Tesla criticized for canceling pie order worth $2,000+ with San Jose bakery

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The owner of a San Jose small business says she's taken a big hit after Tesla placed an order worth thousands of dollars, then canceled unexpectedly.

The Giving Pies is a beloved business in San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood, but it's not just local residents in love with the pies - they've also caught the attention of Silicon Valley's biggest corporations.

"We work with Google, Apple, Adobe, Intuit - all of them," said owner Voahangy Rasetarinera.

Rasetarinera said Tesla reached out to her on Valentine's Day to place an order of 2,000 mini pies to be delivered the following Tuesday and Thursday which is short notice for the business.

Rasetarinera shared emails and texts with ABC7 News that were sent between her and Tesla representatives.

She sent a quote that a Tesla representative approved; still, she did not immediately get a payment from Tesla's vendor.

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"I'm like, 'Okay, I'm gonna wait, you know, and they are professional, they are a big company. So once it's approved, it's approved.'"

Rasetarinera said that just after 9 p.m. the next day, she got a call from the Tesla representative.

"She said, 'Oh, I'm so sorry that vendor hadn't paid you yet, I think they're kind of new,'" Rasetarinera recalled of the late phone call, "'And I have a question for you, can we double the order?'"

After speaking with her staff who planned to work around the clock to double the order, they took on the job.

She bought ingredients and turned down other orders, but she still hadn't gotten her payment.

After following up with the Tesla contact, she got a text message from them that said in part: "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"

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The Giving Pies was out more than $2,000, a big hit for the small business.

All Rasetarinera was told was that the decision came from upper management.

After thinking about the experience over the weekend, she decided to post what happened to her on social media where it got plenty of attention.

ABC7 News reached out to Tesla and did not hear back, but while at The Giving Pies doing a late afternoon interview, someone with Tesla finally reached out to her.

"Explaining to me what happened that it was miscommunication that the employee, Laura, had no authority to promise any payment," Rasetarinera said.

They offered to find a way to still buy pies from her, something she said she may consider but for now is hesitant to commit to.

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After the experience, Rasetarinera said she's revaluating how she does business with larger corporations.

Despite the disappointment, there's also a sense of gratitude to the many customers who came in to her store and nearly bought it out after seeing the story posted on social media.

"You got to help your community, the people that make your community, the merchants that are in your community," said customer Bryce Felperin, "Because if you don't help them, no one else is."

Rasetarinera hopes that by sharing the story, larger corporations can be reminded to respect small businesses.

"I don't want them to feel like 'Oh you know we can do whatever,'" she said, "It's people's lives that they are affecting and I want them to know that."

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