Tesla

[BimmerM3]

Yes, nothing says urgency like trading emails once every few days

Well, those online chats with live representatives are ideal because you get the paper trail and immediate response.

I'll call if I need to, but most companies are pretty responsive over email these days.

(Again, I haven't watched the actual video yet, so sorry if I'm missing some specific context here.)

[AltinD]

...Tesla is legitimate now, and has managed to do what the rest of the auto industry hasn't been able to- make electric cars desirable and profitable...

Profitable????

[2o6]

The guy should probably call his insurance company and tell them to either prorate or credit his account until he takes delivery of the car (not everyone knows you can do that) but Tesla still probably requires some document that says the car is insured in your name/policy.



You can totally do this at most insurance companies, IDK why rotor is posting these irrelevant articles. I've done it before myself with flip cars I didn't transfer the title right away. Not to mention, my insurance company only asks me for the VIN. They don't ask for registration. Most insurance companies do this shit in good faith.

[Soup DeVille]

I've never had an insurance agent ask for proof I own a car before selling me a policy. Lenders however, have a vested interest in insuring the property they have a lien on is covered against loss.

[2o6]

I've never had an insurance agent ask for proof I own a car before selling me a policy. Lenders however, have a vested interest in insuring the property they have a lien on is covered against loss.

Yes. Ally Bank wanted the proof, before I drove away.

[Soup DeVille]

The guy should probably call his insurance company and tell them to either prorate or credit his account until he takes delivery of the car (not everyone knows you can do that) but Tesla still probably requires some document that says the car is insured in your name/policy.



You can totally do this at most insurance companies, IDK why rotor is posting these irrelevant articles. I've done it before myself with flip cars I didn't transfer the title right away. Not to mention, my insurance company only asks me for the VIN. They don't ask for registration. Most insurance companies do this shit in good faith.

Yes, you can do this. You can even sometimes get the car prorated for storage instead of driving.

[2o6]

Yes, you can do this. You can even sometimes get the car prorated for storage instead of driving.

That still doesn't excuse Tesla for not knowing where the hell this car is, though.



God, at a dealership it would take 5 mins for a title clerk to tell the salesman "Hey, we don't have the title because the previous bank is being slow" and relay that to the customer.


Instead, it's taken 60 days. And there's no point of contact. Even if the guy were to call the "point of contact", that woman probably has hundreds of cases all over the country and wouldn't have one iota where to even start on how to find out where his car is and what it's doing.

[Soup DeVille]

All true. They should also be able to tell you the state of the title currently.

Hell, I've had lost titles re-issued by the state in 24 hours.

[12,000 RPM]

I just give my insurance a VIN and they add it.  I can do it online without even calling

I can easily add a car I don't own yet.  I think I have until 30 days after purchase to add it too.  I'm covered no matter what I buy until then.

Yea same here, I think I added the KIA on my phone

Is anyone else as surprised as I am that r0tor is blaming customers for another of Tesla's innovations in shit? Yes, the only benefit of a dealer is ensuring the paint is in good condition

Email, phone, there's been no communication. In this day and age you communicate however the customer wants... people don't have time to be on the phone all day to deal with issues that could be solved by email/text.

[MrH]

Lol, of course rotor takes one of countless horror stories of Tesla, latches onto a minor and irrelevant aspect of the story, and calls this whole thing fake because of it.

The truth is, Tesla is totally incompetent and has no idea what they're doing outside of product related functions. I actually like the model S as a product. But holy shit they're a mess.

[SJ_GTI]

Oh boy....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ro6kpKlw0

I wouldn't believe a thing that guy said...he is basically a moron or being intentionally obtuse about the situation.

He doesn't understand how paying sales tax on a car works? He thought he was somehow going to pay sales taxes in both states? Like 5 seconds on Google would answer his question (if it was genuine).

He doesn't realize that by simply calling his insurance company he can change the date of when his coverage starts? I would guess there is something like a 99.999% probability that his insurance company would refund his payments if he called them and told them he doesn't own the car yet.

He seems confused by the notion that buying a used car can be more difficult than a new one.  IME this is fairly typical.

Everything about that video makes me think he is either intentionally making the process more difficult or is too dumb to realize he is making things difficult.

[2o6]

I wouldn't believe a thing that guy said...he is basically a moron or being intentionally obtuse about the situation.

