I dodged a bullet. I bought into the original heavy stainless steel exoskeleton concept, which they never delivered on. So they had my deposit. Then it took me a year and a half (!!) to get my deposit back from time of request, a dozen documented follow-ups on phone, email, and in-person at the stealership.
Tesla’s excuse: While they were happy to take a Canadian’s money with fully refundable deposit terms, they had not contemplated actually ever refunding a Canadian. The deposit was made by credit card. The only option offered for refund was a deposit to an American bank account.
It seems like no aspect of the Cybertruck project was done well.
Then it took me a year and a half (!!) to get my deposit back from time of request
After we decided against an F-150 Lightning because it wouldn’t fit in the garage, one click of the “cancel reservation” button, and the money was back in our account within two weeks. When we were disappointed with the VW Buzz that the U. S. was getting, same deal: VW gave our money back in a few weeks.
Granted, your situation is arguably a little out-of-band if you squint really hard, but c’mon, Tesla.
Ha, I didn’t even mention that around the same time, to hedge my bets, I also had a deposit on an F-150 Lightning and had the same easy experience with a Ford refund as you did. Click.
I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if promises weren't kept or expectations not met. This is the same company that has a product called Full Self Driving that cannot fully self drive.
They originally claimed the stainless steel panels would replace the internal frame and thus be more efficient to produce. But they shipped with a traditional frame
The way they proposed doing it was folding steel sheets into the CT structure. My guess is they were never able to produce consistent enough folds. It takes pretty precise metal working to make that work.
The “exoskeleton” part? The stainless panels are poorly glued to an aluminum frame. The frame provides the structure, the panels are load, not bearing.
In 2019, Musk asked for deposits as he told the world "We created an exoskeleton ... the body and bed on a traditional body-on-frame design don’t do anything useful. They’re dead weight."
MotorTrend describes Tesla's failure well in their Nov 2023 teardown. Read the "Does the Tesla Cybertruck Have an "Exoskeleton?" section. Spoiler: It doesn't. The stainless panels are not load-bearing. The Cybertruck has a conventional unibody chassis.
Tesla’s excuse: While they were happy to take a Canadian’s money with fully refundable deposit terms, they had not contemplated actually ever refunding a Canadian. The deposit was made by credit card. The only option offered for refund was a deposit to an American bank account.
It seems like no aspect of the Cybertruck project was done well.