Upset with lack of communication

[Wasatch]

Let me also chime in with two points that may be controversial:

1. I don't see any problem with paying the invoice before delivery. I'm not sure Tesla cares too much or is hurt too much by your withholding payment. A customer's decision to not pay for the car until delivery is unlikely to make the guys on the factory floor work faster.

I'm sure Tesla will deliver your car - they will not take your money and run.

They will refund you if it comes to that. It won't.

2. People in this price category finance cars? Is no one in the country scared of debt for a luxury item? You can't tell me a Model S is a basic necessity.

I don't mean to sound sanctimonious, sorry. But man . .

 

[alexrov]

I have a suspicion that somebody tipped Tesla off to this thread, because ~15 minutes ago, I received a call from the delivery manager who told me that there was no update (as suggested in AnOutsider's post below) and who offered me a loaner car. I am significantly happier now.

This sounds like 2012 all over again :frown: It's really not hard to communicate, even if it's just to say "I have nothing no to report, but I did reach out to XYZ". My biggest gripe with the company.

I got a call saying exactly that!

Something simple. if the MyTesla page had a "notes from your DS" and if a DS has maybe 30 customers they oversee for a few weeks, they could put in a short note daily into each customer's online MyTesla communications page with any real updates, or none. Kind of like this type of forum - where you could even ask questions in a manner that could be picked up and answered as needed by the DS. I don't know how many customers a DS juggles at any one time but it seems doable. Right now, a lot of DS are being called out for "going on vacation without any communication" and so forth. Even if others could add notes to MyTesla, that would be helpful. A "customer management" consultant from Walt Disney Co. could help in making the experience a bit more smooth and even entertaining.

That would be nice, but my DES had been communicating with me via phone and email before he left for vacation, which is also acceptable. I think the main problem is that when he left for vacation, I didn't get assigned to a different delivery specialist. Having a person who was directly responsible for my order, I think, would have prevented these communication issues from occurring.

Your specialist being on vacation (which you acknowledged was OK of course) is probably unrelated to this breakdown, other than maybe he/she would feel more committed to finding out - probably the situation wouldn't show on their computer either, so even if your specialist was available, I'm not sure if they'd know anything more - their initial optimism in the scheduling was probably fueled, not by specific information, but by an estimate based on the normal speed of the process once it gets to a certain status code. Thus subject to change when something abnormal happens.

That's quite possible. I think that the optimism was related to the fact that it entered production ahead of schedule. Until I got a deeper look at this process, I assumed that the DES had a direct window into exactly what was happening with the vehicle at any given time. I didn't realize that it was mostly abstracted over various status codes and such.

 

[BrianC]

After all of the production problems that have happened (see the huge blunder with the p85d's) they really need to do away with the track the progress of your car. You should get email updates saying it started production and a finalized one and thats it. Anything else leads to people refreshing screens every 20 seconds and getting upset because something got delayed on the production line.

 

[alexrov]

I'm sure Tesla will deliver your car - they will not take your money and run.

Yeah, I was never worried about that being a possibility.

2. People in this price category finance cars? Is no one in the country scared of debt for a luxury item? You can't tell me a Model S is a basic necessity.

I don't mean to sound sanctimonious, sorry. But man . .

Yeah, absolutely they do. Tesla even has their own financing arrangement, though I opted for a third-party. The amount of debt that I incurred is relatively small and doesn't worry me. I would rather have a car payment than dig into my less-than-liquid assets. I am a young adult, and I decided that I would prefer to pay the $1,500 premium (cost of interest for the duration of the loan) to get the car now rather than wait until I saved up the cash to buy it outright. Worst comes to worst, I close out some positions and easily cover the principal and interest.

I thank you for your concern for my financial well-being, though.

 

[Krugerrand]

I have a suspicion that somebody tipped Tesla off to this thread, because ~15 minutes ago, I received a call from the delivery manager who told me that there was no update (as suggested in AnOutsider's post below) and who offered me a loaner car. I am significantly happier now.

That's awesome! Remember too (all) that they can't read your mind and don't know what's going on on your end without a car, appointments, trips etc... As long as you're reasonable and keep your cool, Tesla has shown a willingness to help customers out.

