Delivery estimate chaos

[Endodoc]

The good news is the car IS worth the wait.

+1

I believe the OP has the right to communicate his frustrations, but IMHO it was a little harsh. It's true the squeaky wheel gets the grease...but a very squeaky wheel risks just getting replaced.

 

[NigelM]

Tesla has been through this before and they need their feet held to the fire. I'd go so far as to say that Elon would want people to complain if they're not getting good enough service; after all Tesla has to argue their sales model against the various auto dealer assocs.

Complain fairly, don't exaggerate, do express your frustration, move it up the chain if you feel you need to. Tesla can't afford to go through these kind of communication problems on a regular basis; there's a big jump coming with Model X next year and Model 3 will be an order of magnitude 10x-20x greater.

 

[seanahan]

There can be dozens and dozens of possibilities. But essentially you're annoyed because there's too much information being given. Got it.

The annoying part is that what you refer to as "too much" is bad information. Once you go from "Late November" to November 7 at 10am, it's no longer an "estimate". There's really no reason for Tesla to give that specific estimate if they're not certain.

It's equally insulting to act like you're someone special simply because you're spending a certain amount of money. Did you not read the OP's e-mail? He needs to get over himself.

My impression has been that everyone waiting delivery has had similar experiences, so the OP is not special, but representative. If a few well written complaints can cause Tesla to change their procedures to avoid these issues, it seems well worth the trouble.

Why keep doing that which is not satisfying you? Pick-up-the-phone then and have a real live conversation with someone who has the power to help you.

If the DS is too busy to respond to emails, then I assume they're too busy to pick up the phone. Especially if they're as busy as you suggest they are. If they don't respond quickly to email, please notify and tell the customer that they are more responsive to phone calls. Because of my work schedule, it's much easier for me to send emails, and at least for my DS, he's been good at getting back to me quickly, with whatever limited information he has.

Note that my experience has not been nearly as bad as the OP, but I definitely understand his feelings.

 

[3mp_kwh]

If experiences like this become more rule, than exception, I wonder how soon "custom build" could become a short list of flavor packages. The only problem is we'd be selecting among 4-6k jumps, instead of the 2.5k ala carte picks. I can see how it would facilitate smoother production, and actually favor the "week here, or there" if it preserves the optionality.

 

[seanahan]

FWIW, I was on the fence on a number of options. If I'd known it was the difference of 2 weeks getting a slightly different package, I would have definitely chosen differently. When I ordered, I probably would have not changed if it is was only 1 week, but 2 weeks could have made a difference. Now that I'm this close to delivery, if you'd told me to add a $2,500 option to get the car 2 days earlier, I might do it.

 

[chang]

Brunton, have you heard back?

 

[linkster]

Maybe I’m just an overly-cranky customer, but I don’t think so. I’m spending an exceptional amount of money

"Chaos" SRSLY!?!?!?!?!?

Its a darn good thing that you're not an early delivery like many of us who waited YEARS, sight unseen, no test drives, no TMC forum to read owners experiences, no Motor Trend "Car of the Year" awards, no Consumer Reports accolades, no NHSTA "off-the-charts" safety cert........

So:
1) Tesla is still a small, young, and learning company
2) you are unfortunate to be "caught" in Q3 with a massive new production line (with possible growing pains)
3) Team Tesla is under tremendous pressure to meet or exceed Q3 delivery guidance
4) I am quite certain that every Tesla employee is currently working their a.. off for you, Elon, and shareholders during this transitionary Q3


Ah, Oh.....from the tone of your nasty-gram to the Tesla DS........another owner smashed windshield coming in 3...2...1

 

[seanahan]

"Chaos" SRSLY!?!?!?!?!?
Its a darn good thing that you're not an early delivery like many of us who waited YEARS, sight unseen, no test drives, no TMC forum to read owners experiences, no Motor Trend "Car of the Year" awards, no Consumer Reports accolades, no NHSTA "off-the-charts" safety cert........

