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A little disappointed

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Well good news first,

P3189 Black/Textile/Tech/Air Suspension/Premium Sound/21 "

Got the email about early delivery, wanted to go ahead.. However, I called 1st to request a change.

I have had second thoughts about getting 21 " (more expensive, shorter tire life, rims more prone to damage from curbing, etc), and asked if I can switch to 19"
After multiple phone calls and emails, got "no changes allowed once finalized". They told me that once the tires are put on, they can't be taken off (considered used)

I realize that it is partially my fault for not making this decision earlier, but after seeing more posted pics with the 19", I liked the look.
Compared with other potential requests, I would think this would be an easy swap out.
Furthermore, I did see that someone else was able to change color, which I would think would be more difficult.

Maybe I am being unreasonable because rules are rules, but given the fact that I am an early adopter , giving $5K 1.5 yrs ago, I thought I might catch a break.

I am sure that this will wear off very quickly after I get the car. :)
 
Well good news first,

P3189 Black/Textile/Tech/Air Suspension/Premium Sound/21 "

Got the email about early delivery, wanted to go ahead.. However, I called 1st to request a change.

I have had second thoughts about getting 21 " (more expensive, shorter tire life, rims more prone to damage from curbing, etc), and asked if I can switch to 19"
After multiple phone calls and emails, got "no changes allowed once finalized". They told me that once the tires are put on, they can't be taken off (considered used)

I realize that it is partially my fault for not making this decision earlier, but after seeing more posted pics with the 19", I liked the look.
Compared with other potential requests, I would think this would be an easy swap out.
Furthermore, I did see that someone else was able to change color, which I would think would be more difficult.

Maybe I am being unreasonable because rules are rules, but given the fact that I am an early adopter , giving $5K 1.5 yrs ago, I thought I might catch a break.

I am sure that this will wear off very quickly after I get the car. :)

It's unfortunate but most people have to realize this is a car manufacturing company, it's not like they can interrupt the line to make changes. If that was the case they would have massive delays. Also my feeling is if you can afford an $80K+ car, I'm sure you can afford a 2nd set of tires. If I were you I would bite the bullet and get a set of 19"'s. I am getting the 21" because they will not give me a credit for the 19" (which is unfair) and because the car looks awesome (which is probably why you got them) but I live in the NE and will definitely need the 19" for winter.
 
I have had second thoughts about getting 21 " (more expensive, shorter tire life, rims more prone to damage from curbing, etc), and asked if I can switch to 19" After multiple phone calls and emails, got "no changes allowed once finalized". They told me that once the tires are put on, they can't be taken off (considered used)

May not be the exact situation, but a few years ago, a dealer had a new car on the lot to my exact specifications except for the wheels, which another car on the lot had. The dealer swapped wheels between the two new cars and I was on my way. Not sure, even if the car is built, why they couldn't do something like that.
 
Not sure, even if the car is built, why they couldn't do something like that.

Here is the reason why:

Furthermore, I did see that someone else was able to change color....

I don't envy Tesla, they do one person a favor and it's only natural that others start asking "Well can't I just change this....?". In all honesty sujayvora there's more than a few of us who went through plenty of delivery anxiety because we couldn't get our cars fast enough and it's quite amazing that you would be disappointed because you can't change wheels when your car is getting delivered early. :rolleyes:
 
I don't think this is a congruent example Mike...you had not signed a contract...the OP had.

May not be the exact situation, but a few years ago, a dealer had a new car on the lot to my exact specifications except for the wheels, which another car on the lot had. The dealer swapped wheels between the two new cars and I was on my way. Not sure, even if the car is built, why they couldn't do something like that.
 
Thanks for your input.

I finalized in August, got the email about option for early delivery, then called in requesting a change. Went ahead after not getting it.
Delivery window Dec 15-30. Still can't wait to receive the car!

I had a similar experience. After signing my paperwork 6 days ago, I changed my mind about my wheel choice 4 days later (when I learned that the winter wheel package likely wouldn't be available this year--on back order with a very long waiting list) and emailed the configuration team. I hadn't heard back, so I called yesterday. I was told it was too late because my order had already been sent over to the factory (but, the car had not officially started production). I've already been given a delivery window between 12/15-12/31. The turn around time has been amazing/lightning quick for me (exciting, but challenging to get everything in order in less than 3 weeks). It's a little frustrating spending >$100K on a car and not getting exactly what you want, but I still like my original choice. I honestly thought I'd have a month or two after finalization to make any changes. My mistake.

