This is the case in summary: • Ruben Jonassen bought a new Tesla Model 3 in December 2020, but quickly began to experience problems such as scratches in the paintwork, a broken heat pump and water leakage in the trunk.• Despite several workshop visits, the problems were not resolved, and Jonassen wanted to cancel the purchase, but Tesla refused.• After engaging a lawyer and taking the case to the Conciliation Council, the parties agreed that Jonassen would be allowed to exchange the car for a used car in a different model, but he still has not received the new one the car.• Other Tesla owners have also reported similar problems and poor customer service, while the Tesla Owners Club Norway and the Royal Norwegian Automobile Club (KNA) claim that many customers are satisfied, and that the problems are not as widespread as it may seem. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The story of Ruben and the troubled electric car started just before Christmas in 2020. When he picked up a brand new Tesla Model 3 at the workshop in Bodø, it was a dream come true. – I had heard a lot of good things about Tesla, both about range and performance. It was a dream to be able to drive around in a box-new car. But it quickly turned into a nightmare, he says to news. Because it didn’t take long before problems started to appear. Scratches in the paintwork – In February, the heat pump smoked. Then suddenly cold air of 7-8 degrees below zero blew into the car where I was sitting in a T-shirt. When Jonassen reported the error to Tesla, the car manufacturer was quick to respond. – They came with a tow truck to my job and changed the heat pump in the car park. Then I got a very good impression of Tesla. But the impression quickly got a scratch in the paint. Tesla owner Ruben Jonassen shows the areas around the ducts on the car that suddenly started to lose the paint. Photo: Lars-Bjørn Martinsen / news Because suddenly the ducts on the car started to lose the paint. – I contacted the workshop in Bodø, but was told that I had driven a “rally on a gravel road”. I think that’s strange, because we don’t have dirt roads in the areas I drive. After examining the paint damage more closely, Jonassen concluded that the entire car had to be repainted. It was a cost he did not want to take, and instead wanted to raise the purchase. – But the Tesla workshop did not want to cancel the purchase, and thought I had a 14-day right to cancel, which I had not used. A sinking ship The car began to look more and more like a sinking ship. At least when the trunk, tailgate and brake lights started taking in water. – It started with the motorized tailgate not wanting to open. As I helped to lift it, I heard it gurgling inside. The entire luggage hatch was full of water, he says with frustration. news has seen both documentation of the 8 repairs Jonassen has had at the Tesla workshop. Photo: Lars-Bjørn Martinsen / news According to Jonassen, Tesla took the car into the workshop in Bodø to repair the damage. Three times they looked at the luggage hatch and four times at the leak into the luggage compartment itself. But the car still took in water. Then the cup – and the car – spilled over for Ruben. – Then I had visited the workshop so many times without it helping. I saw myself having to hire a lawyer. Was going to get a new car – still without one Together with the lawyer that Ruben got in NAF, they took the case to the Conciliation Council. On advice from lawyers in NAF, Ruben also had a condition report taken on the car. According to Jonassen, Tesla initially refused everything. The report from NAF concludes, among other things: Given the age and distance traveled on this car, the peeling paint on the door channels is far beyond normal. It is not usual to see so much chipping in the paint on a car registered on 19.12.2020. As the car appears on the inspection date, it is very rare that you see such a new car. Here, the car owner can make a demand that the brand dealer takes this matter up for assessment, as this is highly likely to be a complaint about bad paint. But in the end, the parties agreed that Ruben would be allowed to exchange the car for a used car in a different model than the Tesla he had had so many problems with. But still it took a while. – Now almost two months have passed. I’ve been nagging almost every week, but they haven’t been able to find a car that I can exchange for. That’s why Ruben is still with his problem car. Now he is considering legal mediation, but it is expensive and time-consuming. – I think Tesla is behaving incredibly unprofessionally. They are not willing to cooperate and only want to argue for their own benefit, claims Jonassen, who is not the only one who has had challenges with Tesla. Ruben Jonassen has also received some legal aid through the car insurance. In total, he has had a cost of 50,000 on the car in addition to several hours of lost work. He has driven to Bodø 5–6 times to try to get the car repaired. Photo: Lars-Bjørn Martinsen / news Feeling spit in the nose Bjørnar Kvarsnes from Ørnes has had a fairly similar experience with Tesla as Ruben Jonassen. Kvarsnes bought a new Tesla in September 2021. On the same day he picked it up, he discovered that the windscreen was defective. That was only the tip of the iceberg. This is what caused Kvarsnes’ car to fail: Photo: Private 28 September 2021 Kvarsnes collects his new car from Tesla Bodø and discovers a manufacturing defect on the windscreen. It is described as a bubble