You're making the point for us. We're coming in late, and we're expecting a different experience than the very early adopters. Following by the TMC posters, one would think that the DS are very helpful and should be contacted frequently. Following a "Car of the Year" award, one would expect at least a modest amount of customer service. Similar with Consumer Reports.

I'm sorry that I didn't have to walk up hills both ways, but I can still expect reasonable support from my DS.

 

[linkster]

Interesting, that you choose to ignore items 1, 2, 3, and 4 though.

I believe that if you had taken a plant tour with the previous AGV assembly process and then again taken a more recent plant tour with the high speed S/X conveyor assembly process, you might have a better appreciation and better understanding of this major/difficult undertaking in Q3 by a company that is still fighting for its life everyday.

but I can still expect reasonable support from my DS.

and yes,, you should...

 

[seanahan]

Interesting, that you choose to ignore items 1, 2, 3, and 4 though.

I've been criticized already on this forum for going through every point, so I'm trying to keep my posts short.

I believe that if you had taken a plant tour with the previous AGV assembly process and then again taken a more recent plant tour with the high speed S/X conveyor assembly process, you might have a better appreciation and better understanding of this major/difficult undertaking in Q3 by a company that is still fighting for its life everyday.

I have plenty of appreciation and understanding for what Tesla is going through. None of that explains sloppy DS work. Given that the DS is the only Tesla employee most of us pendings have ever spoken to, our entire perception of the employees is based on that interaction. Obviously it's not a valid sample, but it's coloring the perception of many of us who are in the delivery chaos zone right now. Obviously the factory re-tooling did not go well, and Tesla is having some significant production issues right now. There's a 90% chance that once I receive delivery, I won't care about this any more, but at this point I would have a hard time recommending someone buy one due to the poor customer service and nerve wrecking build wait period. I'd tell people to wait a while until Tesla fixes the issues, or wait for the cheaper models.

 

[Dborn]

My tentative delivery went from November 7th at 10 am to "Late November" overnight.

I sent this to my DS this morning:

=====

Hi Chris,

I noticed this morning that my delivery has changed from November 7, 10 am back to a very generic “Late November.”

I understand the vagaries of manufacturing – I’ve been building airplanes, spacecraft, etc. for 35 years. I know all about delivery delays and such. But, as is the case with customers in my field, this is becoming tiresome and very annoying.

• If my delivery slips, I want to know why.
• Going from a specific date / time to a generic “sometime in the month” is not acceptable, especially when the month has jumped around between late October to December.
• Finding out about an apparent slip by going to a website to check status is also not acceptable. If the website can be updated, a system-generated e-mail that provides at the least a general explanation as to why can be sent to the purchaser.
• Finally, I am spending $95,000 on this car. I really expect better quality communications from Tesla than “sucks.” Most of my e-mails have either gone unanswered or taken far too many days (and weeks) before a reply is forthcoming.

Maybe I’m just an overly-cranky customer, but I don’t think so. I’m spending an exceptional amount of money; I expect an exceptional “buyer’s experience” to go with it.

Please forward my comments to Tesla; from what I’ve read on line, I’m not the only buyer who is frustrated with the communication level from Tesla.

Thanks,"
=====

Is anyone else frustrated with the whole delivery dates thing? I don't mind waiting for the car (well, not too much anyway), but I DO mind being completely in the dark about what's going on. I confirmed on July 3; I got my VIN two weeks ago. At this point, I should have something better than "late November."

Am I expecting too much?

mate, you are lucky you are not in Australia! We haven't had our launch yet. I have been waiting 3.5 YEARS!! My car has been " in transit" from the factory since 20th August. I have absolutely no idea of a delivery MONTH let alone date. There is nothing at all on my dashboard regarding delivery. All we have been told, and then only after some antagonistic emails between myself and the Vice President of international sales and marketing, is not before October at the earliest, whatever that means!! My car is sig number 9 for this country, and I paid 160000.00 Australian dollars!!!! You would think at that price, I could be told something, anything, no?

 

[karmamule]

I've been criticized already on this forum for going through every point, so I'm trying to keep my posts short.



