Topics: Business, Food and Drink, Money, Tesla, US News
A bakery business was left 'high and dry' after Tesla made a huge order only to cancel just before it was due to be delivered.
The order was placed on Valentine's Day for 2,000 mini pies to be delivered the following Tuesday and Thursday - a notably tight turnaround for the San Jose based business.
The owner of Giving Pies bakery, Voahangy Rasetarinera, told ABC7 they received the giant order from a rep at the Elon Musk-owned company, sharing emails and texts with the outlet.
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However, even after getting her quote approved by a Tesla representative, she did not receive the payment.
"I'm like, 'Okay, I'm gonna wait, you know, and they are professional, they are a big company. So once it's approved, it's approved'," she said.
The following evening, Rasetarinera said she received a call from the Tesla rep.
“She said, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry that vendor hadn’t paid you yet, I think they’re kind of new’,” Rasetarinera recalled of the call.
“‘And I have a question for you, can we double the order?'”
Rasetarinera accepted the order, bought the ingredients, and her employees planned to work 'around the clock' to fulfil the order for the car company.
She claimed she even cancelled other orders to factor in time to make the pies on time.
But Rasetarinera said she later received a text from a Tesla rep, saying: “It unfortunately sounds like we will be changing plans and will not be needing this order. Thank you so much for your support I appreciate it.”
When asked for the reason for the abrupt cancellation, the rep apparently explained that it came from 'upper management', leaving the bakery owner deflated.
According to the New York Post, Rasetarinera suffered a loss in excess of $16,000.
"The attempt to shift blame to upper management only compounded the betrayal I felt,” Rasetarinera said.
She decided to share her experience on social media, where it gained a lot of reaction.
“To me, it was clear that Tesla’s corporate culture prioritized convenience over accountability, disregarding the livelihoods of small business owners like myself,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
“This abrupt reversal left me reeling, realizing the extent of the impact on my small business,” Rasetarinera added.
“I had invested time, resources, and effort based on assurances from Tesla, only to be left high and dry.”
Someone at Tesla eventually got back to Rasetarinera, explaining that it was a 'miscommunication' and that the 'employee had no authority to promise any payment'.
Although Tesla did offer to find a way to still purchase the pies, Rasetarinera said it is something she is 'hesitant to commit to'.
UNILAD has reached out to Tesla for comment.
