UK Model 3 order page open!

[RjbT3]

Thank you LEE3 and RjbT3, what car did you went for?

LR/DMAWD/18"Aero/Black out/Whit in/FSD
Res date: 3/4/2016
Order date: 7/5/2019

I too am left in the waiting room - how sad.

I emailed them today. Got an automated response.

 

[RjbT3]

For those upset with the spec and price changes...

I totally get it, but if this were an established OEM with dealer network we most likely wouldn't be aware of all this. The Dealers would spin it.

If I'd ordered a P+ at ~£10k over the new price and didn't especially want the 20"/lowered, I'd definitely be re-ordering ASAP. Sure I'd be miffed at a further delay, after waiting 3 years and others ordering late, getting a better deal and jumping ahead, but a £10k possible saving?!!! After waiting years, a few more months and a £10k saving offered by a dealer, I'd be kissing their boots!

Interestingly, a mate of mine ordered the LRAWD with 19". He is the other way around. He's all pissed off because he would have ordered the P+++ and he can now get it for just a couple of grand more. He is also going to cancel so his LRAWD with 19" is now available for someone else. He will most likely pick up someone's cancelled P++

Perhaps there will be a spate of reallocations, cancellations and re-ordering that may not affect delivery times all that much.

 

[sixela]

Exactly. I mean: it's not like they're going to sell these RHD cars to non-UK customers ;-).

as for the canceled LR AWD: it may well be sold as a P- to someone else, once they remove the software nerfing (not sure if getting the registration paperwork and Certificate of Conformity sorted out is that easy, though).

It would be funny for someone with an assigned VIN for an AWD LR to cancel their order and reorder a P- only to get the same VIN assigned to them ;-).

 

[BubblegumPete]

'Perhaps there will be a spate of reallocations, cancellations and re-ordering that may not affect delivery times all that much.'

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but wouldn't that mean that your cancelled order would then be picked up by another buyer at the cheaper price?

If so, then that's crazy, surely it would in Tesla's interest to just give the original buyer the discounted price saving them a lot of headaches with admin/paperwork, not to mention all the pissed off original buyers they'd then have to deal with?

 

[sixela]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but wouldn't that mean that your cancelled order would then be picked up by another buyer at the cheaper price?

Or someone that ordered at the higher price and had no VIN assigned and doesn't cancel.

You're only sure that it means no queue jumping if absolutely everyone cancels and reorders.

surely it would in Tesla's interest

The obviously Fremont-based order administration and invoicing software isn't exactly flexible. In the Benelux it took them weeks to change some invoices so that the fiscal "catalog price" ended up correct (people got "RWD LR with included AP" on invoices where AP appeared for €3200 and then a €3200 discount tacked in at the end, and that is not fiscally neutral). Every time something needed to be changed or the price needed to be adjusted --often invoices would appear that used new pricing that went against the original agreement-- the local folk needed to file tickets that went all the way to Fremont.

My guess is that some local internal sales people would probably find canceling and reordering a lot easier than opening tickets to get price adjustments registered...

 

[BubblegumPete]

Also I know what you're saying regarding legacy dealerships and spin. But the fact is, we can see the price change and options and thus we are pissed. Just because they used to get away with things like that, doesn't make it right.

Plus we haven't actually even received or fully paid for the cars yet. It would be like going to a bar, ordering a drink and having to wait. All the while, another customer comes to the bar and the barman pours them the exact same drink while you're still waiting and charges them less.

 

[BubblegumPete]

Or someone that ordered at the higher price and had no VIN assigned and doesn't cancel.

You're only sure that it means no queue jumping if absolutely everyone cancels and reorders.

I'm even more confused. I never said anything about queue jumping. My only thought is that, if I cancelled and they were going to give it to someone else, they wouldn't be able to sell it as the same price as my order seeing as they've now dropped the prices.

 

[RjbT3]

'Perhaps there will be a spate of reallocations, cancellations and re-ordering that may not affect delivery times all that much.'

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but wouldn't that mean that your cancelled order would then be picked up by another buyer at the cheaper price?

If so, then that's crazy, surely it would in Tesla's interest to just give the original buyer the discounted price saving them a lot of headaches with admin/paperwork, not to mention all the pissed off original buyers they'd then have to deal with?

Of course! That seems like common sense. However, people are worried they will be pushed back down the queue if they cancel and re-order. I feel that if it were handled by a dealer, the perception would most likely be different. Plus, that it's not all that bad because large savings are available.

 

[sixela]

Unless they still have some orders at the old higher price that have not been assigned a car yet. Then they'll sell the car you just "refused" at the "old" price to someone else at the same "old" price --possibly even delivering this quarter, and getting more margin than if they left the car assigned to you and adjusted the price.

