Now, to be clear, we own a Model 3 and have never loved a car more than the Model 3. This has nothing to do with the Model 3 or Tesla Motors, Inc.
Our issue is with Tesla Energy Operations, Inc., a different subsidiary of Tesla, Inc.
On February 26, 2018 we entered into an agreement EN4123413 for a solar roof through tesla.com.
I marked it as a security deposit in Quicken so I didn’t lose track. My financial institution shows the $1000 transaction.
On April 17, 2021 I wrote EnergyOrdersNA@tesla.com because the website was showing a 0 kW roof with 1 “powerwall” but we had requested a 10.41 kW roof with 2 “powerwalls”. I never received a response. On a hunch that the email address was dead I also tried mysolarroof@tesla.com. Nothing.
I decided to call them on May 21, 2021. I spoke with someone in the Energy Customer Support who verified that this agreement existed and that a $1000 deposit was on file.
On December 15, 2021 we clocked 104 MPH winds at our house and found shingles all over the yard the next morning. We subsequently had an insurance adjuster out and old asphalt roof was totaled.
On February 4, 2022 I visited tesla.com and submitted a form requesting that the agreement be cancelled and the deposit be refunded since we needed a roof today and they are still not even servicing our area. The replacement roof is supposed to last 30 years… so our dream of owning a solar roof is dead.
I waited 2 weeks but never received the credit. I called Energy Customer Support on February 18, 2022. I was assured over the phone that the money would be returned.
After I hung up I started to worry that maybe the number for the debit card we used had changed. I mean, after all, almost 4 years had passed and a lot can change!
I called back a few hours later and was assigned a Case #28400040 for Tesla to investigate which account the refund was being sent to.
Didn’t hear anything for 4 days. On February 22, 2022 I reached out, again, and spoke with a Cheyenne P. She asked for proof of the security deposit being withdrawn from my account. I responded the same day with the requested documents from my bank (at my expense).
February 25, 2022 (three days later) Cheyenne P. acknowledged receipt from energycustomersupport@tesla.com and said it was being forwarded to their billing team.
By March 4, 2022 (almost 10 days later, and a month after I had initiated the refund process) I contacted Cheyenne P. once again. She informs me:
The billing team has reached out to me and stated that no refund is due, and let me explain why. The proof of payment you sent was for the $1000 refund that was already refunded back to you. The deposit refund that you are questioning was waived and never paid.
March 7, 2022 I had time to fight with Cheyenne P. again. Now she suggests that we were charged, but we were refunded the money on May 22, 2020 when the agreement was cancelled. I told her I had not cancelled it, and told her I verified in 2021 that it was still intact!
On a hunch I suspected maybe some wires had gotten crossed with our Model 3 purchase so I called Vehicle Support which Cheyenne P. so graciously provided the number for.
March 8, 2022 Mike in Vehicle Support was super helpful. He has access to the Energy Support records with no problem. He showed that there was still an active agreement with the right number still in the system (even though I had asked it to be cancelled) and that the $1000 charge was, in fact, attempted on the date in question but the system showed it was “failed” for some reason.
I informed Cheyenne P. of these findings and she responded:
Failed means that it was temporality held and then released as it was not withdrawn. The reason it was not withdrawn is because your deposit for this account was waived. We did not take the money from your account and that means that no refund is due.
I don’t claim to understand temporality. Tesla is on the cutting edge with neuroscience, astrodynamics, you name it. But it is obvious that we were actually billed!
I authorized the bank to take a deeper look at the account history and verify all the charges to (and possible credits from) Tesla. They also provided the digital copy of the paper statement for the month in question.
At this point I am seeking legal recourse for the deposit (with interest), the time I have spent, fees researching the transactions at our bank, attorney fees, and court fees.
Tesla Energy Operations, Inc. is registered in the State of California as a Delaware corporation with a mailing address in Austin, TX. This makes the small claims process a little cumbersome from Overland Park, KS.
I have a request in with the Delaware Bar Association (Reference #14080) to find an attorney suitable to handle this matter. I am also tweeting this article to my pal Elon hoping maybe he can rattle some cages.
