***
I had lunch with a friend about 3 weeks ago in the middle of my work day. We caught up with our lives, and of course the biggest news in my life was my new Tesla -- and she knew it! So she asked lots of questions, and I was more than delighted to share about it.
After lunch, I took her on a short test ride. The part of Vancouver that we drove was congested and really not conducive to showing off the car. I could even barely get my car to self-park (something she wanted to see).
About two weeks later, I got an email that said she had ordered a Tesla and had some questions about it. The first thing I thought of (selfishly) was... "OMG! Did she use a referral code?!?! I don't remember giving her mine!" After I calmed down, I called her and left a message... something like...
"WHAT?!?! You ordered a Tesla? I didn't even know you were interested! If I knew I would have given you a proper drive! I'm SOOOO excited for you! Please let me know when you have a delivery date! I'll come with you! They will probably rush you through the orientation, and now that I know what to check, I can inspect with you! I want to know what colour you got! I want to know the features! Did you get Self-Driving?!?!"
(Yup, I'm officially a Tesla-loving maniac.)
***
Next day, I get another email...
Yup, she already HAS the Tesla.
Apparently, it took two weeks between the order and delivery. Standard Range Plus, black/black. It doesn't get any more basic than that. I suspect they had plenty already available for purchase.
This first Tesla question made me feel a little embarrassed. For someone who has the means to drive nice cars, and just closed her lease on her BMW, she is used to solid-working auto wipers with sensors in the windows. To tell her that they are not up to par when we live in a climate where it rains half the year was embarrassing. All I could emphasize was that Tesla is abundantly aware of the issue because the Tesla community is quite vocal about it. The "pluses" are (1) Tesla listens to their customers and follows social media to work on making customers happy, and (2) I'm told that the wipers have actually improved over the last 6 months, and with software updates, we can expect them to continue to improve over time without ever having to buy a new car.
***
I made time to meet her today (well, now yesterday), and I started with the questions "So what do you KNOW so far about driving this car?" And she answered, "Pretty much, nothing." She had not tried the autopilot, most of the settings were new to her. She had questions about the LTE service, if the scroll wheel turns up the volume, etc. And then she confirmed that on the day of delivery, the orientation was really rushed, just like I said it would be.
(a rant has been deleted)
I sent her some links to beginners guides, and invited her to some Tesla groups she could follow. But nothing beats the in-person orientation.
***
This took SO long, that I missed lunch, and then had to head straight over to my cousin's place where I had promised him a test drive of my Tesla along with my nephew who I had proclaimed that Tesla was his DREAM CAR! My mother was the one to mention that I had one, and he was excited.
On top of that, it was another 1.5 hours of teaching him how to drive a Tesla -- this time for the first time!
But this post is getting way too long and out of hand already, so I'll pick this up again tomorrow.
But before I go, my sentry footage was showcased on my favorite YouTube Channel, Now You Know! I sent it to them just because I thought it was interesting. They asked for permission to put it on their show, and I was more than honoured! (starts at 3:25)
***
Today, nothing eventful. There are more bicyclists on the roads at the university where I work, and I'm finding myself dropping autopilot when I pass them -- just as a safety precaution in case they don't hear me coming and veer out into the road. One of these days, I'm going to have a close call... I can feel it.
Odometre reading today: 5680 kms
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for responding! :)