Multiple new Tesla owners took to Twitter in an attempt to get some relief after they were charged twice for their new Teslas. Customers are finding the automaker resistant and slow in returning tens of thousands of dollars it took from their bank accounts, the buyers say. Some are now facing enormous personal financial chaos as a result of the mistaken charges.
The issue started hitting Tesla customers last week, as reported by CNBC:
Last week, after paying for brand new Tesla electric cars, Southern California residents Tom Slattery, Christopher T. Lee and Clark Peterson told CNBC they were gobsmacked to find the company had charged them twice, taking tens of thousands of dollars from their bank accounts without authorization or warning, then giving them a frustrating runaround when they sought refunds.
CNBC reviewed records including motor vehicle purchase agreements, correspondence with Tesla and bank statements to confirm their stories.
Two other customers, whose identities are known to CNBC but who asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, said they also experienced duplicate debit charges from Tesla, leaving them in distress. One of them faces overdraft fees and looming finance charges on credit card bills due at the end of the month.
Tom Slattery says he was charged twice for his new $53,000 long-range, all-wheel-drive 2021 Model Y that he ordered in January. Slattery contacted Tesla about the duplicate charge on his account on March 25. After days of calls to Tesla, he drove to Tesla’s Burbank, California, storefront to get answers. There, Tesla employees instructed Slattery to contact his bank to reverse the charge — a plan Slattery found unacceptable as the bank informed him it could take up to 10 days to return the money to his account.
It’s been five days and Slattery says he still does not have a confirmed date in writing from Tesla for when his money will be refunded. He’s refused delivery of the car until he receives the refund. Slattery claims he heard a Tesla service employee claim hundreds of people had been impacted by the double-charge issue. Two unnamed Tesla customers told CNBC they’re facing overdraft fees and finance charges as a result of the snafu.
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Communicating with Tesla has always been a notoriously difficult affair, with much of the company’s public relations running strangely through CEO Elon Musk’s Twitter account. We’ve reported that Tesla has made it nearly impossible for publications to contact the company, so like CNBC, we’ve been unable to reach Tesla for a statement on this story.
If you’ve recently received an order notice for delivery of a new Tesla vehicle, and you entered your payment information to arrange an arrival date, you should check right now to make sure you have not been double charged. If you have, contact the bank immediately to try to reverse the charge, as it could take over a week.
