The crap I deal with at work

[brandonmbeard]

This is the running count of comments about Tesla's or Fires in the past 3 weeks from coworkers.

 

[Kalud]

Counterattack, let them drive your car. Organize a small testdrive event during lunch

You'll see the tide reversal!

 

[scaesare]

I gotta say, if you are the type to keep a running tally... it sounds like something that might be visibly upset about. That will just draw more comments.

Own it. When somebody made a crack to me about my "electric Pinto", I said "Yeah... that's why I always carry an extra fire extinguisher in my Batmobile...", with a grin. After that the discussion was able to move on to serious facts, and then i was able to mention some of the fact/stats...

 

[brandonmbeard]

No no, this is on a coworkers cube next to mine.

I just sit back and listen.

 

[scaesare]

No no, this is on a coworkers cube next to mine.

I just sit back and listen.

Ahhh gotcha... well if it gets under your skin, join 'em if you can't beat 'em.

 

[bonnie]

Similar at my office ... and I just rolled my eyes at the worst offender and said, "Please don't tell me you're one of those people who lets the media do their thinking for them." And then I heard, "Oh no, of course not. Just wanted to tease you a bit. Yeah, totally out of proportion blah blah blah wish I'd never come over here to say anything."

 

[NJ Plugin]

Start your own tally sheet...

Since October 1st, there has been approximately 22,680 gasoline car fires and 31 fatalities in the USA. Tesla fires - 2 (both drivers exited car before the fire started) fatalities - 0

then everyday, add 360 to the car fires, and every 2 days add 1 to the fatalities

 

[Alysashley79]

I usually make a joke of it from the get go with my friends. To let them know that I'm not bothered by their snide little remarks. Because at the end of the day I get to go out and get in my gorgeous girl while they ge in their ICE. they're jealous! There is an awake magazine published by the Jehovah's Witness' this month it's interesting because front cover it says should you believe what the media tells you and top right corner pic of a burning car!! Jw.org

 

[Al Sherman]

Similar at my office ... and I just rolled my eyes at the worst offender and said, "Please don't tell me you're one of those people who lets the media do their thinking for them."

^^^This^^^ No question. No office for me but I've heard plenty. This is ALWAYS my response and it ALWAYS works.

 

[Krugerrand]

The best defense is a good offense...turn it around on them like Bonnie does. No matter how in your face someone gets, and no matter how much of a habit it is for that person to get in other's faces, to tease etc..., the very second you throw the ball back at them is the very second they raise their hands in defeat and walk off the court. In fact, the more pervasive a person is in their attack, the quicker they retreat. Most of the others are simply fringe players gathering around the star. There is the rare exception in which that approach doesn't work, but those are the people you want to avoid in life and I feel entirely sorry for you that you have to work in the same building as them. I suggest a new job.

In an office type setting where you're getting it from all sides, I'd be inclined to call a meeting. It could be an informal one where you just stand on your desk waving a bottle of Johnny, or a more formal one with a PowerPoint presentation, coffee, scones and handouts. You could have some campaign buttons made up with several different quips to make your point. Toss them out like candy at a parade and make sure there's a picture of a kitten on them, because everyone loves kittens.

Problem solved.

 

[Chris TX]

We've left a lot of our friends/family in the dark about getting the Model S. For the people that have found out, we always get the "is that the one that catches on fire?" Bravo, media. Bravo indeed!

We're just showing up at Christmas/New Year's gatherings with it and will wait for someone to go outside and say "HEY, WHO DROVE IN WITH THAT THING???"

 

[AudubonB]

The best defense is a good offense...turn it around on them like Bonnie does...You could have some campaign buttons made up with several different quips to make your point. Toss them out like candy at a parade and make sure there's a picture of a kitten on them, because everyone loves kittens.

Problem solved.

Here ya go. No one can resist a fluffy malamute either. You all have my permission to use Borealis (and his sister Aurora, too....)

 

[Shumdit]

I have handled it In a few different ways. For strangers I tend just to go along with the joke. I also showed up at work with six kitchen fire extinguishers in the front and back hatch and show them to everyone before we went out to grab lunch with a little pre-flight safety speech ala the airlines. They got the joke. One guy was just was nonstop about it for about two weeks pretty much every day and with him I sort of lost it. I told him in a few months that Tesla would be cleared of any wrongdoing with the fires but his wife would still be fat and his son would still be a loser. I know I am supposed to regret such things, but its how things are. He complains about them constantly.

 

[JakeP]

Best one I have heard: "Hey, are you going to see that new movie about Tesla Motors? I think it's called 'Catching Fire'?"

Same guy took a test drive that very day, and had no further comments.

 

[Vexar]

One guy was just was nonstop about it for about two weeks pretty much every day and with him I sort of lost it. I told him in a few months that Tesla would be cleared of any wrongdoing with the fires but his wife would still be fat and his son would still be a loser. I know I am supposed to regret such things, but its how things are. He complains about them constantly.

Oh dear. That definitely counts as an unloving response. It should be obvious to you that he's simply jealous and has a selfish heart. If he says anything more to you, I suggest apologizing for your comments and trying to encourage him. Ask him about his feelings about his wife's medical condition or his son's esteem condition, then figure out if one is related to the other, then ask the tough question of: if you were more of an encourager than a complainer at home, would it help?

Whenever I get the line about the car being too expensive to afford, I go through how I saved for a long time and drove my prior car more years than it had in it. I talk about the sacrifices I made to afford the car. For me, I can turn it around and say things like what I went without to afford the car, then ask if those daily expenses are part of the other person's life. When that's all said and done, I can conclude with things like "this car is more valuable to me than cable television."

Best of luck with your co-workers, all of you. The more you can be an encourager, the better. Talk about saving long-term, tell them you're not buying gas every week now, and it took a lot up front to be able to do that. As Tesla owners, we all have that grin on our face, and it really is up to us to spread the joy.

 

[Kalud]

I repeat myself again, test drive is the best counter attack...

 

[bonnie]

I repeat myself again, test drive is the best counter attack...

The people who make the comments (in my experience) have no doubt the car is a fine car - it's not about that. It's about taking pot shots and thinking they're witty when they do so. That's why I usually make a "seriously??" comment in return, so that it doesn't seem quite so witty.

Test drives are helpful when it's coming from a place of not understanding 'why electric?'.

 

[callmesam]

I usually say something like "With 250K car fires in the US alone, I won't let my kids ride in an ICE car anymore. Why do you hate the children? Don't you want to keep them safe? There's never been a serious injury or death in any Tesla car." Then, being prepared, I present them with a stack of deaths, serious injuries and fires related to whatever $hitty car they drive.

 

[Merrill]

It is amazing how misinformed most people are about the fires, so far everyone who has said to me, "is that the car that catches on fire" did not know that they either hit something or ran over something. So I do not feel bad because it is all media hype and once I give them the facts they all seem to understand. It is like explaining to people that this car is all electric and then saying, do you want to see the engine, most everyone goes up to the Frunk and when I open it they are confused.

 

[Doug_G]

I just shrug and say, "So what? Cars catch on fire all the time. Here, let me show you this picture of a burning minivan I took from my Model S."