this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2024
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[–] [email protected] 79 points 9 months ago (3 children)

“Going forward, it is mandatory in North America to install and activate FSD V12.3.1 and take customers on a short test ride before handing over the car,” Musk wrote in an email to staffers on Monday. “Almost no one actually realizes how well (supervised) FSD actually works. I know this will slow down the delivery process, but it is nonetheless a hard requirement.”

I mean, you can require the employee delivering the car to offer to take the customer on a ride. You can require the employee to tell the customer how awesome the service is. But I don't see how you can make the customer go for a ride if the customer doesn't want to go for a ride. And, frankly, I kind of suspect that a not-inconsiderable number of new customers just want to go use their new car and aren't interested in sitting through a sales pitch for some associated service.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Easy. You write it into the sales agreement. Sales agreements are contracts where both parties agree to do certain things in exchange for other things.

While most agreements are pretty simple, you give up money in exchange for goods, or services, it's also easy to write "You will pay the purchase price ($....) to Tesla and also sit through our fucking FSD demo, in exchange, Tesla will deliver 1 ugly-ass car shaped like a fat roller skate," or similar.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

But the two people most important to the contract are the salesguy and the customer.

The sales guy can say "Hey, sign here stating I gave you a FSD demo", and the customer says "Wait, why??", and the sales guy says : "If you don't sign that, I'm forced to take you out on a 5 minute demo", then the customer signs it.

So they'd just easily avoid the whole endeavor anyway.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago (2 children)

But I don't see how you can make the customer go for a ride if the customer doesn't want to go for a ride.

Don't hand over the keys on the basis that company requirements for liability mitigation were not met.

I know that sounds like a stretch, but Tesla buyers don't own their cars. Tesla has control over the system (OTA updates), you "have to" bring it to Tesla for repairs and service, and they've even tried to control who can resell a cyberteuck.

You're basically renting a Tesla at full price.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago (1 children)

you "have to" bring it to Tesla for repairs and service

That's some big ass quotation marks, because it's not true at all. I've only had mine fixed by Tesla when it was a warranty issue. The service I've had done (brakes, general checkup and AC) have been done by a local shop without any issues. Had a fender bender that was fixed by a local shop too without any issues.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I split my service visits between Tesla and a local shop depending on what I need done. When my son destroyed the suspension on a curb, that went to the local shop. When my skid plate ripped, Tesla did that because mobile service is so convenient. I've actually found Tesla's labor costs to be very reasonable.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Their hourly rate is certainly lower than my local shop.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

I've had things like my audio controller replaced and it was like $30 for labor. Same for a lot of other things.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago

Tesla has control over the system (OTA updates), you "have to" bring it to Tesla for repairs and service, and they've even tried to control who can resell a cyberteuck.

That's not the case at all. I haven't needed to do much on my Tesla but the few things that I have needed to do on my 2018 Model 3 have been handled either under warranty by Tesla immediately and without charge, or handled by the same body repair and tire shops I took my Honda to before.

As for the Cybertruck resale limits, other manufacturers do the exact same thing for new models at initial launch or even as part of their regular sales agreements. That includes traditionally more expensive brands like Ferrari and Lamborghini, as well as brands like Ford when introducing new high end models like the GT. This isn't something weird in the industry at all for new limited production models.