was scheduled for delivery, but our car was sent to someone else - rant

[Whoisbill]

We ordered a Model Y back in March, have been fine with waiting. Got a VIN, no movement for about 2 weeks, then was told by the SA that we can get our car on 6/30! Super excited, we got everything ready and all was good. 2 days ago my wife just happened to look at the account and noticed the VIN we were assigned was gone. VIN was 15xxx range. I told her not to worry, just a website glitch probably. Later that night I logged in to double check and we had a VIN back but it was a different VIN. 20xxx. Ok cool, I thought. The next morning, my wife checked the account again and noticed our delivery date was removed. This prompted us to email our SA. A few hours later he replies, apparently Tesla released our car and gave it to someone else. Sorry, but our delivery is delayed and will probably be a few weeks before we get it now, but we have no date. We were bummed, but also, we get it, they are trying to meet numbers, was probably easier to ship our car to the west coast and ensure it makes the June deadline. With the pandemic going on, meeting numbers will be helpful for the company, so we get it.

Our problem is that their was 0 communication of that happening. No email, no text, no nothing. We found out because my wife happened to look at the account. Even the SA didn't know about it, until we asked him. That is a huge failing in my opinion. If you are going to mess with a customers account and remove a car, after you told them to set up insurance and get final payment ready, as soon as you make a change to the account an automated email and text should go to the customer AND one to the SA so they know what is going on. This seems so obvious to me, and it's embarrassing Telsa can't do that.

And also, I understand that Elon apologized, but where is the information? Tell us what is happening. So you moved our car to someone else, ok fine. Does that mean that on July 1st, all those people are priority and their cars will be made first? What about people who ordered and never got a VIN? Where are they in terms of priority?

Customer service starts and ends with communication, and as much as I love our Model 3, and love the products that Tesla makes, this is a huge problem with the company. And to be clear, this is just a rant to those at the top of the company. The people doing the work have been amazing. Our SA when we got our 3 was great, the one we have for the Y has been amazing. We have had Tesla come out and install 2 wall chargers for us. The crew that came out was the same guys, and they were amazing people, super friendly, professional and did a great job with the install, so much so, we feel confident using them when we do a Solar Roof next year.

The people are great, they just need to work on communication, and I feel like a lot of the problems people have will be solved. We are just asking for what is going on with the $55k purchase we want to make.

 

[outdoors]

Saw a sorry from the SA, and one from the CEO.

Where you looking for something else?

 

[Whoisbill]

Saw a sorry from the SA, and one from the CEO.

Where you looking for something else?

Sorry, I thought I made that clear in my post.

"but where is the information? Tell us what is happening. So you moved our car to someone else, ok fine. Does that mean that on July 1st, all those people are priority and their cars will be made first? What about people who ordered and never got a VIN? Where are they in terms of priority?"

 

[Dcd7041]

We ordered a Model Y back in March, have been fine with waiting. Got a VIN, no movement for about 2 weeks, then was told by the SA that we can get our car on 6/30! Super excited, we got everything ready and all was good. 2 days ago my wife just happened to look at the account and noticed the VIN we were assigned was gone. VIN was 15xxx range. I told her not to worry, just a website glitch probably. Later that night I logged in to double check and we had a VIN back but it was a different VIN. 20xxx. Ok cool, I thought. The next morning, my wife checked the account again and noticed our delivery date was removed. This prompted us to email our SA. A few hours later he replies, apparently Tesla released our car and gave it to someone else. Sorry, but our delivery is delayed and will probably be a few weeks before we get it now, but we have no date. We were bummed, but also, we get it, they are trying to meet numbers, was probably easier to ship our car to the west coast and ensure it makes the June deadline. With the pandemic going on, meeting numbers will be helpful for the company, so we get it.

Our problem is that their was 0 communication of that happening. No email, no text, no nothing. We found out because my wife happened to look at the account. Even the SA didn't know about it, until we asked him. That is a huge failing in my opinion. If you are going to mess with a customers account and remove a car, after you told them to set up insurance and get final payment ready, as soon as you make a change to the account an automated email and text should go to the customer AND one to the SA so they know what is going on. This seems so obvious to me, and it's embarrassing Telsa can't do that.

And also, I understand that Elon apologized, but where is the information? Tell us what is happening. So you moved our car to someone else, ok fine. Does that mean that on July 1st, all those people are priority and their cars will be made first? What about people who ordered and never got a VIN? Where are they in terms of priority?

Customer service starts and ends with communication, and as much as I love our Model 3, and love the products that Tesla makes, this is a huge problem with the company. And to be clear, this is just a rant to those at the top of the company. The people doing the work have been amazing. Our SA when we got our 3 was great, the one we have for the Y has been amazing. We have had Tesla come out and install 2 wall chargers for us. The crew that came out was the same guys, and they were amazing people, super friendly, professional and did a great job with the install, so much so, we feel confident using them when we do a Solar Roof next year.

The people are great, they just need to work on communication, and I feel like a lot of the problems people have will be solved. We are just asking for what is going on with the $55k purchase we want to make.

Sorry to hear about your experience. I see how frustrating it can be. Clearly they need to improve their customer service.

My guess though they know that they do need to improve customer experience but they need to balance that with other things like improving QA, paint processes and the need to show profit. Let's say in order to improve customer experience they need to hire 100 employees. Assume fully loaded $150K cost (inclusive of system improvements, etc), that is incremental $15M in their cost. That would reduce their quarterly earnings materially which will impact their street credibility. Let's hope they show a much higher profit in Q2, that would allow them to increase the cost base and make improvements in customer servicing.

To be clear, I am not excusing them of their lack of not so great customer experience. As customers, we should all be demanding that. You have the right to get the car at a date and time you've been promised. All I am saying is had I be the COO of Tesla, I can see myself making similar choices.

 

[Whoisbill]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I see how frustrating it can be. Clearly they need to improve their customer service.

My guess though they know that they do need to improve customer experience but they need to balance that with other things like improving QA, paint processes and the need to show profit. Let's say in order to improve customer experience they need to hire 100 employees. Assume fully loaded $150K cost (inclusive of system improvements, etc), that is incremental $15M in their cost. That would reduce their quarterly earnings materially which will impact their street credibility. Let's hope they show a much higher profit in Q2, that would allow them to increase the cost base and make improvements in customer servicing.

To be clear, I am not excusing them of their lack of not so great customer experience. As customers, we should all be demanding that. You have the right to get the car at a date and time you've been promised. All I am saying is had I be the COO of Tesla, I can see myself making similar choices.

I totally get that, but I also would say that communication itself is not expensive. Elon tweets about random stuff all the time haha at no cost to the company haha. Just looking for some info is all. We had a car, we now don't have a car and no date when we will get said car. We made loan arrangements, insurance arrangements, took the day off from work to make the 4 hour drive ( 2 hours both ways). Just an explanation as to what is going on, and how they plan to rectify it, is all.

If we just sit around and say "he apologized, now shut up about it" they will never get better, or even try to get better. It's ok to love the product and what the company stands for, it's also ok to be critical when it's warranted.