Hearing about the D just 9 days after taking delivery of P85+ merits a switch!!!

[wk057]

My guess is they had a P85+ with the proper configuration in the line already or already built where someone was unable to make final payment. I've heard that this is how some of the demo and loaner cars are commissioned also.

 

[JohnQ]

So when should Tesla announce their new features? 3 months ahead? 5 months? A year? Someone is always going to be upset because they ordered 5 days before the announcement came out.

Or, we can go to model year and orders will dry up a few months in advance, Tesla can idle workers, lose cash flow and raise the price of their cars to compensate. Oh, and people will still complain because they ordered a week before the new model year specs came out.

 

[green1]

there's always a leak, someone spots a test mule driving around, etc. <snip>That just doesn't work in Tesla's world.

How don't they work? Both these features were announced outright many months ago by Elon himself, both of them had tons of coverage in the media. Test mules for both were spotted driving around, and again generated press coverage. The timeline estimates were pretty much dead on too.

There's a reason that all the news sites guessed right about what was going to be released at the event, it's because the whole world already knew!

Nobody has been "burned", everybody has got everything that they ordered, and some lucky people have even got more. There's absolutely no downside.

 

[Chickenlittle]

I want to see if anyone else is in my position with unveiling of the D. I purchased the P85+ on September 17th with every option available except cold weather package as I'm in So Cal. Total cost of the vehicle before taxes was $127k. Typically production takes 4-8 weeks but the employees at my test drive pulled some strings and got a delivery date of Sept 30th which initially I was super exited and impressed about.

The day after I took delivery of my P85+ Elon makes his famous tweet about the D and on October 9th here we have it. The $127k P85+ has now been rolled into the $134K P85D with only a $7k price increase and the P85+ is no longer offered.

I have a major problem with tesla's lack of communication to customers purchasing fully upgraded P85+ so close the the unveiling of the D. I don't want to speculate on Elon's marketing strategy of mysteriousness and surprise but when it comes down to a time frame of weeks, it is clear that buyers paying this amount and clearly looking for the most upgraded model should have been at best informally hinted at the idea to make an informed decision.

It's not like I was a buyer looking at the 85 and debating the price of the leather trim or the upgraded sound system. I clearly wanted every option and expressed it clearly. I also find it hard to believe that the employees themselves didn't know about the D because they kept telling me my car has some "advanced hardware and features that are amazing but cannot be talked about because they haven't been officially released". Of course hinting to the drive and lane assist features.

Now even if I sell my P85+ I'm going to get hit with a huge loss as the difference in monthly cost from what I payed for my P85+ and the D is less than $100.

It is my opinion that customers that purchased the fully upgraded P85+ within a few weeks of the D should have been given for knowledge of the upcoming D due to the immediate time frame.

I have put an email in to Tesla suggesting they allow me to order the D and trade in my P85+ upon delivery and pay only the price difference and 2 month depreciation. What they do is up to them but if they know their target demographic they should do everything to make this right as I'm sure most of us will be purchasing multiple tesla's as we believe in the company and for me am heavily investing in the stock as well.

Has anyone else experienced this situation? I'd love to get feedback/comments/thoughts.

my vin is in the 5000,s. The car is now 19 months old. I want a redo too. I never thought they would try to improve the car. It is so unfair. Actually joke that my next plates should be antique one

 

[bonnie]

IMHO as someone who in the past had followed other luxury car boards, it's rare for an aficionado to get totally blindsided in this way about new features, body style etc. Even in the model year domain where manufacturers try to hush things up before the cars hit the website or showroom, there's always a leak, someone spots a test mule driving around, etc. People know to be vigilant around new model year time in general and close to the model's refresh year in particular. So at a minimum, you're usually well informed enough to either decide to buy the current model year (maybe because you don't like something about the new version) or get psyched about what's new and place an order/wait for the new version to show up on the ground.

As posted over in another forum, it was the world's worst kept secret over the last several years ...

