Tesla has emailed and verbally spoken to customers with signed Solar Roof contract agreements that they will not honor previous pricing and a new contract has to be approved or the project will not move forward, with several new contracts having 50-100% increase in the new pricing model.

Initially advertised as a cheaper alternative than getting both a new roof and panels installed, the current pricing does not reflect that reasoning anymore. After slashing the prices multiple times in 2019 and 2020, customers with contracts waiting more than a year faced a price hike which many cannot afford afterwards or find reasonable compared to regular panels. This is a bigger issue for customers who have signed a loan agreement.

Tesla has had years of modeling and refining the installation of Solar Roof while cutting pricing. A 50-100% price increase with no explanation besides Tesla losing money is absurd, as Elon boasted it will be Tesla’s next killer product several times in past years with three iterations made. Fundamentally, the material and layouts from the new contracts are the exact same in roof complexity and doesn’t explain the new pricing model besides Tesla’s inability to properly price signed agreements.

Many Tesla owners and fans have felt this was a bait and switch with manipulative advertising and cannot recommend Tesla anymore to friends and family in good faith or as a matter of principle in a Tesla focused forum.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/solar-roof-big-price-increase.225429/

Media Sources:

https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/30/22410075/tesla-solar-roof-price-increase-customer-reactions

https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/12/22380057/tesla-solar-roof-price-increase-contract-amount

https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-is-putting-up-prices-on-solar-roof-tiles-2021-4

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/business/energy-environment/tesla-solar-shingles.html

Tesla is also a member of SEIA, which may be breaking the following SEIA business codes set in place:

3. ADVERTISING​
Claims should be accurate, easily understandable and based on facts.​
3.5 Prices quoted must be accurate and complete, covering all products or services offered or requested, with prices for optional or additional products or services clearly identified as such, with payment terms clearly stated, and with the period of availability of the quoted prices specified.
3.7 If estimated prices, whether denominated as “estimated,” “suggested,” “prospective,” or other similar term, are presented to a Consumer, must be reasonably based on the information the Company possesses. Additionally, they should be clearly disclosed or labeled as estimates or similar terms.
3.8 Comparisons of current pricing, contract terms, products or services must not be misleading, and must include all relevant facts to fully understand the pricing, terms, products or services being compared.

4. SALES AND MARKETING INTERACTIONS​
Companies must respect consumer privacy.​
4.7 Companies shall not harass, threaten, or badger Consumers.
4.8 Companies should avoid high-pressure sales techniques.
4.10 Companies should consider a Consumer’s capacity to understand the terms and ramifications of a contract before entering into such contract.

5. CONTRACTS​
Contract terms should reflect verbal representations.​
5.1 Companies shall ensure that written contract terms and verbal representations do not conflict.
Contracts should be clear and understandable to Consumers.​
5.3 Contracts must be written in legible font and in clear language, be structured in a way that is easy to understand, and avoid unclear or deceptive spacing or layout.
5.4 Material terms should be prominently placed in the contract and not hidden in non-obvious portions of the contract.
5.5 Companies must list any applicable costs or the method for calculating applicable costs.