Referral Program

[jpthiel]

I wanted to find out if anybody else is having a problem with referrals with Tesla? This is my 3rd referral. Everything went as it should with #1 and #2. #3 is becoming a HUGE issue, and I feel like Telsa is hanging me out to dry. My friend came to town (Boulder, CO), and I showed her my Tesla 3 DM LR and she decided to buy one. We went to the Cherry Creek store in Denver and had Tyler enter the order using my referral link. Apparently while he was working, Tesla was experiencing some kind of IT systems issue. In any case I checked with Tyler twice to ensure that the order was placed with my reference link. He confirmed twice that it was.

Upon deliver the next day, I check with Cameron at the Tesla Delivery center in Littleton Denver because the referral still had not shown up in my account. Tyler and his manager had assured me earlier that it would just take 2-8 hours to show up in my account the day before. Cameron, confirmed that the link was used, but for some reason had not completed.

My next step was to put an email into support with the vehicle VINs my reference link, etc. only to have Heather, at Tesla support tell me that it was my fault and to review the reference rules on the Tesla website. I have written back to Heather (customer support) explaining that this is clearly a Tesla issue and not mine...however I feel like I am being hung out to dry here...and I REALLY don't like it.

Has anybody else run into issue with the referral program, and is there somebody I should be talking with specifically to get this resolved?

Thanks for any info !!!!

...Jpthiel

 

[apodbdrsM3]

I had three referrals, but as I recall on the first two, I didn't them until a week plus after their cars were delivered. The third one is in process, so I will check and see if it showing in my account even though the car is not delivered.

 

[TMThree]

You'll know if the referral link worked because it will show pending sale in your tesla app. If you didn't see your friend listed, it was never applied.

 

[OCR1]

A number of forum members have posted similar experiences with the referral program. There is a common theme here:

1) Sales rep places an order and enters the referral code. Rep ensures customer the code is in place and they will get their bonus miles.
2) Deal closes, miles don’t show up.
3) Customer emails referral program staff and gets response saying code was not entered using the correct link so bonus miles will not be honored.

So far only one person has posted success in challenging the referral desk standard response. It appears to be coming from an edict from Elon saying the referral program was being abused and they don’t want to honor the bonus miles unless there was a genuine referral. However the referral desk staff is misinterpreting this to mean if the link was not used.

What’s silly here is that the 1,000 mile bonus is worth about $50 and Tesla is really pissing off a lot of loyal customers who genuinely advocate for the company. Until someone gets Elon’s attention about how bad it’s become I don’t think this is going to change.

 

[apodbdrsM3]

I made to referrals when they had the 5,000 mile bonus, no issues experienced! I still have about 9,500 miles left.

 

[DirtyT3sla]

You pretty much want them to use your link or it's a crap shoot whether it'll work or not. Why even go to the store? Just have your friend click your link and buy there. If your friend didn't take delivery yet, best bet is to cancel and reorder.

 

[agheno]

Tyler, your SA, should be able to make changes on the back end to include your referral code on your friend's purchase.

Source: the referral was omitted by mistake on my purchase and discovered immediately after the deposit was made. The initial suggestion was to cancel the order and repurchase with the referral, however we had a specific local VIN in mind and didn't want to risk it being purchased by someone else while waiting on the cancel/rebuy process to go through. It took 2 days to show up, but they were able to modify the existing order to reflect the referral. I was told this process is highly discouraged by Musk because of prior abuse, so it might require some convincing to get them to fix it this way. Good luck!

 

[jpthiel]

I will try this approach, as support with Tesla has been unfortunately useless and insulting thus far.... I will make the hour trip to the Cherry Creek store to see if I can convince them to correct the issue. Wish me luck...

Tyler, your SA, should be able to make changes on the back end to include your referral code on your friend's purchase.

Source: the referral was omitted by mistake on my purchase and discovered immediately after the deposit was made. The initial suggestion was to cancel the order and repurchase with the referral, however we had a specific local VIN in mind and didn't want to risk it being purchased by someone else while waiting on the cancel/rebuy process to go through. It took 2 days to show up, but they were able to modify the existing order to reflect the referral. I was told this process is highly discouraged by Musk because of prior abuse, so it might require some convincing to get them to fix it this way. Good luck!

 

[jpthiel]

Believe me I felt the same way, let's just order it online...weirdly the issue was the online store didn't have the local stock of cars. They had 4 new 3's in-stock that met her needs exactly. She also needed to complete the financing with USAA (3rd party) and she is from Washington, so the out of sales state tax forms, etc. This all dictated that we go to the Tesla store, especially if we were to obtain the car within 24 hours of purchase.

My main and only beef is that a Tesla employee messed this up, and Tesla has thus far refused to take responsibility. Additionally, my friend took my advice and bought a 3, so now my reputation is being tarnished as well. Also my friends purchase experience is now tarnished, with such a stupid screw up by Tesla. All of it so easily avoided and/or corrected...

You pretty much want them to use your link or it's a crap shoot whether it'll work or not. Why even go to the store? Just have your friend click your link and buy there. If your friend didn't take delivery yet, best bet is to cancel and reorder.

 

[DirtyT3sla]

Believe me I felt the same way, let's just order it online...weirdly the issue was the online store didn't have the local stock of cars. They had 4 new 3's in-stock that met her needs exactly. She also needed to complete the financing with USAA (3rd party) and she is from Washington, so the out of sales state tax forms, etc. This all dictated that we go to the Tesla store, especially if we were to obtain the car within 24 hours of purchase.

