[POLL] CA Current owners ONLY. Have you received your config invite yet?

[robski]

@robski @Commuter you didn't get the invite, but have you looked at your tesla account to see if m3 configuration is available?

I look 3x a day Still shows Nov17 - Jan18. I wanted to buy this year but now might wait for AWD.

IMO Tesla wasted a lot of time sending invites to folks who clearly opted to wait. If they wanted to close out the qtr with quick cash sales, they missed out on me.

Don't get me wrong, as a former PM I know you can't please everyone. I'll sit tight and wait my turn.

 

[daniel]

I look 3x a day Still shows Nov17 - Jan18. I wanted to buy this year but now might wait for AWD.

IMO Tesla wasted a lot of time sending invites to folks who clearly opted to wait. If they wanted to close out the qtr with quick cash sales, they missed out on me.

Don't get me wrong, as a former PM I know you can't please everyone. I'll sit tight and wait my turn.

How would it have been "clear" to Tesla that those people wanted to wait? And how much is "a lot" of time? Do we even know how long Tesla waited after sending out an invite before sending out the next invite for the same car? Maybe they didn't "waste" any time at all. People were being told there would be about a 4-week wait for their cars when they ordered. If all of those people had chosen to wait, they could have sent out another batch a week later and the new orders would have still had a 3-week wait.

I suspect that no cars have been delivered later than they would have been under any other invitation system. We're hearing that Tesla most probably is producing cars in advance and matching orders to the cars, not building the cars to order after getting the order. As long as the invites go out early, and the orders come in before the cars are ready (suggested by the 4-week waiting times) then no time is "wasted."

 

[gregincal]

I look 3x a day Still shows Nov17 - Jan18. I wanted to buy this year but now might wait for AWD.

IMO Tesla wasted a lot of time sending invites to folks who clearly opted to wait. If they wanted to close out the qtr with quick cash sales, they missed out on me.

Don't get me wrong, as a former PM I know you can't please everyone. I'll sit tight and wait my turn.

Since sending out an invite takes zero time, I don’t see how you can say they wasted time. I assume they stopped sending out invites because they are already delivering all the cars they can.

 

[SlicedBr3ad]

Since sending out an invite takes zero time, I don’t see how you can say they wasted time. I assume they stopped sending out invites because they are already delivering all the cars they can.

Not if you have a database with 500k entries and have to parse data, then send out invites in specific order.

 

[gregincal]

Not if you have a database with 500k entries and have to parse data, then send out invites in specific order.

Um, that takes a computer about 5 seconds. They just send out a batch of X size, and as they have unfilled capacity keep sending out new batches. When they have as many confirmed orders as they are able to fill, they wait. Once they are able to schedule new cars they send out the next batch. If fewer than the expected number of people confirm right away they send out more the next day. None of this takes any time whatsoever from their end.

 

[robski]

How would it have been "clear" to Tesla that those people wanted to wait?

It all comes down to the SAVE button.

You're presented with 3 options (First Production, Standard Battery, Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive), each with their own dates and the ability to tell Tesla exactly which one you're interested in by way of the saving. This is brilliant because they let us into the experience and put the ownership back on us by letting them know which model we want. We're basically giving them the list of folks to send invites to. Turns out it meant nothing in terms of order of invitation sent. If there wasn't a SAVE button then I wouldn't have any opinion on how any of this played out.

The context of my wasting time point was "If they wanted to close out the qtr with quick cash sales." They started sending out invites toward the tail end of November, which means they only had 5 - 6 weeks till the end of the qtr/year. Why send invites out to folks who want AWD and then wait a day or two or week (I don't know) for them to reply until the next batch is out? They already made the decision that first production would be RWD LR's and have the list of folks to target. But what do I know, I'm sure my opinion is over simplified. They could just as easily spin this another way by saying we sent out 10k invites to current CA owners, but it turns out that 75% of respondents wanted to wait for AWD. They could be thinking anything.

 

[SlicedBr3ad]

Um, that takes a computer about 5 seconds. They just send out a batch of X size, and as they have unfilled capacity keep sending out new batches. When they have as many confirmed orders as they are able to fill, they wait. Once they are able to schedule new cars they send out the next batch. If fewer than the expected number of people confirm right away they send out more the next day. None of this takes any time whatsoever from their end.

Sure, once you worked with product management to agree on the order, code it, test it, then send it. Seriously, 5 seconds. Wrt invites, they did waste time and spammed users Who said no. In grand schema of things, it's probably insignificant.

 

[daniel]

It all comes down to the SAVE button.

You're presented with 3 options (First Production, Standard Battery, Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive), each with their own dates and the ability to tell Tesla exactly which one you're interested in by way of the saving. This is brilliant because they let us into the experience and put the ownership back on us by letting them know which model we want. We're basically giving them the list of folks to send invites to. Turns out it meant nothing in terms of order of invitation sent. If there wasn't a SAVE button then I wouldn't have any opinion on how any of this played out.

