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OMG: digitaltim’s delivery story…

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My Delivery Experience Specialist (Jamee H.) and I had been in contact almost weekly since mid-September. In our exchange this past Friday, she asked if I could take delivery on Sunday at 9a. I hesitated - running through the calendar for the weekend in my head which included a 5-session swim meet which my daughters were participating in (25 hours at the pool and I was officiating) as well as my father-in-law’s 85th birthday dinner on Sunday night. After a quick shout out to my wife, I conceded and said I would make it work – like there was ever any doubt!!

For those that are keeping records, my original MVPA delivery date (signed in June) was September and my delivery window communicated on 9/18 was 10/12-26. Elon (and other Tesla execs) confirmed my delivery was imminent at the Motor Trend 2013 Car of the Year event in NYC last Monday – see NY Times post here (http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/13/at-teslas-party-superchargers-and-delivery-dates/ - that was just too cool!!!

Sunday could not come quick enough…

I was up late Saturday night like a kid on Christmas Eve – my wife distracted me with a movie (PS I Love You which I recommend for the scenery of Ireland alone). At 5a on Sunday, I grabbed a quick shower, woke my eldest and ushered her to the pool by 630a. I doubled-back to house and the wait continued. My brother (a professional photographer) arrived at 8a with his eldest daughter. We popped open two Guinness Extra Stouts (it was after noon in Ireland, we had something to celebrate, pick your excuse…) and made the girls some cereal and eggs. At 9a, my youngest (not scheduled to swim until noon) sat by the window on watch for the delivery truck. She must have looked away at some point because the next time she turned around, the Model S was sitting alone in our driveway unveiled and gleaming in the morning sun.

Jamee came to the front door - we quickly signed paperwork to give Tesla power of attorney to handle the registration, I handed over final payment and then we headed outside to see the car. We spent the next hour and a half walking through every knob, button and screen of the car – paired the phone, programmed HomeLink (a bit of a pain, but we got both garage doors going after a couple attempts), etc. Jamee was just a delight!

My config is red exterior, white interior, lacewood, rear seats, pano roof, rear spoiler, performance wheels and paint armor. The car was delivered with ~95 miles on it. There are a few bubbles in the paint armor that I’ll address with service at a later date. In addition, there are a few smudges in the white leather that I will deal with myself. The rear seats, spoiler and parcel shelf are due bill. I will also be ordering a spare charging cable and 14-50 plug since I want to leave one permanently in the garage. I plan to have the windows tinted this coming weekend and will order some mats for the backseat. We briefly tested the NEMA 14-50 outlet in my garage adding 5 miles of range in a few minutes (it was delivered with 85 miles of charge) and finished by packing full of swim gear.

My youngest and I were off by 11a to the pool in her first ever all-electric auto experience – she was ecstatic…bouncing off the walls even more the usual, but being careful to not harm the leather. ;-) Elon made a comment on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last week that resonated with me as a really good argument for the naysayers – we can debate climate change, but we know we’ll eventually run out of oil – it is time to make the switch now to alternate energy products that power the grid and transportation – why wait? I love my car…

For those who spend time on Facebook, here is the album my brother posted – click here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4968743264691.2195278.1482489038&type=3 - a subset of the photos are posted below. We will find some time in the future to do a proper job with better light (i.e., at dusk in the magic hour).

Living the dream…

--Tim

PS - we drove my 85yo father-in-law home from dinner Sunday night, he was beyond impressed.

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That article shout out is sweet. I find it interesting that they took payment on delivery and not in advance? I thought most people had to pay before it got on a truck.

I think it depends on the state. I kept trying to give Tesla my money, but they didn't want/need it until the car was delivered (in Florida). I think for those weird states with dealer laws (e.g., Georgia, Texas, Massachusetts) they probably have to pay in advance.
 
@AnOutsider - definitely a state-by-state nuance as @Arnold Panz has noted...my MVPA was very specific that I could make payment at the time of delivery.

Wow, you're right. I went back and re-read mine and 2 things stood out.. First, as you say:

The Amount Due from Buyer shown above must be paid at the time the Vehicle is delivered.

and secondly, and perhaps more oddly:

The Pre-Delivery Motor Vehicle Purchase Agreement (MVPA) includes an estimate of taxes and fees (subject to change as delivery nears) as well as a legal agreement that makes $0 of your reservation payment non-refundable.

emphasis mine. mistake?
 
Mine said that also, but Tesla asked for payment before the car went on the truck.

@AnOutsider Here is what my MVPA says about cancellation...
"No Cancellation. Once you execute this Agreement, the deposit in item 4.D above (if any) becomes nonrefundable (not to exceed
$10,000), and this Agreement is binding and you may not cancel (except as provided in the paragraph “Trade-In Vehicle” below). We
do not offer installment financing. This Agreement is not conditioned upon your obtaining financing from other sources. If you fail or
refuse to accept delivery of the Vehicle, we may retain as liquidated damages any cash downpayment or deposit made by you, to the
extent not prohibited by law. We may reimburse ourselves for any expenses and losses we incur or suffer as a result of your failure or
refusal. Such expenses may include our reasonable attorneys’ fees, reasonable collection fees, and court costs
."
Also, my guess is that Tesla is going to want our money here in PA before the cars are shipped. Probably not a bad idea anyway just to insure there are no holdups once our cars arrive. As it is we are going to be on the bubble as far as getting delivery and PA registration in time to qualify for the $3500 PA tax rebate for 2012. I see that there are only 105 of these rebates left as of now for 2012.

- - - Updated - - -

@teslasguy - I heard about that one- right off of I-95 would be perfect for me.
Yeah, I hear that it is supposed to be in the Christiana Mall right off I95.