All most of the general public knows is what they hear or read in the news. Somebody criticizes Tesla, and Musk refuses to sell a car to that person. The message is that if you want one of their cars, you better not be critical of it. That's the way it will come across. When I defend Tesla, I shouldn't be surprised if people counter with "of course you say that or they will take your car back."
I frankly don't care what was said in the phone conversation. Customers have the right to be upset and everything in the initial post about the way the event was organized, how it was late, how reservation holders didn't even get a chance to see the car was all accurate. And it wan't Tesla's shining moment as a marketing organization. Musk may be brilliant, but his eloquence is more "charming" than slippery. Regardless, I can see Musk refusing to take the guy's phone calls, but that's about it.
What message is Tesla sending? I better not do whatever the person did in the phone call? It can't be that because nobody in the general public knows what that is. Should I stop criticizing the company? I'm a very strong supporter of the company and the car, and a very satisfied owner, but there's still a lot to criticize in what Musk's own kid called "the stupidest car in the world." Did Musk disown his son or take it personally? Should business decisions be dictated by five year olds? Can I criticize my own car for things it does poorly?
Since the time I bought my car, I've read a world of criticism from people who have no clue. They criticize the car for all the wrong things based on misconceptions about range, about charging, about daily use, about people running out of power in the middle of the freeway without noticing, and all sorts of nonsense. So it would seem that Tesla owners are fanboys who do nothing but defend the car. But if people had criticized the lack of lines in the rear view camera display (which were more or less standard on other vehicles) or the lack of display of tire pressures (which I had assumed was standard in this day and age) or the lack of ACC at the time I ordered my car, or the way Homelink works (now partially remedied) or the inability to tie a fob to a profile as I could with a fully equipped minivan from the last century, then I would have agreed that Tesla did leave off many features that were absolutely expected and some of them make it a pain to use the car on a day to day basis.
So should I shut up, lest Musk punish me? Tesla is already gaining a reputation for acting as if they still own our cars after we buy them. They used to tell people that they had to sign up for annual service even though it wasn't legal to require it. They are telling people that they may not honor parts of the warranty if people make aftermarket changes as simple as using different tires. They want to impose all sorts of requirements on owners that no other company would do. And now they want to give the general public the impression that only fanboys need apply and nobody else is welcome to buy the car.
Anybody who has been high up in the business world is familiar with the expression "it's a business decision" and knows not to take things personally. If Musk cancels an active order (yes, the fine print says either party has the right to cancel a reservation) because he doesn't like criticism that the general public is likely to see as restrained and warranted, that's not a very good business decision. Musk will end up looking like Donald Trump. There's nothing in that person's public statements that he needs to apologize for, and it's downright silly for Musk to refuse to sell him a car. If somebody sells him a used one, will Tesla refuse to allow it to communicate with their network?