Fingers crossed, alexrov, that they are able to resolve your car's unique problem soon. Oh, and sorry about the Wednesday thing. I'm missing a day of the week. It happens more and more often as the years go by.

 

[rxlawdude]

Let me also chime in with two points that may be controversial:

People in this price category finance cars? Is no one in the country scared of debt for a luxury item? You can't tell me a Model S is a basic necessity.

I don't mean to sound sanctimonious, sorry. But man . .

You do sound sanctimonious because you are. Go have your cake with Marie.

 

[AnOutsider]

Good to hear Alex, and if they ARE listening, take note as to how a simple communication can make things so much better.

 

[kirkbauer]

2. People in this price category finance cars? Is no one in the country scared of debt for a luxury item? You can't tell me a Model S is a basic necessity.

I don't mean to sound sanctimonious, sorry. But man . .

I could have paid cash for the vehicle, but it would have required selling (and paying taxes on) investments.

Instead I was able to secure a $100k non-secured loan at 1.99% interest for 5 years. Not only does this allow me to avoid paying income tax on those investments, it allows them to remain invested for the next 5 years, likely earning more than 1.99% on average.

 

[Electricfan]

I have a suspicion that somebody tipped Tesla off to this thread, because ~15 minutes ago, I received a call from the delivery manager who told me that there was no update (as suggested in AnOutsider's post below) and who offered me a loaner car. I am significantly happier now.

Awesome. That's what I'm talking about! Doing the right thing! Cool!

I also paid for my car without thinking it might be delayed, and ended up getting the car almost the same day my first payment was due. My first Tesla purchase worked better - they delivered it a few days before they had promised, so I expected the same this time. That was 2013, so maybe with higher volumes they're just having trouble keeping predicted schedules.

 

[Cyclone]

I could have paid cash for the vehicle, but it would have required selling (and paying taxes on) investments.

Instead I was able to secure a $100k non-secured loan at 1.99% interest for 5 years. Not only does this allow me to avoid paying income tax on those investments, it allows them to remain invested for the next 5 years, likely earning more than 1.99% on average.

I had pretty much the same experience with 1.49% for 6.5 years. Plus I was able to finance over the purchase price to roll in taxes, tinting, accessories, Xpel, etc. I still come out ahead compared to paying capital gains taxes.

 

[ViperDoc]

Let me also chime in with two points that may be controversial:


2. People in this price category finance cars? Is no one in the country scared of debt for a luxury item? You can't tell me a Model S is a basic necessity.

I don't mean to sound sanctimonious, sorry. But man . .

Of course we do! I financed my Roadser at 1.49%. Way less than my market returns on AAPL! Less than 1 year to pay it off.

We also financed our Model S Signature, and I think that was at 1.99% but don't recall. I do know it was also below the returns on our AAPL and TSLA. Why would you pay up front with such cheap financing available when you'd have to pay big capital gains taxes to sell your appreciating stocks?

DJ

 

[metakube]

Perversely, I'm a little relieved to know it's not just me. I'm also waiting on an 85D that has been "in production" for about a month, with roughly the same timeline, and the communication has been underwhelming.

My original delivery estimate was Late June, and is now July, and after reassurance from my DS that I should lock down my financing because it'd be ready, I'm also likely to pay my first payment before delivery or right around the same time. (Fwiw, I don't particularly mind this, and I financed because I got a 0.99% credit union loan, but it is a little annoying.)

I don't need a loaner or anything-- I would just be happier with more transparency and a little more proactivity. As an engaged customer community, we're all aware that this is well outside the mean production time, and a generic "production schedules shift" doesn't cut it.

One nice thing might be for the official mobile app to start showing (ideally more specific) production status once a VIN is issued, rather than doing nothing until delivery. Also, they should really rename that second "production queue" status, if only to stop people from contacting their DS in a panic. At any rate, I'm very much looking forward to my car, whenever it gets finished.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Good news OP, great!

