"Personal" Delivery

I believe this is something all manufacturers do but Tesla is basically splitting delivery costs among all customers. Doesn't help people who live close to the factory but helps someone with a delivery in Alaska for example.

Bruce said:

when I went to the Tesla factory and picked up my car, I asked about the personal delivery charge of $990 The delivery specialist stated that it was like most other cars in that it was a "destination charge" and was added to all the new cars. I accepted that until some of the things I've been reading on the blogs. Since I did not have it delivered, should I have been charged for personal delivery?

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Maybe not "should", but the Tesla policy is that every car has the same destination and prep charge regardless of where it's picked up.

Just think of it as the cost of getting a factory tour.

There's a federal law (Monroney Act) legislating how delivery/destination charges work. The end result is that all car manufacturers charge a standard fee regardless of whether you pick up the car at the factory or have it shipped to Prudhoe Bay.
Vehicle Destination Charges - New Car Business Destination Fees - Kelley Blue Book

Note: I'm not advocating that Tesla changes its approach to delivery fees but there is some confusion regarding what is mandated.

Yes, the Monroney Act requires that the delivery/destination charge be listed separately from the cost of the vehicle. It gets itemized on the sticker. It does not, however, require that the destination charge be the same regardless of where the vehicle is delivered in the United States. This is a convenience adopted by the manufacturers who could choose to change the approach (though I can't think of any reason why they would--or should--do so).

derekt75 said:

There's a federal law (Monroney Act) legislating how delivery/destination charges work. The end result is that all car manufacturers charge a standard fee regardless of whether you pick up the car at the factory or have it shipped to Prudhoe Bay.

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derekt75 said:

Vehicle Destination Charges - New Car Business Destination Fees - Kelley Blue Book

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JohnQ said:

Note: I'm not advocating that Tesla changes its approach to delivery fees but there is some confusion regarding what is mandated.

Yes, the Monroney Act requires that the delivery/destination charge be listed separately from the cost of the vehicle. It gets itemized on the sticker. It does not, however, require that the destination charge be the same regardless of where the vehicle is delivered in the United States. This is a convenience adopted by the manufacturers who could choose to change the approach (though I can't think of any reason why they would--or should--do so).

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Well this practice does two things. First it makes it much easier for the manufacturer, they only need to determine one cost to ship their cars. If they are charging based on destination they would have to estimate every route, and adjust them as fuel prices change. With the current method all they have to do is estimate their total volume, and their total shipping costs, and divide them. Put in a safety factor and done.

The second reason is it presents a fairness that is very good for PR. Sure the people living in Silicon Valley are probably a little miffed they are paying more for their car to be delivered, but it isn't much more than any other car. But the people in CT and AK and HI and FL are all very pleased they aren't being held over a barrel on shipping costs.

Simply put it is easier, simpler, and fairer than the alternative.

While I agree in principle with what has been stated above, there have been instances of cars just getting dropped off by the delivery agent with no Tesla DS on hand. Owners have had to unwrap cars themselves. In addition to the "Personal Delivery" charge (which I can accept), I don't know if I'd be too happy with the "Inspection and Prep" fee if the car is just dropped off like a FedEx package.

Keep in mind that in some states Tesla can't have a DS present due to dealer laws. Also, some owners have requested to have their car drop-shipped instead of going to a service center first in order to get their cars sooner. In this case they are choosing to get a car "right off the truck" and relying on their knowledge from this forum to get their car up and running. I think in most cases this has been fine but there have been a couple problems that could have been avoided if people were willing to wait longer for their cars.

As someone who took factory delivery, my car only had to be transported about 500 feet while others had to go much further. But I agree w/ ElSup that it's just easier for them to charge 1 price and makes the car reasonable for folks who are on the East Coast, Hawaii, etc.

strider said:

Keep in mind that in some states Tesla can't have a DS present due to dealer laws.

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The example I was thinking of was in Canada.

strider said:

Also, some owners have requested to have their car drop-shipped instead of going to a service center first in order to get their cars sooner. In this case they are choosing to get a car "right off the truck" and relying on their knowledge from this forum to get their car up and running. I think in most cases this has been fine but there have been a couple problems that could have been avoided if people were willing to wait longer for their cars.

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Fair enough, but I think if I opted for that (drop-ship), Tesla could waive the "Inspection & Prep" fee since they didn't incur any of those costs. I have no problem with the "Personal Delivery" aka Delivery charge for all the reasons mentioned above.

Looks like they've gotten rid of the "Personal" delivery, and made it destination like all other manufacturers...

What is a regulatory doc fee?

"Regulatory Doc Fee" seems to be a renaming of the inspection and prep fee.

In short, this seems to be the fee for doing all the state-mandated paperwork stuff -- registration, title, mandatory safety inspection. They shouldn't have renamed it, because New York has legal limits on what you can charge for that. (sigh). Combining it with the destination fee as a single fee probably avoids that problem though.

Now, if you have your car drop-shipped to Texas, have to take it to an inspection shop yourself, have to register it yourself, etc., then this really is a complete cheat. Apparently they're charging this to everyone, even when they're not providing the "regulatory document" services.

Since they're charging it to everyone they should just make it part of the base price of the car. Tesla's been real big on advertising bogus prices. I didn't fall for any of the phony price ads -- I knew what it was going to total to early -- but it's just *shady behavior*.