Tesla is ripping off customer?

[AnxietyRanger]

Pretty sure Amazon stopping doing price guarantees a few years ago.

Their policy now is "return and re-buy for the lower price if you want to".

I do believe Amazon.com still does price matching in the sense that I meant here - if the price changes while you are still waiting in the order process, they will honor the better price for you. In this case the product has not even shipped to the customer yet...

Perhaps price guarantee was a better word.

Edit: Here it is at least regarding pre-orders:

Amazon.com Help: About the Pre-Order Price Guarantee

 

[RogerHScott]

if I had waited 12 hours I could have saved $500

You're in good company with people who bought stock on October 28th, 1929. I'm sure they were screaming bloody
murder that people who bough those same stocks for half the price in the coming months were totally ripping them off
NOBODY GETS A CRYSTAL BALL!

 

[Knightro]

You're in good company with people who bought stock on October 28th, 1929. I'm sure they were screaming bloody
murder that people who bough those same stocks for half the price in the coming months were totally ripping them off
NOBODY GETS A CRYSTAL BALL!

Oh I know! Just speaking in hypotheticals. No regrets here, just sitting on my hands patiently waiting for delivery.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

You're in good company with people who bought stock on October 28th, 1929. I'm sure they were screaming bloody
murder that people who bough those same stocks for half the price in the coming months were totally ripping them off
NOBODY GETS A CRYSTAL BALL!

Except in this case the selling party had a crystal ball. Tesla knew about these changes and their representative(s) are the ones being party to these events.

That's why many contracts even have clauses to this effect - to protect one party about circumstances and information the other may have, but the first party does not.

If I know price of something will change tomorrow, but you don't, and I push you to buy today (like Tesla did with the 60 kWh phase out policy and subsequent pricing changes), then I knew something you did not know and used that to make you do something beneficial to me.

Many sellers freely give free or automatic pricing guarantees and return policies to protect against such incidents, because they understand it is smart and wise.

 

[cdub]

If I know price of something will change tomorrow, but you don't, and I push you to buy today (like Tesla did with the 60 kWh phase out policy and subsequent pricing changes), then I knew something you did not know and used that to make you do something beneficial to me.

We don't know if the sales reps knew.... but I agree that the fee should be waived.... and I think that it probably will.

 

[Max*]

I do believe Amazon.com still does price matching in the sense that I meant here - if the price changes while you are still waiting in the order process, they will honor the better price for you. In this case the product has not even shipped to the customer yet...

Perhaps price guarantee was a better word.

Edit: Here it is at least regarding pre-orders:

Amazon.com Help: About the Pre-Order Price Guarantee

Not to take this thread even more offtopic. That's for pre-orders only. Like for a product that hasn't come out yet.

Once you place an order, even if it hasn't shipped, Amazon no longer adjusts the price. Their new policy (well, not so new) is to ship it back (return) and rebuy.

 

[Knightro]

Take this with a huge grain of salt, but my SA told me he had no clue about the price drop and he's been dealing with upset customers for a week now. Paraphrasing what he told me: "makes me look like a complete liar because I've been pushing the fact that once the 60's are gone you can't get one in that price point."

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Except in this case the selling party had a crystal ball. Tesla knew about these changes and their representative(s) are the ones being party to these events.

Pics or it didn't happen.

This is a very serious charge. Where is your evidence that A) Tesla knew about these changes, B) The salesperson knew about these changes, C) The salesperson willfully withheld this information?

Furthermore, when you say "Tesla" knew, what does that mean? Telsa is a large company with thousands of employees. Who knew what and when?

What is the motivation for the salesperson withholding any information? As stated above, the number doesn't count until delivery, so the alleged "pressure" does not win Tesla a 1st-quarter delivery.

If the salesperson knew and didn't disclose, where is the evidence that it was willful? What if he just forgot? What if he did mention it and the OP didn't hear him or misunderstood him? What if it was in writing and the OP didn't see it?


No proof, doesn't make sense, not buying it.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

We don't know if the sales reps knew.... but I agree that the fee should be waived.... and I think that it probably will.

I am fairly certain the sales reps themselves did not know (or maybe they did), but overall Tesla must have known when it devised these policies to push 60D sales before the deadline (they must have known it was positioned as a demand lever) and then subsequently lowering the prices.

A simple policy to guarantee buyers in pipeline the lowest price under the old/new scheme, without fees, would have sufficed.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Take this with a huge grain of salt, but my SA told me he had no clue about the price drop and he's been dealing with upset customers for a week now. Paraphrasing what he told me: "makes me look like a complete liar because I've been pushing the fact that once the 60's are gone you can't get one in that price point."

I actually believe your SA. And the way your SA feels about it is exactly why Tesla would be wise to see that policies are in place to make sure that is not the perception...

Beyond any discussion on price guarantees, overall these quarterly games of theirs can cost a lot in customer satisfaction, that much is certain...

It is all about those deliveries. The rest is collateral damage, it seems.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Pics or it didn't happen.

This is a very serious charge. Where is your evidence that A) Tesla knew about these changes, B) The salesperson knew about these changes, C) The salesperson willfully withheld this information?

