I got my M3 deposit back because they are unable to deliver the car by the end my current lease even though it's already 18 months later than promised. I'm sorry Elon but I'm not taking the bus for God-knows-how-long until you get your shit together. I'm just gonna get something nice that I can actually drive and you lost a sale that you pretty much had in your pocket.
See but the thing is
you were able to recover your deposit I think that this is the biggest portion of this to remember. Tesla knew they weren't going to be able to keep up with production and hit the quotas needed to sell all of the cars that people put deposits on -- this was something that was known of a company which has struggled to hit deadlines for so long. Elon Musk knew this, and made it so people could get their money back -- if he didn't know this, he would have made it so that wasn't able to be recovered and you'd just have to wait for the car (plus it's providing capital to a company which needs it, another reason not to give the money back)
t's funny though how it seems to be easier to build spaceships than cars.
A lot more money from government contracts in building spaceships, eh! It's a lot easier when you have a setup money flow, rather then having to depend on people in the world to buy your product which is expensive and behind schedule.
But yeah, I think they'll turn it around. They just need time, a bit of hope, and Elon Musk.