“Though the scars of this experience may linger, they serve as a testament to the strength and resilience of small businesses,” said Voahangy Rasetarinera
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A small business owner claimed Tesla left her California company “high and dry” by reportedly canceling a large pie order at the last minute.
Voahangy Rasetarinera, who owns The Giving Pies in San Jose, said she was approached by a Tesla representative on Valentine’s Day about ordering thousands of mini pies from her business, according to NBC affiliate KNTV and CW affiliate KRON-TV.
“After providing a quote and receiving approval, I anticipated a smooth transaction,” Rasetarinera said in a post on The Giving Pies’ Facebook page.
However, when payment “failed to materialize” on time she “grew concerned.”
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On Feb. 19, Rasetarinera claimed she was contacted by the Tesla representative and asked to double the order. The representative allegedly apologized “for their vendor not paying on time, claiming they were new.”
“Despite the late hour and short notice, I consulted with my staff, who assured me they could manage the expanded order,” Rasetarinera wrote.
The order, which was for a Black History Month event, was worth $16,000, according to KNTV.
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The following day, Rasetarinera said she “sent a revised invoice” to the company “requesting payment by noon to secure additional resources for production.” However, when that deadline came and went, she was left “in a difficult position.”
Rasetarinera said the business was forced to turn down other Black History Month catering jobs in order to complete Tesla’s order, on top of buying supplies and preparing “for a demanding production schedule.”
At 2 p.m., Rasetarinera said she called the Tesla representative “only to get her voicemail.” She claimed that a few minutes later, she got a text message “CASUALLY informing me that the plan had changed and Tesla would no longer require the order.”
“This abrupt reversal left me reeling, realizing the extent of the impact on my small business,” the business owner wrote. “I had invested time, resources, and effort based on assurances from Tesla, only to be left high and dry.”
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Rasetarinera said she reached back out to the representative and “expressed the profound disappointment and damage inflicted on my business.”
“I outlined how their actions had disrupted my operations, strained my staff, and tarnished my trust in doing business with big corporations,” she added in the Facebook post.
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Despite facing “temporary setbacks,” Rasetarinera said Tesla’s actions “will not deter me from pursuing my passion and serving my community with integrity and pride.”
“And though the scars of this experience may linger, they serve as a testament to the strength and resilience of small businesses everywhere,” she concluded.
Rasetarinera claimed Tesla has offered “to make it right,” according to KRON-TV. But she is still “waiting for confirmation” from Tesla regarding the proposed make-up events. When reached for comment by the outlet, a Tesla spokesperson acknowledged they’d been in touch with the business owner.
Neither Rasetarinera nor Tesla immediately responded to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
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