Dissatisfied Tesla Owners Launch Hunger Strike in Protest

If you’ve ever been dissatisfied with a purchase or struggled to activate a warranty, you may identify with this. In a desperate attempt to get CEO of Tesla Elon Musk’s attention regarding the numerous faults reported, a group of Norwegian owners have staged a hunger strike.

Yes, you read that right. After a series of emails, tweets and calls were ignored by the company and its prominent CEO, these owners were left with no choice than to attract the attention of the media. Spelling out HELP with their Teslas, they announced their protest.

Norway has more Teslas in circulation than any other country in the world. Initiatives like free parking for electric cars and the right to use the significantly faster bus lane helps their popularity, not to mention access to abundant charging points which are provided free.

In the Nordic country, electricity comes from hydropower which is cheap and clean. Norwegians are heavily invested in new technology designed to achieve zero emissions transport. Its no surprise the country adapted so readily to the idea of electric cars.    

Yet complaints against the 20-year-old company continue to pile up. Tesla owners feel ignored. From minor cosmetic problems like paint flaking to major, dangerous faults like autopilot issues, random system resets and defective batteries, the snag list seems endless.   

Owners report the cars hypersensitivity to climatic conditions and malfunctions occurring when the temperature is too hot or too cold. To make matters worse, at point of purchase a promise was made to ensure charging was free forever yet less than 5 years later, chargers changed.

Tesla have refused to engage with Norwegians complaints and feedback, consistently pushing their concerns off. Now, in a move designed to create a media furore, the protest group chose hunger strike ahead of Musk’s attendance in Norway at an international conference on energy.

How has Musk responded? In his usual derisive way. Tweeting from his personal account, he appeared to mock the hunger strike by referring to how fasting can be 'beneficial'. Instead of taking time to respond to real life complaints from real Tesla users, Musk takes the low road.

Elon Musk thinks the myriad problems faced by ordinary Tesla customers are a joke. But shoddy manufacturing, absent quality assurance and dire after service have driven this protest. With Chinese and European EVs about to flood the market, customers will soon have more choice.

What Musk is really ignoring is the manufacturers plummeting reputation. Quality is what matters most, in technology, in manufacturing and in after sales service. Taking feedback graciously is vital to a growth mindset.

Besides, every retailer knows the customer is always right.