Sept. 2020, End of Qtr, Free upgrades, NOT!

[pfbz]

Sept. 2019, End of Qtr, Free upgrades, NOT!


Wow, total **** show at the Tesla center trying to buy a new Tesla..

1. Took a look at an M3SR last week, noted several inventory vehicles (SR+ that could be down-coded to SR) that might meet my needs.

2. Brought my wife in last weekend to take a test drive. She liked it. We decided we liked grey, black interior, upgraded wheels.

3. Was told by the Sales Manager that Tesla just started a program that any inventory car delivered before the end of the qtr would recieve up to two free upgrades in paint color, wheels, interior.

4. Found a car in inventory, put down a deposit, set up a delivery date for Friday.

5. Local Tesla center evidently needs to send in an "adjustment case" for the modified pricing, which they did.

6. Was just told by the Sales Manager at the local Tesla center that I would NOT get either of the free upgrades, that it was a tesla corporate -> tesla local center "miscommunication".

So my price just went up $2,500, and effectively I get zero tangible incentives for closing before end of quarter, so I cancelled. Way to go Tesla, another irritated customer and lost sale.

What the local center is now being told by Tesla is the upgrade incentives only apply 1) ordered before 9/13, and 2) order has not been matched or assigned, and 3) there is a car in inventory that would match but has an upgraded cost paint or wheels or interior... So effectively, only folks who ordered say a white car with aero wheels could take advantage by taking a grey car with 19" wheels, or maybe folks who want/ordered black interior could take a car with white interior.

How many extra sales is that going to create? Not many!

 

[vickh]

another Tesla promo being rescinded mid stream?

 

[pfbz]

...I might also note that all of these incentives, free upgrades, free supercharging, etc. seem to be communicated between Tesla corporate and the local Tesla center *verbally* during conference calls... Nothing in writing, no emails, no electronic documentation of any sort.

Really? Who does business that way?

At least have Elon Tweet it so we have some sort of vague standard to go on? lol

 

[bickie]

Really? Wow. So, it's not really to generate new sales which I thought too, but to clear out existing orders before the quarter end. I may actually fall right into that category, exactly as u mentioned (white + aeros + ordered pre-9/13 but would prefer upgrades). Looking at inventory in all of Calif, seems low likelihood to happen for LR AWD though (min-zero LR AWD inventory). Suspect some SR+ orders getting fulfilled with upgraded VINs though. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[fajitamondays]

I believe there was a related Twitter thread - https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/117291702190809907

Someone raised a stink, and Elon "looked into it". Fast forward several days, and Tesla corporate killed the deal?

 

[vickh]

I believe there was a related Twitter thread - https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/117291702190809907

Someone raised a stink, and Elon "looked into it". Fast forward several days, and Tesla corporate killed the deal?

must be a current non FUSC owner.

 

[ilyak]

I think the idea behind the “up to two free upgrades” was to encourage people to buy inventory cars that were available for delivery before EoQ even if they weren’t a perfect match. So, for example, you wanted a white SR+ with 18”, but the local showroom had a blue SR+ with 19” and they offer it to you for the price of what you wanted to order. It was probably never meant to be taken as a blanket discount, more like a tool for the sales managers to get cars delivered even if they didn’t have perfect matches for customers’ orders.

 

[OCR1]

I think the idea behind the “up to two free upgrades” was to encourage people to buy inventory cars that were available for delivery before EoQ even if they weren’t a perfect match. So, for example, you wanted a white SR+ with 18”, but the local showroom had a blue SR+ with 19” and they offer it to you for the price of what you wanted to order. It was probably never meant to be taken as a blanket discount, more like a tool for the sales managers to get cars delivered even if they didn’t have perfect matches for customers’ orders.

Exactly. You have to order a car that they don’t have in stock. So you tell them you want a white exterior, black interior, 18” wheels. Assuming they don’t have one they start looking at the closest match. They are allowed to offer up to 2 upgrades if they can then close the deal. It was never intended to offer someone who wants a blue car with 19” wheels a free paint and wheel upgrade on the spot.

The sales reps should know better than that. But apparently they are as clueless as always.

 

[ilyak]

Exactly. You have to order a car that they don’t have in stock. So you tell them you want a white exterior, black interior, 18” wheels. Assuming they don’t have one they start looking at the closest match. They are allowed to offer up to 2 upgrades if they can then close the deal. It was never intended to offer someone who wants a blue car with 19” wheels a free paint and wheel upgrade on the spot.

The sales reps should know better than that. But apparently they are as clueless as always.

This particular flavor of an EoQ deal isn’t new either - it’s why I have a blue car and not a black one as ordered, and my VIN is in the 100k range. Except for it was never communicated as openly. An artifact of growth, I guess.

 

[jjrandorin]

Exactly. You have to order a car that they don’t have in stock. So you tell them you want a white exterior, black interior, 18” wheels. Assuming they don’t have one they start looking at the closest match. They are allowed to offer up to 2 upgrades if they can then close the deal. It was never intended to offer someone who wants a blue car with 19” wheels a free paint and wheel upgrade on the spot.

The sales reps should know better than that. But apparently they are as clueless as always.