After all of the production problems that have happened (see the huge blunder with the p85d's) they really need to do away with the track the progress of your car. You should get email updates saying it started production and a finalized one and thats it. Anything else leads to people refreshing screens every 20 seconds and getting upset because something got delayed on the production line.

I actually think the opposite. Experience from the logistics industry shows that accurate tracking information available to the customer is not only appreciated, it lessens the burden on customer service. Of course the data available has to be timely and good for this to help.

So what if people want to refresh every so often, it is their time and takes no time from Tesla. Had the tracking been providing enough detail and updates for the OP (say, including a short written note and estimated next step date when an abnormality happened), he would probably have contacted customer service later, if ever. Or at least the customer service would also have had an easier job in helping the OP, instead of bouncing around from people to people multiple calls.

 

[DrumCoder]

2. People in this price category finance cars? Is no one in the country scared of debt for a luxury item? You can't tell me a Model S is a basic necessity.

I don't mean to sound sanctimonious, sorry. But man . .

Absolutely. It was better for me financially to finance the car than to try to pay cash for it. I would have had to make a ton of sacrifices (and sell a lot of assets) to pay cash for the car, whereas this way I don't have to sacrifice as much. I don't regret my decision for a single second. You can regret my decision for me, if it makes you feel better.

 

[mibaro2]

Something simple. if the MyTesla page had a "notes from your DS" and if a DS has maybe 30 customers they oversee for a few weeks, they could put in a short note daily into each customer's online MyTesla communications page with any real updates, or none. Kind of like this type of forum - where you could even ask questions in a manner that could be picked up and answered as needed by the DS. I don't know how many customers a DS juggles at any one time but it seems doable. Right now, a lot of DS are being called out for "going on vacation without any communication" and so forth. Even if others could add notes to MyTesla, that would be helpful. A "customer management" consultant from Walt Disney Co. could help in making the experience a bit more smooth and even entertaining.

Good idea with the notes from your DS right on the delivery page since we all checked it every hour when we were expecting our car.

------
update: Glad everything worked out for the OP and Tesla gave him a loaner.

 

[mknox]

You can begin financing once you have the MVPA, which is generated during production. I had to do this because I applied for an auto loan, was approved, but the approval was only good for 30 days, and there was no guarantee I'd get the same deal if I reapplied closer to delivery.

Okay, I guess that makes sense. What I have done is get a longer guarantee on the approval and the rate, including a guarantee to lower the rate if it drops in the interim. I honestly didn't think you could get the loan without the actual vehicle so that the lender can ensure the title includes them as a lienholder.

 

[Cyclone]

Okay, I guess that makes sense. What I have done is get a longer guarantee on the approval and the rate, including a guarantee to lower the rate if it drops in the interim. I honestly didn't think you could get the loan without the actual vehicle so that the lender can ensure the title includes them as a lienholder.

Many lenders in the U.S., particularly online lenders and credit unions, will issue a loan with a promissory note that a title with them as lienholder will be furnished in 60, 90, whatever days. Otherwise, there is verbiage to accelerate the loan to be immediately payable. Even then, they often work with you if you have any delays. This is considered a competitive advantage as it makes the borrowers life much easier and puts in lots of patience for delivery delays and title issuance delays.

 

[Wasatch]

You do sound sanctimonious because you are. Go have your cake with Marie.

I apologize if I offended you.

For what it is worth, I am not wealthy. Far from it. I am just a believer in saving up and I have a phobia of debt. I will try to keep those opinions to myself from now on!

 

[BoerumHill]

I had pretty much the same experience with 1.49% for 6.5 years. Plus I was able to finance over the purchase price to roll in taxes, tinting, accessories, Xpel, etc. I still come out ahead compared to paying capital gains taxes.

Sheesh I hadn't even thought about doing that. I was planning on paying all of that OOP & just financing 3/4 of the list. I'm right there with you on staying invested rather than paying CGT.

 

[AnOutsider]

I apologize if I offended you.

For what it is worth, I am not wealthy. Far from it. I am just a believer in saving up and I have a phobia of debt. I will try to keep those opinions to myself from now on!

The opinion is fine. The way you expressed it, however, came across as judgmental.