Tesla Owners Complain of In-App Purchase Feature and Customer Service
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3 Monaten ago
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Tesla has a great year with sales skyrocketing every quarter and demand hitting the roof. However, customers have been complaining of strange in-app purchases happening without their consent.
Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) has been hitting the roof when it comes to its growth over the last year. The American electric car-maker has been smashing new revenue records every quarter making it the largest automobile company with a $400 billion market cap. Tesla stock has jumped over 350% year-to-date. However, Tesla owners are facing a new problem these days with the in-app enhanced autopilot software upgrade and customer service.
Ten days back, Dr. Ali Vaziri received a mobile alert with a surprise $4280 upgrade for his Tesla Model 3. However, the purchase wasn’t intentional and happened accidentally through “butt dial” as mentioned by Vaziri. Speaking to CNBC, he said:
“My phone was in my jeans. I took it out, put it on this charger that comes with your Tesla and that’s it. A minute later? I got the text. I’ve never purchased anything through the Tesla app before.”
Vaziri said that he had linked his credit card to his Tesla account to pay a monthly subscription for “premium connectivity”. It was the same card that was billed for a $4000 upgrade on September 24. Tesla has recently introduced the enhanced autopilot feature.
The software upgrade brings features like automatic parking or lane changing and also an automatic navigation feature. Besides, it also has a “summon” features letting drivers step out of their vehicles and park their Tesla using a fob or the Tesla app.
Disappointed with Tesla Customer Service
However, Vaziri who’s a proud owner of his Tesla was disappointed by its customer services. Soon after the accidental purchase, Vaziri dialed Tesla’s customer service hotline. When Vaziri requested a refund, the customer service executive asked him to press the refund button on the app. To his surprise, there was no such button on the Tesla app.
All that the app showed was just some text and a button redirecting to the refund policy. Also, the confirmation email that Vaziri received after the purchase also had vague information. The email directed him to the Tesla support website and ultimately asked him to call the local service center.
Surprisingly, Vaziri is still waiting for his refund. Also, there’s no confirmation call or email from Tesla for his refund request. Ultimately, the only choice he had was to process a stop payment request with his credit card company. “The car has been great since I’ve had it. But this has been a nightmare. The customer service is horrendous,” Vaziri said.
Tesla’s History of Accidental Purchases
This hasn’t been the first time that a Tesla owner has complained about accidental in-app purchases. A similar case happened in early September 2020. Tesla Model 3 owner Stefen Peterson also complained about a $2000 butt-dial purchase for an acceleration boost.
Just butt-purchased (like butt-dialed) a $2000 upgrade to my @Tesla Model 3. Blows my mind that they don’t require a password to confirm that purchase. Already filed for a refund but 🤷♂️ we will see if they allow it.@elonmusk how is this possible?
However, Stefen’s query was solved soon later and the refund was initiated. Earlier this year, famous professor and author Nassim Nicholas Taleb had a bitter experience getting refund from Tesla.
Elon @elonmusk, your Customer Support at Tesla is even worse than I claimed last time. It is an insult to your customers. pic.twitter.com/3HZ2YSjigS
However, CEO Elon Musk personally responded him saying the refunds usually happen easily electronically. Taleb confirmed receiving the refund later. However, he noted that “They initially refused. They refunded me after I raised hell on Twitter. Then I saw they did not refund others, I raised even more hell: my point was that public venues are there to correct public, not individual, grievances.”
Usually, in-app purchases require additional verification from the account holder. It seems that the Tesla app doesn’t have a robust security infrastructure in place.
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Bhushan is a FinTech enthusiast and holds a good flair in understanding financial markets. His interest in economics and finance draw his attention towards the new emerging Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency markets. He is continuously in a learning process and keeps himself motivated by sharing his acquired knowledge. In free time he reads thriller fictions novels and sometimes explore his culinary skills.
Grayscale’s AUM Hits $19B, Up from $16.4B Announced Week Ago
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28 Minuten ago
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Dezember 29, 2020
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While it may be too early to project the possible performance of Grayscale in 2021, the spate of patronage the company recorded in the last two quarters of 2020 looks quite inspiring.
In what confirms the continued embrace of Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins by institutional investors and the big-money clients, Grayscale’s total Assets Under Management (AUM) has been reported to top $19 billion, a significant uplift from the $16.4 billion reported a week ago. According to a report by CoinDesk, Grayscale hit this AUM milestone on December 28, and Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust holds by far the largest chunk of the total assets at $16.3 billion.
