--- title: "A Tesla Driver Accidentally “Butt-Dialed” a $4,200 Upgrade to His Car" description: "Physician Ali Vaziri accidentally \"butt-dialed\" himself into a $4,2080 \"Enhanced Autopilot\" upgrade for his Tesla Model 3, CNBC reports." date: "2020-10-08" modified: "2020-10-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-driver-butt-dialed-upgrade" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "Model 3" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # A Tesla Driver Accidentally “Butt-Dialed” a $4,200 Upgrade to His Car ![Physician Ali Vaziri accidentally "butt-dialed" himself into a $4,2080 "Enhanced Autopilot" upgrade for his Tesla Model 3, CNBC reports.]() *\Image: Tesla\* ## Butt-Dialed Florida physician Ali Vaziri accidentally "butt-dialed" himself into a $4,200 "Enhanced Autopilot" upgrade for his Tesla Model 3, [*CNBC* reports]() — and he's still waiting for a refund. "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." ## Wallet Summoner Vaziri had only owned the Model 3 for a couple of months. His credit card was linked to his Tesla account to pay for a monthly "premium connectivity" plan. The $4,000 option includes fancy self-driving features including automatic lane changing, parking, and a much-hyped "Summon" feature that lets owners send for their cars in parking lots with either their key fob or the Tesla smartphone app. Vaziri, though, wasn't interested in shelling out for the feature. In fact, once he discovered his "butt-dial," he tried to get in touch with Tesla customer service, but here was no clear way for him to get a refund. ## Refund Fun Vaziri still hasn't been able to get his money back — not even a confirmation email, according to *CNBC*. "The car has been great since I’ve had it," Vaziri told the network. "But this has been a nightmare. The customer service is horrendous." In January, following a similar incident, Tesla claimed to have changed its refund process, but experts argue it's still not enough to meet industry standards. Besides a disappointing customer service experience, Tesla decided to [completely dissolve its PR department]() earlier this week — an unusual and possibly unprecedented step in the industry. **READ MORE:** [Tesla owner says he butt-dialed a $4,280 Autopilot upgrade — and is still waiting on a refund]() \[*CNBC*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Leaked Tesla Memo: Angry Employee Sabotaged Part of Factory]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()