U.S. car manufacturer Tesla was urged to respect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers following its apology for its attitude toward customer complaints.

Respecting consumer rights is the prime prerequisite for companies’ operations, the China Consumers Association (CCA) said Wednesday.

Enterprises need to pay attention to consumers’ complaints in a sincere manner and offer them reasonable explanations and effective solutions, said the CCA.

On Tuesday, Tesla apologized for not addressing a customer’s complaint in a timely manner and said it would conduct a self-inspection of its service and operations in China – a U-turn from its tough stance at the outset claiming they would not “compromise on unreasonable demands” late Monday.

The woman, surnamed Zhang, had protested against the company since early March, while she was detained for “disrupting public order” by Shanghai police after protesting at Tesla’s exhibition booth.

She climbed on top of a car at the booth Monday and accused the car maker of a brake malfunction at the show.

The State Administration for Market Regulation also said Wednesday it attached great importance to the incident, and has instructed the market supervision and management departments in Henan Province, Shanghai Municipality and other places to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers in accordance with the law.

Tesla on Wednesday said it will provide driving data of Zhang’s accident in a Weibo post, adding it will fully cooperate and bear all costs of an inspection.

The Administration for Market Regulation in Zhengzhou, captial of Central China’s Henan Province, on Wednesday ordered Tesla to provide the complete driving data for the 30 minutes before this woman’s alleged accident.

Before Tesla’s apology, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, a high-level watchdog overseeing China’s legal apparatus, posted a commentary on its official WeChat account, saying that Tesla China was ignoring rising concerns by consumers about Tesla car accidents, which raised questions about the company’s responsibilities to customers.

(Xinhua, CGTN)