Suppose that they have 500 cars they can deliver this quarter and 5000 orders to fill. They drop prices and 90% of the people cancel and reorder to get a better price. 10% don't budge. Who do you think will get the 500 cars?

 

[BubblegumPete]

Of course! That seems like common sense. However, people are worried they will be pushed back down the queue if they cancel and re-order. I feel that if it were handled by a dealer, the perception would most likely be different. Plus, that it's not all that bad because large savings are available.

I don't understand why we have to cancel to get the discount? Surely it's just a simple input into a computer. After all if they can change other options surely the price deduction is far simpler? Again sorry if I'm totally missing something here?

 

[sixela]

Of course! That seems like common sense. However, people are worried they will be pushed back down the queue if they cancel and re-order. I feel that if it were handled by a dealer, the perception would most likely be different.

But the reality would be the same (or actually worse. At Tesla, I expect they'd work to try to mitigate the impact but not give you guarantees, while at a normal dealer they'd let the manufacturer kick you to the back of the queue but give you the impression that "it will have no impact").

 

[RjbT3]

Also I know what you're saying regarding legacy dealerships and spin. But the fact is, we can see the price change and options and thus we are pissed. Just because they used to get away with things like that, doesn't make it right.

Plus we haven't actually even received or fully paid for the cars yet. It would be like going to a bar, ordering a drink and having to wait. All the while, another customer comes to the bar and the barman pours them the exact same drink while you're still waiting and charges them less.

Haha. Yeah. Mind you, I'd just cancel my drink order and and ask for another at the cheaper price! Particularly if the price difference was MASSIVE! Or, I'd be too drunk to notice!

You're right though. I'm pretty happy with my spec. If I'd have either wanted a P+ or P- or actually ordered one I would be very, very miffed. However, I'd just ask as politely as possible to change the order and if I was told to wait a few months longer then I would.

If it were a BMW, I'd probably go buy an Audi.

 

[sixela]

I don't understand why we have to cancel to get the discount? Surely it's just a simple input into a computer. After all if they can change other options surely the price deduction is far simpler? Again sorry if I'm totally missing something here?

What you're missing is that Tesla's mission is not exactly to sell the cars at the cheapest possible price, especially when they haven't made a profit last quarter and there is downwards pressure on the margins on the Model 3. Reread my little example above.

And see above: it's not "a simple input in a computer". It's a ticket to beg for a price adjustment to be granted, and these things are reviewed before the request is either granted or denied. The same holds for other manufacturers; price adjustments (especially downwards) aren't granted "just like that" on existing orders. Companies aren't going to make it easier for you to give them less money and harder to give them more money, no matter how convenient you'd find it.

I think that some people over here have never compared what they're paying for telecommunication services and internet to what a new customer of their provider would pay. Or ever been in sales or pre-sales professionally ,-).

 

[RjbT3]

I don't understand why we have to cancel to get the discount? Surely it's just a simple input into a computer. After all if they can change other options surely the price deduction is far simpler? Again sorry if I'm totally missing something here?

I have absolutely no idea what Tesla will or won't do. I can only guess like most of the rest of us. Common sense would suggest they will adjust pricing for existing P+ orders, but who knows??!

 

[BubblegumPete]

Unless they still have some orders at the old higher price that have not been assigned a car yet. Then they'll sell the car you just "refused" at the "old" price to someone else at the same "old" price --possibly even delivering this quarter, and getting more margin than if they left the car assigned to you and adjusted the price.

Well that's assuming that this other person hasn't checked back into the Tesla website and seen these drastic changes. I'd take a guess that most people buying a Tesla check back on the website regularly, I know I do. I'd imagine the only people that wouldn't, are possibly the super rich that have bought one on a whim. If that's the case, then they're not going to miss £3000.

But if Tesla are thinking that not offering the discount to people that already have the car on order is going to help their Q2, then I think that's a rocky road to go down as the more disgruntled customers they have the less positive word of mouth which could quite possibly start to affect future sales.

That being said, if cancelling and re-ordering isn't going to affect delivery times (if it's the same car and options) then I'll still be happy to do that. It's worth mention that it isn't just the delivery time that could be an issue, if you do re-order there are now some options that have been excluded, unrelated to the discount.

But as mentioned already, if my car has to be delayed in order to save thousands then personally I'm prepared to do that as I don't need the car urgently. I just think it's poor form on Teslas part, if they don't at least try to make things right with customers that have cars on order.

 

[sixela]

Plus we haven't actually even received or fully paid for the cars yet. It would be like going to a bar, ordering a drink and having to wait. All the while, another customer comes to the bar and the barman pours them the exact same drink while you're still waiting and charges them less.

