Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Total Delivery Experience Poll

[COLOR="#0000FF"][/COLOR] [FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=6][/SIZE][/FONT]Delivery Experience Poll

  • OUTSTANDING - PERFECT, THE DS WAS GREAT/NO QUALITY OR SERVICE ISSUES

    Votes: 64 37.0%
  • EXCELLENT - A COUPLE MINOR DS/QUALITY ISSUES

    Votes: 52 30.1%
  • VERY GOOD - SEVERAL MINOR ISSUES

    Votes: 19 11.0%
  • GOOD - ONE MAJOR AND/OR MANY MINOR ISSUES

    Votes: 24 13.9%
  • POOR - UNHAPPY & WRITING A LETTER TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SERVICE

    Votes: 14 8.1%

  • Total voters
    173
This site may earn commission on affiliate links.

joefee

Active Member
May 29, 2011
1,305
776
WA
Delivery Experience Poll

For owners only:

Please rate your over all delivery experience from "Outstanding" to "Poor" taking into consideration the Quality of the car on delivery (clean, fit/finish, delivered on time & as configured, etc), The DS knowledge & customer service = The "total delivery experience." Feel free to expand with comments to explain your score.

- - - Updated - - -

Mine came on time 11/20 and the DS was great --- very patient and customer service oriented. Two minor issues:
1. The DS said the regular detail guy was unavailable and they took it offsite to have it cleaned (she did not know the details). Who ever cleaned the car must have used a high pressure hose because there was significant water & condensation in the rear tail lights (30 hours later still some signs of water condensation). Also that night driving around the rear window was full of swirl marks from a dirty rag or incomplete drying while cleaning the rear window.

2. I ordered the rear CF spoiler but this was not installed. The funny thing is that neither I or the DS noticed it was not put on !
 
Last edited:
I had a replacement DS because the one I have been communicating with was "called off on a delivery". That seemed odd, but I suspect they were using the more experienced DS's to do external/independent deliveries, and utilized the lesser experienced ones to do the batch deliveries under the guidance of their management. The group format worked out fine and the new DS was a delight, but there were a number of things he was not well versed in. Not important, but the "event" was also not what was described by my original DS as a special get together with fun, food, and music, and there was almost no interaction between owners. It was simply a batch delivery to help Tesla get the cars out faster. That was fine with me, but a missed opportunity to set an accurate expectation.

Like most, my car had a couple things missing (spoiler, parcel shelf). There was also a seal issue resulting in a great deal of condensation in a rear marker light, and a blemish in the paint armor. These were spotted right off by my wife (not a car person) so it struck me as odd that they were not found and addressed by Tesla prior to me seeing/getting the car. The car was also not clean. The carpet on the drivers side was covered in dirt and gravel, and the windows looked like my 9-year old attempted to clean them. The condensation issue and paint blemish are to be addressed when my missing items come in.

I also found that when I got home and pulled the "new" car cover out of the bag that it was used. There was no damage, but was obviously not the first packing and there were pieces of blue masking tape with what looked like a code identifying what car was once underneath it attached near the driver's window and roof line. It's in good condition, but not what I expected. I purchased it from the Menlo Park store so it may have been mixed up with something they used previously.

You may also find the manual not comprehensive. It is a good primer or introduction, but you'll need to play with the system to see and learn the details of various apps and options.

In summary, a great car and I am glad to have it home. The above items are mere growing pains that will be resolved in time with practice and experience. In the mean time, try not to let the excitement of delivery distract you from practicing a little careful observance when you get your car. I am sure Tesla will work with you to resolve any quality issues, but it's best if they are identified early to avoid any confusion about when and how they came about.
 
I voted "good." My DS did an excellent job, although I'm quite certain that he gave us some completely incorrect information (still pretty unsure of that "free maintenance for the first 4 years" promise he made). The car had quite a handful of small issues when it arrived and was missing some items (as many others have experienced as well). The experience did lead to some letter writing and Tesla did a fairly decent job of making things better, but it was frustrating to have to make weekly visits to the service center once a week for the first month of owning the car. I am definitely loving it more and more every day, though.
 
I haven't responded yet since I have a few more days until my car is delivered. But I wonder if, perhaps, this poll should be specified for the Sigs and a new one made for the general production since we're using an entirely different process for order completion. In fact, it seems we Rs and Ps were the first to do the online design studio to customize our cars and we're the first to use the online method for finalizing our delivery options. A different process could result in an entirely new experience rating. Also, I think the R&P expectations were different since we never expected to be first, had only $5000 down instead of $40k and aren't paying the signature premium.
 
