Risks and rewards

My dad bought a Laserdisc player a LONG time ago. Remember those?

The laser discs were big, like old LP vinyl records. They had two sides, which meant you had to flip the disc over halfway through the movie. Still, it was awesome. It was a cool technological upgrade (especially from video cassettes) for our family, and we starting gifting our favorite movies on disc.

My dad definitely took a risk on the Laserdisc movement. Sadly, it was short-lived.

DVDs entered the scene and those big, expensive discs we were collecting became old news. It didn’t take long for everyone to get on the DVD train. Laserdiscs were a thing of the past.

Five years ago, my husband brought up the idea of getting an electric car. I was very hesitant at first, but my gas-guzzling SUV was making the idea appealing. I agreed to look at a Tesla. I was still unsure, but then we went for a test drive.

I was sold.

My 2019 Tesla was delivered in August.

It was a big risk.

Honestly, I have really LOVED the car. It is so fun to drive—so smooth on the road and no gas to fill or oil to change! I was loving every minute of Tesla ownership. The rewards absolutely outweighed the risk.

For a while, anyway.

We have had some problems with the car—things like a dead 12V battery that had to get replaced, a sunvisor that fell off, and a secondary restraint system error that still needs repair. But none of these things compare to what happened on Tuesday afternoon.

I was driving my daughters to their dance studio. Everything was normal until I pulled into the parking lot where I drop them off. There was a speedbump (small one) and I moved the car to the left so only one tire would go over. I slowed down, and as the right tire rolled over the bump, the right side of the car fell. The whole right front of the car was on the ground.

What the?

I made my girls get out and SLOWLY turned the car into a parking space. The scraping metal was deafening.

I DO seem to have an ability to take bad situations and make them worse. It isn’t intentional…it’s just a skill I’ve been blessed to have. Sigh.

I called for help immediately and waited for a tow truck. The man arrived and he was so very helpful. After he had me sign several forms saying I wouldn’t hold the tow company liable for the damage, he got to work. Getting the car that I had parked in line with his truck was almost an act of Congress. He used chains at angles that would impress professional pool players. He used wood blocks and tire stops and all kinds of tricks. He even had me operate the chain that pulled the car onto the platform while he walked ever-so-slowly with the jack under my car.

About two hours later, the tow truck left with my car on the back.

The next day, I got a message from the Tesla service center that said the damage was so extensive and they couldn’t repair it. I would need to have the car towed to one of their collision repair places.

Again—wut?

I called and talked to the employee assigned to my case. He insisted that the amount of damage could not have been caused by going over a speed bump. I was apparently lying. 🤥

So right now, my Tesla is still at the service center, and I’m waiting for estimates and possible time frames for getting it repaired. In the meantime, there is a significant amount of car juggling going on. It is inconvenient at best, and super annoying at the worst.

We took a big risk. Five years in, and I would never get a Tesla again. The rewards just aren’t worth it. Not to me.

But that is how risk works, right? You don’t know if there are going to be big rewards or not until you take that risk and jump in. My dad didn’t know the Laserdisc trend would phase in and out so quickly. Brian and I didn’t realize all the problems that would accompany a Tesla—not until after we took the risk and got the car.

Although I’m currently angry at my situation, I still like a world where we get to take risks. I like it even better when those risks turn into big rewards. I wish they always worked out that way.

They don’t.

And that’s ok.