I have plenty of appreciation and understanding for what Tesla is going through. None of that explains sloppy DS work. Given that the DS is the only Tesla employee most of us pendings have ever spoken to, our entire perception of the employees is based on that interaction. Obviously it's not a valid sample, but it's coloring the perception of many of us who are in the delivery chaos zone right now. Obviously the factory re-tooling did not go well, and Tesla is having some significant production issues right now. There's a 90% chance that once I receive delivery, I won't care about this any more, but at this point I would have a hard time recommending someone buy one due to the poor customer service and nerve wrecking build wait period. I'd tell people to wait a while until Tesla fixes the issues, or wait for the cheaper models.

The good news is they do seem to be putting in lots of extra effort and churning them out too, and at least for mine the quality was excellent: no issues of note. (The worst thing so far: I found one teeny smudge on the headliner I'm pretty sure I didn't put there.) I had test driven an S60, so driving my S85 has been even better than my memory of it. Still kind of odd being on the other side of the orderer/owner fence, but I'm liking the view from over here. Hope you get to experience it soon too!

 

[Pruitt]

Brunton, have you heard back?

Yes I have, chang.

My DS and I e-mailed back and forth a couple of times.
Following are the exchanges. His e-mails contain a few gems of information that may interest others, which I've highlighted as orange text. As the DS asked for specifics about what I see as communications issues, I've highlighted those in green text for those interested.

Sorry this is so long, but I didn't want to edit (and perhaps omit) salient content, so I only redacted names and edited a few typos.

In reply to my original e-mail, posted at the top of this thread (Wed 9/17/2014 10:14 PM):

=====
I understand your frustration and do have the reason why. I’m not sure how much you follow Tesla but our factory was shutdown in late July into August to accommodate increased growth into new markets, preparations for our Model X SUV, and make some efficiency changes to our Model S line. Well, the shutdown went over projections and while your original window of delivery factored in the shutdown, it did not factor in the delay. As MyTesla accounts caught up with all the changes, there was variability into what folks where seeing as builds had to be shuffled back into their appropriate slotting. Now that everything has updated, I do not see any further delays past late November. This has [a]ffected all North American orders. We apologi[ze] for the shift, but [be] reassured [that] we are doing everything possible to build your car in a timely manner.

I agree that logging into your MyTesla account is not the best way to find out about the shift and this how our more savvy customers found out. The nice thing about the MyTesla account is that it lets you know the instant of a notification. Therefore, I agree, that in this specific case, there is a lag between when I can reasonably communicate that change. That’s why were are here though. If you ever have any question as it pertains to delivery, please give me a call, and will give you the best answer I can, with the information I have in front of me, as fast as I am able.

Feel free to give me a call if you would like to discuss further.

As a corollary here, I checked all my email communication as I always know to use appropriate language when communicating with our customers. Would you be as so kind to please let me know where/who/what/when that was communicated? Thank you
=====

My reply back (Thursday, September 18, 2014 9:05 AM):

=====
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, and thanks especially for explaining what’s happening.

I should have said this in my e-mail yesterday, and did not: I have absolutely no issue with how you have been working with me. In fact, your support has by far been the best aspect of the whole pre-delivery “journey.”

I’ve received no inappropriate-language communications from anyone at Tesla. The term “sucks” was my description of the quality of communication from Tesla. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression on that. Specifics on why I feel that way: Very shortly after ordering, I received a congratulations e-mail from C_______. We e-mailed back and forth a couple of times, and he said he would pass on to the factory that I was concerned about getting the HPWC as quickly as possible (as you know, my main anxiety is that I’ll have the car and no way to quickly recharge it!). That was 8 July. I guess he never heard anything back, because I never heard anything more about it. About that same time I also sent a note directly to Tesla about the HPWC, via their “contact” page on the website. Never heard anything back from them at all. Then came the delivery estimate dancing around from Late October to December and back. Those are the biggest annoyances. Then the tentative deliver date changes from the specific to the nebulous again, without any sort of notification from Tesla. AARGH! So in summary, you guys in Atlanta have been great. Tesla headquarters, on the other hand (website notwithstanding), has not been quite so great.