The context of my wasting time point was "If they wanted to close out the qtr with quick cash sales." They started sending out invites toward the tail end of November, which means they only had 5 - 6 weeks till the end of the qtr/year. Why send invites out to folks who want AWD and then wait a day or two or week (I don't know) for them to reply until the next batch is out? They already made the decision that first production would be RWD LR's and have the list of folks to target. But what do I know, I'm sure my opinion is over simplified. They could just as easily spin this another way by saying we sent out 10k invites to current CA owners, but it turns out that 75% of respondents wanted to wait for AWD. They could be thinking anything.

You are assuming they didn't start building cars until they had orders. And that they could have started building the cars sooner if they hadn't "wasted" time sending out invites to people who had indicated a preference for other than the first production. These assumptions are unjustified and probably incorrect.

Now let's assume a different scenario, which I think is more reasonable: With only a few choices available in the first production cars, they schedule production of some of each choice, and they send out 1,000 invites when they know that they're a month away from being able to deliver the first 1,000 cars. People who order are told they have a 4-week wait. They build cars as fast as they can. After, say, 3 days, they send out as many invites as people who didn't respond to the first invites. Anybody who orders from this batch now only has a 3 1/2 week wait, but they have not delayed the delivery of a single car.

As long as they send out invites early enough, they have plenty of leeway to send them out to people who won't order, give them 3 days to respond, and then send out more invites. If they correctly estimate the percentages of non-responders and postponers, they are still able to deliver every car that rolls off the line, as soon as it is available for delivery. If one color turns out to be more in demand than they estimated, and you want that color, you will have a longer wait, but they'll still deliver every car as soon as it is ready for delivery.

No time "wasted" at all.

 

[FlatSix911]

Has anyone successfully transferred ownership at delivery to another person?

 

[run-the-joules]

Has anyone successfully transferred ownership at delivery to another person?

I'd be willing to help you try…

 

[seattlite2004]

Has anyone successfully transferred ownership at delivery to another person?

Has anyone actually had someone else take delivery???

 

[FlatSix911]

I'd be willing to help you try…

Thanks ... are you buying or selling?

 

[run-the-joules]

Thanks ... are you buying or selling?

Non-jokingly, an owner/friend who decided he's going to wait until autumn to replace his S said if I could use his config invite (he's had it for like a month now) and he could use mine when the time comes without Tesla throwing a fit, I was welcome, but it'd have to be seamless. Tried to get any sort of confirmation from Tesla that it'd be allowed for him to punch in my details and my driver license, insurance etc and have me take delivery directly and preserve the tax credit, but the various people we talked to were pretty adamant it has to be direct family. My suspicion is that if we'd just done it and showed up and insisted, they'd have done it, but I'm not going to strongarm someone into trying it and I wasn't going to lie to Tesla and say I was family either. Thus, I continue to wait.

I would be willing to try again, though… but I suspect that with all the for-profit stuff going on, my chances are even lower of success

 

[FlatSix911]

Non-jokingly, an owner/friend who decided he's going to wait until autumn to replace his S said if I could use his config invite (he's had it for like a month now) and he could use mine when the time comes without Tesla throwing a fit, I was welcome, but it'd have to be seamless. Tried to get any sort of confirmation from Tesla that it'd be allowed for him to punch in my details and my driver license, insurance etc and have me take delivery directly and preserve the tax credit, but the various people we talked to were pretty adamant it has to be direct family. My suspicion is that if we'd just done it and showed up and insisted, they'd have done it, but I'm not going to strongarm someone into trying it and I wasn't going to lie to Tesla and say I was family either. Thus, I continue to wait.

I am in the same boat with a current configuration and my kids are not ready to purchase.
So I am waiting for real confirmation that a transfer to a non-family member can take place.

 

[run-the-joules]

I am in the same boat with a current configuration and my kids are not ready to purchase.
So I am waiting for real confirmation that a transfer to a non-family member can take place.

Yeah, it's such an annoying situation for both my friend and I. Either way Tesla is making a sale, there's no exchange of money or anything shady happening, just someone who wants to get his car sooner and someone who doesn't need his for a while. But it's their playground, I suppose they get to make the rules for it. I'm still "reasonably confident" it'd work just to punch in the other person's details and make sure the DS is aware once you're in contact so that they draw up the paperwork and title for the right person, especially if you were willing to fib about the relationship… but the risk/reward balance isn't great.

 

[Bet TSLA]

Yeah, it's such an annoying situation for both my friend and I.

You could get married for a day.

 

[run-the-joules]

You could get married for a day.

It came up, I assure you. surprisingly, not even from me

 

[kengchang]

It came up, I assure you. surprisingly, not even from me

There's always domestic partnership if marriage wouldn't work

 

[run-the-joules]

There's always domestic partnership if marriage wouldn't work

It'd be such a messy divorce though. He'd want the dog, I'd want the house. We'd have to divvy up all the blu rays…

 

[Jason S]

It'd be such a messy divorce though. He'd want the dog, I'd want the house. We'd have to divvy up all the blu rays…

And who'd get the car?