The $54,000 Paperweight (Registration problems)

[MXWing]

Went to the DMV while I spent an unproductive 1.5 hours on the phone with Tesla, I was promised a call from a manager, didn’t happen of course. Right before I talked to the DMV information receptionist, Tesla customer service called me for once and said I was screwed until Monday. She said it in a polite manner actually but there was nothing to be done unless a delivery manager was on duty. When I got to the desk the lady said the car was not registered but the EDRS had arrived and the DMV was waiting for me to register the car, not some person with a POA. I showed her the amount I was charged for registration that I had paid to Tesla but she was unimpressed and said I’d have to pay the $760 again if I wanted plates. Any bets on whether or not Tesla will refund the money I paid for registration?

Back when they were just selling S and X’s and not 5000 of them per week they honored price adjustments to customers who didn’t receive their cars yet in situations to where upgrades were made standard or if the pricing dropped. Those are in the thousands so I think you are good for 760.

The money isn’t going to be the issue. The beaurocracy might be however.

 

[SageBrush]

Any bets on whether or not Tesla will refund the money I paid for registration?

That would depend whether Tesla sent the money to the MDV and whether the collected money was actually for registration.
In my case with Colorado, Tesla collected the state Sales Tax but not the registration fees, county tax or ownership tax.

 

[ba2002]

I showed her the amount I was charged for registration that I had paid to Tesla but she was unimpressed and said I’d have to pay the $760 again if I wanted plates. Any bets on whether or not Tesla will refund the money I paid for registration?

Good lord I'm sorry. What a pain. Tesla combining with the DMV.... good luck.

 

[SageBrush]

My account at Tesla.com has a document called "Motor Vehicle Purchase Agreement."
It is found under the 'manage' button

This snippet shows the costs breakdown. Note that I paid a 'sales tax' (which I am pretty sure is state) and a few dollars for a Temp plate. All the other fees are paid when I register the car. This is Colorado; I have no idea about NV.

 

[daniel]

No such thing as a Tesla dealership? News to me, and the customer service rep I just finished talking to.

Tesla calls them "stores," not "dealerships." In one sense, this is just semantics. In another it's significant because in normal usage, a "dealership" is an independent company that buys cars from an automaker and sells them to the public. A Tesla "store" is an outlet through which Tesla sells its cars directly to the public.

Salespeople in dealerships often work on commission, and are therefore strongly motivated to get a higher price from you and push you to buy useless or overpriced extras and add-ons. Tesla sales representatives are paid a salary and so have no personal motivation to sell you stuff you don't need. When I bought my Roadster the sales rep told me the extras I could get, and in practically the same breath told me he didn't think I needed any of them. I've never been able to buy any other car without sitting through about an hour of sales pitches for stuff that Consumer Reports said are worthless.

... I showed her the amount I was charged for registration that I had paid to Tesla but she was unimpressed and said I’d have to pay the $760 again if I wanted plates. Any bets on whether or not Tesla will refund the money I paid for registration?

If you have documentation that you paid Tesla for the registration, they should refund you the money. It sounds like you did, and your Tesla store neglected to pay the state. I doubt that was intentional, but they need to refund your money and compensate you for the hassle and the loss of use of the car. I think it would be reasonable for them to give you the $760 plus pay you the market value you'd have received if you'd rented out the car on Turo for the time you were unable to use it. Or maybe upgrade you to the EAP/FSD package if you didn't already buy those.

In my case with my Model 3, I paid Tesla for everything and they took care of it all. That's what they should have done for you.

 

[SageBrush]

I googled Nevada taxes and fees briefly.
It looks like there is a ~ 8.25% combined sales tax AND

"Governmental Services Tax" that I would call a property tax.
It would work out to ~ $756 = $54,000*0.35*0.04
Sound familiar ?

 

[brkaus]

Or maybe upgrade you to the EAP/FSD package if you didn't already buy those

You think this is worth $5k hassle fee? Perhaps ask for one free annual service. Probably more in line with what they would be willing to do and should be easy to approve.

 

[Tam]

...pay the $760 again..

That's what I was afraid of!

If I can afford it, I would pay again then send Tesla this particular thread so they can understand it and hopefully they will reimburse you.

If they don't because Tesla-TX was nice to solve this problem while Tesla-NV is the opposite then I would go for a small court.

I don't think Tesla will waste its time to show up in a small court for $760 and it will reimburse you one way or another.

I don't think it's about the money but it's a management. They need to follow Tesla-TX's footstep and be proactive to solve this problem!

 

[Akikiki]

No need to bet. Would not be interested in your money. Of course they will refund your money if you paid it again. However, it may not be fast as you are stepping out of the queue so to speak and taking this on yourself. Tesla likely will still pay the state and then will want to get the money back before they refund you. I can just hear the voices of all those that don't know your story and why you did this. "He what?, he paid it himself? Didn't he know there is a process and he simply needed to be patient?" (That's the nice version of those that have to undo this for you will say.)

 

[Tam]

...Electronic Dealer Report of Sale...

That's very helpful. Thanks so much for looking it up!

 

[SMAlset]

No such thing as a Tesla dealership? News to me, and the customer service rep I just finished talking to. She told me it would do no good to go to the dealer today because all the delivery managers would be unavailable.