I haven't responded yet since I have a few more days until my car is delivered. But I wonder if, perhaps, this poll should be specified for the Sigs and a new one made for the general production since we're using an entirely different process for order completion. In fact, it seems we Rs and Ps were the first to do the online design studio to customize our cars and we're the first to use the online method for finalizing our delivery options. A different process could result in an entirely new experience rating. Also, I think the R&P expectations were different since we never expected to be first, had only $5000 down instead of $40k and aren't paying the signature premium.

Thanks for your comments. Personally, I did't see the process so different for my Sig …. and would have the same expectations for 5K if I was an R or P. That said, we can see how it goes and start a new poll "down the road" if needed.
 
My Performance Signature was delivered on December 6th. Ben Bird made the delivery. This was the fourth delivery that I've had an opportunity to watch Ben in action. Ben is exceptional in his knowledge, but particularly in his patience and his sincere desire to make sure everything is as close to perfect as he can make it. I know for a fact that he spent 6 hours with another club member to make sure all their questions were answered. For another club member he arrived at 2:00 PM, but I know that he didn't get home until after 1:00 AM as he did everything that he could to make sure a charging problem wasn't due to something being wrong with the car.

In my own case Ben showed the same attention to detail and he was the model of patience and professionalism. The car was immaculate and was probably the cleanest its ever going to be. :wink: Although we were scheduled to be his only delivery that day, some other crises developed and he had to devote his evening to sorting out things.

I rate the overall delivery experience as exceptional.

As far as the car is concerned everything was perfect except for a couple of bubbles in the paint armor that Ben pointed out even before it was delivered. Like others the parcel shelf and manual sunshade were on back order.

My wife and I absolutely hate buying new cars the conventional way. Instead of being and unavoidable chore, our experience with Tesla has been fun throughout the process.

Larry
 
Last edited:
I would rate the experience overall as very good. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. It was such thrill to see a Model S welded together before our eyes!

Things that were/are great:
  • Obviously, the car is fantastic. I love it. All of my doors close with equal effort, and fit & finish is very good overall, with only a few issues I can take issue with.
  • The tour, as mentioned above, is an unbelievably wonderful perk of taking delivery at the factory.
  • The car came with 4.0 installed, which I really like. I especially adore the auto-presenting door handles.
  • My DS, who was filling in for my original DS on a very busy day. She was a pleasure to deal with and showed me a few nifty things about the car that I didn't know yet.

Items that could have been improved:
  • Communication leading up to the delivery was not very good. Everything was very short notice, which made for a lot of running around for me. Multiple emails went unanswered for several days. I know everybody is really scrambling, and I'm sympathetic, but it did not make things go smoothly.
  • The car was not detailed upon delivery. The inside of the windshield was really badly fogged up with "new car fog", to the extent that I had to stop at one point and use a rag to clean off my side. And, the car had been driven over from another part of the factory outside on wet pavement, so there were splatters along the sides. My DS even commented that she felt that they owed me a detail, to be provided at a later date when the car was in for service. (That's an appreciated gesture!)
  • There were smudges on the leather on the driver's door and the passenger seat.
  • As described elsewhere, my DS found a problem with the chrome on one of the door handles that necessitated replacement. That is being done now (the car is at the Menlo Park service center).
  • As described elsewhere, my sunroof broke literally the first time that I opened it after leaving the factory. Also being repaired now.
  • Software glitches mentioned elsewhere caused me some concern. This includes the headlights that were on when not requested/required, until I rebooted the displays, and the persistent false warnings about washer fluid.

So, were the car and the process perfect? No. It's disappointing to be without the car for several days so early in my ownership. But it's disappointing mostly because I really miss my fabulous new car and I want it back ASAP! It's such a pleasure and a privilege to own one of the first of these beautiful beasts.
 
My DS (Andrew Clark) was superb. Accurate, honest information delivered with a friendly, credible style. Full marks there. Two minor problem, though, with direct-ship vehicles:
  • They really need to be detailed. As @MikeK noted, insides of windows are fogged, and the tape that secures the white shipping cocoon leaves a residue on the outside of the front windshield. Tesla either needs to have all vehicles go through a Service Center first for detailing, or set up an appointment to get that done.
  • I needed to get my car back to the Service Center promptly to get the front plate holder installed. I had communicated my wish for this to be installed in the pre-delivery questionnaire. If someone in Fremont had spent 2 minutes to install the bracket, it would have saved me an hour driving to and from the Watertown Service Center to get this done so that my car could pass state inspection.
 
The drop ship deliveries, through UPS, are the "one major" issue. It seems UPS and United Road Service have inserted a step or steps in the delivery process, including offloading and staging vehicles and doing a minimum detail before final delivery. This was not communicated to the DS, and maybe not even to Tesla. I hope that this is fixed, or drop ships are finished soon, and new deliveries can go back to shipping to Tesla service centers before last-mile delivery.

