Is it wise for Tesla to refuse FSD refunds?

[SergeyUser]

So Tesla may refuse to refund customers for a feature they were never able to use, because of it is not available yet. Now, I leave legal aspect of this out of the question. My only question is - WHY would Tesla want for their customers to be unhappy that much? You can return pretty much everything within certain period, including Tesla Model 3 itself! "We want our customers to be happy". Of course. Why then force upon them something which does not even exist yet? This practically guarantees reduced customer satisfaction, at the very least.

I have only one theory about this - unfortunately, Tesla needs this money so much and possibly even accounted it as something already "earned" (I guess someone may correct me on the last part, savvy enough to analyze their accounting data), so basically have no choice. It is now became too costly for them to keep customers happy (again, I believe a very reasonable expectation to have some refund under such scenario) to the point of a financial failure for Tesla, and apparently this seems like a viable solution to EM. In my opinion, this is a big mistake.

I would like to say that I wish Tesla to succeed. However, for this FSD question, they've missed their own expectations on when FSD will be available. It is not a fault of FSD owners. If they need money - they should raise capital to compensate this to keep doing their business. Asking Customers is Ok if this is voluntarily, but forcing this decision upon them is clearly bad idea.

Disclaimer: I'm FSD owner, as of now. Whatever it means, functionality-wise, in the future )

 

[Darscot]

Of course its not wise. Does anyone actually have any information though, has anyone tried to have it refunded? I'm going to give it a few days and see if Tesla does anything to sort this issue out. If they don't then I will request a refund for what I paid for FSD. I can't see how they can legally refuse.

 

[ord3r]

Of course its not wise. Does anyone actually have any information though, has anyone tried to have it refunded? I'm going to give it a few days and see if Tesla does anything to sort this issue out. If they don't then I will request a refund for what I paid for FSD. I can't see how they can legally refuse.

For what it’s worth, I tried to have it refunded, since I paid 5k for it, and they refused.

 

[SergeyUser]

I did request a refund for FSD on 03/02/2019. Never heard back from Tesla since then. I guess they are all awaiting for EM to decide to respond to anyone.

 

[ayylmao]

Of course its not wise. Does anyone actually have any information though, has anyone tried to have it refunded? I'm going to give it a few days and see if Tesla does anything to sort this issue out. If they don't then I will request a refund for what I paid for FSD. I can't see how they can legally refuse.

they can legally refuse because when purchasing your vehicle, you agree to the MVPA which states all features you purchased for at the agreed price point.

 

[ord3r]

they can legally refuse because when purchasing your vehicle, you agree to the MVPA which states all features you purchased for at the agreed price point.

What about if you order online after the fact? Seems weird to not refund a preorder either way, a bit unnerving as a Tesla stockholder to be honest.

 

[Darscot]

I guess they can try and but they have not actually delivered said features, they will just wind up in court. The last thing they need is another law suit. I will not simple say or well Tesla said they are going to keep my money.

 

[SergeyUser]

I mean, isn't it obvious for Tesla they will loose more financially longer term if they take this money? I think this is the worst way to "raise" money.

 

[azred]

Musk has already said they can’t financially do this, but you can always sue.

 

[SergeyUser]

Musk has already said they can’t financially do this, but you can always sue.

He didn't say exactly that. It was more general "we can't make everyone happy". This question is more specific. There are billions and billions of capital easily accessible to Tesla.

 

[C141medic]

Musk has already said they can’t financially do this, but you can always sue.

These types of class actions don’t help anyone. In the end you may wind up with a few dollars. The thing is Tesla can do the right thing without it affecting their bottom line. As others have mentioned giving credit towards another Tesla, service credits, etc.

 

[Darscot]

Musk has already said they can’t financially do this, but you can always sue.

Just because he says that doesn't mean much. Also there are plenty of ways they can show good will. I would be happy with a few hundred in super charging credit or a $1000 of a Y. The issue for me is that they think its ok to just tell me to suck it. That is not going fly.

 

[Az_Rael]

I guess they think they can make more money in the short term trying to get folks who never purchased any of the software options to pony up some $$.

But the people they are alienating with this are the ones who had the most money to spend and were the biggest supporters of the company. Seems like that will hurt in the long run as those folks move on to competitors or decide to stop buying software options up front and wait for the "sales". It may end up being penny wise and pound foolish.

I am less mad about the price drop as I am about the redefinition of FSD. Now everyone who had EAP has the first 3 "FSD" features. So I am not sure when I am going to get a feature you actually had to pay the extra money for.

If I was buying today, I would now buy the basic AP option (all I currently use) and just wait until the FSD options are fully released or there is a good enough sale going on.

 

[notAnExpert]

I guess they can try and but they have not actually delivered said features, they will just wind up in court. The last thing they need is another law suit. I will not simple say or well Tesla said they are going to keep my money.

The original FSD ordering page didn't commit to any specific delivery schedule. It said "As these self-driving capabilities are introduced, your car will be continuously upgraded through over-the-air software updates." Tesla currently claims it would deliver a couple of those FSD features by the end of this year. Considering all that, I wonder what legal basis one would have for a lawsuit at this time. But then I'm not a lawyer.

 

[notAnExpert]

I am less mad about the price drop as I am about the redefinition of FSD. Now everyone who had EAP has the first 3 "FSD" features. So I am not sure when I am going to get a feature you actually had to pay the extra money for.

"Automatic city driving" by the end of the year, whatever that means.

 

[Uncle Paul]

I have 5 MPH impact bumpers on my Buick, that I have never used.

Will GM give me back the money that they cost? Same with the airbags I paid for but never used?

 

[Darscot]

I have 5 MPH impact bumpers on my Buick, that I have never used.

Will GM give me back the money that they cost? Same with the airbags I paid for but never used?

Are you mocking all the terrible anologies by trying to make the most ridiculous one or is this meant to be a real anology?

 

[ord3r]

I have 5 MPH impact bumpers on my Buick, that I have never used.

Will GM give me back the money that they cost? Same with the airbags I paid for but never used?

Theres a difference between having something and not using it versus not having it at all. Best analogy I've seen yet is ordering a season pass for Anthem at 100$, and it ends up releasing for 40$. Most companies, in addition to not taking the full cost of a pre-order up front in the first place, would give you the cheaper price.

 

[HostileHarry]

Theres a difference between having something and not using it versus not having it at all. Best analogy I've seen yet is ordering a season pass for Anthem at 100$, and it ends up releasing for 40$. Most companies, in addition to not taking the full cost of a pre-order up front in the first place, would give you the cheaper price.

I don;t think that analogy works either. The moment you have a season pass, you can walk right in...

 

[ord3r]

I don;t think that analogy works either. The moment you have a season pass, you can walk right in...

The videogame DLC kind of season pass, not the theme park/ski resort kind haha