The analogy doesn't work, because he hasn't got his beer either, and is likely to get it after you got yours if he pays less and you still accept to pay what the barman quoted you.

 

[RjbT3]

But the reality would be the same (or actually worse. At Tesla, I expect they'd work to try to mitigate the impact but not give you guarantees, while at a normal dealer they'd let the manufacturer kick you to the back of the queue but give you the impression that "it will have no impact").

Definitely.

 

[sixela]

Well that's assuming that this other person hasn't checked back into the Tesla website and seen these drastic changes. I'd take a guess that most people buying a Tesla check back on the website regularly, I know I do. I'd imagine the only people that wouldn't, are possibly the super rich that have bought one on a whim. If that's the case, then they're not going to miss £3000.

Please see the example above (which was assuming that 90% of the people would cancel and reorder, and would still mean that some people would see an effect on delivery times).

But if Tesla are thinking that not offering the discount to people that already have the car on order is going to help their Q2,

Geez: unlike other companies, who will say "tough luck, you ordered, you're on the hook, can't cancel and you'll still have to pay the old price" --that is not hypothetical, I have been there myself-- they ARE offering you the discount. Just not with the assurances that you'll not get your car slightly later if someone else is indeed still interested in paying more for it.

then I think that's a rocky road to go down as the more disgruntled customers they have the less positive word of mouth which could quite possibly start to affect future sales.

Yeah, I think some people should just refuse to buy anything. And positively no one should have an internet connection ;-).

That being said, if cancelling and re-ordering isn't going to affect delivery times (if it's the same car and options) then I'll still be happy to do that. It's worth mention that it isn't just the delivery time that could be an issue, if you do re-order there are now some options that have been excluded, unrelated to the discount.

Well duh! You can't expect to cherry pick between two price lists now, can you?

But as mentioned already, if my car has to be delayed in order to save thousands then personally I'm prepared to do that as I don't need the car urgently.

Well then it's simple: ask if they can adjust the price, and if not ask if they can cancel the order and reorder, and ask whether they can make an effort to mitigate the impact on delivery times (but be prepared to get "no, we can't" for an answer.)

I just think it's poor form on Teslas part, if they don't at least try to make things right with customers that have cars on order.

The OTHER customers who are prepared to still pay more, even if they are a small minority, also have 'cars on order'.

 

[BubblegumPete]

What you're missing is that Tesla's mission is not exactly to sell the cars at the cheapest possible price, especially when they haven't made a profit last quarter and there is downwards pressure on the margins on the Model 3. Reread my little example above.

And see above: it's not "a simple input in a computer". It's a ticket to beg for a price adjustment to be granted, and these things are reviewed before the request is either granted or denied. The same holds for other manufacturers; price adjustments (especially downwards) aren't granted "just like that" on existing orders. Companies aren't going to make it easier for you to give them less money and harder to give them more money, no matter how convenient you'd find it.

I think that some people over here have never compared what they're paying for telecommunication services and internet to what a new customer of their provider would pay. Or ever been in sales or pre-sales professionally ,-).

I hear where you're coming from, I think my main issue is that they literally put these on sale a month ago and are now moving the goal posts. If the model 3 had been on sale a year...or even six months and people had recieved their cars and paid for them then I'd be happy. I mean we deal with this sort of thing with computers. But even computers have a good six months before there is a discount.

'I think that some people over here have never compared what they're paying for telecommunication services and internet to what a new customer of their provider would pay'

I think that's a little different. For one it's a yearly or quarterly payment and usually it's not a huge amount of money. People even forget they have subscriptions to things like Netflix or Audible. Buying a car is a totally different level, unless like I mentioned before you're super rich.

I guess we're just going to have to see what happens.

 

[BubblegumPete]

Please see the example above (which was assuming that 90% of the people would cancel and reorder, and would still mean that some people would see an effect on delivery times).



Geez: unlike other companies, who will say "tough luck, you ordered, you're on the hook, can't cancel and you'll still have to pay the old price" --that is not hypothetical, I have been there myself-- they ARE offering you the discount. Just not with the assurances that you'll not get your car slightly later if someone else is indeed still interested in paying more for it.


Yeah, I think some people should just refuse to buy anything. And positively no one should have an internet connection ;-).



Well duh! You can't expect to cherry pick between two price lists now, can you?



Well then it's simple: ask if they can adjust the price, and if not ask if they can cancel the order and reorder, and ask whether they can make an effort to mitigate the impact on delivery times (but be prepared to get "no, we can't" for an answer.)

The OTHER customers who are prepared to still pay more, even if they are a small minority, also have 'cars on order'.

Interesting seeing your thoughts on this. I will of course being calling them...when I can actually get through and will let you know what they say.