Posting issues publicly vs direct to Tesla

[jerry33]

There have been times when people seem to post an issue here on TMC first. You can go back to many "problem" threads or posts and see the next comment that says, "Contact your DS/service center/Ranger and tell them" .

If they had done that first the "dirty laundry" would not be aired to the whole world for Tesla bashing press. Unfortunately the owners who would do such a thing would probably not read this thread.

The problem is that many car manufacturers won't do anything unless it's made public. Typically you get a "This is the first I've heard of it" statement from the person you talk to and that's where it stops (particularly if you're talking to some customer service person in India who reads from a script, wouldn't know a car from a camel, and gets yelled at if their average call length is too long). Now Tesla isn't supposed to be this way but...

 

[AnOutsider]

There have been times when people seem to post an issue here on TMC first. You can go back to many "problem" threads or posts and see the next comment that says, "Contact your DS/service center/Ranger and tell them" .

If they had done that first the "dirty laundry" would not be aired to the whole world for Tesla bashing press. Unfortunately the owners who would do such a thing would probably not read this thread.

Along with what jerry said... This is the internet. This forum's entire purpose is to openly discuss the company, their cars, their service and the world of EVs in general. We are not here to be Tesla's PR machine. Everyone here should feel free to discuss the good and bad just as if you were amongst friends -- not politic as if you were in front of people whose opinions you feel you need to sway.

 

[jerry33]

In addition, I'd rather see Tesla purchasers have a realistic view of the car. It's been my experience with the Prius forums that the people who are most unhappy are those who thought the car would be a panacea and solve every problem they ever had. Even if you get a Rolls, it's not going to do that (Nellie in her nightie might, but we probably shouldn't go there

 

[AnOutsider]

(Nellie in her nightie might, but we probably shouldn't go there

Haha thanks, wasted about 15 minutes googling and reading the back story on that.

 

[bonnie]

I don't think people are suggesting that others shouldn't post their real-life experiences. I think the request (and I concur) is that before bashing Tesla (and we know some of that is just that), give the new company a chance by corresponding directly with them.

I, for one, am tired of the folks that just go on and on about how 'this is a deal breaker' or 'that is a deal breaker' or 'this is the worst company ever' ... and they've never once reached out to the company. Words on forums matter. Investors read this forum. A balanced view is probably impossible, no one is saying people shouldn't post .... only saying be FAIR in what you post.

The mods know of more than one situation where, for whatever reason, a poster has wildly exaggerated the experience they're having. I know that personally I prefer NOT to post any problems because of how annoyed I get when someone else overreacts to something I find 'not a big deal'. I wrote in my blog about a battery replacement & was really taken aback to see it portrayed differently by a forum member who made it into a bigger deal than it was. Will I post about something like that again? Probably not. I was trying to give a fair & realistic view, to not paint it 'all rosy' -- but without drama that I believe is harmful to a company that I believe is working hard to serve customers. (That's MY belief based on MY experience, your experience is yours.) And because of forum members who like to go negative, I probably won't do that again.

A lot of folks seem to confuse 'being critical' with 'critical thinking skills'. There is NOTHING wrong with sharing the reality of what is going on. But some of the drama unnecessarily takes things over the top. An issue is reported. A second and third issue is reported. And the same day, people are screaming 'where is Tesla's response on this???'. (How about we let them find the solution, eh?)

- - - Updated - - -

And to clarify - there are many forum members who do report the problems 'without the drama'. I heart you.

 

[lolachampcar]

People are a continuum from those that will say nothing to those that will say the sky is falling. This is normal and natural.

In my opinion-

The best way to approach this problem is to have a thread dedicated to each issue which lists the number of occurrences, probable cause and action being taken to address the issue. This information can be painted against the backdrop of the number of cars shipped. Sunlight is a wonderful disinfectant. This approach would be particularly effective if Tesla would provide input (via the front or back door).

From the above information a reasonable person can form their own opinion about each issue and form an accurate overall opinion of the product and the company.

