'Tesla ambassador' shares horrific Robotaxi experience that left him calling an Uber

Even Elon Musk's biggest fans are expressing their dissatisfaction with Tesla's Robotaxi service, as a self-described 'ambassador' of the electric car giant has revealed the horror story that led to them taking an Uber instead.

Robotaxi services offered up by Tesla are currently only available in six major cities across both Texas and Florida, yet that limited roll out is still seeing issues crop up as the product seemingly isn't fully up to scratch.

It's something that Elon Musk will have to contend with if he wants to meet all of the conditions outlined in his record-breaking pay package – unless he opts for an alternative route with a major loophole – and it's got to the point when even 'ambassadors' of the company are speaking out.

Taking to X with both anger and disappointment, Tesla 'ambassador' Reggie Overton revealed the story behind his 'horrible experience' with Robotaxi, as a glitched route and arrival time appeared unresolvable even with help from the car company's support team.

Tesla ambassador calls out Robotaxi for glitched ride

"My destination was only 2.3 miles from my pickup location, yet the Robotaxi estimated it would take 1 hour and 6 minutes to get there," Overton explained, and it's easy to understand how this could spiral into a never-ending loop with no driver to reason with.

"I couldn't believe it, so I called support. They assured me it was a bug, and shortly afterward, the estimate dropped to 16 minutes but the actual route never changed," he continued.

"About two minutes later, the estimated arrival time jumped back up to 57 minutes [...] Ultimately, we had to change our destination, get out of the Robotaxi and call an Uber to get where we were originally trying to go.

"For a 2.3-mile drop, this was an incredibly frustrating experience especially when support had no way to correct what was clearly a routing problem."

While the support team did suggest leaving a review – presumably to alert the engineers to a potential ride-ruining bug – this passenger initially didn't even get a refund for his failed journey, perhaps making him question his ambassadorial position going forward.

Has Tesla responded to the issue?

It didn't take long for the team behind Robotaxi to find Reggie's complaint and issue a response, with a reply thanking him for his feedback and stating:

"We have provided a refund for this ride earlier today and will continue to improve the rider experience at every level."

Overton himself then quoted the response with official confirmation of the refund, thanking Tesla for 'not breaking its promise' and asserting that he is "pleased with how Robotaxi handled my situation. If they could also invite me to the Cybercab event, that would be fantastic."

Whether the company honors the request remains to be seen, yet Overton has continued to post his support and adoration for Elon Musk's company ever since the horror story unfolded, suggesting that it hasn't discouraged him from taking Robotaxi ever again.