My main and only beef is that a Tesla employee messed this up, and Tesla has thus far refused to take responsibility. Additionally, my friend took my advice and bought a 3, so now my reputation is being tarnished as well. Also my friends purchase experience is now tarnished, with such a stupid screw up by Tesla. All of it so easily avoided and/or corrected...

Yep, it's really a pain. I have a lot of referrals so I know the game. I've had people cancel and reorder because it wasn't applied when they went through my SA via email instead of my link.

tbf I have seen miles "randomly" show up after the fact, and their name never appears, so it could happen. Click your link. How many referrals does it say you have? 2 or 3? If it says 3, you're probably good.

But don't let this ruin anything. What is 1,000 miles? Like $20 or something? Not really that big of a deal.

 

[agheno]

But don't let this ruin anything. What is 1,000 miles? Like $20 or something? Not really that big of a deal.

Yep, I didn't quite grasp the value of 1000 super charger miles at the time so I insisted the referral get fixed. In retrospect, I wouldn't have gone through the hassle knowing it's only worth a couple bucks.

 

[OCR1]

What gets people so worked up about the referral program is not the dollar value of the bonus miles. It is two issues:

1) You go out of your way to promote the Tesla brand because you believe in the product, only to find that Tesla slaps you in the face by refusing to give you the bonus miles on a technicality, rather than thanking you for the referral.

2) You have multiple sales and delivery people assure you the code is in place and you will get your bonus miles only to have the referral desk completely ignore all prior conversations with a could care less attitude about the situation and just flat out refuse to honor the word of another Tesla employee.

The combination of these two things leave a sour taste in people’s mouth about the Tesla brand. It’s very shortsighted on Teslas’s part and they need to clean up their act.

 

[Lhshockey24]

There are some of us (points at self) who have referrals registered in their account but STILL NO free super-charging miles have posted over FOUR MONTHS later....

 

[Nelson]

Curious - is there anyplace that tells you when you miles actually expire?

 

[Bill Foster]

I was able to get my 5000 miles added after the fact.

I talked to the store manager, he said they had been having referral program issues, and emailed the referral department while I was there.

that department emailed me like a week later asking for a screen shot of my loot box, I did and they said they were escalating this to another department.

about 2 weeks later that department said they would review it and apply it but it could take 6 weeks.

6 weeks later 5k miles shows up.

id try your store manager

 

[vickh]

I still didn't get my miles from a 6/30 delivery. I had a MR that I bought during the referral period, but it was cancelled by Tesla so I converted to a SR instead. My referree got the credit (even though he has FUSC). Anyone have any luck on this type of "conversion" (which Tesla) with delivery or store managers

Referral dept. email said it's based on SR conversion date so OOL, but the clincher is they said refer other people to get miles! so here goes Free Supercharger Miles

 

[Lhshockey24]

I still didn't get my miles from a 6/30 delivery. I had a MR that I bought during the referral period, but it was cancelled by Tesla so I converted to a SR instead. My referree got the credit (even though he has FUSC). Anyone have any luck on this type of "conversion" (which Tesla) with delivery or store managers

Referral dept. email said it's based on SR conversion date so OOL, but the clincher is they said refer other people to get miles! so here goes Free Supercharger Miles

Still no miles after 4/19 delivery

 

[Ronh42]

I wanted to find out if anybody else is having a problem with referrals with Tesla? This is my 3rd referral. Everything went as it should with #1 and #2. #3 is becoming a HUGE issue, and I feel like Telsa is hanging me out to dry. My friend came to town (Boulder, CO), and I showed her my Tesla 3 DM LR and she decided to buy one. We went to the Cherry Creek store in Denver and had Tyler enter the order using my referral link. Apparently while he was working, Tesla was experiencing some kind of IT systems issue. In any case I checked with Tyler twice to ensure that the order was placed with my reference link. He confirmed twice that it was.

Upon deliver the next day, I check with Cameron at the Tesla Delivery center in Littleton Denver because the referral still had not shown up in my account. Tyler and his manager had assured me earlier that it would just take 2-8 hours to show up in my account the day before. Cameron, confirmed that the link was used, but for some reason had not completed.

My next step was to put an email into support with the vehicle VINs my reference link, etc. only to have Heather, at Tesla support tell me that it was my fault and to review the reference rules on the Tesla website. I have written back to Heather (customer support) explaining that this is clearly a Tesla issue and not mine...however I feel like I am being hung out to dry here...and I REALLY don't like it.

Has anybody else run into issue with the referral program, and is there somebody I should be talking with specifically to get this resolved?

Thanks for any info !!!!

...Jpthiel

 

[Ronh42]

I’ve been trying to get a 5k referral credit for 4 months. Everyone at the store is very nice and completely incapable apparently of getting this fixed. So frustrating.

 

[Esteban]

I was part of the previous referral program where I was supposed to receive a wall connector. I've been waiting for seven months. I've emailed the Referral group, and their response was "Your award is documented correctly and will be fulfilled. Units are shipping as inventory permits. The long wait is understandably frustrating, so your continued patience is appreciated!"

Since Tesla is bleeding cash, I just think they are in survival mode.