Purchased a used 2020 Model 3 from Tesla Vienna (delivery center Tysons Corner).
The temp tags expire the day after tomorrow. I called DMV to see what is going on, and they said they have no record of a title submission.
I contacted Tesla via email with the report from DMV, requesting updated tags, and a tracking number for their submission to DMV.
Received a voice mail this afternoon while out, saying, “Got your email, and turns out, we need one more form signed so we can submit the title request, so we’re open today ’til six, and all day tomorrow if you want to come in and sign that, and of course, we’ll extend the temp tags."
Waiting 28 days to tell me this ???
Is this normal ? Have they never sold a used car before ?
So in the event:
I received the call this morning, and Ken said they had been delivering nearly 100 vehicles per DAY in December, and had run out of the transfer forms. Plausible.
I drove to the Tesla location, and learning point:
Tesla is incorporated as a Technology company that also sells cars, and as such, they are NOT - or only partially covered - by the DMV regulations that apply to dealerships. So while DMV was telling me, and I was insisting to Tesla that they could issue a second temp tag, and eventually, they got back to me explaining they are NOT a dealership (this is where the ideas of ‘looks like a duck, quacks like a duck . . .’ can be confusing).
So when I got the dealership that’s not a dealership, I was met by a young man, who patiently listened to why I was there - quick on the uptake, I’m guessing found some notes in my profile, and said, “I’ll be right back."
He returned with the requisite missing form, and handed me a pen, and I signed.
He then said, “I’m going to run this to our DMV dept right now,” and he literally ran off, leaving his laptop on the table.
There is a Keurig machine there, and had enough water in it to make a 12 oz cup of tea. While I let the tea cool, I busied myself transferring water from the adjacent water machine to refill the reservoir of the Keurig.
About that time, John returned, and said, “She has it, and hopefully is working it right now."
We chitchatted a bit, and at this point, I was still expecting a new temp tag.
John said, “Oh, she’s done. Your registration is here, and I’ll print it for you."
He returned from the printer, handing me the “permanent” registration for a standard plate, and said, “We’ll be mailing you the new plate right away."
Then I understood, this is an expedient, allows me to drive the care with essentially no down time, and allowed me to fill out on my own, a Virginia DMV form VSA10, application for plates - also covers transfer of existing plates.
So reasonable ending.
I sent email to everyone for whom I had email addresses at Tesla, relating the story, and praising specific individuals who had earned it.
