I'm in the same position as you. Sometimes I think to myself "I should volunteer as a consultant and teach them how to run a company".
Example - I had to let the phone ring for 3 straight hours at the Marina Del Rey delivery center before someone picked up. Is it really too much trouble to assign one person just to answer phones and take messages? Really?
Yes, Telsa is waaaaaaay too Techy / Silicon Valley for its own good in this regard. You can get away with garbage service and support when you are so leading edge that there is no alternative product / service that does what you've invented (or, at least does it nowhere near as well). But that very leading edge advantage technologically often creates a false sense that you don't need to run a "typical" business that generates goodwill and returning customers. IMHO Tesla has about one more year to fix this aspect of their business (answering phones, parts availability, prompt communication, coordination between its teams that are customer-facing, etc.) before it spells their downfall. I believe that these issues are far more of a risk than running out of money.
The reason I say one more year is that the "typical" Model 3 customer bought a car -- not a leading edge tech product. They don't necessarily subscribe to Elon's vision for saving the planet or are exceptionally early adopters and, at the end of the day, they want their cars to get from point A to B reliably every day and with a minimum of hassle.
Since Model 3 owners will represent the vast majority of Tesla owners by the end of this year (if they aren't already), the willingness of Tesla's installed customer base to accept parts delays of 3 months, no one answering the phone at its service centers, not being able to get an appointment at a service center for a month, having to pester the corporate office endlessly for 4 months when they owe you a refund, etc. will decline precipitously as time goes forward and the "well, they are a startup company it is to be expected" will cease being an acceptable answer entirely. Elon did not have to go mass market. The option to remain a niche car company WAS there. He chose mass market and mass market lives and dies also delivering the mass market customer service norms that both drive repeat business and engender goodwill among the installed bass -- especially when you spend nothing on marketing and require your installed bass to do that work for you.
BTW, I remain a HUGE fan of Tesla, but they really need to get their Sh&* together on this stuff. And continually being served up examples of Elon's ego and control-freak mentality? Sadly, it is not likely to happen...