World's worst kept secret. Just a sampling of threads on this forum, discussing Model S AWD (months and years before now). Same thing over on Tesla Motors forum.

torque vectoring in AWD Model S 4/12/2014
AWD Model S 2/4/2014
Is an AWD Model S Necessary? 6/15/2012
Regen on AWD model S 1/14/2011
Why Would You Buy A Model X over an AWD Model S 11/10/2012​

Some media articles about it,

Imagine This: AWD Tesla Model S and X With 100-Plus kWh Battery - Tesla CEO Hints At Future Arrival | Inside EVs Feb 2014
Elon Musk Hints at All-Wheel-Drive Tesla Model S Arriving in 2015 - Photo Gallery of Car News from Car and Driver - Car Images
Is This A Tesla Model S AWD Prototype Caught Testing? (Video, Photos) March 2014​

And many many more.

 

[heems]

So when should Tesla announce their new features? 3 months ahead? 5 months? A year? Someone is always going to be upset because they ordered 5 days before the announcement came out.

Or, we can go to model year and orders will dry up a few months in advance, Tesla can idle workers, lose cash flow and raise the price of their cars to compensate. Oh, and people will still complain because they ordered a week before the new model year specs came out.

^^^^^^ This should be the sticky quote for all Tesla buyers.

 

[pzz]

It's not a matter of what car companies do or don't, it's a matter of customer satisfaction. In that case we have a customer that is not happy and that's a fact. I am in the same boat - my P85 was delivered on September 25th without the new sensors. It was initially scheduled to be delivered on September 29th. If Tesla was not in a hurry to push deliveries for their Q3 results, I would have received the sensors. As a results we have another unhappy customer.

 

[Ames]

I think that everyone was expecting that when 4WD was added, it would be great for the guys driving in heavy snow...yeah a little more grip and confidence (bla bla bla), maybe .1 or .2 faster to 60...whatever, a little loss of range, perhaps inferior steering feel...on balance no big deal. What really [annoys] the P85+ crowd is the mind-blowing 3.2 seconds to 60 and the improved range, for just a few thousand $$$ extra. Tesla did not merely exceed expectations, they blew them into the next spiral arm of the galaxy. Kudos to Tesla.

 

[green1]

It's not a matter of what car companies do or don't, it's a matter of customer satisfaction. In that case we have a customer that is not happy and that's a fact. I am in the same boat - my P85 was delivered on September 25th without the new sensors. It was initially scheduled to be delivered on September 29th. If Tesla was not in a hurry to push deliveries for their Q3 results, I would have received the sensors. As a results we have another unhappy customer.

Did you get exactly what you ordered on the website at the time you ordered?
Did you pay exactly what you were quoted?

What are you unhappy about? Someone else had something great happen to them, that's fine. but absolutely nothing bad has happened to you. Quite whining that someone else had something good happen to them, and enjoy the fact that you got your car earlier than expected, and exactly as ordered.

 

[Atebit]

How don't they work? Both these features were announced outright many months ago by Elon himself, both of them had tons of coverage in the media.

Indeed, many folks that unwittingly got sensors are also enjoying the long-heralded CHAdeMO adapters as well, right? That was supposed to already be available months ago. AD features were supposed to become available in about 9-12 months from the date of the announcement, based on previous press coverage, but were in fact already shipping.

Many people here seem to think we're getting wrapped around the axle about the "why", but I think it's more about the "how".

 

[insacausa]

My 85 was delivered on September 25th. I was supposed to get delivery later in October (my previous lease was over late October) and I was in no rush. I did not ask to be moved up. I received my car with not enough mileage to go home. My car has been in for service 3 times since I have taken delivery of the car. I am tremendously disappointed with my experience thus far. I have been waiting for the right time to get this car for a long time. I would have been very happy to wait for my car, especially knowing what I do now. I understand that Tesla doesn't want an idle factory, but who exactly decides who got the newer hardware vs who didn't? Just a crap shoot? I am unhappy that my car hasn't met my service expectations. I doubt Tesla will do anything for me. I am ready to put in orders for a model S for my dad and a model X for my wife. I am happy that they will get the new features. I don't think jealousy applies. I think a tesla owner who has owned the car for a few months or longer understands that there has to be a cutoff somewhere. The switch during production, moving customers who would have gotten the newer hardware, that is something I just don't understand.

 

[Canuck]

That just doesn't work in Tesla's world. You're supposed to be happy for the person in the next stall over taking delivery, who paid the same price as you did, perhaps ordered after you did, but unwittingly gets all the new features thanks to Brownian motion, fate, or whatever randomness you choose to believe in.

