– It is possible that this is the style in the USA, but it is not what I expect from a car dealer, says Ole Egge from Ås. He had to appear in Oslo District Court in 2021, after Tesla sued him. His story is not unique, according to lawyer Jens Christian Riege of the Norwegian Automobile Association (NAF). Reported a fault Striden’s core in Ole Egge’s case was a repair on his Tesla X, which had been delivered to the workshop several times due to faults with the suspension. When the car had driven close to 100,000 kilometers and the warranty on the car would soon be up, he approached Tesla and told about several faults with the car. – They wrote down what I said, and I got an appointment 14 days later, says Egge. When he returned to the workshop two weeks later, Egge was told that the warranty did not apply because the car had now driven over 100,000 kilometres. – I was also told that I should enter the errors in the app, but I’m not the type to use an app. They had written down everything I said, he says. Ole Egge visited Tesla’s workshop and told about faults with his car. 14 days later the warranty was out, Tesla believed that the faults had not been registered in time, because Egge had not used the app. Photo: Privat Refused to pay When Egge received a bill of NOK 38,000 for repairs, he refused to pay. He also did not want to pay when Tesla canceled the price and demanded NOK 17,000. Egge hired a lawyer and took the case to the conciliation council. There he was automatically approved, since Tesla never showed up. After a few weeks, he was sued by Tesla, and had to appear in court. The car company believed they had not been briefed well enough about the meeting of the conciliation council and was upheld in court. Thus, there was a new round in the conciliation council. Egge won again. – Could be a strategy Egge is not the only one who has experienced being taken to court by the car giant. The Oslo District Court informs news that Tesla has been a party to 19 cases since 2019, either as plaintiff or defendant. Seven of the summons ended in a verdict, while twelve ended in a settlement where the parties agreed before the trial started. Settlements are secret agreements, where it is not possible for others to see, for example, how much a car buyer has received in rejection or whether the person in question can cancel the purchase of the car. – It is conceivable that this is a deliberate strategy from Tesla, that they would rather enter into a settlement when they get this far, in order to avoid someone having their case resolved legally. That’s what Jens Christian Riege in NAF says. – Then one would be able to say that there is no precedent. This means that everyone with a similar case can demand the same solution. Egge believes that Tesla drives American style when they take legal action against customers. Here is Tesla founder and chief executive Elon Musk. Photo: TINGSHU WANG / Reuters – Tesla has sold a lot of cars in Norway, isn’t it natural that there will be a number of complaints? – It is natural that whoever sells the most receives the most complaints. My frustration is how Tesla handles these complaints along the way, replies Riege. For several weeks, news has contacted Tesla to get a comment on this matter, without receiving a reply. – Tesla is more difficult – Consumers who have had a complaint against Tesla for a repair costing NOK 20,000, 30,000 or 50,000, and who have won in the conciliation council or the Consumer Complaint Committee, suddenly receive a summons in their lap from one of the country’s largest law firms that work for Tesla . It can be quite an unpleasant experience, says Riege. The NAF lawyer believes that Tesla is a more difficult counterparty than other car dealers. NAF lawyer Jens Christian Riege believes that Tesla is not interested in communicating or coming to an agreement and that it will therefore be easier to become a legal dispute. Photo: NAF – We work with thousands of cases each year and resolve many cases in dialogue with the dealers. With Tesla, it is generally difficult to communicate with, and more difficult to reach an agreement with during the process, says Riege. NAF’s experience is that Tesla only reacts when they receive a decision in the Consumer Complaint Committee or a judgment in the Conciliation Council against them. Ole Egge thinks that is strange. – Is it necessary to take legal action against the customers? I think it is strange customer treatment, he says. And he no longer drives a Tesla. Now he drives an electric car from Mercedes. Hello! I am working on issues about Tesla. If you have tips or input for me, please send me an e-mail.
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Tesla has been a party to 19 court cases in the Oslo district court in four years – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
