Trust broken - Tesla doesn't honor what it says

[sduck]

Referrals aren't worth the hassle. I've had two buyers use my referral code when purchasing, after doing long in-depth drive/demos of my car. So far: nothing. I haven't gotten a thing. And most likely won't. It's just not worth beating my head on their wall.

 

[ngogas]

That sucks. You made the mistake but they also made a mistake. At the end you lost out.

 

[iaflyer]

Nobody mentioned that Tesla does make the ordering process seem very simple but the referral code IIRC needs to be added before completing the order form because once that is complete they typically refuse to allow one to be added. I can see the logic but really this is an unnecessary irritant to buyers.

I ordered my Model 3 completely online in the fall, using my friend's referral link. Had a screenshot of the process... still didn't show up tesla.com account after my home delivery. After several phone calls it got fixed, but I'm glad I had the screenshots.

People who says Tesla is a different car company has it right - it's chaotic and no one seems to take accountability for what they do until pressed.

 

[run-the-joules]

Tesla has a lot of issues with following through on promises and claims.

 

[Pied]

My friend was able to add my referral at delivery. He originally ordered the car without one. This was in December of last year.

It was for 6 months of supercharging at the time. He actually never used it, so it was pointless in the end

 

[BYE FOSL]

I could never get the free supercharging I bought along with my car on a referral. It was all documented and confirmed but I never got it. Boy did I try.
I ultimately got $5k for giving it up though. Go figure.
Great car, horrible company.

 

[N54TT]

Tesla definitely needs to hone down their inconsistencies with communication, policies, practices...from Elon down to the delivery specialists. When Elon posted about the 5K refund...imo Tesla as a company didn’t have to refund people 5K. I was hoping to get it...but wouldn’t have caused a ruckus if I didn’t. What other company would give me a refund that I legally signed and agreed to pay? But as a good faith jester they did.

Referral program clearly states the code must be used at time of order. If it’s not used...the inconsistencies of what people are being told and retroactively applied is the problem. If Tesla was consistent and everyone said sorry it needs to be done at the time of order, the OP wouldn’t be in this situation. IMO...if I give my code to anyone, I tell them to make sure they use it when placing the order...or else don’t expect them to add it later...no matter what any specialist at tesla says.

 

[OCR1]

I have a friend who placed an order for an inventory SR through a sales rep. There was no way he could add the code because the rep placed the order for him. We gave the rep my code before placing the order and he told us he would add it, but of course he did not. We then chased him down for two weeks to try and get him to add prior to delivery it but it never happened.

So there are times when a customer tries to do the right thing and it’s just plainly Teslas’s fault that the code did not get entered.

 

[N54TT]

I have a friend who placed an order for an inventory SR through a sales rep. There was no way he could add the code because the rep placed the order for him. We gave the rep my code before placing the order and he told us he would add it, but of course he did not. We then chased him down for two weeks to try and get him to add prior to delivery it but it never happened.

So there are times when a customer tries to do the right thing and it’s just plainly Teslas’s fault that the code did not get entered.

That’s exactly the kind of inconsistencies I’m talking about and reason why Tesla is still more startup than established car company. Kinda like their stock....all over the place lol. Don’t get me wrong I love my p3d+ but Tesla still has got some work to do.

 

[Leafdriver333]

This referral thing is not really working as intended.
I didn't really get referred by anyone but still found a random one to use.
Tesla might as well give free 1000 free miles to all buyers. It is worth only about $70, but it would be a nice jesture. Who buys without using a referral code? Anyone?

 

[BYE FOSL]

When Elon posted about the 5K refund...imo Tesla as a company didn’t have to refund people 5K.

Elon is Tesla. He made an impromptu offer of $5k for my free supercharging. Tesla could have withdrawn the offer before my acceptance, but didn’t. I accepted the offer, and the deal was made. Tesla had to pay. This is not opinion.
Whether Tesla should have withdrawn the offer a.s.a.p. is a matter of opinion.

 

[UTMB]

As somebody who did benefit from both the regular and enhanced referral, and DID get the Supercharger miles (6000 total) let me offer my sour grapes perspective.

I've had the miles for approx two months and have used exactly zero. Why? Because I charge at home every day and using the supercharger near work would be pointless, just a waste of time. And it would be hard on the battery. Am I going to use SOME of those 6000 miles in the next 4 months before they expire? Sure. We will take a couple of road trips before then. Total miles might be 800. But if I had to pay for that little bit of charging it would be trivial. I spent tens of thousands on a car!

Ironically, I would probably be angry if the referrals hadn't gone through. And it would have taken some of the enjoyment out of my experience. So, as I see it, we'd be better off without this incarnation of the referral program. These free Supercharger miles, while they are worth some money, are fool's gold. And they are ruining an otherwise amazing experience for some people.

 

[kgoroway]

Elon always sends emails out to everyone in the company...These get leaked all the time.

All it would take is a single email:

"There is absolutely no way to retroactively add a referral code to orders. Please stop telling people that it can be done, and that you will take care of it. Instead, suggest that you can cancel the order, and place it again using the referral code."

I'm fine with the policy as is...it's the misinformation, and broken promises that ruin the experience. In my case, it was the Tesla employee's mistake, not mine. He was told to place an order on my behalf, and given the referral code that I asked him to use. He didn't. He was told/reminded of this immediately, and instead of canceling and re-entering, he told me he could just fix it. You can guess how that turned out.

 

[N54TT]

Whether Tesla should have withdrawn the offer a.s.a.p. is a matter of opinion.

I guess I Should have been more specific. This is what I was referring to when I said imo.

 

[amans232]

I have been begging tesla to give me the supercharger miles for 2 referrals almost 3 months ago. This is ridiculous!

 

[anti]

I ended up without the 5000 free miles they were giving out in May. The first salesperson told me I'd be able to use the code of a friend at my work. But the second salesperson who took me for the test drive never asked when they placed my order right after the drive. Searching online it looked like no problem to add it later, but when my car showed up a couple days later they said it was impossible to add unless I canceled the order, waited for the refund, and then use the code to reorder and start waiting again. I didn't want to deal with all that BS.

 

[Leafdriver333]

My sales rep added it for me. I didn't have a code so he found one for me.Nice guy.

 

[jamessmooth007]

People who says Tesla is a different car company has it right - it's chaotic and no one seems to take accountability for what they do until pressed.

This is one of the main reasons I haven't taken the plunge yet. I want a Model 3 soooo bad, but statements like this turn me off.

 

[ry-ballz]

I referred 2 people, one went in for a test drive and placed the order using the code in the store.

Tesla says the sales guy didn't do it right, but they see where they tried to fix it. Their answer, no referral mileage even though it's obvious the referral was to be used when ordering.

Sales person says they're working on it.

No idea why they're so stingy on what is ultimately their best way to drum up business

 

[TomServo]

How much does 1000 miles of supercharging cost Tesla? Penny wise and pound foolish.