Tesla returns were supposed to be easy, but this customer has been waiting more than 2 years for a Model X refund

Danny Roman runs a sustainable, outdoor adventure company that gives biking and hiking tours in Southern California.

Danny Roman took delivery of his new car on February 28, 2020.

Three days later, he told the company he was returning the electric SUV under the no-questions-asked policy that Musk had promoted.

Roman still doesn't have his refund or access to the vehicle that cost $116,000, more than two years after it was taken possession of byTesla.

After loading his Model X onto a tow truck, he expected his refund to arrive promptly, according to records. He was told by his bank to ask the EV maker to stop selling it, and then he was told that his refund would be processed soon.

Roman received a service alert fromTesla telling him to come pick up the electric SUV as he was still communicating with them about the status of his return. He had originally purchased the vehicle in Century City, but the alert said it had been repaired and was in a service center in Burbank, California.

Roman said he was amazed by the alert. He says he never asked for or authorized any repairs and that he was returning the car. His account is confirmed by the response between Roman andTesla he shared with CNBC.

Roman stopped making payments on his car because he thought everything was going well. He was told by the bank that he had missed a payment and that his credit rating had taken a hit. He was told that the stop-sale had not been issued.

Roman is the owner of a small business that gives biking and hiking tours in Southern California. He had no choice but to keep making payments to his bank and to keep the car insured because of the stance ofTesla.

Roman knew that if he didn't keep up his payments his credit would be ruined, and he wanted to avoid that. He kept up the insurance payments in case the car was damaged.

Roman said that if you stop paying your bank, it will destroy you.

Roman has been making payments on a car that he doesn't own for the last two years.

The customer's situation was not commented on by the company.

Roman bought the car because he was a fan of the company, he read that the Model X had a great safety rating, and he thought driving a battery electric vehicle would minimize the environmental footprint of his personal transportation.

At that time, he was the father of an infant. He thought buying an electric car was a good way to show his commitment to sustainable outdoor adventures.

The car was marketed with a battery that could drive from Southern California to the San Francisco Bay Area and points along the way where he often travels and leads biking tours.

The range indicator on the Model X said that Roman had drained 15 miles from the battery after he drove less than half a mile from his home.

Roman said it took far longer than the 45 minutes he was told it would take to charge the car at a Supercharging station.

Roman shared photos with CNBC of the vehicle's display and charging status. Roman waited more than an hour to get access to the stall because there was a huge line of cars in front of him.

Everyone in L.A. has aTesla.

Tesla owners waiting to recharge their electric vehicle batteries in Southern California.

Roman said one of the falcon wing doors was sticking when he tried to open it. He found that it would cost him 10 times the amount that the sales reps said it would. He was told by the sales reps that he could install a charger at home for about $700, but that they had to charge him in a stand-alone garage because he lived in an apartment building.

Musk said to his millions of followers that orders are fully refundable even after a week.

Roman returned his car.

Danny Roman’s Tesla Model X had battery, and door issues that lead him to return it to the electric vehicle maker in 2020.

The company tried to convince Roman that it didn't have a seven-day return policy when he bought his vehicle.

The return policy was on the website until October 2020. Roman filed a suit against the company after three months of back and forth with them.

He was told his case would be sent into an alternative dispute resolution process instead of going to court.

Roman agreed to an arbitration clause when he signed the paperwork for his Model X.

Roman's situation with the Model X highlights the vulnerability of U.S. consumers who are pushed into agreements in order to purchase items.

Paul Bland is the executive director of Public Justice, a consumer advocacy group.

Consumers don't get anything out of agreeing to arbitrate. Bland said that companies wanted to make it harder for a consumer to win a case if they did something illegal.

Roman would not have purchased the Model X if he knew the company was not telling him the truth about the car and return process. His case is still pending.

Roman leased a hybrid electric Toyota Prius to use in place of the Model X.

Roman said that every time the money gets sucked out of his account, he just cringes.

After refusing to acknowledge they had accepted his vehicle as a return,Tesla sent Roman a message telling him his car was ready, which he hadn't seen in about two years.

Roman said he would come pick it up. But then he wouldn't get an appointment to do it. He was told to call his bank. That didn't get him anywhere.

Danny Roman used the Tesla app to find the whereabouts of a Model X he returned to the company in 2020.

Roman was curious about what had happened to the Model X, so he went to theTesla app to see if he could find out anything. He paid for a car that was sitting in a junkyard just 11 miles from his home.

Roman told CNBC that he is still a huge believer in electric cars.