The automotive company Tesla, owned by Elon Musk, was sharply criticized last week for canceling a large order of 4,000 cupcakes from an independent cake shop at the last minute – without any compensation.
“My hopes were dashed when I received a text message […] He casually informed me that the plan had changed and Tesla no longer needed the order. […] “I have invested time, resources and effort based on Tesla's assurances, only to be left in the lurch,” Voahangy Rasetarinera, the owner of The Giving Pies, lamented on Facebook last Thursday, the New York Post reported.
The San Jose, California-based pastry chef took to social media on Thursday to denounce the laxity of big companies after she was let down by the auto giant, which contacted her last week about a large and expensive order.
On Feb. 14, the company ordered 2,000 cupcakes for the following Tuesday before contacting them again two days later to double the $16,000 order, according to the American newspaper.
At that point, the payment was still pending, but given the Tesla employee's assurances and the limited time, the pastry chef would have mobilized all of her employees to get to work.
Then she received the text message saying that plans had just changed and that Tesla would no longer be doing business with the pastry shop, even though she had already invested time and money in the ingredients for the preparation.
“This experience is a stark reminder of the vulnerability of small businesses when dealing with larger companies. Despite our best efforts to honor our commitments […] We are often at their mercy,” the owner continued on Facebook.
Luckily, the post didn't fall on deaf ears, as hundreds of customers showed up at the pastry shop over the weekend to order cakes as a show of support: a gesture that deeply touched the owner.
“I didn't [la publication] for that. I am so grateful. It's incredible. The people are extraordinary,” she said.
Tesla boss Elon Musk, in turn, tweeted on Friday that he had just been informed of the situation and that he would make sure to clarify the situation with the pastry shop, which confirmed on Tuesday that it had received a payment of US dollars According to The Guardian, he was paid $2,000 to cover the cost of the ingredients.
“If you're a big company, $2,000 is pocket money, it's nothing. But for us it is a lot,” the owner would have added.
I'm just hearing about it. Will do well with the bakery.
People should always be able to trust Tesla to do its best.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 23, 2024