Dispute with irate car owners comes to a head on social media
lished a special group to cope with the incident, and would “try its best to fulfill the car owners’ demands and let them feel satisfied.” But the latest statement dodged mentioning whether its products had any quality problems. The statement was a gesture from the US company that came amid fermenting public fury over its earlier response. In two public statements the company issued earlier on Monday, it said it would be responsible for its product quality to the end, but would “never give up to unreasonable claims.”
The protester from Xi’an surnamed Li told the Global Times that Tesla has not contacted her so far. She also said that she is facing many misunderstandings on the internet, with netizens accusing her of “blackmailing” Tesla. “I feel wronged,” she said.
Tesla’s vice president Tao Lin didn’t show up at a forum at the Boao Forum which she was scheduled to attend on Wednesday.
Data handling dispute
A key conflict point between Tesla and the car owners was the handling of car data around the time of the accident. According to a representative of the Administration for Market Regulation of Zhengzhou, Zhang had demanded that Tesla provide complete car data in 30 minutes ahead of the accident, while Tesla agreed only to commission a third party to inspect the brake system.
The Zhengzhou market regulator on Wednesday ordered Tesla’s Zhengzhou subsidiary to hand in relevant vehicle information “immediately,” according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Li Weimin, director of Beijing Wei Bo Law Firm, told Global Times on Wednesday that Tesla has obligations to provide related data to investigate vehicle accidents and resolve problems.
According to China’s Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, consumers have the right to know detailed information of the products they buy or use, such as price, performance, certificate and after- sales services, said Li.
“Especially for the consumers’ feedback of important problems such as brake failures, Tesla has the responsibility to ensure consumers’ right to know,” said Li.
Fire and Ice
Such cases of conflict between Tesla and car owners, who disagree over car accident checkups, are rising along with Tesla’s success in the country. The incident also reflected a delicate position where the US electric car maker is currently at in China. On one hand, its launch of two Chinamade car models had received a wide response from Chinese customers, which pushed its stock prices to new highs. But on the other hand, it is often besieged by criticism of its arrogance and inappropriate treatment of its customers.
Experts said that the incident’s influence on Tesla’s car sales would be limited, not to mention causing a short- term slide in its sales, because customers wouldn’t easily give up a car brand unless its technology plunges sharply.
“However, I think Tesla’s position in China is not that secure, because its technology has not entered a totally ripe period and is not necessarily irreplaceable with the rise of domestic electric car brands. This, plus its uncertain reputation, would put the company in a dangerous market position in the long run,” said Hu Qimu, chief researcher at the Sinosteel Economic Research Institute.