The refunds adopted CNBC’s reporting on the duplicate costs and a video evaluation by “On a regular basis Chris,” Christopher T. Lee, on YouTube, urging different Tesla consumers to make use of a cashier’s examine if they might, as a substitute of permitting Tesla to debit their checking account straight.

Six prospects in California and North Carolina who spoke with and shared information with CNBC discovered that their refunds took a few week to come back by after they initially complained to Elon Musk’s electrical automobile firm.

These prospects obtained their refunds on or earlier than April 1, together with funds for overdraft charges which Tesla’s duplicate withdrawals from their accounts had triggered.

This week, Tesla additionally prolonged affected homeowners an apology by way of e-mail and gave them a $200 credit score to spend in a single go to to the corporate’s on-line retailer, in accordance with an e mail that a number of prospects shared with CNBC. The credit score should be utilized in a single transaction on store.tesla.com, can’t be used for Tesla Tequila and expires on Jan. 30, 2022, the e-mail mentioned.

On the Tesla store on-line in the present day, $200 should buy smaller objects resembling Tesla-branded attire or a brand new key fob for a Mannequin 3 or Mannequin Y, however not premium objects and car equipment resembling a roof rack or a bundle of adapters that allow drivers plug a Tesla into any outlet to recharge at residence or on the highway.

Lee and two different California-based Tesla homeowners, Clark Peterson and Tom Slattery, who spoke with CNBC concerning the duplicate costs in March, all mentioned that Tesla wants to enhance its gross sales and customer support.

Peterson mentioned, “Whereas pleased to have the entire state of affairs sorted, I nonetheless really feel that the response time was insufficient. It took days earlier than Tesla had any sort of response, they usually have been holding our vital funds the entire time. And it took them 5 minutes to take these funds from our account.”

Slattery mentioned the gesture is simply too little, too late. He has already bought all of the equipment he wants and isn’t within the temper to put on Tesla’s brand round like an advert at this level, he advised CNBC on Tuesday night time.

When the duplicate costs hit his account, he was heading to a different state to have a look at homes, hoping to bid on one. As an alternative, he spent his time distracted, harassed and attempting to get something in writing a few refund.

Tesla paid him again on March 31, a few week after Slattery initially referred to as and visited the corporate’s Burbank service heart and showroom in search of solutions, he mentioned.

After receiving the apology e mail from Tesla on Tuesday night time, Slattery advised CNBC, “Something affordable finished rapidly would have been fully positive. However I’ve realized that Tesla’s tradition is that they care concerning the inventory worth and never prospects.”

When he learn the information about Tesla’s document first-quarter car supply numbers, he mentioned, he needed to be pleased for the corporate however as a substitute had a sinking feeling.

“I believed, ‘You needed to sideline us, despite the fact that you had these ridiculously optimistic gross sales numbers? How might you not pause to cope with folks in dire straits?'”

The issues weren’t restricted to prospects in California.

A former banking govt in North Carolina, who requested to stay unnamed out of privateness issues, mentioned it is unreasonable for a refund to take a full enterprise week.

This individual was charged double for a 2021 Mannequin Y, which value about $54,000. He bought the automobile on-line and was charged twice with funds withdrawn from his account on March 25.

It was his financial institution, slightly than Tesla, that alerted him to the bizarre exercise, he mentioned. It took him about six hours to put a sequence of telephone calls to banks and Tesla in North Carolina and California and work out what had occurred, and he did not get an e mail a few forthcoming refund till March 31. Within the meantime he withdrew funds from a brokerage account to cowl bills, he mentioned.

Whereas he is pleased with the automobile total and has pushed it a number of hundred miles already, he mentioned, he would price Tesla’s customer support solely a 1 out of 5. He mentioned it is clearly Tesla’s mistake, not the banks’ mistake.

Tesla didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.