The moral of the story: Don't click finalize/submit until you're absolutely sure!
 
Thanks for your input.

I finalized in August, got the email about option for early delivery, then called in requesting a change. Went ahead after not getting it.
Delivery window Dec 15-30. Still can't wait to receive the car!

You're getting an amazing car :). And other posters gave a good suggestion - buy the wheels you want & sell the 21s here.

Let us know when your car arrives and post pics!
 
With all due respect, it is called Finalize rather than Semi-Finalize. It was generous for Tesla to accommodate early customers while they were working the kinks out of their own production process. But as they now ramp up to full production, change orders simply don't scale.
 
With all due respect, it is called Finalize rather than Semi-Finalize. It was generous for Tesla to accommodate early customers while they were working the kinks out of their own production process. But as they now ramp up to full production, change orders simply don't scale.

My understanding was that it was a final/formal commitment of the down-payment. I accept that my assumption may have been incorrect, but a little latitude would be appreciated. I can understand not allowing the changing of battery pack size, etc. AFTER the car has started production (for supply/efficiency issues), but I don't think it's too much to ask to make minor changes (silver wheels to gray, in my case, or 21" to 19") within 5 days of order submission and before the car has started production, particularly given that I'm willing to wait if need be. So, while you think it was "generous of Tesla to accommodate early customers," I feel it was "generous" of me to let them hold my down payment and to purchase a very expensive car, not to mention investing in the company and providing them capital. We are the customers...not the other way around.
 
My understanding was that it was a final/formal commitment of the down-payment. I accept that my assumption may have been incorrect, but a little latitude would be appreciated. I can understand not allowing the changing of battery pack size, etc. AFTER the car has started production (for supply/efficiency issues), but I don't think it's too much to ask to make minor changes (silver wheels to gray, in my case, or 21" to 19") within 5 days of order submission and before the car has started production, particularly given that I'm willing to wait if need be. So, while you think it was "generous of Tesla to accommodate early customers," I feel it was "generous" of me to let them hold my down payment and to purchase a very expensive car, not to mention investing in the company and providing them capital. We are the customers...not the other way around.

A final/formal commitment of the down-payment? What does that mean? Why would you configure a car if you 'committing' to a downpayment you've already made?

If you've spent anytime at all around manufacturing operations, you fully understand that these types of one-off requests disrupts the production line. It takes people to change things, people that should be working on other things. And that disruption means that other people in line behind you are delayed. Once? Not a problem. A way of doing business? Then things are totally turned upside down.

As an investor, do you really want Tesla to go down this path? I'm also an investor, own a Roadster, and have given them a Sig Model X deposit - that doesn't make me entitled to last minute changes. Nice if they could accomodate me, should I make a mistake. But I would not expect it. However, I WOULD question the decision (and my investment decision) if they started allowing everyone to change their 'finalize' information.
 
My understanding was that it was a final/formal commitment of the down-payment. I accept that my assumption may have been incorrect, but a little latitude would be appreciated. I can understand not allowing the changing of battery pack size, etc. AFTER the car has started production (for supply/efficiency issues), but I don't think it's too much to ask to make minor changes (silver wheels to gray, in my case, or 21" to 19") within 5 days of order submission and before the car has started production, particularly given that I'm willing to wait if need be. So, while you think it was "generous of Tesla to accommodate early customers," I feel it was "generous" of me to let them hold my down payment and to purchase a very expensive car, not to mention investing in the company and providing them capital. We are the customers...not the other way around.


I agree.

However, I really thing the main issue is the current status of the company. They are trying to crank out as many cars as possible to the consumer. There probably is not better marketing/advertising right now that seeing these amazing cars in the wild.
Maybe if my purchase was one year from now, I would have been able to make the change. .... In other words , there are both positives and negatives of being an early adopter :)
 
I agree.

However, I really thing the main issue is the current status of the company. They are trying to crank out as many cars as possible to the consumer. There probably is not better marketing/advertising right now that seeing these amazing cars in the wild.
Maybe if my purchase was one year from now, I would have been able to make the change. .... In other words , there are both positives and negatives of being an early adopter :)

I'm not so sure. This is the nature of Just In Time manufacture. If I order a custom config computer through the Apple website I can't make changes once the order is submitted to the factory either (the website indicates when the order is locked, but it's like 45 minutes from when you place it). The upside is a very efficient process that gets the car to you ASAP, and hopefully a year from now they will be cranking out cars even faster. The downside is that there's not a lot of flexibilty. To what extent people are comfortable with this brand new way of buying cars is a different story. Since the alternative is a dealer trying to sell you whatever they have on the lot, I'm happy.
 