Everything else went very well for me - DS Jared and personal service, and a couple of minor due-bill items.
 
My delivery service was great. Some things were short notice, but who cares? The original guidance was that my car would be delivered later, but instead, they worked to get it to me sooner than expected. So considering that, the holidays, the increased volume of deliveries, the short notices were understandable. The DS was responsive and knowledgeable.

I have had a few issues with the car, which I am going to call the service center about today. One item was already known at delivery time, but I've noticed a couple more things.
 
The Model S may be a great car, but the delivery process sucks. I was told my car would be delivered between Dec 18-31. It is now mid Jan, and no one seems to have a clue when it will ship. Further, the process has been chaotic: first they were going to ship to Seattle (i live in Portland), then have me pick up at the factory, and now they will ship to my home in Portland....hopefully in this lifetime.

I wonder if the production process is this screwed up....if so, it is likely Tesla will go belly up within a year. They need a COO to run the company rather than just a part time CEO.
 
Truthfully, the entire 3 3/4 year process has been exceptional and rewarding. Not just the delivery. I am thrilled and proud to be a Tesla owner!

My wife and I have had a chance to see the prototype Model S in person, drive a Roadster Sport, participate in the Test Drive event where we saw a variety of paint and interior options in real life and had the opportunity to drive the car before having to finalize the purchase. Best of all, we've met some great new Tesla friends!

Ben Bird delivered our Model S at our home precisely on time and it was in perfect condition. The communication leading up to the delivery was as expected and I always immediately recieved replies when I made inquiries to Tesla staff. Everything ocurred right on schedule like clockwork.

The TPMS needed to be calibrated, but I was informed of this upon delivery. A week later, I personally visited the local service center where this was taken care of in 5 minutes. I then was given a tour of the facility and got to meet the staff who will be handling the Model S's service.
 
The Model S may be a great car, but the delivery process sucks. I was told my car would be delivered between Dec 18-31. It is now mid Jan, and no one seems to have a clue when it will ship. Further, the process has been chaotic: first they were going to ship to Seattle (i live in Portland), then have me pick up at the factory, and now they will ship to my home in Portland....hopefully in this lifetime.

I wonder if the production process is this screwed up....if so, it is likely Tesla will go belly up within a year. They need a COO to run the company rather than just a part time CEO.

I'm having similar issues with almost identical timing, my car has been sitting in Fremont, completed and waiting for a truck for a week now. I'm located just over the river from you in Camas, WA. I was told today that the Washington Delivery team has been trying to work through a backlog of deliveries and that they are hoping to get things cleared up at the end of this week. I asked if they could send my car to Portland since I'm so close instead of going all the way up to Bellevue, and then all the way back down here again, but I was told that the paperwork would have to be redone and that would make the delay even greater. So we wait. I just hope the car is covered while it collects dust down there ;)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Steven above captured my sentiments exactly: "the entire 3 3/4 year process has been exceptional and rewarding. Not just the delivery. I am thrilled and proud to be a Tesla owner!"

Andrew did a superb job in communicating with me and setting expectations on delivery - as i had an 80% travel schedule and small window for delivery. I was informed about exactly where the truck was at all times, and it turned out the i received delivery on exactly the date i requested.

Andrew informed me that the delivery had to be offsite from any Telsa property due to the knuckle-dragging dealership laws here in the PRM, so my expectations were clear. The truck arrived within 1/2 hour of plan, and Enrique was terrific - let me drive the car off the truck, unwrapped it with me, and it was a thrill to sign off. The car was in perfect condition, although it had depleted to 5 miles on the cross-country. Andrew helped me through the 1st charge at ChargePoint across from my office. Essentially, everything was exactly as expected - and the experience with the Model S far better than expected.

Andrew met me at the Natick store and all the associates came out to see the car - and complimented my choice of Silver and Gray. We spend about an hour going through the controls, which was a great help.

It is a thrill to be on the front-end of a game changing technology. I thought the delivery process was outstanding, and something i'll never forget. Every aspect of owning a Model S has exceeded my expectations, which were quite high.
 
This has got to be the first time Consumers Report has ever posted a story + video about merely receiving the product they'll be testing. Are they excited, or what?
I think there's also a competitive aspect (MT, Edmunds, C&D, etc. already spoke up yet nothing from CR) and potentially some pressure from outside forces ("Tesla is getting all this buzz...is this car for real?") making them aware that it's a huge PR opportunity for CR regardless of whether the results are positive or negative.
 
Of course part of the challenge for Consumer Reports is they buy a car just like you or I. So they had to order and then wait on their vehicle just like many other consumer. They don't take cars supplied by manufacturers to test.

- - - Updated - - -

"any other consumer"