Technically it's not a "dealership" is what they were trying to say. Tesla doesn't subscribe to the dealership model where they make the car and let someone else sell and service it. Aside from providing the cars according to agreements made, the manufacture has very little to do with the car once it's manufactured. You are stuck with working with the dealership. For example, we've been having a nightmare issue with a Toyota that we took into for service to correct an AC problem. As a result of their service department work we have a separated dashboard now and a dealership that has said they have thrown up their hands to fix (been in 3 times for this separation issue) because Toyota doesn't make the parts any more. So the service department broke the clips on the dash and we have a gaping hole that you see light through when you look at the dash and instrument displays but they are saying too bad you're stuck with it. Toyota headquarters (manufacturer) said they just manufacture the cars and they can't do anything about the service end of it. In drastic circumstances they can pull a dealership's license but other than that they aren't part of any resolution picture. We have to deal with the dealership. So in our case Toyota is of no use to us.

 

[daniel]

You think this is worth $5k hassle fee? Perhaps ask for one free annual service. Probably more in line with what they would be willing to do and should be easy to approve.

What I said was they should pay him the amount he'd have gotten if he had rented out the car on Turo for the time he was unable to use it. IOW, the market use-value of the car. But the free upgrade to EAP/FSD would cost them nothing if he was otherwise not going to get it. That would be a way of giving him value at zero cost to them.

 

[WATTS-UP]

Way back when in 2014 we pick up our Model S after handing over $73,000.00. Kevin, a nice guy gave us the paper work and said thanks. We had to have the car inspected, go to a tag store pay the sales tax (8%) and some more cash for the tags.
Three weeks later we got our tag.

The last car we purchased it was three hours in a dealership and we drove out with temp tags. Would I purchase another Tesla?

 

[Pollux]

Yes I am acting like an idiot. Apologies for trivializing your issues, as you are the one going through them.

A rental or a loaner buys you time which is what you need to address your expired registration. It's fair as well. You lost use of a vehicle, Tesla provides you one to use.

I think trying to sue them is over-reactionary but maybe our tolerance level is different. In any case, good luck. Hope Tesla does right by you and you are not forced to go through DMV yourself to get things done.

I love this response!

An example of someone thinking about the discussion, deciding he can approach it in a different and more positive way, issuing an apology (although maybe not needed!), and then contributing some useful thoughts.

A standard which I will strive to match.

Nicely done, sir.

Alan

P.S. Just want to clarify that I am NOT saying any of this because I think @MXWing is now somehow agreeing with what *I* wrote, back in the thread, nor do I expect or want him to. He's entitled to his opinion about my post, and I was amused at how he responded.

 

[Pollux]

The thing that gets me is Tesla doesn’t seem to care.

This!

From my vantage point, this is the heart of the emotion around this problem. My experiences with Tesla have been uniformly marked by their caring attitude. I couldn't begin to count the number of times they have worked their asses off on my behalf, or my parents' behalf, or gone the extra distance on some issue or another. Yeah, I've certainly experienced the communication problems. Grrrr! Sometimes, things have taken an unexpected bounce in a different direction than I anticipated. Grrr! But I have ALWAYS had the reassurance that the people I was dealing with cared tremendously about me and about the problem that had to be solved.

@JNB11, even if this issue dragged on, I think you'd feel and behave very differently if you thought that they cared about you and solving this problem.

Alan

 

[Krazaak]

I know nothing about NV, but I'll share my experience in NC because it does involve an overpayment and refund.

NC charges 3% use tax, title and registration fees which are paid by Tesla. They also charge property tax which is due within 30 days or so or your registration is cancelled. Tesla doesn't collect the property tax.

There's also a $16 difference between a new registration ($36) and a plate transfer ($20). Tesla paperwork reflected a new registration for my car and that's what I paid, even though I actually had them transfer the plates. I received a $16 refund check from Tesla a few months later, without having brought it to their attention.

I suspect that if Tesla never paid a fee that they charged you for, then you'll receive a refund either by asking or most likely automatically. If the state was double paid, then they're the ones that owe a refund.

 

[StellarRat]

I've been waiting a month and half now for my plates. According to our DMV's website they should have been here within three weeks. I have about 6 weeks left on my temp registration then I'll start to get angry.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Not sure about Nevada, but in California the DMV is notorious for delaying paperwork. Can take several months to get permenant registration and plates for our cars.

The Police are well aware of this and do not enforce the temporary sticker dates.

If you get pulled over, simply show them your original paperwork and receipt that you paid the fees and you should be quickly on your way.

The plates eventually come and then the biggest decision is to install the front plate or not

 

[cwoernle]

Similar situation. Picked up the car July 18. No one in the Atlanta delivery center, the Georgia DMV or the Alabama DMV can answer where my title application package is. It is very frustrating. I cannot register the car until I have the title application papers. My temporary tag expires in 5 days.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Ah, I see, there's an annual vehicle tax. That's what's getting in the way. No payment, no registration.

In Maine you pay the equivalent (vehicle excise tax) to your municipality before or when you register the car. You do not pay any registration fees to the dealer. Usually they'll handle the title application though.

So in this case Tesla charged money to handle the taxes on the initial registration? Is that normal for Nevada sales?