Tesla is currently engaged in a dispute with Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, which ran a promotion for the Model 3 that wasn’t in accordance with the U.S. carmaker’s policies.
The issue began when a customer in Wuhan found a Model 3 on Pinduoduo through YiAuto, which is a car retailer based in Fujian. YiAuto had the sedan priced at 251,800 yuan ($36,320), some 7% cheaper than Tesla’s official post-subsidy price.
Once the EV-maker was made aware of this campaign, it denied any form of cooperation with either Pinduoduo or YiAuto. In spite of that, YiAuto went ahead with its promotion and the Wuhan customer got his car – his order was placed directly on Tesla’s website, using his personal details, reports Autonews Europe.
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Tesla then labeled the transaction a resale, which meant that the Wuhan customer wouldn’t be entitled to the same rights somebody would after purchasing a car through official channels. The carmaker also said that it would support the customer if he chooses to “safeguard his legitimate rights” from the promotion organizer.
Pinduoduo stated that it was “disappointed that Tesla has made it difficult for some fans to get their dream car,” adding: “We appreciate the trust that our users put in our platform and will do everything we can to protect their rights.”
According to Chinese media reports, Pinduoduo sold a total of five Model 3s at about a 14% discount, with the company and one of its online merchants making up the difference.
Some feel as though this “stunt” is nothing more than Pinduoduo trying to shake off its reputation as a platform for cheap goods, reports the Financial Times.
“It doesn’t want to stay that way and they’ve been doing a lot to let people know they have high-value stuff on their platform like iPhones or Teslas to try to attract high-value users,” said Blue Lotus Capital Advisors exec Shawn Yang.
“Tesla has been played by Pinduoduo – it got all the attention and free advertising and in the end didn’t bear any responsibility,” said one Weibo user.
Earlier this week, Tesla pledged unspecified compensation to those who ordered a car via Pinduoduo for “losses of time and energy,” if they repurchased the vehicle through its own website.