He doesn't understand how paying sales tax on a car works? He thought he was somehow going to pay sales taxes in both states? Like 5 seconds on Google would answer his question (if it was genuine).

How is it not genuine? Buying a new car out of state can be complicated, especially with a loan etc. It's OK to go into a deal not knowing exactly everything. Moreover, a Tesla agent should have been able to answer those questions quickly and effectively.


He doesn't realize that by simply calling his insurance company he can change the date of when his coverage starts? I would guess there is something like a 99.999% probability that his insurance company would refund his payments if he called them and told them he doesn't own the car yet.

Not everyone knows this.

He seems confused by the notion that buying a used car can be more difficult than a new one.  IME this is fairly typical.

Two months worth of time harder?

Everything about that video makes me think he is either intentionally making the process more difficult or is too dumb to realize he is making things difficult.

Like, how do you guys keep blaming the customer? Especially since these are common complaints among people buying CPO Teslas!

[SJ_GTI]

PS. I don't mean the above as a defense of Tesla. They shouldn't put a used car up for sale until they have the title IMHO, but I have heard of regular car dealers doing the same thing.

[BimmerM3]

I wouldn't believe a thing that guy said...he is basically a moron or being intentionally obtuse about the situation.

He doesn't understand how paying sales tax on a car works? He thought he was somehow going to pay sales taxes in both states? Like 5 seconds on Google would answer his question (if it was genuine).

He doesn't realize that by simply calling his insurance company he can change the date of when his coverage starts? I would guess there is something like a 99.999% probability that his insurance company would refund his payments if he called them and told them he doesn't own the car yet.

He seems confused by the notion that buying a used car can be more difficult than a new one.  IME this is fairly typical.

Everything about that video makes me think he is either intentionally making the process more difficult or is too dumb to realize he is making things difficult.

He definitely does a lot of stupid YouTuber things that made me want to punch him, but I don't think that that indicates he's lying. Considering that Tesla is still working on getting their new vehicle pipeline running well, it's not at all that surprising that they're also having trouble effectively reinventing the used car market on top of everything else.

[BimmerM3]

PS. I don't mean the above as a defense of Tesla. They shouldn't put a used car up for sale until they have the title IMHO, but I have heard of regular car dealers doing the same thing.

IMO, that argument doesn't hold much water since the whole point of them avoiding the traditional dealership model is to get rid of those types of shenanigans.

[MX793]

Firstly, mostly all states require LIABILITY insurance.  That's coverage on the driver and not the car.  There is no reason any state would prohibit temporary liability coverage on a new car from an existing coverage... It's not about the damn car.

Secondly

https://www.progressive.com/answers/new-car-insurance/
https://www.allstate.com/tr/car-insurance/buying-a-car-on-the-weekend.aspx
https://www.autotrader.com/car-shopping/buying-car-how-do-you-add-insurance-if-you-buy-ove-225720
Https://www.thetruthaboutinsurance.com/new-car-insurance-grace-period/
... Or try any other insurance company...

Car insurance in NY goes with the car.  I have unique sets of insurance cards for each registered vehicle that list that specific vehicle's information (and only that vehicle's information).  Name on the insurance card must match the registrant.  My insurance does not automatically cover any new vehicle I buy, nor does it cover me if I'm driving someone else's car.

See the top example below of NY Insurance cards:

https://dmv.ny.gov/insurance/sample-insurance-id-card-fs-20

Proof of insurance (a card like the above, as well as an electronic verification) is required to register a vehicle.  NY doesn't have temporary plates.  So the only way for you to drive your car home is to get a policy on the vehicle first, then register the vehicle and get plates issued, then drive it home.  Otherwise, you're going to have to have it towed/trucked to your home while you handle getting plates/registration.

If buying at a dealer, the process goes like this:

1.  Make deal to purchase car, sign contract, give deposit, set up a date to pick the car up.
2.  Add vehicle to your insurance policy, make effective on pick-up date
3.  Insurance company provides cards for car
4.  Send insurance cards to dealership so they can register the vehicle for you as they process other paper work (title, etc)
5.  Pick up your car on the scheduled date and drive home.