In the absence of the above, we will have some that refuse to post their issues and those that will blow small issues out of proportion. It is the nature of people and even more so with the anonymity provided by the internet.

Bonnie, you know I would prefer a more organized solution to this problem. I get the impression from reading your posts that you might have similar views.

 

[vfx]

It's about wanting a fledgling company to survive. Sergio said on 60 Minutes that Chrysler could have one of their 2012 lineup totally fail and they could still make it. Tesla has one car for sale.

Besides the normal competition of other car makers, there are a lot of powerful forces like the extreme conservatives and oil companies that want this small company to fail.

If lazy posters treat a clearly more fragile Tesla with same vitriol they would to Toyota to get the online community to do legwork for them without trying to resolve issues on their own, they may shoot themselves in the foot. Not only would there be no further offerings from Tesla those very posters would also loose the service centers they need if they want to keep their new toy. May not be a big deal to them to get another car from an ICE maker, but some of us want a future car from the only company that takes this EV thing seriously. .

 

[bonnie]

Bonnie, you know I would prefer a more organized solution to this problem. I get the impression from reading your posts that you might have similar views.

Hah! What I want and what I get are two different animals. The mods do their very best to organize, organize, and organize more. Move posts here, break these posts out here, merge these threads. Again and again. Getting people to just post separate issues in separate threads? Well, that was on my Christmas list but Santa said 'no way'..

Seriously, people (as you noted above) all behave differently. While some may stick to 'one problem in this thread, this one in another' - that's just not the way it goes down. Because the next person wants to put their problems (big or small) all in one post (their right to do so), and then it all falls apart.

Tesla reads the forum. The problems are known. I am not going to presume to tell them how to run their business, since each time I do, I find out there are a whole bunch of things that I hadn't considered. (Yeah, embarrassing to admit that one!). They are big boys and girls there & I have no doubt they monitor the *mood* and take that into consideration when making decisions on what to communicate and how to communicate.

They JUST started shipping a brand-spanking-new car. If the issues are around (delivery, performance) six months to a year from now, I'll have a different opinion. But having brought more than one company up from nothing, I sympathize and perhaps cut them more slack than others might.

 

[AnOutsider]

It's about wanting a fledgling company to survive.

Sorry Eric, we have to disagree there. As I said, I'm not Tesla's PR department. They succeed or fail based on their own actions. I've backed them with my cash, now it's on them to follow through. Nothing I post here is going to change that, and cheerleading them while ignoring real issues would only do them (and more importantly, other people) a disservice.

 

[ToddRLockwood]

I think there's a tendency for owners/reservation holders to express the negative more than the positive. Let's not forget to give credit when it's due, such as when Tesla resolves a problem efficiently and professionally. After a problem is resolved, I suggest returning to the post where you first mentioned it and adding an "update" regarding its resolution. I have already read numerous examples of Tesla "doing the right thing" and "going above and beyond." My expectation is that Tesla's service will be better than what I've received at traditional car dealers.

 

[bonnie]

With all due respect to a fellow mod (who I happen to think is a good guy), I don't see where Eric was advocating for cheerleading. He DID say the vitriol (that we've all seen, AO) is not helpful. I agree. Some people (like you) try to resolve issues directly with Tesla. Others just come on the forum and complain like crazy, while never having reached out. That is not helpful to any of us.

 

[NigelM]

IMO it's a tribute to TMC members that people come here first to look for solutions to problems. We are all learning a new reality which is the Tesla sales model: Buying a car from a local dealer means that you stop by and talk to them if you have an issue; with Tesla it requires a different route with phone/e-mail communication and oftentimes it may just seem easier to look on TMC and see what you can find or to post your problem and see the replies.

Many of the problems posted on TMC are not really problems at all - they stem from the lack of a comprehensive manual and less than ideal communication on software updates. We all want to be certain of new technology especially when our lives (literally) depend on it, not to mention the major financial investment, so it's not altogether surprising that there can be a certain level of extreme speculation when owners believe there's something wrong.

 

[vfx]

Sorry Eric, we have to disagree there.....

Is that the royal we?

