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Ángel Gaitán sued the company after discovering that the Model 3 had several defects, including a broken weld point.
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The mechanic still retains his stake in Tesla: “I think the brand still needs to make a lot of money”
Ángel Gaitán, owner of the GT Automoción car workshop in Aranjuez (Madrid), sued Tesla for selling it. A car full of flaws. Specifically, a Model 3 sold in Spain for €52,000.
It was his biggest flaw a dedicated source point, which the company proposes to re-seal. Add to this other issues like a chipped interior engine panel, misaligned hood and worn windshield wipers.
The sentence, delivered in the first instance court No. 2 in Fuenlabrada last March, to which EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA had access, condemned Tesla Spain (the multinational company’s subsidiary in our country). He will pay Gaitan 62,330 euros. You can appeal the decision.
Tesla did not respond to several requests for information from this newspaper. According to the plaintiff, the company requested an extension to review the videos of the case, and attractive.
There are no similar cases in Spain, at least not known or appearing in the decision database of the General Council of the Judiciary, but Chinese (in a second-hand Tesla with structural defects) and United States of America (A Chicago couple wanted to sue Tesla for selling them a broken-down car, but the company added an arbitration clause to the contract, leaving them unprotected.)
Gaitán, a legal automotive expert as well as a mechanic, He bought his Tesla in August 2020.
“I was the biggest fan of the brand. I’ve been driving since 2013, bringing the cars from Switzerland. “There were a lot of problems but they were forgiven because this was the first electric car and they were produced in limited numbers,” he told EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA. car, we noticed that the problems persist.
The mechanic paid 72,000 euros for the tool, of which 7,000 corresponded to the driving software. “I saw the defects the day after purchase and returned the software order,” he continues. Well, paid 65,000 euros, which the company had to repay almost all of it.
“The vehicle came with a poorly welded bodywork. They told me it was a stupid problem. and let him have it. I had the option to return it online in two weeks, but in his workshop it took longer and I missed the deadline. They gave me the option to solder and I told them this. I wouldn’t let that happen in a new car.“I decided to complain by not offering any further solutions,” he says.
“They laughed at me”
Gaitán is famous on the short video social network, in addition to being a mechanic and expert. TikTokHe has amassed close to one million followers and YouTubeWhere it exceeds 100,000.
So, in addition to accusing in court, The whole process has been made public.
Despite this, Tesla’s response was: ignore it.
“My first videos on TikTok weren’t about Tesla. I had a work accident, got bored, and the channel started working. A year after the complaint, I started posting them publicly,” he says. “I said to them: If you don’t give me a solution I will post it. They laughed at me. They are above good and evil. Elon Musk is the richest man in the world and Spain is a country that does not concern him. He is an artist. they don’t care about everything. This is the tenth interview I’ve had on the subject and they haven’t made any statements to anyone.”
Tesla has several stores in Spain and a repair center north of Madrid. One of the main obstacles Gaitán faced was Bad customer service from the company.
“There is no service to call in Spain. They have stores, but you buy online, then you can go to the grocery store. serviceLike which workshop? I processed everything through the NetherlandsHe adds. The company’s European headquarters are in that country.
Thus, and thanks to the network repercussions of his complaints, Gaitán Tesla customers who have problems with their cars.
“Every week customers come from all over Spain with welding issues, multiple finish defects, broken batteries… I report the problem to them and guide them on how to initiate the claim. Some malfunctions are serious and very expensive to repair“, finishes.
Tesla doesn’t see a 60,000-euro car as high-end
One of Tesla’s arguments that surprised both Gaitan and the judge was this: Do not consider a high range vehicle for more than 60.000 Euros.
For Gaitan, unacceptable With that price comes factory flaws.
In the judgment, “we find ourselves with a new high-priced vehicle, although it does not include it in the high-end category with deficiencies recognized by the seller from the time it was delivered by the defendant (…) the expert insists that the observed defects do not jeopardize the structural integrity or safety of the vehicle, hereby vehicle Does not meet the quality standards expected from a prestigious brand like Tesla“.
“Even if they cheat people, they can still sell well”
Angel Gaitan, mechanic
The mechanic, despite all his disappointments, He holds his stake in Tesla because he thinks he can still make a lot of money with them.
“I have a lot of stock. I got them for less than $60 and they’re worth 1200. [ahora mismo están en unos 700 dólares]. I think the brand should still make a lot of money, but that doesn’t mean that if a user has a problem, they tell you it’s normal and the car isn’t high quality, it doesn’t mean you have to give it to them,” he concludes. keep deceiving people, they have a chance to do good tricks. The general public does not know these ins and outs. Though now that the rest of the brands have rolled out electric cars. This will probably be the last year I hold the stock.”
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