Tesla is an amazing company that’s attempting to do some truly remarkable things. That said, some Tesla fans are insufferable. The company and its CEO Elon Musk have created a cult of zealots that are incapable of criticizing the company. These fanboys dismiss every mistake Tesla makes (and it has made several) and vapidly attack any opinion on the company that’s not 100-percent complimentary. As a prospective customer that has been annoyed and disappointed by the numerous “hells” Tesla has encountered (production, painting, delivery, etc.), the zealots make supporting the company…challenging.
As several of you RPadholics know, I reserved a Tesla Model 3 in April 2016. My first estimated delivery date showed that I could expect my configuration (standard battery) some time between April and June 2018. I received an email from Tesla on November 1, 2017 that said, “your estimated delivery timing will now be slightly later than we originally expected.” I received another on February 7, 2018 that said, “your estimated delivery timing has been adjusted to a slightly later window.” My account currently states, “Standard Battery available in 4-7 months.”
After leasing a Ford Focus Electric for three years, I did a lease takeover on a BMW i3, planned around my April-June 2018 estimate. That lease expired at the end of July 2018. As you can imagine, waiting for the Model 3 Standard Battery has been aggravating. I’ve shared my story in the comments section of Electrek (great EV enthusiast site that’s in dire need of moderation). Some of the attacks I’ve received were so pathetic that it’s funny.
Let’s start with some replies from a person that goes by Oneb.
You should troll the internet and brownwash such an awful company. Especially don’t let anyone else enjoy theirs while RPad doesn’t have his. I bet even when you get it you won’t be happy. In fact when was the last time you were happy? Go to Mommy and cry to her you big baby!
Ahh so that’s why you’re upset, RPad hasn’t got his new toy, so you take every opportunity to take a shit on Tesla. I hope you’re car goes down the assembly line with your comments taped to the car and the workers can spit all over it as it goes down the line and Elon takes a big shit in the glovebox.
How does it feel to be an anti-patriot? You’re a waste of space.
So your solution to not being able to get the car you want is to publicly rubbish the people who will make what you want? You’re not so smart are you. Is that how you get what you want in the rest of your life, to insult and slander people? You must be a really nice guy.
You only see the money. That’s probably why you don’t get Elon. It’s not about da money. Fool. Eye wateringly large sums of money are just a means to an end, not the objective. You probably drool over the sums of cash Tesla can push around dreaming of how you would do it better, but in reality you’re not even good on your own youtube videos. Stop the jealousy over how another man makes his money and mind your own business. Literally!
Apparently being unhappy that my car has been twice delayed makes me an anti-patriot. Ha. Please keep in mind that I never insulted anyone in this thread, yet several people have made idiotic assumptions and attacked me.
Then there’s Greg_in_NY, an imaginative fellow that almost makes me embarrassed to have grown up in New York.
The more comments I read, I’m doubtful he’s even placed a reservation for a Model 3. His comments seem to be rather negative about Telsa, which makes me wonder why he’d even want to buy a Tesla. Smells of FUD to me.
I’m highly doubtful the whiny little b*tch has actually even placed a reservation for a Model 3. He most likely drives around in a Chevy Tahoe and like to pretend he’s mad about not having a Model 3.
Greg indulges in one of my favorite techniques used by Tesla zealots — dismissing opinions as FUD because he doesn’t like them. That’s, perhaps, the most bothersome thing about Tesla fanboys; you can’t have a meaningful conversation about the company because some of its fans are incapable of critical thought. In addition to accusing me of not having a reservation, this genius inexplicably came to the conclusion that I drive a Tahoe and like to pretend that I’m mad. Uh…good one.
Next up is tom quinn.
They never promised you a free ride, they never promised you the SR before the LR. You seem to be annoyed that they are not bending over to make you happy. Either shut up or put up. Things in life often are not perfect so stop demanding them like little kid. Try growing up.
I never wrote anything about being promised a free ride or being promised the Standard Range before Long Range. I did point out that Tesla initially said that it would produce the Model 3 Standard Range before producing the Model 3 All-Wheel Drive (AWD). The company decided to sell the more expensive Model 3 AWD first because it’s struggling to achieve profitability.
Apparently being unhappy about a product I reserved being twice delayed and more than a year late is acting “like little kid.” That seems silly to me. If you give a company money and they don’t deliver as originally promised, you should just “shut up or put up” by buying the more expensive version?
What’s funny about tom quinn is that he often accuses people of being “paid trolls.” That’s idiotic. Why would a company pay someone to post negative opinions about Tesla on an EV enthusiast website like Electrek? That would accomplish nothing.
Moving on, Paretooptimum has amazing insight to my finances without knowing me.
You’re poor. Stop winging like a baby and start a kickstarter or gofundme for whatever you need for and upgrade. Hell, I’ll throw in $100 just to shut this whole discussion down.
The funny part is that Tesla used a Kickstarter-like tactic for the Model 3. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Model 3 configurations, the Standard Range starts at $35,000, while the “cheapest” Model 3 you can buy now costs $49,000. For the configuration I want (Standard Range + Premium Upgrade Package + Enhanced Autopilot), the difference would be $9,000. That’s not an insignificant amount of money for me.
To be clear, there were some replies to my comments that were thoughtful and insult-free. Naturally, not everyone agreed with me, but I appreciated the people that could engage in discourse without stooping to moronic insults.
Having said that, I have to agree with RPadholic smartguy, who labeled the Tesla community as “toxic.” I’m an EV enthusiast that has driven electric cars for four years, after relying on public transportation in New York (easy), San Francisco (somewhat easy) and Los Angeles (not so easy) for 17 years. Yet my opinions are met with petty attacks and some of my perfectly reasonable comments are marked as spam because I don’t worship at The Church of Tesla and bow down before South African Jesus, Elon Musk.
I’m a huge fan of what Tesla is trying to do with the Model 3, but I’m also annoyed at the company’s numerous delays, dishonest estimates, and poor communication. Some people in the Tesla community have binary vision that’s pathetic — you either love Tesla or you’re a paid troll/FUDster. The toxic portion of the Tesla community is as infuriating as the wait for the Model 3.