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> The FTC hasn’t said which six companies it sent letters to, just that they “market and sell automobiles, cellular devices, and video gaming systems in the Uni
by iaw 9y ago
> The FTC hasn’t said which six companies it sent letters to, just that they “market and sell automobiles, cellular devices, and video gaming systems in the United States.”
Does anyone else read this to imply that Tesla got a letter?
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
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- VLM 9y agoI'm pretty sure more than a decade ago my dad had a keyless entry fob for a car, who's make I do not recall, that had a sticker to discourage battery replacement. This anecdote is only relevant in the sense that the sticker might not be on the hood of the car; remote control for AV system or keyless entry or tire pressure monitoring gadgets inside the wheels are definite possibilities.
- opencl 9y agoI would be shocked if Tesla is not on the list. They do not take very kindly to people even daring to connect to the diagnostic port on their cars, literally calling people on the phone (because of course their servers log everything you ever do with the car and they know who owns each car) and telling them to stop: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/610152/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/610152/ It does not bode well for any sort of attempt to repair the things.
- ghaff 9y agoTesla has also basically thumbed its nose at the Massachusetts Right to Repair law. Technically they comply in that you can access their service manual online but it's $30 [per hour] or $3,000 per year or something like that.
- FireBeyond 9y agoAnd, I believe, before that, you had to go to a Tesla dealership to view it. After making an appointment. After paying a fee. And you weren't allowed to make copies of anything or take photos.
- LeifCarrotson 9y ago> they know who owns each car Of course, that's an easy one to answer. Tesla owns each car. Not quite true, even if they sometimes act like it, but a lot of companies do try to make it this way. For instance, CHEP pallets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHEP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHEP
- Spooky23 9y agoTesla’s popularity is always surprising to me. They seem like a really shitty company to deal with.
- slfnflctd 9y agoThey did two things incredibly well-- marketing, and top-notch engineering of core components which pushed both battery management and electric drivetrain tech forward. Other than that, it's been a mixed bag. Personally I love what Musk has accomplished with SpaceX, but Tesla is more worrisome. The autopilot thing has been handled badly, their treatment of employees is apparently not stellar, and they seem to view their customers similarly to how Apple views theirs, only worse. Time will tell how it all plays out. I would hesitate to call the odds either way, though; that is one unpredictable CEO.
- syshum 9y ago>>Time will tell how it all plays out. Bankruptcy most likely, once the big boys get off their ass Telsa is done, at least as a Auto manufacturer. 5 years tops before they are on the verge, 10 years before they are either out of the Automobile Manufacturing market (licensing their name to one of the Big Car Companies who actually make the cars) or are bankrupt Their Future may be in Technology (battery, Auto Pilot, etc) that they can sell to other companies, unless they refuse to do that in which case Bankruptcy
- carlmr 9y agoI think it's most likely one of the conglomerates will buy it up once it's cheap enough. The brand name alone has value.
- lurchpop 9y agoBmw will remotely disable a car if you don't use their batteries or have an authorized dealer install it. Would be cool if that sort of thing was covered.
- sjg007 9y agoNow that's a class action lawsuit. Find an attorney and collect.
- bradstewart 9y agoRemotely? On what model year? Mine has the "anti-theft" system that disables all the electronics without a dealer-provided unlock code, but is a few years old (2013).
- syshum 9y agoTheir stance on this is one of the main reasons I will not even consider "buying" a tesla... They do not treat their "owners" as owners... If I wanted to Rent a car I would call Enterprise
- userbinator 9y agoI wonder what the response would've been if he literally told Tesla to fuck off. Also known as the "I bought it, I own it" rule.
- letsgetphysITal 9y agoDisconnect the car's free LTE service and refuse vehicle servicing at any service center? Tesla isn't obliged to maintain your Model S any more than Ford are obliged to maintain your Explorer. Breach the terms, lose the perks. Hope you know a good electrical engineer.
- syshum 9y agoThat really is circular logic, and one of the primary reason the Warranty laws were passed Dealers were pressuring Manufacturers to make rules to prevent owners from allowing 3rd party independent mechanics from serving the cars, dealership (aka stealerships) saw the extreme profit that can be made on servicing thus wanting to have a captive market to ensure high profits with no competition. They used the same augments "well these are complex machine and you just can have any old moron on the street working on them" That argument failed decades ago, and it should remain a failure today. Telsa should not be allowed to lock out independent repair shops under the guise of "well these are complex machines and you need to be Electrical Engineer to understand them"
- snuxoll 9y ago> That argument failed decades ago, and it should remain a failure today. Telsa should not be allowed to lock out independent repair shops under the guise of "well these are complex machines and you need to be Electrical Engineer to understand them" If only it was just Tesla, manufacturers of consumer electronics have gotten customers to buy this hook, line and sinker. The comments on this story and others related to third party repair services found on /r/Apple are filled with such anti-consumer garbage.
- stale2002 9y agoAnd then they will be sued and lose. You are correct, that Tesla 'can' just refuse to follow the law. They might even be able to get away with it. In the same way that I can just go kill someone, and I might be able to get away with it too.
- hermitdev 9y agoI also had John Deere in mind with the issues of them blocking farmers out of repairing their own equipment.
- sjg007 9y agoYeah it's a big deal and being litigated.