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Payment due at delivery
- Thread starter Jo060
- Start date
You can pay with a cashier's check when picking up the car at a delivery center.
I don't know if they will deliver to your home without paying first. If you want to inspect the car first you should pick it up at a delivery center anyways, because with home delivery I've read they sometimes just drop it off and immediately leave, forcing you to accept it before it unlocks. At a delivery center you're in a better position to insist on inspecting the car, and if it's really built poorly, better to reject it there than in front of your house (in my opinion).
When I picked my Model 3 up at a delivery center they tried to insist I accept the car before unlocking it, but I wasn't having it and they relented. Inside was all good on mine, nothing missing or messed up. I did have two loose exterior pieces though. They refused to fix anything there, but at least I had photo record of the issues before I drove the car away, because loose trim is not necessarily covered under warranty (if they think it happened from wear & tear not assembly/shipping issue).
I don't know if they will deliver to your home without paying first. If you want to inspect the car first you should pick it up at a delivery center anyways, because with home delivery I've read they sometimes just drop it off and immediately leave, forcing you to accept it before it unlocks. At a delivery center you're in a better position to insist on inspecting the car, and if it's really built poorly, better to reject it there than in front of your house (in my opinion).
When I picked my Model 3 up at a delivery center they tried to insist I accept the car before unlocking it, but I wasn't having it and they relented. Inside was all good on mine, nothing missing or messed up. I did have two loose exterior pieces though. They refused to fix anything there, but at least I had photo record of the issues before I drove the car away, because loose trim is not necessarily covered under warranty (if they think it happened from wear & tear not assembly/shipping issue).
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Yes, I don't see why not. I think if you don't trust Tesla to do that, you probably shouldn't buy a car from them.
Please DO NOT give out your banking login credentials though. Not to anyone, not ever. I'm sure you've seen how the Plaid payment service requests your banking login and password. That is a HORRIBLE security practice, don't do it.
If you want to prepay, use the wire instructions that should be at the bottom of your MVPA.
The reasons I paid with cashier's check instead of wiring in advance are:
1) Just in case my "delivery" (pickup) got pushed back, I didn't want to be out that much money without a car to show for it. I did/do trust Tesla to get me the car I paid for eventually, but if something caused a delay, and then Tesla ran into major parts shortages or logistical issues (common across all industries these days, not picking on Tesla) I didn't want to be out that much money with an indefinite wait.
2) Just in case the car they assigned me looked like an obvious lemon. Tesla won't let you drive it first, I didn't even try to ask for that, but we've all seen the occasional cases of really sloppy assembly work all over a car, they still happen. If the car looked like it was put together after a Friday happy hour, I was ready to reject it and avoid dealing with having service try to fix major assembly issues. (Even my two small loose trim pieces are taking at least 3 service appointments to get replaced!)
On a side note, they didn't give me an option for home delivery either, and they "temporarily" (I hope) closed all the former delivery locations near me. Had to cross a toll bridge to pick it up, not a big deal in the scheme of things, but they had a big gap in delivery locations where I am (even though they have showrooms, service centers, offices, manufacturing, etc all closer to here).
1) Just in case my "delivery" (pickup) got pushed back, I didn't want to be out that much money without a car to show for it. I did/do trust Tesla to get me the car I paid for eventually, but if something caused a delay, and then Tesla ran into major parts shortages or logistical issues (common across all industries these days, not picking on Tesla) I didn't want to be out that much money with an indefinite wait.
2) Just in case the car they assigned me looked like an obvious lemon. Tesla won't let you drive it first, I didn't even try to ask for that, but we've all seen the occasional cases of really sloppy assembly work all over a car, they still happen. If the car looked like it was put together after a Friday happy hour, I was ready to reject it and avoid dealing with having service try to fix major assembly issues. (Even my two small loose trim pieces are taking at least 3 service appointments to get replaced!)
On a side note, they didn't give me an option for home delivery either, and they "temporarily" (I hope) closed all the former delivery locations near me. Had to cross a toll bridge to pick it up, not a big deal in the scheme of things, but they had a big gap in delivery locations where I am (even though they have showrooms, service centers, offices, manufacturing, etc all closer to here).
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BigNick
Infamous Fat Sweaty Guy
Seriously, it's Cybersecurity 101, don't give out your login credentials to anyone.
It's beyond ludicrous to even ask for someone's credentials.
(I will also be paying with a certified check from my CU.)