I think the sales reps DO know (most of them anyway)... but what was "being reported" got "telephone gamed" into people thinking it was a blanket "2 upgrades".

Like the OP in this thread says, it likely was a way to match "waiters" for a car now, not for people who want XX with YY that is in stock, but now you get free upgrades. That is likely why elon said "I am looking into it" because some people were convincing their salespeople to do it on cars they were going to order anyway.

Just like you say, I am virtually certain it was supposed to be "You have a red / black with 18s on order, and it wont make it in time... but we have this blue / white with 19s in stock now and you can have it for the same price.. want it?"


EDIT:

I just noticed that the thread title basically makes it sound like this post is from approximately 1 year in the future....

 

[ry-ballz]

Meh, sorry you didn't get free stuff.

 

[mreynolds767]

Just curious
OP: we’re you trying/willing to buy the SR+ or also on top of extras trying to buy a SR ???
I think that is an important difference, as I would not expect them to give you anything extra with a regular SR model

 

[aasandsas]

My neighbor(which I referred) picked up his SR+ yesterday got white interior and 19” wheels free.

 

[TheTonester]

My neighbor(which I referred) picked up his SR+ yesterday got white interior and 19” wheels free.

What did he order?

 

[jjrandorin]

My neighbor(which I referred) picked up his SR+ yesterday got white interior and 19” wheels free.

The reason this is likely ambiguous is (my guess anyway) because it is likely up to the management at the center to put in for an "adjustment". Lets say you walk in and they want to give you the discount on the car you want. They likely have to fill out something internally for the car you SAID you wanted, that they then "convinced" you to take one of the ones they had with the free goodies.

No proof at all this would be how it works, but I have spent a lifetime in one form or another of customer service (or customer service management) and there usually is some leeway for managers to do "something". Thats why when I do business for something like this, I prefer to do it in person, and I am ALWAYS pleasant and agreeable. I always try to make myself the person people WANT to help, not the one they feel like they have to put up with.

Why? Because (and this is very important.. I have been saying this for years when it comes to customer service).... there is ALWAYS ALWAYS (always) a difference between what someone HAS to do, and what they CAN do (if encouraged) in a customer service situation.

The trick is, convincing the person you are working with that YOU are the person they WANT to help, because YOU are different from "all the other people whining for this or that". The above statement is not directed at anyone in this thread to be clear, its just a general statement. As I mentioned, anyone that has to "deal with customers / clients" etc for their job, and has had to do it for any length of time knows there is usually some escalation path that the internal people know, but are encouraged to only use in certain circumstances.

 

[Mayo]

I took advantage of this 3rd quarter ending promotion. I ordered an X in california and have been patiently waiting for Tesla to deliver cars all over the country except California. yesterday my SA called me and told me that Tesla was extending an offer to patiently waiting customers if they would be willing to take an inventory vehicle and as a plus would comp me the two freebies as long as the vehicle i picked had the options installed on the car. We found a close match and I excepted the offer. I pick up my car in three days. My original order has not even been manufactured. I saved basically $8,000 because i took a pearl white car, white seats and 22 onxy black wheels. I believe Tesla Realized that they had more orders they couldnt produce in time for the 3rd quarter numbers . So they decided to dump all the inventory cars ready to deliver to owners that have been waiting for there orders. The problem came when Tesla Sales offices misinterpreted the promo details and were attempting to apply this promo to new orders. This is why i believe they discontinued the comp promo. Poor comunications within the organization.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Tesla tried to offer customers, who's specific configuration was not going to be delivered in time for the EOQ cutoff. They offered them an inventory car, that had some upgrades, for the same price.

Some people took it that Tesla was offering free upgrades to everyone. That was not the case. You had to place an order that could not be fulfilled by EOQ to qualify for the upgrades. Seems like some feel unfairly treated that wanted to game the system.

 

[Teedub21]

I didn’t even have a car on order although I’ve been working with an SA on purchasing end of year. I messaged him about the incentives and he said it was true. Found me a white on white SR+ local inventory I made the deposit on Sunday the 15th. They approved the free white interior upgrade and it shows on my MVPA as of today. The deals are real. Not sure why some aren’t getting them.

 

[pfbz]

Just a few clarifications from the OP...

1. The free upgrades weren't something I had read about and asked for... It was something i had never heard about and was told about by the sales manager who was helping us. 100% unsolicited. It worked. I was not an EOQ buyer, the incentives made me an EOQ buyer, and the withdrawal of them again made me not an EOQ buyer.

2. Originally, I was explicitly told that it did not apply to any ordered vehicles, and only applied to same-week purchases on inventory cars for customers who did not have cars already ordered.... A second gross error in their understanding of the program.

All of this incorrect info was from the sales manager who otherwise seemed to be an incredibly well informed.... Pity the salesfolk (and their customers) who weren't actually in on the call and had it explained (verbally) one layer removed.

Tesla brings this negative drama on themselves by evidently communicating key program information like EOQ sales incentives with their sales teams *verbally* on conference calls rather than distributing correctly worded, proof-read, specific, detailed, accurate memos.

 

[Mayo]

It is reported that Elon pulled the plug on the end of quarter comps because of excessive Tesla owner complaints . Typical jealously form others, some people just cant be happy if someone else gets a better deal.. SAD