A final/formal commitment of the down-payment? What does that mean? Why would you configure a car if you 'committing' to a downpayment you've already made?

If you've spent anytime at all around manufacturing operations, you fully understand that these types of one-off requests disrupts the production line. It takes people to change things, people that should be working on other things. And that disruption means that other people in line behind you are delayed. Once? Not a problem. A way of doing business? Then things are totally turned upside down.

As an investor, do you really want Tesla to go down this path? I'm also an investor, own a Roadster, and have given them a Sig Model X deposit - that doesn't make me entitled to last minute changes. Nice if they could accomodate me, should I make a mistake. But I would not expect it. However, I WOULD question the decision (and my investment decision) if they started allowing everyone to change their 'finalize' information.

Bonnie,

Prior to "finalization," the down payment was fully refundable. My understanding, which you obviously disagree with, was that I was guaranteeing my purchase or otherwise forfeit my down payment. I don't recall seeing anything in writing restricting changes, but I certainly could have missed that. True, I'm not in the automobile or manufacturing business, but I would imagine that wheels should not be difficult to change out. They are offered as an accessory in the Tesla online store, so it would seem to me that they have them in stock, which would not delay others to follow. Moreover, I'm willing to wait, given that it was my error. I'm not asking them to hold up production for me. Honestly, I think my issue is somewhat unique in that the time between finalizing and receiving my delivery notice was a mere 5 days! That's amazing and TM should be commended on that. It's not as if I was sitting on this for 3 months and made a last minute decision. I've made minor changes to premium car orders in the past after ordering, with no problem...different circumstances with a new company. As an investor, I would want my early customers to be as happy as possible, but obviously not to the extent that their demands markedly decrease the bottom line. There are incredible external pressures on Tesla. I understand that. In the end, I'm very excited to get my car and it's a lesson learned for me. This is a large financial expenditure for me. For some, it may just be a toy. I'm just trying to make the experience as good as possible for me.
 
My understanding was that it was a final/formal commitment of the down-payment. I accept that my assumption may have been incorrect, but a little latitude would be appreciated. I can understand not allowing the changing of battery pack size, etc. AFTER the car has started production (for supply/efficiency issues), but I don't think it's too much to ask to make minor changes (silver wheels to gray, in my case, or 21" to 19") within 5 days of order submission and before the car has started production, particularly given that I'm willing to wait if need be. So, while you think it was "generous of Tesla to accommodate early customers," I feel it was "generous" of me to let them hold my down payment and to purchase a very expensive car, not to mention investing in the company and providing them capital. We are the customers...not the other way around.

Tesla is an insanely customer-focused company -- you are not going to find another company that makes more effort to go the extra mile for its customers. As noted by others, the issue here is that ANY change once the order has been sent to the factory is going to, at a minimum, slow things down and divert resources (i.e., people, supplies etc.) to some degree large or small. Car manufacturing is insanely complex, and the ordering of parts/supplies and the batching of cars is very difficult to do. Trying to pull one car out of the line to make one or another change, even if it's something "minor", is going to cause delays. Not only does this hurt "Tesla" by slowing down production for this year (knowing that getting as many cars out ASAP is a high priority), but hurts every other customer behind you in line who is (im)patiently waiting for their cars.

So, as a customer-focused company, they have made the wise, logical utilitarian decision to do what is in the best interest of the most customers and not impede the speed with which the cars are being produced. The fact that they were able to do this on a few occasions during the ramp up is not really relevant -- things were going at a snail's pace then (tens of cars a week versus 400/week now), and in some instances (like AnOutsider), they had cars that were scrapped mid-production for one reason or another and, because of the slow production at the time, they were able to identify whose car was involved, inform them, and make adjustments accordingly.

There are lots of things that Tesla doesn't do perfectly, or I wish they did differently, but I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with them saying that once you say "Finalize", your order is set, and they're not going to change it for anything, because any change is too disruptive, and if dozens or hundreds of people start asking for a "little latitude", it will materially impact their ability to make cars in a timely way, which is the opposite of what they should be doing.

I'd just add that our friend dsm363 changed his mind on several occasions about his tires (gray, then silver, then gray again), only to end up exactly where he started. Don't have buyers remorse! The car is incredible and whatever choices you make you will be more than happy with the car. In your case, at worst, you can either sell your 21" tires to someone else, or you can have summer/winter tires. Either way, a win/win!