer that owns a 911, M Series or AMG.
There are many other examples I can provide like 691 hp, battery capacity and the like. The above are just two first hand experiences combined with the topic of this thread.
I see part of Tesla's behavior being the unbridled abuse of customers simply because they have the leverage and can. I see a pattern of showing customer concern where there is sunlight and having complete disregard for them when the activity is limited and receives little or no notice. From a big picture standpoint, I believe this forms a credible threat to the company's future all be it a small one. If I'm affected, I'll likely just dump the car and move on. I'm not the suing type for such things. I think, in the absence of greater awareness, Tesla will get away with this in the US as they have with the 691 hp issue. Heck, the 691 issue was much more cut and dried yet nothing happened here.
This is why I ask the question about the good Tesla is doing outweighing the way they are going about it. The follow on question is why accept the bad if it really is not adding to their ability to do the good?
Lastly, thank you for the honest, open and respectful debate on this issue. I appreciate your perspective and thoughtful comments.
