A North Carolina man who considers himself an influencer is or, better said, was also a Tesla enthusiast. He financed the acquisition of a Cybertruck, a potentially great EV he waited around four years for. But after just two months of ownership, the man who used to be very understanding of what was going on with his pickup truck, now says that everyone should reconsider becoming a member of the Tesla family.
Tesla has been hard at work to deliver as many Cybertrucks as possible. However, ramping up the production of a very complicated vehicle to manufacture that also serves as a testbed for new technologies is bound to cause some issues. Even though this pickup truck costs people who accept that they will become early adopters over $100,000, they must also be ready to put up with some temporary shortcomings.
That's just how it is. We're not making the rules. Remember when the first Model X EVs rolled off the production line and reached their owners? Things weren't rosy, to say the least.
You may or may not agree with the idea that early adopters must put up with a few issues if they want to experience the latest thing, and you wouldn't be wrong. Some car companies don't want their customers to feel like beta testers, so they spend months or even years testing everything. Take Porsche as an example. Even the mid-cycle refresh units get driven all over the world.
Photo: Lamar MK on YouTube
Still, that doesn't mean the German brand is immune to problems. It had a few recalls of its own in the past year, including for the iconic 911.
The honeymoon phase didn't last long
However, this Cybertruck customer initially agreed that enjoying a really cool vehicle may result in visiting the repair shop on a couple of occasions. That didn't last long, though. After the fourth service appointment, the man started publicly saying that Tesla should replace his unit. He even tagged Elon Musk and other Tesla executives in his X (formerly Twitter) posts and mentioned some of them in his YouTube videos.
It might seem weird that someone very dissatisfied with their purchase would want a replacement instead of their money (including taxes and fees) back, but that's what North Carolina's law says. The customer gets to choose, and the company must find a way to make it right. There are very few exceptions to that rule.
Besides that, the Cybertruck owner also intended to rent out his EV for $250 an hour. Many platforms enable owners of cool vehicles to make a buck by giving others a chance to experience their rides. This guy's idea was to drive people around for a minimum of two hours.
A fellow Cybertruck owner confirmed that this can be a lucrative side hustle. His EV generated over $5,000 in about two months. However, his unit hasn't had any issues since he took delivery.
Photo: Lamar MK on YouTube
The unlucky North Carolina man remains convinced that Tesla should replace his Cybertruck with a brand-new one, even though many fellow netizens advised him to just ask the marque to deal with the loan and end this nightmare.
However, he argues that he waited long enough to get behind the steering wheel of this EV and believes that Tesla should just "do the right thing" and give him another fresh pickup truck.
Not a good look
But instead of just repeating what he said the last time, the man, who claims that he referred many people to buy a Tesla and also owns a Model Y, now advises everyone seeing his content to avoid the world's most valuable automaker's rides.
He claims that the Cybertruck situation has been eye-opening, changing his opinion about Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk. He doesn't elaborate, but repeats that Tesla is unfair toward him.
Photo: Lamar MK on YouTube
"If they can treat me like this, imagine how they're going to treat you," said the North Carolina man.
Tesla offered to reimburse the man, but he didn't want money. He wants a brand-new Cybertruck and isn't willing to wait years for another one – again.
His pickup truck remains in the shop. The service center loaned the guy a Model X until the technicians figure out how to fix the vehicle, or he reaches a deal with corporate.
At the end of the day, despite his obvious dissatisfaction and new anti-Tesla stance, the man chose to continue making loan payments. He can keep asking for a brand-new truck per North Carolina law, but it's unlikely that the EV maker will delay the delivery experience of another customer just because this one was unlucky.
It remains to be seen what will come of this.
Lamar and I took delivery 3 days apart from one another.
My Cybertruck has had 11 rental trips grossing nearly $5k in revenue.
His Cybertruck has been at the shop for all but 2 weeks since he’s owned it.
Mine has performed flawlessly for 2 months and accumulated nearly 7k… https://t.co/lfeSf0zh8w
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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