Yu took a wrench and smashed the front windshield of the vehicle.
(ECNS) -- US electric car maker Tesla has been accused of discriminating against Chinese customers who don't live in Beijing or Shanghai, as those customers' orders have been repeatedly delayed, the China Economic Weekly has said.
Yu Xinquan, an e-commerce entrepreneur from the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, said he prepaid 250,000 yuan ($40,300) and ordered the electric vehicle last September in Beijing, with a promise that he will receive the vehicle with the first batch of customers.
But in March, he discovered his vehicle had yet to be manufactured in the US, even as Tesla commenced delivering cars to customers in Beijing and Shanghai.
Yu was not alone in Tesla's breaching the principle of "first come, first served." Availability was limited to Beijing and Shanghai customers, due to the lack of service centers and charging stations.
Yu and 22 other customers on the waiting list launched a protest against Tesla in April. After hearing from their attorney, Tesla agreed to produce vehicles for them, but demanded they sign a contract to waive their right to lodge complaints.
Disgruntled customers met with Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk on April 21, who apologized and promised to deliver cars after local service centers are set up, which meant a longer wait.
On June 17, Yu said he was told that his Model S would be delivered, but one day later Tesla said the vehicle was seized by Tianjin customs and the delivery would be further delayed.
Tesla suggested Yu take a brand-new car from its showroom, which Yu said was a display model. Finally, minutes after taking delivery of a white Tesla Model S in Beijing on June 27, Yu took a wrench and smashed the front windshield of the one million yuan ($173,600) vehicle.
It's a protest against the company, Yu said in an interview. "Tesla should make efforts to respond to our complaints."
Zong Yi, another businessman in Guangzhou who received one of the first batches of Tesla vehicles in Beijing, faced the problem of driving it back to Guangzhou. Tesla made little progress in setting up a charging network, he said.
He made his way back by buying 20 charging poles and giving them to hotels that would offer free electricity.
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