A little disappointed

[artsci]

Your request to change colors was denied so you came on the board and criticized Tesla. You got the result that you wanted and now Tesla is finding out that there are others who are following the same strategy. I am sure that there are many people on this board who run big companies who will tell you that inflexibility has nothing to do with intransigence. Systems and processes ensure quality and a positive customer experience at the end of the day.

As an owner I am concerned about the long term viability and profitability of the company. You can argue that Tesla is the only car manufacturer in the world that has figured out a new way of doing business. Others would argue that there is a very good reason why the established firms do business the way they do.

You're right about me, but not about Tesla. I posted a hotheaded response after I didn't immediately get what I wanted. But as I took a more reasonable approach, and made a rationale appeal to the Customer Experience folks, Tesla made it happen, and all within a 48 hour period. I would argue, in fact, that many corporate systems and processes ensure poor quality and customer dissatisfaction. I have had way more dreadful experiences with large corporations than good ones. If you'd like I can give you a very long list of these experience, several bordering on outright fraud. Because I've been conditioned by these experiences to distrust any very large corporation my first reactions to Tesla were predictable. But then I realized I was dealing with a very different company.

 

[Norbert]

But then again. Not being able to change tires on a car wich hasn't been produced is not customer friendly. So don't sell it as such. It's easier for them. Their ordering System is probably not flexible enough to handle stuff like this and so on.

In order to produce 400 cars per week, you can spend only about 5 minutes per car, at each step. So to keep that pace, things have to work very fluently, unless there is extra staff available. Without that extra staff, there just isn't very much time for each car. Just all those phone calls and emails, necessary to re-configure and re-organize, re-print the part sheets etc, already takes more than the allocated time, even just for the people processing the orders and customer communication. Tesla may be able to do those things once they have enough money to over-staff for handling special wishes and changed minds. However, apparently that time hasn't come yet. I guess it is as simple as that.

 

[ChrisgG]

In order to produce 400 cars per week, you can spend only about 5 minutes per car, at each step. So to keep that pace, things have to work very fluently, unless there is extra staff available. Without that extra staff, there just isn't very much time for each car. Just all those phone calls and emails, necessary to re-configure and re-organize, re-print the part sheets etc, already takes more than the allocated time, even just for the people processing the orders and customer communication. Tesla may be able to do those things once they have enough money to over-staff for handling special wishes and changed minds. However, apparently that time hasn't come yet. I guess it is as simple as that.

the car hasn't been produced yet. They haven't started yet and he's not i the assembly line. So for the simple minded guy they have to get an office worker changing the tyre type in the system (maybe multiple systems) so when it gets produced in a few days or weeks they'll get out the right tyres out of the storage. So there most likely will be no Delay in any car whatsoever.

Of corse nothing is as simple as it looks from the outside. So sure there will be plenty of reasons why your 'finalising' is final. But I still don't think that customer service is one of them.

 

[bonnie]

the car hasn't been produced yet. They haven't started yet and he's not i the assembly line. So for the simple minded guy they have to get an office worker changing the tyre type in the system (maybe multiple systems) so when it gets produced in a few days or weeks they'll get out the right tyres out of the storage. So there most likely will be no Delay in any car whatsoever.

Of corse nothing is as simple as it looks from the outside. So sure there will be plenty of reasons why your 'finalising' is final. But I still don't think that customer service is one of them.

Delivery window is Dec 15-30. Why would you think his car isn't even started?

 

[Brian H]

Delivery window is Dec 15-30. Why would you think his car isn't even started?

And "started" has a long neck. Parts and paint and people-hours are sequenced into the feed-in stream in order; so in a sense, the car can 'exist' before even two of the components meet up!

 

[ChrisgG]

Delivery window is Dec 15-30. Why would you think his car isn't even started?

Because

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!

So I understood that he did get the e-mail with the option for early delivery but didn't confirm it. Then requested the other tyres and didn' get them but still confirmed the early delivery. I don't think his car was in the line before he confirmed that e-mail.

But then I've been wrong before