Gary - Sorry to hear about your misfortune with Ariel and hope it gets resolved soon.  I almost bought the M but decided against it because I thought the narrow 20" wheels might not give a good ride.  I had a 'bad battery' experience with one bike I bought online and it was addressed immediately by Juiced Riders.  My guess would be that a capacitor blew somewhere on your bike.  Maybe it was installed backwards or a solder splash shorted it out.  Juiced sent me a new battery when mine went bad, no questions asked and before I returned the old one.  IMO, Ariel should send you a replacement bike.  The hardware issue you've experienced could happen with any bike - especially one built to a low price point.  What matters is how the issue is resolved.