In response to recent negative feedback about how the company has handled certain customer interactions — some of which have played out publicly on Reddit — Comma.ai founder George Hotz has announced a shift in support philosophy. The new stance, “believe the customer,” aims to give customers the benefit of the doubt whenever there’s ambiguity in company policies.
“If there’s ever ambiguity in our policies, we want to make sure that we give the customer the benefit of the doubt,” Hotz wrote. “If you feel that wasn’t done for you, post about it and we’ll reconsider.”
This marks an opportunity for customers who felt their cases were mishandled to have them revisited. However, Hotz drew a clear line between policies being unfairly applied and simply disliking a policy — only the former will be reconsidered.
Where Comma Draws the Line
Hotz laid out several firm boundaries:
- No hardware troubleshooting on forks or third-party harnesses
Comma won’t diagnose devices running non-stock software or connected via unsupported hardware. Too many unknowns make accurate troubleshooting impossible. The company offers a web-based reflasher so customers can restore devices to stock for support. - One-year hardware warranty
A standard consumer electronics warranty. While extended coverage may be possible in the future, Comma currently offers:- $500 out-of-warranty repair for Comma 3X units.
- $750 trade-in credit for any old Comma device in any condition (original purchaser only).
- No price matching
Hotz dismissed “price envy” complaints, noting buyers agreed to the purchase price. Customers can return devices, but rebuying comes with a six-month cooling-off period. - Car compatibility limitations
Comma can’t support every make and model and aims to clearly communicate supported vehicles. - No phone support
Unless explicitly promised — and if it was, they’ll correct it.
What Comma Offers Instead
Despite these boundaries, Hotz emphasized customer-friendly options:
- 30-day no-questions-asked returns
Full refunds for incompatibility or unmet expectations. - One-year hardware warranty
Hardware issues within a year get a replacement — after ruling out unsupported software or harness issues. - Direct engineer access via Discord
Community members who put effort into bug reports and questions often get direct feedback from the developers themselves.
Hacker Culture Still at the Core
Hotz reiterated Comma’s roots in hacker culture — encouraging research, tolerating a bit of noob hazing, and rewarding self-driven problem-solving. While Discord will remain the main platform, they’re open to supporting community-run alternatives.
The Bottom Line
The “believe the customer” policy is both a response to recent public criticism and a signal of a more flexible approach to support. If a policy was applied unfairly, customers now have a direct path to challenge it. But if the issue is simply disagreement with the policy itself, they shouldn’t expect a reversal.
For Comma’s dedicated community, the message is clear: the company is listening — but the rules aren’t going away.