As the owner of a Tesla Model S, I got an email yesterday from the car manufacturer proudly stating that they were now offering insurance. The “angle” seemed to be that, since they have so much information about each car (where it’s driven, how fast it’s driven, and so on) they could more intelligently price insurance and, who knows, maybe save you some cash.
Seems like a pretty sensible idea, doesn’t it? Maybe even brilliant.
So, since Tesla has succeeded in intriguing me, I clicked on the link to get a quote, and I was presented with this (the highlight is my own, for emphasis):
In other words………..the site doesn’t work.
Now, look, I know those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, and I’ve had my own website, in one form or another, since 1996, so I am sensitive to people having trouble now and then.
But……..
- this is a large, public company;
- they have pretty much infinite technical resources;
- this was a big announcement, for which they should be prepared
- and, most important, it’s not like I caught them with their pants down for the two or three seconds they were down; I’ve checked checking every few hours since yesterday, and it’s been down every single time.
Ya know, if you’re going to offer financial services to people, you might want to get across the feelings of confidence, reliability, security, and safety. If the first encounter with a new insurance provider is that their main page isn’t even working…………...forget it. This is about as successful as solar roof tiles that burst into flames.