For private party, it goes like this:
1.  Make deal, exchange cash, get previous owner to sign the title over to you and issue a bill of sale.  Leave car with previous owner until you can get plates.
2.  Add car to insurance policy
3.  Get new insurance cards
4.  Take title, bill of sale, and insurance cards to DMV, wait 3 hours, get plates and registration.
5.  Return to seller, put plates on car, drive home.

[MX793]

PS. I don't mean the above as a defense of Tesla. They shouldn't put a used car up for sale until they have the title IMHO, but I have heard of regular car dealers doing the same thing.

There was a title issue with my Jetta.  When I went to pick it up, they informed me that there was some issue with the title (either an error on it that voided it or it was lost, I never got the full story) and they had to get a new one.  They sent me home with a set of dealer plates for a couple of days while they got a new title issued.

[12,000 RPM]

Everything about that video makes me think he is either intentionally making the process more difficult or is too dumb to realize he is making things difficult.

What could he have done differently to expedite delivery?

[MrH]

What could he have done differently to expedite delivery?

Die for Tesla's sins. Shut up and shoulder the blame for the messiah Elon.

[12,000 RPM]

Die for Tesla's sins. Shut up and shoulder the blame for the messiah Elon.

You are going as hard as Tesla's defenders, just in the opposite direction. I still think you might be a little jealous of Elon. You feel you are smarter than him, so why is he the worshipped billionaire? Or am I off?

This is def a shit show but let's not make it so personal. Dude started a car company FFS

[MrH]

You are going as hard as Tesla's defenders, just in the opposite direction. I still think you might be a little jealous of Elon. You feel you are smarter than him, so why is he the worshipped billionaire? Or am I off?

This is def a shit show but let's not make it so personal. Dude started a car company FFS

Naw. I just worked with them enough to despise them. That's really where the hatred comes from   dealt with too much of their bullshit. I thought it was just a silly start up with a cool product that had a lot to learn, but I can no longer chalk this up to just incompetence. It's downright fraud.

[93JC]

Dude started a car company FFS

No he didn't, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning did.

[12,000 RPM]

Naw. I just worked with them enough to despise them. That's really where the hatred comes from   dealt with too much of their bullshit. I thought it was just a silly start up with a cool product that had a lot to learn, but I can no longer chalk this up to just incompetence. It's downright fraud.

OK, I knew it was something more than just general skepticism.

[MX793]

No he didn't, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning did.

Musk hasn't completely rid the world of any articles mentioning those two as the men behind Tesla?  I thought he'd already fully enacted his revisionist version of Tesla's origins.

[BimmerM3]

Not to excuse that he's tried to minimize their involvement, he did become chairman less than a year after the company was founded, was the primary financier for the first several years, and was involved in designing the original Roadster in some capacity. It's not like he just bought an established, successful company and tried to pawn it off as his own - he was integral to the company in its early years.

Too bad we can't go check out some alternate universes to see how they'd be doing if Tesla's early funding had come from other sources. It'd be interesting to see if they would be more or less successful without him.

[GoCougs]

His story sounds legit - insurance was required before delivery because he financed through Tesla. A brick-n-mortar dealer that finances a purchase is no different - no delivery without insurance. Of course with a BnM outfit, "delivery" is driving the car in from the lot. Tesla isn't going to truck in the car from wherever without you signing on the dotted line.

As to the process as a whole, sounds like the car doesn't exist and + just another Tesla debacle. Kinda not smart also to buy a car sight unseen however...

[CALL_911]

Kinda not smart also to buy a car sight unseen however...

Disclaimer: I didn't watch the video

A brand new car? I would buy a brand new car sight unseen.

[GoCougs]

No, it's used Model X; in fact the cheapest listed on the Tesla used car site, and without pictures (they came later, after he'd paid his nonrefundable $2,500 deposit, which showed all wheels curb'd, and Tesla said the car is sold "as is" (i.e., won't get fixed)).

[SJ_GTI]

What could he have done differently to expedite delivery?

Less difficult /= faster.

His e-mails to the Tesla employees were absurd. They may have ignored him no matter what, but I have to imagine there was a lot of eye rolling by employees when they read them.

[12,000 RPM]

Less difficult /= faster.

His e-mails to the Tesla employees were absurd. They may have ignored him no matter what, but I have to imagine there was a lot of eye rolling by employees when they read them.

Why? He wasn't rude or ambiguous. There's nothing in his emails that has warranted Tesla's practices. You guys are so easily annoyed.