Because this is a critical, time-sensitive issue that puts Tesla's future at risk. You should view the fact that this question is far ahead both in shares (+45% over #2) and votes (+32% over #2) as evidence that this is actually a critical issue that threatens Tesla's future, and one that they need to address post-haste..
I know there's a tendency to minimize the risk that this issue brings, but I really think Tesla needs to be devoting as much time/effort toward improving their communications maturity as they are toward the Model Y roll-out, for example. It's a big deal, and it's reached the point where it's going to get much worse in terms of public backlash if nothing's done, as Europe/China get hit with giant delivery rushes just as the US did in the past two quarters.
I've personally had a mostly-positive experience with service on my 3 (I also happen to live just a few miles from my local SC, so I can just show up to get around the terrible call hold time and lack of email response). But I've also experienced many instances of--frankly appalling--lapses in Tesla's communication. Here's an incomplete list--no response to service emails after weeks; 30+ minute hold times routinely; online store order support not answering emails for months after charging for orders that never ship; referral program failing to meet their own deadlines for reward deliveries, repeatedly; online store doing the same thing; vehicle deliveries without adequate manpower to make new owners feel welcome and confident in their new vehicles; vehicle deliveries with obvious issues on vehicle quality. I'm also a member of a very active local Tesla group (>700 members), and I see the frequency with which Tesla drops the ball rising rapidly over the past year. A friend has a P3D- and has had to harangue Tesla to get any traction on the $5k refund that the company's CEO publicly announced on Twitter.
We are at the point that for many folks, terrible communication is *the expected response*.
The Rich Rebuilds fiasco is unacceptable. The response to that situation is unacceptable. Selling used vehicles for which the title is not on-hand is unacceptable. Delivering new vehicles without sufficient staff to give each new owner a walk-through to make them comfortable with their purchase is unacceptable. Postponing delivery dates at the last minute for more than an extremely miniscule percentage of purchases is unacceptable. Having service centers with 30+ minute hold times routinely is unacceptable. Public email addresses without reliable 24-48 hour response times is unacceptable. Maintaining an online store in 2019 that charges on order placement with no concrete delivery timetable is unacceptable. None of these assertions is in the slightest bit controversial, and yet they are but a small slice of the customer expectation management pie that Tesla routinely mucks up.
To be clear, I do not blame [much of] this on individual Tesla employees. Almost universally, the Tesla staff that I've come into contact with have seemed like dedicated souls who were legitimately trying their best to make a positive impression. I'm well aware that they are understaffed and overworked.
The company needs to carefully consider where to invest monetary and manpower resources. I understand that. However, in my opinion this self-inflicted wound is a *far greater threat* to Tesla's future than any competitor. They need to attack it, and attack it hard, *now*.
Frankly, Tesla's no longer the small upstart it once was. I was on board with minimizing the urgency with which Tesla should treat this issue when they were delivering single-digit thousands or low tens of thousands of vehicles/quarter--in those numbers, it's feasible to make things right on an individual basis. Now that they're rapidly approaching 100k vehicles/quarter, the blow-back from unacceptable communication is rising significantly. This will continue going forward unless Tesla's corporate culture changes to place customer communications much, much higher on the priority list.
We're past the time when this area should be swept under the rug. It's absolutely a valid topic for an investor Q&A session, and it's absolutely an area that should be of prime importance for Tesla's attention over the course of this year.
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