Skip to main content

Elon Musk cancels customer’s Tesla order because he was ‘super rude’

musk cancels customer model x order elon sassy
If you’re “super rude” to Elon Musk, there will be consequences.

Take venture capitalist and former auto journalist Stewart Alsop. After tearing into Musk’s Tesla company in a blog post, the CEO personally canceled Alsop’s order for one of the firm’s Model X SUVs.

It all started back in September when Alsop attended the launch event for the luxury electric vehicle. In a Medium post titled, “Elon Musk, you should be ashamed of yourself,” Alsop complained about the event starting nearly two hours late, and was also unhappy that Musk didn’t offer an apology when he finally appeared.

But that wasn’t all. He lambasted the CEO for presenting an “amateur” slideshow that was overly focused on safety, and even griped about the lack of “real food during dinner time,” a complaint that appears to confirm meal provision as a top priority for auto journalists.

“It probably won’t matter that you screwed up this event completely,” Alsop wrote, adding, “It would still be nice if you showed some class and apologized to the people who believe in this product.”

Some time between September and this week, it appears Musk called Alsop to complain about what he apparently considered to have been a “personal attack,” although in a follow-up open letter posted online this week the VC said he never meant for it to come across like that.

The upshot? Musk canceled Alsop’s car order, an act confirmed by the Tesla boss himself in a tweet in which he said the VC had been “denied service” for being a “super rude customer.”

Alsop responded: “You have decided that I can’t own one of your cars, and I am terribly disappointed. I had outlined in the original post how excited I was at the prospect of owning a Tesla, especially the Model X and especially the configuration I ultimately ordered – the P90D in red with black leather seats and the Ludicrous Speed option….I must also admit that I am a little taken aback to be banned by Tesla.”

While it’s fair to say few people are likely to get too upset about a wealthy customer’s personal spat with a billionaire businessman, Musk’s high profile means his curious customer service move is certain to generate some interest. Do you think he was right to cancel Alsop’s order in the face of a personal attack, or has the VC been treated harshly in this case? Sound off in the comments below.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Tesla’s electric Semi truck coming sooner than expected
tesla electric semi truck debut delivery rec

Tesla boss Elon Musk has said the 500-mile-range version of the company’s all-electric Semi truck will start shipping before the end of this year.

The launch date is earlier than expected after the CEO said in January that the company wouldn’t be introducing any new vehicles this year, suggesting that the truck would land some time in 2023.

Read more
Elon Musk issues stark ultimatum to Tesla workers
Elon Musk stands looking to his right.

Tesla chief Elon Musk has told his workers to return to the office or leave the company, according to a memo sent to staff this week.

Some Tesla office employees have been working at home during the pandemic, but Musk now wants them to get out of the house and restart the commute.

Read more
Elon Musk eyes 2024 for Tesla robotaxi sans steering wheel, pedals
Elon Musk - Tesla CEO

Tesla is aiming to mass produce a robotaxi by 2024, CEO Elon Musk revealed during an earnings call with investors on Wednesday as the company reported better-than-expected quarterly figures.

The dedicated robotaxi will feature a “futuristic” design and come without a steering wheel or pedals, Musk said, adding that the vehicle, which would build on the automaker’s current self-driving technology, could be “a massive driver of Tesla’s growth.”

Read more