Pickup problem in Oregon: by my brother, I'm abroad. Registration will be in WA. Tesla says impossible

[melmalinowski]

I've ordered a Tesla Model Y Long Range, for delivery in February to qualify for the tax credit for sure, delivery in Portland, OR. However, I'm abroad in Thailand until April. My brother can pick it up for me, and Tesla initially said 'No problem if paid in full' which I can do remotely. Yet another Tesla staff says this is impossible, that WA requires registrant himself to pick it up and power of attorney is not an option.

I'm looking hard for options. Can you pick up a vehicle that will be in storage without registering it till it begins use? WA has a permit available to move an unregistered vehicle on a one time basis. Or register it in Oregon, and then change to WA when I get back in April?

I gather I need to resolve this before the VIN is issued in the next week or two, or the registration information gets complicated. I also need to make sure I don't miss out on the tax credit. What a mess!

 

[Ray_R]

I’m guessing Tesla originally said “no problem, because they thought your brother was picking it up in Oregon and registering it in Oregon. Washington may have different rules.
Perhaps call both an Oregon and Washington delivery center, clearly describe what you’re trying to accomplish, and see what they can do to help.

 

[ucmndd]

The problem here is less what’s possible and more what Tesla’s going to do to accommodate you, which I suspect is a resounding “not much”.

Customer service and special cases are not exactly their strong suit or something they’ve shown any interest in at all.

Not sure about OR or WA, but here in CA you can transfer a car between family members without paying transfer tax. You might find it easier to have your brother “buy” the car and transfer it to you later.

 

[woolymammoth17]

You could try just having him show up at delivery. The two times I have picked up a Tesla, no one asked me for a photo ID or any proof that it was me. There was also no paperwork to sign because they were paid for.

But yes, you should find out whether you could just transfer between family members for free as well.

 

[Ray_R]

You could try just having him show up at delivery. The two times I have picked up a Tesla, no one asked me for a photo ID or any proof that it was me. There was also no paperwork to sign because they were paid for.

But yes, you should find out whether you could just transfer between family members for free as well.

Weird. The two times I picked up, I had to show my driver’s license. Maybe different rules for different states.

 

[woolymammoth17]

Weird. The two times I picked up, I had to show my driver’s license. Maybe different rules for different states.

I thought it was very odd. In fact when I picked up the model Y on December 31 I didn't even tell them my name. I just said I'm here to pick up my model Y and it was the only one left so they assumed it was me I guess.

 

[melmalinowski]

That wouldn't work for the tax credit. So far, Tesla has said that I cannot do it with delivery in Oregon but licensing in Washington, as they cannot accept Power of Attorney. So they have switched the delivery to Fife, WA (Tacoma). The key issue is whether WA licensing will allow me to remotely do a Power of Attorney. Normally, it has to be notarized, which is problematic, as I am in rural Thailand till April. I'll report on how it turns out.

 

[rickybobbee]

I had to fly in and pick it up in person. ZERO help from SC. They said they needed live signature from owner and registrant on site. SC can be pretty useless......but maybe you got a unicorn SC that will actually lift a finger?

 

[melmalinowski]

So someone from Tesla 'virtual' staff said a remote notarized standard WA licensing Power of Attorney that I submitted was OK. So I paid. Then, day before delivery, someone from Fife said 'don't come--you must also submit a wet-signed Statement of Fact that my brother is allowed to sign for my registration in the name of my Trust. BS. Not really needed by WA, not gonna happen. Who knows who thought that up. We fought about it for awhile, and they relented, and we rescheduled delivery a week later. (Flying in from Thailand early just to pick up myself was not attractive). Then when my brother picked it up, they made him sign two registration applications, one in the Trust name and one with me as individual, saying they'd have to decide. So we fought some more. It appears they are going to register it as promised in name of Trust, and all is ok. Just very annoying and unnecessary drama. I did learn something interesting along the way: I store my vehicles inside for 6 months each year while abroad, and keep only comp insurance on them in case they catch on fire . My insurance company initially said that wasn't allowed. But WA licensing doesn't monitor whether you have liability insurance, which is unusual. It is only checked by law enforcement during a stop or accident. So I just turn it on and off.

 

[melmalinowski]

I had to fly in and pick it up in person. ZERO help from SC. They said they needed live signature from owner and registrant on site. SC can be pretty useless......but maybe you got a unicorn SC that will actually lift a finger?

That is just a Tesla policy. Challenge it strongly, and they will relent. It is not shown as a condition before you buy, so it is legally dubious.

 

[Wu01ok]

So someone from Tesla 'virtual' staff said a remote notarized standard WA licensing Power of Attorney that I submitted was OK. So I paid. Then, day before delivery, someone from Fife said 'don't come--you must also submit a wet-signed Statement of Fact that my brother is allowed to sign for my registration in the name of my Trust. BS. Not really needed by WA, not gonna happen. Who knows who thought that up. We fought about it for awhile, and they relented, and we rescheduled delivery a week later. (Flying in from Thailand early just to pick up myself was not attractive). Then when my brother picked it up, they made him sign two registration applications, one in the Trust name and one with me as individual, saying they'd have to decide. So we fought some more. It appears they are going to register it as promised in name of Trust, and all is ok. Just very annoying and unnecessary drama. I did learn something interesting along the way: I store my vehicles inside for 6 months each year while abroad, and keep only comp insurance on them in case they catch on fire . My insurance company initially said that wasn't allowed. But WA licensing doesn't monitor whether you have liability insurance, which is unusual. It is only checked by law enforcement during a stop or accident. So I just turn it on and off.

That’s correct. WA doesn’t care for insurance when you don’t have any. I do know certain insurance companies won’t allow it for comp only. Some companies would but you have to have another car that has liability.