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from the fine-print-giveth-and-small-print-taketh-away dept.
People Are Jailbreaking Used Teslas to Get the Features They Expect:
People have certain expectations when they buy a car. For example, they expect it to work for years afterwards needing only basic maintenance. They also expect that the purchase price includes ownership of not only the physical car itself but all the software that runs it.
Tesla doesn't agree.
Last week, Jalopnik ran an article about a person who bought a used Tesla from a dealer—who in turn bought it at auction directly from Tesla under California's lemon law buyback program—advertised as having Autopilot, the company's Advanced Driver Assistance System. The entire Autopilot package, which the car had when the dealer bought it, costs an extra $8,000. Then, Tesla remotely removed the software because "Full-Self Driving was not a feature that you had paid for." Tesla said if the customer wanted Autopilot back, he'd have to fork over the $8,000.
Tesla clawing back software upgrades from used cars is not a new practice for the company. "Tesla as a policy has been doing this for years on salvage cars," said Phil Sadow, an independent Tesla repair professional. One former employee, who used to work in an official Tesla service center and asked to remain anonymous because he still works with Tesla in another capacity, said he was told to put the software features back if people complained to avoid bad publicity. He left about a year ago.
But that doesn't mean Tesla owners are helpless. Sadow and others have ways to push back against Tesla by jailbreaking the cars and getting the features owners feel are rightfully theirs.
"As far as I am concerned removing a paid-for feature, regardless of the state of the car, is theft," Sadow said. "It's as if a bunch of guys show up in a van and take your upgraded 20" wheels. Just because it's software, it's no different."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 14 2020, @12:51AM (2 children)
I've had this argument several times at work. Your contract with someone else does not bind me. Likewise, the original owner's contract with Tesla has no effect on the new owner. They do NOT get to revoke or modify the sale. If Tesla thinks that the sale violated their rights or the original contract they can sue the original owner. They have no control or authority over the new owner.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday February 14 2020, @01:08AM (1 child)
I have the Brooklyn bridge to sell you -'t'll be cheap, mate.
Once you give me the money, you are free to use it as you please, no matter that I don't have any ownership established by a sale contract.
(if you bought a Tesla feature that was not owned by the one that sold it to you, you worth losing your money)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 14 2020, @01:19AM
That would be fine if you actually owned the Brooklyn bridge. Can you drop it over that river in my backyard over there? Thanks.
The contract you have with Brooklyn saying their garbage trucks can drive across it to get to Brooklyn is your problem.