Billionaire’s court fight with Tesla over ‘squeaking’ seat

A TECH entrepreneur is suing Tesla over a “squeaking” seat in one of its electric cars in a case the billionaire says he hopes will teach the company the value of customer service.

Alain Cohen – who made his fortune building internet companies – is squaring up against Elon Musk for a legal battle which he claims is motivated by his “love” of the eco-friendly cars.

He says he will take Tesla to court because he wants the company to succeed – and by forcing it to respond to customer quibbles rather than focusing on the latest technology means this is more likely to happen. Mr Cohen has filed a writ demanding a jury trial as he claims damages of $50,000 (£39,000). Court documents show he bought a $125,000 Model S car with a warranty but was annoyed by a “frequent squeaking noise believed to emanate from the rear seat”. When it was taken in to be repaired he claims the car suffered a “puncture” to the leather of a seat and the mechanic was unable to get hold of a replacement part when he returned the car – while the squeaking had not been rectified.

Then began a months long back and forth between Mr Cohen and Tesla as he tried to get the issues rectified. He also claimed other problems surfaced, with him unable to get hold of Tesla.

A spokesman for Tesla said the company regularly scored highly in customer satisfaction surveys and works closely with consumers, but added: “We will also strongly defend ourselves against claims that are unjust or lack merit.” Referring to Mr Cohen’s claims, he said all the issues had been fixed bar the seat, adding the car had not been brought in for it to be replaced.

“Even though there are no remaining issues with his car, the customer has demanded a new vehicle, plus an additional cash payment,” the spokesman added. “These demands are simply unreasonable.”