Model 3 owners accuse Tesla of bait-and-switch on premium interior materials

Reservation-holders are starting to get deliveries of their Model 3s at long last, but there's rising ire among some who say that Tesla is swapping out premium interior materials for lower-quality cloth versions on premium trim packages without notice, explanation or any offer to discount the price.

Threads on both the Tesla Motors Club forum and Tesla Reddit page are filled with complaints from owners who say they've taken deliveries of the Model 3 sedan and paid $5,000 for premium upgrade packages but gotten interiors with cloth headliners, door accents, B-pillars and visors when they expected Alcantara. One owner took to Twitter to post photos of what he described as a "mix and match" interior in his new car.

@jonmcneill @Tesla @elonmusk where did the synthetic suede headliner go in #model3 premium upgrades? This mix and match nonsense is an accident, right? pic.twitter.com/hH3vFNCzLA

— Steeeeeeeeeeve (@worstofthymes) January 11, 2018

"Tesla better correct it," user void-ninja said in a TMC thread. "Basic cloth is not acceptable in a $5,000 upgrade package when better materials are being specified."

Tesla's website makes no mention of Alcantara as a premium upgrade option for the Model 3, describing only "Premium heated seating and cabin materials throughout, including open pore wood decor and two rear USBs." But reservation holders said they widely believed the $5,000 PUP package included the premium synthetic material, based on online reviews of the electric car, YouTube videos and other cues, including some of Tesla's own marketing materials and reports from many of the first owners to take delivery. The Tesla marketing photo above, for example, appears to show Alcantara.

@elonmusk My delivery is scheduled for this Saturday, and I am very disappointed in Tesla's decision to switch the Model 3's interior material from ultra suede to average cloth w/o telling anyone. Feels very bait and switchy, and unacceptable from a co. like #Tesla. #TeslaModel3

— Alex Williams (@AlexPWilliams) January 11, 2018

Said one Reddit user, "if a couple thousand Model 3 owners have Alcantara and now Tesla uses a much less luxurious material surely this is grounds to readjust the PUP price. I get how financially important this car is to them but don't fool me by saying premium touches and ship some textile stuff that a low end GM car has."

It appears Tesla has a new issue to address among its rabid faithful. If you're a PUP reservation holder, you might want to contact your service center.

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