It seems common sense Tesla knew. Are you saying Tesla did not know about its own product discontinuation announcements as well as price changes that happened the day after?

It is irrelevant what the sales person knew, though my guess would be they did not know. It was Tesla's policies that were driving them (Tesla tells them of a product discontinuation and they will use that to push sales, everyone - Tesla included - must have known that) and they were representing Tesla as employees.

I am not saying the sales person personally needs to waive the fee either. I am saying it would be wise for Tesla to look at the overall picture and waive it as a company.

 

[suraj1194]

My personal opinion about Tesla Model S price fluctuations is that expecting value for money from a premium luxury sedan from a fledgling automaker gaining rapid marketshare , is a nonstarter for several reasons. For one, premium luxury is characterized by rapid depreciation. Tesla has two things that enable value retention - the residual value of the battery, and its software updates that enable greater or sustained ability to provide good user experience, something no other carmaker comes close to. These may guard against as rapid depreciation as some other notable brands, but doesn't guard against depreciation as such. Plus the supercharger network that places a premium on Teslas vs other premium EVs.

In my view, the quarter-end fire sales are not quite in the customers interests. It usually precedes a spec bump, price cut or both. Therefore I'd rather buy right after a price cut, not quarter end, if I cared a lot about not seeing my purchase value erode quickly.

As to the defense of 'well if you lost money on your purchase you'd argue differently', well I have lost money. I bought the 75D right out of the door. It's now priced at around what the 60D used to be. I'm glad I got AP1. In retrospect AP2 would have been terrible for my use case - it would have been unacceptable to own a car that could barely do cruise control, for several months, and still cannot achieve parity to AP1. Did I feel bad when AP2 came out ? Sure. but that was tempered by the fact that AP was such good value for a mere $2.5K that it did not matter much that my car had become technologically obsolete by a generation within 3 months of purchase.

That's not to say my car doesn't present a value proposition for me. It does, more so than any other car on the market. AP1 makes the long commutes extremely bearable. There's no gas cost. It has been very reliable. The only time it needed service was when I blew a tire. Tesla roadside drove in with a loaner tire/wheel, swapped mine out for it, patched it, and put the fixed tire back on. The savings in time, money and energy enable me to get work done such that I made more money, much more so than any delta in Tesla prices lately.

 

[dhanson865]

Pretty sure Amazon stopping doing price guarantees a few years ago.

Their policy now is "return and re-buy for the lower price if you want to".

I got a price match guarantee refund from them less than a few years ago as long as you consider Feb/Mar 2016 less than a few years. As in I bought a TV, and three weeks later requested a refund to match the new lower price.

But looking now it seems they killed the price matching less than a year ago.

Amazon no longer offers price match refunds on anything but TVs discusses part of the timeline.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

I got a price match guarantee refund from them less than a few years ago as long as you consider Feb/Mar 2016 less than a few years. As in I bought a TV, and three weeks later requested a refund to match the new lower price.

But looking now it seems they killed the price matching less than a year ago.

Amazon no longer offers price match refunds on anything but TVs discusses part of the timeline.

This is not akin to price matching though.

Customer is yet to take delivery. Product is yet to be built even.

Amazon still has pre-order price guarantee for moments like this.

 

[calisnow]

I'm not claiming Tesla's tactics amounted to anything illegal - just that they seem kind of slimy.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

I'm not claiming Tesla's tactics amounted to anything illegal - just that they seem kind of slimy.

As said, me neither.

I'm talking what would be wise. Good for customer relations.

 

[xyeahtony]

This works both ways. the price of the 100s went up but anyone who ordered before the price change gets to keep the lower price. Funny how i don't see any of those people complaining. For $500, the OP can get a car that would've costed him $6500 more a week ago. If you dont wanna pay the money then just keep the order as is. The rest of us had to pay $2000 to change to a 75.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Both you and Tesla are bound by your purchase agreements, no matter what happens after you place your order, and 3 days later confirm it.

Your $500 is the fee agreed on by you to change your order to the bigger battery capacity. That people ordering after you get a better or worse deal in not germain to your original agreement.

As said before, you can change other items at the same time, and update your order.

Nobody gets a do-over without paying the $500 fee.

You will get a great deal on upgrading your battery rating for only $500. You will most likely get lots more than that back when you sell it. A 60 will be worth much less at resale time.

Bet they even put new badging on your car for free.

 

[theslimshadyist]

Just ask Tesla to waive the delivery fee (which they will) and problem solved.

 

[oktane]

You were going to find out sooner or later that Tesla is an innovative company with very questionable business ethics. You as a customer are meaningless, only a means to an end.

Yes, you got screwed and it is totally unfair they essentially guided you into the 60D. In fairness to your salesperson, they know just as little as the rest of us on the forum about pricing changes etc.

I recommend simply paying the $500 for an upgrade to the 75D (bargain) and using this experience to guide your further interactions with Tesla and any recommendations to friends about whether they should also purchase a Tesla.

Although I think the car is OK, I tell everyone to NOT buy the Tesla, mainly because of stories like yours amongst others where money is more important than "doing the right thing." Your example is a very minor example of all the shady things Tesla does to induce sales. They are not to be trusted.