The recent rally of Bitcoin to new highs as recorded in the past days started as a chain reaction that took its precedent months ago when Wall Street firms and institutional investors began betting big on Bitcoin. The investment made by the likes of MicroStrategy Incorporated (NASDAQ: MSTR), Square Inc (NYSE: SQ), and PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL) did not just help put Bitcoin in the limelight through mainstream media, it also prompted the embrace of the digital assets by other firms.
With this chain reaction, the price of Bitcoin continued to soar in response to boosted demand for the coin, and institutions like Grayscale that serves institutional investors benefited from this new demand, and hence, the continued increase in the firm’s AUM. Besides BTC, Grayscale’s Ethereum (ETH) AUM is now worth $2.1 billion, while the bulk of smaller holdings in Litecoin (LTC), XRP, and ZCash amongst others helped Grayscale’s total AUM to reach the new milestone.
Grayscale’s AUM May See More Boost in 2021
While it may be too early to project the possible performance of Grayscale in the coming year 2021, the spate of patronage the company recorded in the last two quarters of 2020 makes the case for improved performance provided the tempo is sustained.
Just as has been noted earlier, the continued embrace of cryptocurrency assets by highly liquid companies will continue to have a positive reaction on the price of Bitcoin, and by extension, this will even make more people pick interest in BTC. As a relatively young asset class, Bitcoin and altcoins have tremendous room to grow as the adoption rate is still not optimized owing to certain regulatory provisions in most countries, Grayscale and other hedge funds have enough room to compete for new clients entering the space.
With Grayscale been among the institutions at the forefront of helping to drive the acceptance of BTC, ETH, and other digital currencies, enjoying the dividends of its works through impressed AUM figures does not come as much of a surprise.
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Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalists who relish writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desires to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain based media and sites. Benjamin Godfrey is a lover of sports and agriculture.
Altcoin Rally Dimming Bitcoin’s Shine, Polkadot Gains 34% in One Week
Published
2 Stunden ago
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Dezember 29, 2020
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Polkadot (DOT) saw daily gains of 22.5% wrapping up an impressive week with an almost 34% rise in its value.
Bitcoin bullish run looks to have come to a halt amidst an altcoin rally which has seen relatively lower coins put up impressive performances in the past few weeks. Bitcoin dominance is gradually fading as many experts believe the biggest digital coin is backing down as some top altcoin are showing strong “moves” or signals.
Bitcoin hit an all-time high over the weekend, the third time its price has done so in just over 2 months. The price of the biggest digital coin touched $28,400 on December 27, before a lightning drop took it to $27,000 just hours of that incredible feat.
Bitcoin failed to hold onto the $27,000 mark as its price further dropped to $26,000 a day after and is now testing lower levels centered on $26,000 as immediate support. Reports from crypto exchanges revealed BTC/USD trading at lows of $25,830 during the early hours of December 29.
While Bitcoin has seen red over a couple of days, some altcoins are putting up impressive numbers, giving off signals of a strong altcoin rally. Despite XRP’s current issues, the altcoin market is showing glimpses of its glory days as some digital coins are poised to see major gains over the next couple of weeks. Ethereum (ETH) is at the forefront of the rally, with its price climbing above $700for the first time since May 2018.
Polkadot (DOT) also saw daily gains of 22.5% wrapping up an impressive week with an almost 34% rise in its value. The coin is now the seventh-largest token by market cap. Kusama (KSM), a cousin of Polkadot, also saw its price gain 46% last week, pushing its price from $43.1 to $63. The digital token is currently trading at $56 but experts are adamant a breakout above $65 is possible as the token has rebounded off the 20-day exponential moving average ($50.90)
Speaking on the possibility of a long term altcoin rally, analyst Van de Poppe stated that altcoins are next in line to see greens. He added that the next “impulse wave” on Bitcoin next year should be able to take the market to $40,000 or $50,000, but until then, the possibility of a continuance altcoin rally is very much likely.
Although many factors could be in play with regards to the latest Bitcoin price dip, it’s recent fallout with Ripple’s XRP leads the way. Ripple was hit with a lawsuit from the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and subsequently suffered drops that left its price in a pit. XRP, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is now trading at $0.20 as news broke that Coinbase, a major US cryptocurrency exchange has decided to suspend its trading from next month.
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