A COUPLE have been slapped with a whopping £17,000 Tesla bill after their car battery was damaged in the rain.
Johnny Bacigalupo and Rob Hussey were hit with the massive charge after their £60,000 motor broke down in Edinburgh last weekend.
NCJ MediaJohnny and Rob were out for dinner when their £60,000 Tesla broke down[/caption]
NCJ MediaThe couple were left shocked after being hit with a £17,000 bill from Tesla to repair the car[/caption]
They had been out for dinner when they first started experiencing issues as they tried to restart the car.
It came as large parts of Scotland were hit by extreme weather, leaving several areas flooded after torrential downpours.
Johnny and Rob waited five hours for roadside assistance from Tesla before their car was recovered from the side of the road that night.
And the company is now demanding the huge sum as the part is not covered by the vehicle warranty – leaving the couple “flabbergasted”.
Johnny told Edinburgh Live: “I honestly can’t believe that this has happened. When I first got the call I thought we would get bill for £500 or £1000.
“When they said over 17 grand – it’s absolutely obscene. My heart missed a beat, honestly.
“Obviously, it was wet with the weather last week, but I honestly can’t remember any huge puddles or anything like that. It’s not like I was driving my car through the Cairngorms.
“After dinner the car just wouldn’t move. Eventually we had to contact the Tesla Roadside Assistance – around 10pm.
“After a few annoyingly difficult further calls, and one failed collection attempt, our car was collected by a firm suitable for Tesla collection and delivered to Tesla Edinburgh about 1am.
“After complaints from me, we received a call at 5.30pm on the Wednesday saying the battery was damaged due to water ingress and it was unfortunately not covered by the battery’s 8-year warranty and so the repair would be around £17,500.
“Did I wish to proceed?? I was flabbergasted and couldn’t really find my words.”
Johnny says he pressed representatives of Tesla on whether he or Rob were at fault for the damage, to which he claims he was told that it was a weather issue.
He continued: “They said that the battery is effectively submerged in water. How can that be our fault?
“After finally getting to speak to a manager, he told me it had water in it due to the fact the weather in Scotland has been so bad.
“That was the issue. They said it’s not necessarily my fault but it’s not Tesla’s to pay under warranty. He reminded me there was a yellow weather warning in some parts of Scotland.
“I pushed him on this and said I’ve never heard or something like this happening. He said it can happen with Range Rovers and Mercs but I’m just not buying it.
“To date, it’s been a disaster of a service and the stress and worry of this is excruciating. I said to the manager, ‘so, my understanding is, Teslas are unfit for purpose in Scotland?”
“I’ve been driving for 30 years and this is my most premium car to date and this is what it does when Edinburgh’s roads get puddles or a little wet.”
Tesla have been approached for comment.
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