TA pushing for pickup by 3/31 from distant dealer, otherwise wait until June - legit?

[LwlPeak]

Long time stalker first time poster!

Placed an order this weekend for a LR MY with Red ext/White Int. TA from local dealer (about 20min away from me) calls me and says she found an existing new inventory vehicle that matches what I want about a 2 hour and 45 min drive away in a different state. I asked if it could be delivered to her at the local tesla dealer. She said it cannot and that it must be picked up by 3/31 from the distant dealer. Otherwise I will need to wait until late may / june for my vehicle. She seems extremely pushy and not flexible in regards to having it shipped to the local store. When I asked why can it not be shipped to her she said it must be done before 3/31. I told her I work 5 days a week I can't just drop everything and go pickup this car, especially knowing many cars have fit and finish issues (would hate to drive 5 hours in a day for nothing). She emphatically claimed this is a new vehicle and has been examined by the local dealer and is in perfect condition! (Ha!)

This is my first experience with Tesla and it is making me rather confused.

I appreciate you guys reading this!
Thanks

 

[RedWhite19]

Isn’t a $1000 extra for them to ship it over from another state? I had my SR MY shipped over to SoCal from Texas for that price. If you’re willing to pay that charge ask for it. But I think they want cars gone by end of the quarter and that will probably take a week or so.

 

[LwlPeak]

Isn’t a $1000 extra for them to ship it over from another state? I had my SR MY shipped over to SoCal from Texas for that price. If you’re willing to pay that charge ask for it. But I think they want cars gone by end of the quarter and that will probably take a week or so.

She said it wasn’t an option to ship at all. I said that makes no sense...why not? She says if I want it I have to drive to the other state and purchase it by 3/31. I understand they want cars gone by the end of the quarter but this seems unreasonable. Instead of them accommodating the customer it seems as though they want me accommodating them.

 

[RedWhite19]

She said it wasn’t an option to ship at all. I said that makes no sense...why not? She says if I want it I have to drive to the other state and purchase it by 3/31. I understand they want cars gone by the end of the quarter but this seems unreasonable. Instead of them accommodating the customer it seems as though they want me accommodating them.

They are just trying to meet their quotas. Seems foolish that they don’t want to ship it but shipping does take a week or so, thus it will arrive after the end of the quarter. I’d push the issue one more time and tell her plenty of Tesla owners have received their car’s from out of state.

So, if you really want your car now, make the trip. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet. Don’t worry about the fit and finish issues. They are really minor. My SR+ has some swirls on the frunk, which got taken care of with an appointment and my SR MY has some panel gap issues that i have scheduled an appointment for this upcoming week. The most important thing for me was getting into the car. So, as long as it’s not some issue such as battery(which is highly unlikely), you’ll be fine.

Or, wait for the quarter and call a new dealer and SA and let them help you find the car you want in your configuration. When I called the dealership where I got my SR+, the SA said I couldn’t get the car anymore and I’d need to get a LR. The SA even sent a packet! How nice of them! But when I called another dealer a few minutes later, he found something in the existing inventory and placed the order on the spot.

 

[JHCCAZ]

This is my first experience with Tesla and it is making me rather confused.

To me it's more illuminating than confusing.

More evidence that the company makes advanced products based on advanced technology and a far-reaching vision, but sells and services them through a network driven by short-term incentives and a move-em-along culture, delivering a hit-or-miss chance of any decent customer experience.

Kind of like buying your super-advanced cell phones and services from the youngsters at the wireless store - but with a lot more money committed. Pray you don't have any glitches, and don't expect correct answers if you do.

I'm not deterred from wanting my Tesla, but neither am I expecting red carpets, free refreshments and true friendship.

 

[LwlPeak]

They are just trying to meet their quotas. Seems foolish that they don’t want to ship it but shipping does take a week or so, thus it will arrive after the end of the quarter. I’d push the issue one more time and tell her plenty of Tesla owners have received their car’s from out of state.

So, if you really want your car now, make the trip. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet. Don’t worry about the fit and finish issues. They are really minor. My SR+ has some swirls on the frunk, which got taken care of with an appointment and my SR MY has some panel gap issues that i have scheduled an appointment for this upcoming week. The most important thing for me was getting into the car. So, as long as it’s not some issue such as battery(which is highly unlikely), you’ll be fine.

Or, wait for the quarter and call a new dealer and SA and let them help you find the car you want in your configuration. When I called the dealership where I got my SR+, the SA said I couldn’t get the car anymore and I’d need to get a LR. The SA even sent a packet! How nice of them! But when I called another dealer a few minutes later, he found something in the existing inventory and placed the order on the spot.

Thank you for the advice. I appreciate your tips and suggestions.
These quotas must really be important for local SA’s to be pushing the issue so hard.

To me it's more illuminating than confusing.

More evidence that the company makes advanced products based on advanced technology and a far-reaching vision, but sells and services them through a network driven by short-term incentives and a move-em-along culture, delivering a hit-or-miss chance of any decent customer experience.

Kind of like buying your super-advanced cell phones and services from the youngsters at the wireless store - but with a lot more money committed. Pray you don't have any glitches, and don't expect correct answers if you do.

I'm not deterred from wanting my Tesla, but neither am I expecting red carpets, free refreshments and true friendship.

You are spot on with this. I often know more information about the MY than my SA. She claimed that the new March builds had the new headlights on the MY LR (non performance model). I said that was not true. I then hear her ask a coworker and he responds that only the MYP have the new headlights.
A real shame! Such issues are disheartening.

 

[jcanoe]

You could ask to see photos of the vehicle. If the fit and finish is satisfactory you could purchase it, make final payment, sign the paperwork at the local Tesla Center, then arrange to have Tesla ship the vehicle to your location. The vehicle will have been sold before the end of the Quarter. You might be able to get Tesla to give you some free Supercharger miles that would help to offset your cost for shipping the vehicle to your home.

 

[LwlPeak]

You could ask to see photos of the vehicle. If the fit and finish is satisfactory you could purchase it, make final payment, sign the paperwork at the local Tesla Center, then arrange to have Tesla ship the vehicle to your location. The vehicle will have been sold before the end of the Quarter. You might be able to get Tesla to give you some free Supercharger miles that would help to offset your cost for shipping the vehicle to your home.

I asked today on the phone with the local SA if she can have someone take photos of that vehicle and send it to me. She said that was not possible. And the best part of her response was “the vehicle is brand new!” I said I would feel more comfortable driving almost 3 hours one way if I at least saw photos of the vehicle. She said “no reason for that sir it’s new and inspected by Tesla it’s perfect!”
At this point I have lost trust in her. Can we change our SA? The one that got assigned to me when I placed my order is either incompetent or just lazy.

 

[jcanoe]

I would pass. In the end it is just a car, there will be others. Maybe the Tesla you ultimately buy will have the new projector headlights.

 

[dc5itr888]

From your experience, she definitely sounded pushy for you to get the car for the end of quarter numbers no matter what.