Shelburne
Member
Here's my experience. I picked up my M3LR in late September of 2020. I brought a cashiers check for the exact amount. I walked into the dealership (yeah, I know they don't like to use that term but ...), & gave them my name. I told them I wanted to inspect the car before turning over the check to them. No problem. An employee walked me to the car and told me to take as long as I wanted to check it out. I spent at least 20 minutes looking over the car, both inside and out. I found a a few blemishes in the paint and went back to the same guy. He grabbed a buffer and buffed out the blemishes (just some left over wax). Then, only after being totally satisfied with the fit and finish, did I give them the cashiers check. It took about 10 more minutes while they processed the check and then I was on my way...oh yeah, I also had to show them proof of insurance before I could drive off. I've never had such an easy and pleasant experience buying a car and I've rarely met employees at a car dealership who seemed that intelligent. On the flip side, I remember buying a beautiful sports car in 1990. I had been very particular about the color and options and the dealer took a while finding a car that fit my criteria. Then it had to be shipped more than 100 miles from where it was to the dealership. When I went to pick it up the salesman told me that I couldn't drive it off the lot until they drilled holes in the back of the car to put the dealers logo on it! I told him to keep the car, and walked out. Of course, the jerk came running after me and begged me to reconsider. I wouldn't, but the dealership called me two days later, apologizing and asking me to reconsider and agreeing not to put their logo on the car. What a bunch of jerks and typical of the usual car dealership in this country, Not so at Tesla!
I honestly don’t understand the hesitancy over Plaid. No site is going to be 100% secure, not even your bank’s. Just make sure 2FA is set up and forget about it.
Apparently there have been privacy concerns, due to the amount of information they can gather from your bank, but that’s a different issue entirely.
I practice very little bank/identity security, and I’ve never run into any issues. You’re more likely to get your credit/debit card cloned at the local gas station than have your entire bank account exposed.
And again, just set up 2FA and forget about it.
Apparently there have been privacy concerns, due to the amount of information they can gather from your bank, but that’s a different issue entirely.
I practice very little bank/identity security, and I’ve never run into any issues. You’re more likely to get your credit/debit card cloned at the local gas station than have your entire bank account exposed.
And again, just set up 2FA and forget about it.
The problem with Plaid is that all you need to provide is an account and routing number but Plaid wants to lead you into providing Fred’s so they can get more info like all of your transactions. It’s unnecessary and unfortunately, becoming challenging to avoid. It’s another abuse of privacy and their Terms even elaborate on all of the data they collect for their own purposes. And don’t expect that they only use it that one time. They can maintain that access until you change your credentials which should invalidate their token.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
While it sucks you have to give your bank login to the Plaid process, one thing you can do is change your password, do the transaction and change it again after everything is settled.
Just putting it out there for those that don't want to bring some sort of check to delivery (wire is not really the same thing as you have to do it ahead of time and you lose all the flexibility to just walk away with your money still in account, if delivery doesn't go as planned).
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
After using Plaid, definitely immediately change your password after the transaction goes through. Given they are not using an API like OAuth, which limits the information they can access, essentially they have full and complete access to your account until you do so.
It’s just astounding to me that something like Plaid can gain traction so quickly. I suspect a good portion of its success/growth is that it is probably fairly inexpensive to use as a developer since they are in the data collection/aggregation business and use their customers to provide them with so much data.
Yes you can pay at the service center. Certified/cashier's check is fine, but I'm pretty sure a personal check would work too (Tesla chat support said it had to be certified, but the SC told me a personal check would be fine). There were a couple minor issues with my car when I picked it up. They fixed 1 on the spot (just a weird stain/spot on the seat) and showed me how to schedule a service appointment through the app for the other one. After finishing driving home (900 or so miles) I noticed what I thought was a scratch and emailed my sales advisor - he said no problem they'd fix it. Then, I went back out and realized it was some kind of road grime and wiped off. So, in summary I've been more than satisfied with how Tesla handle any issues and wouldn't have any problem paying up front in the future.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
Plaid makes it easy to link virtually every single online banking system in the US, so I can see why it is so attractive to developers. It also avoids the problems of traditional inter-bank transfers which can take days to confirm, while being much less expensive than doing wires for everything. Plaid is instant because it has direct access to your online banking.
m a x i m u s
Member
Unfortunately home delivery isn't an option here despite the center being 5 miles away.
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