that distorts the image when looking out the window. After changing the windscreen, he discovers a faulty windscreen again in addition to faults in the air conditioning system. During the repair of the air conditioning system and the windscreen on 17 December 2021, they managed to break the roof pane at the workshop, Kvarsnes believes. In addition, they must have washed the car with something that scratched the paint on the entire car, he says. Above is a photo that he says shows the condition of the car after the repair where the wash should have taken place. Among other things, he is said to have also received a defective tailgate lift, moisture on the rear light on the left side and on the brake light on the right side. In addition, he is said to have found manufacturing defects on two winter tyres. news has seen receipts and documentation for the service, but not that the roof window was broken during repairs. – How have you been met by Tesla when you have presented all the problems? – You simply feel spit in the face. Bjørnar Kvarsnes is very dissatisfied with the service and his purchase at Tesla. Photo: Private – You arrive with a problem, a brand new car, and less than 24 hours after purchase you are met with frustration and difficult customer service from the workshop. He adds that it is those in the sales department who save Tesla. They are fantastic there, says Kvarsnes. – But the workshop bit is bad. Now Kvarsnes wants to cancel the purchase. He feels lied to by Tesla and very badly treated. The general manager of Tesla Bodø does not want to comment on the matter, and Tesla Norge has not responded to news’s questions either. But the Tesla Owners Club Norway tells news that it is Tesla’s strategy worldwide not to speak to the media. – Same strategy worldwide The car manufacturer has instead chosen to use instructional videos in addition to its own app to answer customers’ questions and communicate with technicians, explains chairman of Tesla Owners Club Norway, Vigdis Asbjørnsen. – The problem is not as big as one might get the impression, but Tesla should perhaps have been better at having a dialogue with the customer, says organizational consultant, Roger Kolbu. He says it is the structure of Tesla that means it takes a particularly long time for buyers to get an answer from the car manufacturer. – Local departments often make assessments, but it has always been a small challenge that it is the management in the US who can make the major assessments. That’s why things take time. – Can it scare people away from buying Tesla? – Maybe some, but it is important to remember that you always hear about those who have problems. You don’t hear about those who are satisfied. – Many satisfied Tesla customers Secretary General Børre Skiaker of the Royal Norwegian Automobile Club (KNA) states that Tesla scores high on the customer barometer with satisfied customers. – Those who have problems and do not get the help they need are perhaps very dissatisfied. But there are a large number who are very satisfied. At the same time, he says that there are a lot of Tesla cases in the Consumer Complaint Committee, compared to other cases. He adds that it must be seen in the context of the fact that Tesla also sells an enormous number of cars compared to many others. Secretary General of the Royal Norwegian Automobile Club, Børre Skiaker says that Tesla sells approximately 20,000 cars a year. Then there will naturally also be more cars with problems. Photo: KNA Already in 2019, KNA had an article in which they mentioned that many electric car owners experience faults with their new cars. Then Tesla alone was responsible for a total of 224 of the Consumer Council’s dispute cases. And 2-4 years ago, KNA saw several cases of Tesla cars coming onto the market without the quality control they should have had on, among other things, the digital systems, says Skiaker. It has not changed over the years, according to KNA. – In some cases, the consumer seems to be used as guinea pigs for the factories, he believes. Skiaker points out that most cases are resolved. But some customers experience not being able to get in touch with Tesla. – It is important that the customer is aware of the rest rights they have, and the strong consumer protection that exists in Norway through the Consumer Purchase Act. There they should advertise if something is wrong. The Consumer Council is familiar with customers who struggle with Tesla and other electric cars. They tell news that if the fault on the car takes too long to correct, the consumer will have the right to cancel the purchase. Thomas Iversen is senior legal adviser at the Norwegian Consumer Council. Photo: Helen Mehammer / Forbrukerrådet You have the right to this Thomas Iversen of the Forbrukerrådet tells news that the seller basically has both the right and the duty to repair faults on new cars. If the error cannot be corrected, if it takes too long to correct, or if the same error appears for the third time, the consumer will have the right to cancel the purchase. The law has a specific deadline that states when the car must be repaired, but the repair must take place within a reasonable time. – What is a reasonable time can vary. Three weeks is a short time to be able to raise the purchase, and one must be able to expect that obtaining parts can take some time, says Iversen.
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The Tesla dream became a nightmare for Ruben Jonassen from Bodø – news Nordland
