It all began in the 40’, 50’ & 60’ parking lots and on the streets of downtown San Jose. Chopped and channeled 32’ Model A Ford Roadsters licked by flames imbedded in thirty cotes of candy apple red lacquer. Long lush cream colored pleat and roll upholstery, shrunken heads dangling, Transfusion blaring, tires squealing, burnt rubber in the air mixed with steamy sex streaming yes, screaming no. Alphas, Porsche’s, Aston Martins, speak man daddy

It marinated in the insanity of the flashy experimental BPOE plant in Fremont California, matured in understanding through difficulties dealing with the arrogance and incompetence  of Tesla business partnerships  and culminated in a Hertz rented Tesla doing it very best to kill its driver on the crowded roads of California. Some fragment are below and the full story will eventually appear here. 

Rebecca Elliott

Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Cell/Signal/WhatsApp: +1 713 444-7368

rebecca.elliott@wsj.com

Greetings Rebecca,

I had a recent encounter with Tesla that may interest you. It is a story about life threatening encounters brought on by extreme corporate irresponsibility. Part of the story is in the following letter that I sent to Hertz and Expedia:

Hertz Case #19254913

Car Rental #525970686 

Expedia Car itinerary: 72620093511452 

Expedia Hotel itinerary #72632668935678

Expedia Flight itinerary: #72633142238648

Greetings,

After 40 years of great service from Hertz and unwavering loyalty to Hertz I rented a Hertz Tesla through Expedia. There was no manual provided or any kind of information on how to operate the car. Unfortunately, this put me in multiple dangerous situations, not to mention inconvenient, time-consuming situations. In the end, it nearly cost me my life and left me with as yet unknown heart (I have afib and suffered palpations) and psychological damage (this trauma has giving me a lasting level of anxiety and claustrophobia). Caught between an unreliable navigation system and an unpredictable electrical system, I was first locked in my car with no ventilation, in 93 degree temperatures with no power. I waited desperately for Hertz emergency road service to pick up, searching every where to find a button to get me out. Finally, 911 helped me out. Had I not had a cell phone with power, I would have died. Once I got out, the car locked me out, separating me from my belongings. Fortunately, I took my cell phone with me. The plan had been to take a cab to the airport but now I could not, No wallet and no time. That meant an additional flight and an overnight stay (about $750.00 altogether). I believe that, at the very least, you should not charge me for the car and that you should reimburse me for my additional costs. At this point, I would be willing to accept that. You have been good to me, and I have been loyal to you, both for good reasons. The customer service person at Hertz voluntarily and immediately reimbursed me  $150.00 of the charges but informed me that I needed to write you for just compensation. Please have a person of authority call me to talk this through. Please acknowledge receipt of this email immediately. I am trusting you to come through for me. I am not taking any further action at this point. Please contact me within the next five business days.

Thank you, and kind regards,

Peter

CAR-  $760.67

Hotel- $420.37

             $45.42

Flight- $319.16

Cab-   $100.00______________

          $1645.62

Elect. as yet unknown

Some other details: When I left San Francisco airport, I was immediately on a 5 lane freeway with heavy traffic. My side mirrors were completely out of adjustment and I had no idea how to adjust them. My air conditioning was off and I had no idea how to turn it on. It was 85 degrees outside. I was in danger. It took me 20 minutes to get Emergency Roadside assistance to pick up snd they were searching a manual to find the answers. The support person was reading the manual as we spoke.  It took another 10 minutes to figure it out. The first charging station that I went to required an adaptor. This I learned from a stranger who saw my issues and assisted me. Later I discovered that I had an adaptor in the concealed compartment below the trunk. The navigation system was so unreliable (a fact that was verified by others) that i had to drive hundreds of miles out of my way. The complete lack of guidance cost me so much time, anxiety and life threatening danger. I had to completely restructure my trip.

Please call me to discuss. 

Kind regards,

Peter

Hi Peter,

Thanks for reaching out and sharing your experience. It sounds like a rough one. Did your Tesla malfunction during your rental? If so, can you explain how specifically? Or was it largely an issue of Hertz not explaining how the vehicle works?

Best,

Rebecca

Rebecca Elliott

Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Cell/Signal/WhatsApp: +1 713 444-7368

rebecca.elliott@wsj.com

Hello Rebecca,

Thank you for responding so quickly. It seems to me that a car that locks its passengers inside when it runs out of power is malfunctioning. Long term Tesla owners have been happy to learn that the door release button is there. It also seems to me that a car that in all other circumstances releases its door where the keyed driver requests it and then, shockingly, locks all doors and the trunk when it’s power is down, summons enough power to lock them out, is malfunctioning. Cases in point. This was also news to long term Tesla drivers. In addition, Tesla drivers were happy to learn that there is a concealed button on the front bumper that has a set of electrical leads behind it that allow battery activation of the ignition system for tow trucks. Please give me a call in the morning. I am an early riser.

Kind regards,

Peter