How to Get a Tesla Deposit Refund

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

Elon Musk Getting on Your Nerves? Get a Tesla Deposit Refund With DoNotPay!

Tesla, Inc. (formerly known as Tesla Motors, Inc.) is a company from Palo Alto, California that manufactures electric vehicles and clean energy products. Their offer includes four models of electric cars—Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y.

Tesla managed to become the world's best-selling plug-in and battery electric passenger car manufacturer in 2019, hitting the one million produced cars mark in 2020. Elon Musk, its current CEO, has become somewhat of a celebrity and a pop-culture staple, with his ambitious projects in space exploration and artificial intelligence.

Tesla Model 3 Deposit Refund Policy

Tesla’s electric cars are undoubtedly popular. When a new model gets announced and rolls out, it gets massive publicity. While some appreciate their sleek design and consider them status symbols, others praise their positive environmental impact. Tesla’s Model 3 is the best-selling plug-in electric car of all times, with more than half a million units delivered.

Getting your deposit back for one of those shiny, beautiful cars is another story. Those who wanted to place an order for Model 3 had to put down a refundable reservation deposit of $1,000 in the past, but the policies changed in 2019 after numerous customers reported issues with refunds. If you want to make a reservation for a Model 3 now, you will have to pay $100 right away, but the amount is non-refundable.

Despite the changes, old deposit pricing is still available on Tesla's Support page. If you proceed with online orders on the Payments page, regardless of what payment method you choose (cash, lease, or loan), you will notice a Due Today, non-refundable order fee of $100. It’s interesting to note that reservations for upcoming models also include the Due Today fees, but right below it, the website says “fully refundable”.

Refundable reservation fees apply to:

  • Tesla Cybertruck—$100
  • Tesla Roadster—$5,000
  • Tesla Semi—$5,000

Transparency doesn’t seem to be Tesla’s strong suit. One thing that the company promises is that you can get a full refund for the car if you return it within seven days or before you reach 1,000 miles, whichever comes first.

How to Get a Tesla Reservation Refund?

Tesla Model 3 reservation refunds might not be possible anymore, but if you’re still a Tesla enthusiast, eyeing one of the soon-to-be-released models, you should be aware of your options to cancel and obtain a reservation refund:

Can you request a refund via

Yes / No
DoNotPay

Yes

Email

No
Phone

No

Mail

No
Website

Yes

In-person

No
Live chat

Yes

Requesting a Tesla Reservation Refund on the Website

Looking for a way to cancel your current Tesla reservation on their website can be a nuisance. There is no clear instruction on how to proceed with cancellation requests from your account, but we managed to compile some information from different online forums like Reddit and Tesla’s online community.

The process should look like this:

  1. Open the Tesla Sign In page and log in with your credentials
  2. Locate your reservation
  3. Click on Manage
  4. Hit Request cancellation

Try Live Chat to Get a Tesla Reservation Refund

Contacting Tesla’s customer support seems to be next to impossible from what is available on their website. There are no official phone numbers to reach a representative nor email addresses to address your complaints and concerns. The only available option at the moment is to use the live chat:

  1. Open the Tesla Support page
  2. Scroll down and click on Contact Us
  3. Sign in to your Tesla account
  4. Start a live chat
  5. Explain that you want to cancel your reservation and obtain a refund

Chat support is available from 4 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. PST. While it is not listed as the official way to cancel reservations and request refunds, it’s worth trying.

How Long Does a Tesla Deposit Refund Take?

Based on the experience of many users, Tesla refunds can take anywhere from just a few business days to actual months. Tesla’s forum page is full of different stories and reports about both prompt and horrendously slow refunds.

While there’s no official information on the duration of refund procedures anywhere on the website, a Tesla representative stated for CNBC that most refunds get processed within 30 days.

Use DoNotPay to Secure Your Tesla Reservation Refund

Are you tired of dealing with non-transparent policies of companies like Tesla? If the answer to that question is yes, we would like to present DoNotPay, your ultimate tool for ensuring refunds whenever your customer rights have been endangered.

When companies make it difficult for you to exercise your rights by hiding relevant policies and procedures in the murky depths of their websites, DoNotPay will take over and make sure you get out of the process with your money back in your pocket. Our app was created on the legacy of the Fair Credit Billing Act of 1974, which allows you to dispute credit card charges from the previous 60 days.

You no longer have to deal with back-and-forth emails or long, unproductive phone calls with customer service representatives. The only thing you need to do is set up a DoNotPay account in a and follow these easy steps:

  1. Hit File a Chargeback when you sign in
  2. Provide your bank’s details
  3. Answer a few questions about the Tesla charge you want to dispute
  4. Verify your identity and provide a signature

And that’s it! As soon as you’re done with this short questionnaire, our service will create a customized dispute letter and forward it to your bank. If your chargeback request needs an extra push, DoNotPay will supplement your claim with the most important Visa and MasterCard codes and regulations to ensure your success.

If Tesla Is Being Difficult, Send demand letters to Them With DoNotPay!

Not only does our app file successful chargeback requests, but it can also help you send demand letters to a company that is causing you trouble. DoNotPay is the recipient of the American Bar Association Louis M. Brown Award for Access, and can significantly reduce the effort and time you need to prepare for your small claims lawsuit.

With our help, you can get:

  • A custom-made letter directed to Tesla attempting to resolve issues outside of the courtroom
  • Necessary court paperwork
  • Script to follow at your court appearance

Use DoNotPay to Tackle Other Bureaucratic Issues

You will be amazed by how much power and knowledge are crammed in our pocket-sized AI assistant. Many issues that would have pushed you to hire assistance can now be resolved with just a few taps in the DoNotPay app.

Our services range from helping you lower your bills and stopping dangerous spam, to protecting you from cyberstalking.

Check out our virtual credit cards if you want to try a service, but worry about forgetting to cancel on time and getting charged.

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