If you think Donald Trump is the only rich egomaniac who doesn't like to pay people as promised, think again. A small, black-owned California bakery was stiffed when Tesla — the electric car company that Elon Musk likes to pretend to have founded — abruptly canceled a large order, causing financial strain and operational chaos for the small business.
Voahangy Rasetarinera, the owner of The Giving Pies in San Jose, found herself in a difficult situation after preparing for a substantial order placed by Tesla, only to be told at the last moment that the order would no longer be needed.
According to a report from The New York Post, Rasetarinera was approached by a representative of Tesla on Valentine's Day, who placed an order for 4,000 pies, amounting to $16,000, intended for a company event commemorating Black History Month. The order was significant for the bakery and required extensive preparation and resources.
When Tesla failed to pay her, she talked to the representative who told her, "Oh, I'm so sorry the vendor hasn't paid you yet, I think they're kind of new. And I have a question for you, can we double the order?"
Rasetarinera accepted, bought the extra ingredients to meet Tesla's new order, and her team went to work making the pies.
Two days later, Tesla's representative sent a text message: "It unfortunately sounds like we will be changing plans and will not be needing this order. Thank you so much for your support. I appreciate it."
The abrupt cancellation left The Giving Pies facing significant losses. The bakery, which had set aside other orders to accommodate Tesla's large request, found itself with excess inventory and a hole in its schedule that could have been filled with other profitable engagements.
According to NBC Bay Area, Rasetarinera said that unlike Tesla, other clients such as Google, Apple, and Adobe paid for their orders.
The New York Post reported that they have sought comment from Tesla regarding the incident, but at the time of writing, no response has been provided.
See also: Tesla board members pressured into drug use with CEO who claims he does not partake
