3 years waiting for a powerwall

cwillsmd_98047529

I love Tesla. I have bought 4 Tesla cars and have tons of Tesla stock!

However, getting a powerwall installed is one of the most frustrating things ever. I put a deposit and applied over 3 years ago, and still have nothing installed! Despite numerous calls over the years, I get no action from Tesla.

What does it take to get a powerwall installed?

This is a true story — I have been pushing for over 3 years now.

pdeputy_98632289

Time to move on.

lbowroom

I don’t know, it only took a few months to get mine in California.

Where are you?

Magic 8 Ball

Yeah, where are you? Lots of them in our 'hood; Bay Area California.

Ohmster

It's been 6 months for me....very frustrating. I'm in SoCal.

cwillsmd_98047529

I’m in Orange County. Southern California.

cwillsmd_98047529

Shocking development! After 3 years of calling and cajoling and getting nowhere, I got a call from a contractor to schedule the panel upgrade about an hour after posting this!

Really sorry I didn’t complain here sooner! Maybe Tesla will give me a discount for having to spend 3 years trying to get them installed!

lbowroom

Panel upgrade? I thought you were waiting for a powerwall?

cwillsmd_98047529

> @lbowroom said:
> Panel upgrade? I thought you were waiting for a powerwall?

I am waiting for a powerwall, but they have to install a switching panel and panel upgrade first. This is all part of the install.

Surprise! I was scheduled to have it done today and the contractor showed up and promptly cancelled the installation before starting because ‘it might rain’. This is despite a sunny day with the forecast for zero rain the next two days! Aviation weather forecast (which is by far the most accurate — and the most conservative about rainfall) says zero rain.

Tesla management says they can’t control contractors, so I am waiting again.

The contractor says he will schedule next week (when the chance of rain is 90%).

The nightmare continues!

EVRider

You don't have to use Tesla to install a Powerwall, there are other contractors you can work with (some of whom are used by Tesla as subcontractors). You might have better luck with someone else.

cwillsmd_98047529

> @EVRider said:
You might have better luck with someone else.

Probably true.

Certainly couldn’t have any worse luck!

cwillsmd_98047529

By the way, the weather is beautiful, just as everybody said and knew it would be (except the contractor?). Blue sky, puffy clouds, lots of solar electric generation, solar hot water, solar pool heating — but no workers!

So frustrating.

cwillsmd_98047529

When I first signed up in 2017, they were not allowing outside contractors, since they were pushing to get boatloads of batteries to keep Elon’s promise to Australia.

I kept thinking they would take care of long time customers before contractors. No such luck.

cwillsmd_98047529

Well, I finally am getting somewhere! The contractor came and did the panel upgrade with the switching panel installation.

Now awaiting inspection and battery installation.

Will the 3 year wait be over soon???

andy_connor_e

Sorry to hear that dude, unfortunately this is the result when the gigafactory didnt work as intended. Probably will not ramp up until Texas factory ramps up battery production. Tesla is entirely cell constrained.

rxlawdude

Your story sounds like Bill Maher's. He's been waiting 3 years for solar, fighting with the utility and city.

cwillsmd_98047529

I had that same type of battle when I first installed solar on my house in 1986. Neither the utility nor the County had any idea of what I was talking about. They had never heard of a grid tied solar system back then. I finally had to personally teach the County building inspectors how to inspect a grid-tied system. The head guy had all his inspectors come out so I could show them how it works and show them what to look out for. They then passed it.

Southern California Edison said they owned the grid and I was not allowed to hook to ‘their grid’. Only after I showed them the law, did they grudgingly acknowledge that maybe I could do it. They claimed that only they could install it, and wanted to charge three times what I could build it for. I finally told them to take a hike and hooked it up. They have hated me ever since, but my system has worked flawlessly over all these years.

Because there were no rebates back then and the cost per watt was so high, it took 7 years to break even, but it has made ‘free money’ ever since.

rxlawdude

I can't believe someone flagged @cwillsmd_98047529 post.