Yes, right. You got it now. Just don't say it sarcastically and truly live it. You'll probably find your life gets better with an attitude of gratitude rather than resentment.

 

[adelman]

... I am in the same boat - my P85 was delivered on September 25th without the new sensors. It was initially scheduled to be delivered on September 29th. If Tesla was not in a hurry to push deliveries for their Q3 results, I would have received the sensors. As a results we have another unhappy customer.

Probably not. If Tesla had run a slower production rate, most likely the sensors would have just appeared later. Certainly they picked a place in the assembly line to make the change, rather than a date when the car exited the line.

 

[bonnie]

Probably not. If Tesla had run a slower production rate, most likely the sensors would have just appeared later. Certainly they picked a place in the assembly line to make the change, rather than a date when the car exited the line.

Ah. Exactly right. Someone who understands how a manufacturing change is cut in.

 

[green1]

Yes, right. You got it now. Just don't say it sarcastically and truly live it. You'll probably find your life gets better with an attitude of gratitude rather than resentment.

Hear, Hear! That's the attitude, everyone benefits from this. There's no benefit for anyone of feeling resentful because something good happened to another person. You either feel horrible, (and usually try to take others with you), or you deprive the other person of the good thing that happened to them. There's no possible good outcome.

Society as a whole benefits when you are happy, not just when good things happen to you, but when good things happen to others too. There's far too much negativity in this world, there's no reason to add to it by twisting good news to bad.

I'm not saying to never be upset, but reserve it for when something bad happens (either to you, or to another) not for when something good happens that you just didn't happen to participate in.

 

[Atebit]

Yes, right. You got it now. Just don't say it sarcastically and truly live it. You'll probably find your life gets better with an attitude of gratitude rather than resentment.

I thought this thread was about customer experience, but it seems to keep circling back to life-coaching. "Satisfaction" is a subjective thing. While I think it's relevant for you to tell me why you feel satisfied, I don't think you ought to be admonishing people for feeling otherwise.

 

[Hawaii J]

I feel you, luckly I changed my order just in time. The excitement of the P85+ would have been overshadowed by the P85D but you can always trade it in. With the announcement of Tesla managing used vehicles I'm sure it will soon be an easy process. People will line up to buy your optioned P85+ with super low miles and no wait.

Years ago I got a great car under the same circumstances. A guy had bought the Volvo S60T right before the S60R came out. We bought his T the same day he took delivery of the R, win win.

 

[ecarfan]

@MY T: Tesla delivered to you exactly the car you ordered. It was an awesome car on the day you took delivery, and it is still a awesome car. Consider yourself fortunate to be able to afford and enjoy such an incredible vehicle.

You can of course "upgrade" by selling your P85+ and buying a new P85D. Your choice.

 

[green1]

I thought this thread was about customer experience, but it seems to keep circling back to life-coaching. "Satisfaction" is a subjective thing. While I think it's relevant for you to tell me why you feel satisfied, I don't think you ought to be admonishing people for feeling otherwise.

I can't even figure out where the "bad customer experience" is?

The people who didn't get the sensors got exactly what they ordered, at the price they agreed to, and in some cases they even got it EARLY, that to me says great customer experience.

The people who did get the sensors got what they ordered, at the price they agreed to, and a free bonus, that to me says even better customer experience.

Nobody has yet come up with a negative customer experience to share here. I keep waiting for the person who can say they ordered the sensors but didn't get them... but interestingly enough, Tesla didn't do that to anyone.

 

[PeterW]

Hear, Hear! That's the attitude, everyone benefits from this. There's no benefit for anyone of feeling resentful because something good happened to another person. You either feel horrible, (and usually try to take others with you), or you deprive the other person of the good thing that happened to them. There's no possible good outcome.

Society as a whole benefits when you are happy, not just when good things happen to you, but when good things happen to others too. There's far too much negativity in this world, there's no reason to add to it by twisting good news to bad.

I'm not saying to never be upset, but reserve it for when something bad happens (either to you, or to another) not for when something good happens that you just didn't happen to participate in.

insacausa didn't get to participate because of Tesla. He was given his car early when he did not want it early. It is Tesla's fault that he did not get to participate. No one seems to have answered him or shot his complaint down in flames; I wonder why?