Suggestion: Once a delivery center has set a specific delivery date and time, that should be locked on the website. Only the delivery center should be allowed to update that. That way the center can contact the customer directly before they see the change. Or maybe that’s just one of my peculiarities.

A delivery slide is disappointing, but that’s all it is. I’ve been in manufacturing long enough to understand delivery slides very well. Given a choice, I’ll always pick quality over schedule.
=====

And the latest from my DS (Thu 9/18/2014 10:09 PM)

=====
I’m glad we were able to clear things up a bit. In regards to the wall connector those are automatically shipped our once your VIN is created. You will know your VIN is created because you will receive an alert via email with an update in your MyTesla account. You will receive it 3-4 weeks prior to delivery and I am able to provide a tracking number at that time. I have note of you communicating that you did want it as soon as possible, but everything is automated so we are able to fulfills orders as cars to be delivered. If you would like to start shopping around electricians, I’ve attached a guide for what all is involved with installation.

Your suggestion in regards to MyTesla is a good one. The MyTesla account is great in almost all cases besides this one. We are actually moving away from “scheduled date” pinpointing am exact day and more so into a “delivery target” that we hope to aim at and get close to 2-3 months down the road. As you know, there are confluence of factors in manufacturing and logistics. We feel this will contribute to an overall better experience than having one definitive date stuck in your mind. We are pretty much as firm as tentative can be when giving our projections. This is one of the biggest challenges maintaining expectations.

I’m always available by phone so if you have anything else on your mind, feel free to give me a call.
=====

So that's about it. Now that someone "official" has explained why the change in my delivery estimate, I'm fine with it. My problem was with the lack of communication from Tesla itself, and was never an issue with the Delivery Center.

 

[seanahan]

That was great info. The highlighted sections indicate to me that the DS's are aware of what the problems are with the system, and are trying to fix them. Too bad that it took a harsh email to elucidate this information.

 

[franknesss]

In regards to the wall connector those are automatically shipped our once your VIN is created. You will know your VIN is created because you will receive an alert via email with an update in your MyTesla account.

I'm not sure how true that statement is. My DS told me that my HPWC would be shipped out once i had a firm delivery date. I've had my VIN since Aug 30th, and no mention of HPWC being shipped. The only thing I'm concerned about is the inconsistency in information, and whether or not DSs are making up their own excuses for things.

 

[sundoc]

@ frankness
I'm confused about the relationship between when the HPWC is shipped and when the car is delivered as well. Created a post at the Tesla forum but no replies.

I've had a delivery date (Oct 27) set from about 2 weeks after confirming (July 27), haven't been informed of any delays and received my HPWC about 1 week ago. Was assigned my VIN about 1 month ago.
I did communicate with the Canadian deliveries manager last week and was advised that my scheduled date is still the same and that at this time there is no anticipated delay... lets see what happens.

 

[breser]

My HPWC was shipped almost exactly 2 weeks before my scheduled delivery date. However, it seems that how they're working has shifted and the impression I've gotten from my DS is they're now trying not to set delivery dates until the car is in transport. Which would make it harder to use the 2 weeks to estimated delivery date. So I'd guess that they switched to using VIN assignment, which may be earlier than 2 weeks to delivery (unless they're changing when they assign VINs).

 

[techiesjc]

My HPWC shipped the week I received my VIN (29-Aug). I am scheduled to take delivery at the factory on 26-Sep - car is "in production" and I have "received my final delivery confirmation" and have "paid" for the car. Other details in my signature below...

 

[breser]

10pm on the night before my appointment. Not even so much as an email confirming the appointment. Even Comcast can get this right and they're terrible at customer service.

To say that the delivery experience has been a disappointment is an understatement. I'm hoping things improve after delivery.

 

[Lerxt]

2 weeks before? I received mine 2 weeks ago and if I believe the dashboard I have 2 months to wait. I actually dont believe anything I get told by them at the moment. I really do wonder if Elon knows how much the company is disappointing buyers at the moment? He needs to have a good look at Sales and Service and not blow the reputation of Tesla because of this.