Chiming in here to share my specific experience:
(1) I placed a “reservation” payment ($1,000) on the Model 3 on the day it was launched.
(2) I placed a second “order” payment ($2,500) for a M3 LR RWD on the day the lease was offered and received a Tesla Model 3 Vehicle Order Agreement for $54,200.
(3) Prior to delivery, I was asked to provide a “final” payment ($1,961.17) which I did.
(4) At the time of delivery, Tesla informed me that they would not release the car unless I “paid an additional $3,000 for autopilot” (which is clearly stated as “included” on my order agreement). I emailed the Order Agreement back to the Owner Advisor and reminded him that as per the Order Agreement, autopilot was included. He was told to communicate that bc I ordered an “off menu” version of the vehicle (RWD vs. AWD) that Tesla has decided not to include autopilot (the undertone was that this a punitive charge for not ordering things “on menu”). Needless to say this was extremely upsetting.
(5) I emailed a summary of what transpired, along with supporting documents/notes, to the legal department at Tesla (
[email protected]).
(6) After much back and forth they agreed to honor the original price provided on the Order Agreement.
(7) At the time of delivery, and much to my surprise, Tesla requested an additional payment in the amount of ~$200 (apparently they did not revert back to the original cost on the order agreement) and again refused to release the car. The requested uncharge was admittedly insignificant in the grand scheme of things however, given what had previously transpired, I was not interested in paying any amount more than what was originally agreed upon.
(8) And so, after another round of calls to and from Tesla, they agreed to provide me with a $1,000 service credit if I would overlook the ~$200 overcharge.
I should also mention that the delivery was rescheduled 3 times by Tesla, and when the vehicle was finally delivered I received a call to inform me that the car will arrive damaged (a deep scratch and ding in the passenger door, damage to the wheel) and the car arrived as if it returned from a week at burning man. There was a deep layer of dust in every single exterior crevice of the car (between the glass panes on the roof, inside the trunk, frunk, charge point, grilles, etc.) and in some interior areas. Tesla agreed to remedy these issues at a later date (though my car is still in service waiting for these issues to be completed)…
In conclusion, while I very much appreciate Tesla’s stated mission and the vehicles they produce, their business practices in my experience are short-sighted and leave much to be desired. My wish for Tesla going forward is that they begin to consider/value integrity in addition to their mission going forward.