- Tesla owners are venting their frustration after missing out on steep price cuts this week.
- One buyer told Bloomberg she missed out on a $13,000 reduction and won't buy another Tesla.
Some Tesla buyers who missed out on big price cuts that could have saved them thousands have lashed out at Elon Musk's electric-car maker.
Social-media posts and a report by Bloomberg suggest several owners were angry after Tesla announced big price cuts this week in a bid to sell more cars.
Bloomberg spoke to three recent buyers who all missed out on reductions of $10,000 for the Model 3 and $13,000 for the Model Y.
"I feel like I got duped. I feel like I got taken advantage of as a consumer," Marianne Simmons told Bloomberg after paying more than $77,000 in September for a Model Y.
"Right off the bat, I'm out $13,306. It's such a large reduction that it's going to affect a lot of people who just bought a vehicle," she said. Simmons told the outlet she'd never buy another Tesla as a result.
The cuts follow reductions Tesla first made in Asian markets that briefly left the cars about 40% cheaper in China than in the US. Reuters reported that the cuts sparked protests in some Tesla outlets in China.
Tesla has also slashed prices in European countries like France, Germany, and the UK.
Some who said they'd recently bought a Tesla vented their frustrations on a Facebook group in the UK.
"Feel a little short changed here as only collected my model 3 rwd in December it would be nice if Tesla could soften the blow in some way shape or form," one user posted.
According to The Telegraph, another user posted: "I just picked up the car yesterday. What should I do? Go to Tesla and give back the car? I can't believe after a few hours from picking up the car I lost £5k."
Jack Bradham told Bloomberg that the black Model Y long-range edition Tesla now costs $12,000 less than the $69,000 he paid for one in December.
There is currently no indication that Tesla will reimburse recent buyers.
"There's no one to contact. I called and tweeted to them, no response," Bradham told Bloomberg.
James Baggott, the editor-in-chief of Car Dealer Magazine, told the Press Association news agency that UK Tesla buyers who placed orders at the old prices could cancel, but that those who already had their cars were stuck.
"This will also have a big impact on used-Tesla prices. Our research has found Tesla prices fell by more than a fifth last year and these new price cuts will have a severe negative impact on the used-car market," he added.
The Model Y and Model 3 were the two best-selling cars in the UK in December — with almost 16,400 registrations — even before the price cuts.
Tesla cut the price for a Model Y by £7,000 to about £45,000, or $55,000; while an entry-level Model 3 is now £8,100 cheaper at about £43,000, or $52,600, the Evening Standard reported.
Tesla said in a statement to the Press Association that some costs had stopped rising, "giving us the confidence to pass these through to our customers."
"As local vehicle production continues to increase and we gain further economies of scale globally, we are making Model 3 and Model Y even more accessible" in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, the company said in the statement.
Tesla didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.
Were you affected by the Tesla price cuts? Get in touch at rhogg@insider.com.