 

[jbherman]

With all due respect to a fellow mod (who I happen to think is a good guy), I don't see where Eric was advocating for cheerleading. He DID say the vitriol (that we've all seen, AO) is not helpful. I agree. Some people (like you) try to resolve issues directly with Tesla. Others just come on the forum and complain like crazy, while never having reached out. That is not helpful to any of us.

Just to set the record straight, given that one of my posts was quoted in the article in question:

Well, my delivery window of 12/15-12/31 has now come and gone. I still have not even been given a VIN. Nobody at Tesla is able to provide any information (including my DS). The My Tesla page has shown my car in production for over 3 weeks, but my DS states that production has yet to begin. He doesn't know when it will. Reservation holders greater than 3500 spots below mine have gotten their VIN. Emails, phone calls, etc. and no concrete information in response. "We're a new/small company...please be patient." That worked for me for a couple of weeks. Now it's becoming a tired excuse.

Extremely frustrated. Any suggestions?!

This post was made after multiple email and phone conversations with my DS (who has otherwise been an absolute pleasure to work with). I only posted my "complaint" here when I felt that I needed further advice. Interestingly/coincidentally, I received an email from my DS containing my VIN within a couple of hours after posting here. Regardless, my post was not intended to disparage Tesla, nor was it intended to be used outside of this forum without my consent. The author never contacted me to ask further questions or to obtain my consent. Had he done so, he would have learned that I am overall very impressed with Tesla, am eagerly awaiting my car, and want to help to make this company a success. As a consumer and TSLA stock holder, I feel it's my duty to tell a company what they're doing well and not so well (at least as it pertains to me). That's how they improve. I had previously expressed both my (many) positive and (few) negative experiences privately with Tesla prior to posting here. When I saw that a few had had similar experiences, I felt it right to share mine.

To that end, while I'm disappointed that the author chose to act in the way he did, I still feel that this forum is far and away the best place for us to learn via shared experiences what to expect from Tesla and, in turn, for Tesla to have a central repository of compliments and complaints to use for their own benefit.

 

[bonnie]

I don't think anyone is arguing that people not share experiences here on the forum. And kudos to you for having reached out first.

 

[brianman]

"closing the Internet pipe" is not an option in the USA thankfully

Just to close the loop on this one. A few years ago I'd agree with you. These days, I'm doubtful.

Here's an example:
http://www.bing.com/search?q=emergency+powers+block+internet

Sorry if this is bending off-topic, mods.

 

[Shorty]

I am hoping that in this day and age, credible media writers and reporters know better than to rely on an anonymous forum to source reliable information on any product or service. As far as I am concerned, an open dialog helps formulate new ideas and benefits everyone.

What I don't have time for are the cowards who post their grievances here solely to try and pressure Tesla into dealing with them. If people don't have the courage to talk to Tesla directly then I would prefer that they keep the sorid details to themselves.

 

[jerry33]

I am hoping that in this day and age, credible media writers and reporters

I don't think there are all that many of those left.

What I don't have time for are the cowards who post their grievances here solely to try and pressure Tesla into dealing with them. If people don't have the courage to talk to Tesla directly then I would prefer that they keep the sorid details to themselves.

As far as I can tell, almost all who have posted here have also talked directly to Tesla. However, sometimes Tesla doesn't communicate that well so they also post here.

 

[AnOutsider]

With all due respect to a fellow mod (who I happen to think is a good guy), I don't see where Eric was advocating for cheerleading. He DID say the vitriol (that we've all seen, AO) is not helpful. I agree. Some people (like you) try to resolve issues directly with Tesla. Others just come on the forum and complain like crazy, while never having reached out. That is not helpful to any of us.

Fair enough. I just wanted to be clear that I didn't think we should have to hold back info because it could hurt Tesla.

Is that the royal we?

No, no, just you and I buddy -- though, as Bonnie pointed out, I think we're on the same page anywho.

 

[vfx]

...

No, no, just you and I buddy -- though, as Bonnie pointed out, I think we're on the same page anywho.

More hugs!