Microtransactions are a fairly regular part of apps, video games, and other multimedia platforms in today’s world – but recently one unlucky customer recently made a regretful purchase on his phone’s Tesla app and is still waiting for it to resolve.
Dr. Ali Vaziri accidentally “butt-dialed” a $4,280 upgrade for his Tesla Model 3 on his iPhone, according to a report by CNBC on Wednesday.
“My phone was in my jeans,” Vaziri told CNBC. “I took it out, put it on this charger that comes with your Tesla and that’s it. A minute later? I got the text. I’ve never purchased anything through the Tesla app before.”
Just saw this today. Tesla refunds in general should be easy to get electronically & certainly through customer service. Will he addressed.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 15, 2020
Other users have reported similar problems throughout this year, though most of them have been able to resolve the issue fairly quickly; Vaziri, however, is still waiting for any email contact about his refund from Tesla, although he was able to request for his bank to stop the payment.
When contacting the customer service phone line, Vaziri was simply told to request a refund through the app. The problem with that, however, is that there is no such button within the app.
Vaziri said “The car has been great since I’ve had it. But this has been a nightmare. The customer service is horrendous.”
While transactions like these aren’t particularly “micro,” the ease of app purchases in the modern age likely is by design. However, hopefully, nobody but Mr. Vaziri ever has to make another accidental purchase over $4,000 again.
For iOS users, in-app purchases can be made with Apple Pay, which does require confirmation via Touch ID or Face ID, adding another layer of purchase protection, for when your phone is touching your butt.
