January 4, 2016
By Drew Harwell
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk (click here) steps out of a Model X during a launch event in September at the carmaker's factory in Fremont, Calif. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)
When Jay Arbetter put down $40,000 in 2013 to reserve Tesla's newest electric showpiece, the Model X, the Dallas financial adviser was told he'd be driving his roomy, battery-powered SUV by the fall of 2014.
Instead, Arbetter has become one of the many Tesla pre-buyers left in the dark about when he'll get the key — and increasingly frustrated at the celebrated automaker's customer service, which he calls "the worst I've ever received of any company."
Since missing its first shipping date in 2013, the Model X has been beset by repeated delays, raising investor ire over the launch of Tesla's first new car since the Model S in 2012. But the Model X's launch has also raised tensions for some in another important crowd: Tesla fans, who paid up early and now feel spurned for supporting the popular carmaker's next big thing....
