Bad Bosch Warranty - Biker Beware

[rtringale]

Warranty Means Warranty (UNO)

Read the fine print and you will see the words Warranty, 2 years repair or replace by Bosch for Battery, Motor, and Controls. Sales people confirmed as did the Electric TREK Towne Electra Manual.

Now comes the reality Check: With the first recharge use the battery would not recharge. After 7 weeks in two shops I was told the Battery was bad and would be replaced. Wow... 7 weeks and a new Bosch battery

I am charged $89 for Warranty interface, Diagnostics, Postage, Handling, and Taxes. The Why so much to test a battery is answered by the Bike Shoppe Owner that Bosch Warranty Group is horrible to work with and they spent tons on the phone to get my Free Battery with a $89 Warranty Charge. We settled for half and agreed never to return.

Continued Calls to Bosch Rep Chis and Ebike Director Channing promised to send me the paperwork declaring the Warranty EXCEPTION words but never did. So Buyer Be Ware.

Buy a Shimano System and Stay clear of Botch I mean Bosch. Pass it on..... and on... and on...

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

You may be dealing with a third grade bike shop or sales people.

Bosch does not charge a fee for warranty exchange. I just confirmed that with Bosch OEM. Those warranty items come from their warehouse and is processed once the diagnostic report is sent.

If your store is charging you $89 for diagnostic services, postage and handling, then that's a different story.

After 7 weeks in two shops I was told the Battery was bad and would be replaced.

If you had to deal with two different stores, I wonder if you took it to the store where you bought the bike from?

What happened with the first store?
Wherever you purchased the bike from, they can reimburse your other store. All of this is included in the purchase price and that's why stores exist (to service the customer).

 

[rtringale]

Ravi...

I spent two hours talking directly to Bosch Ebike service manager Chris and the director of serve Channing who blew me off stating Bosch warranty covers parts only all service costs by the customer

Suggest you call and ask if they know a guy in Knoxville that owns anElectra Towne silver in color with a new Bosch battery he had to pay for warranty charges $89

833 267 2432

Sorry to say you Are 100% Wrong

The Bosch warranty is a scam And people need to know.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Two hours of your time = $100 even at conservative $50 an hour.

If they replaced a $800 battery promptly and your store charged you $89 for whatever, I would speak with the store ... insisting " Hey, I got the bike from your store not from Bosch"

Bosch doesn't deal with end users. In fact, most motor OEM don't have obligation to talk to the end users but they do because of courtesy.

In your case, Trek/ Electra is the OEM and your store would be the main point of contact. We don't know the details of where you purchased the bike, how old it is , how many miles was on it and who dealt with warranty.

If you think Bosch warranty is no good after replacing the battery, sell it and move on. If you think Shimano is better, here is a link for you: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2019-Felt-...d-250w-Shimano-Steps-55cm-Large/193187944497?

Just like yours, 2 hours of my time is $100. I am not going to debate what is right for you and that is up to.

 

[onlineaddy]

@rtringale sorry to hear of your warranty experience. This is disheartening to hear. The assumption, I thought, when folks purchase a "name brand" bike from a LBS is to get better support when something goes wrong. I guess that is no guarantee.

 

[Johnny]

Is this the LBS you have purchased the bike from ?

 

[tomjasz]

Another two posts wonder not to give us the whole story. Sorry, but I get truly frustrated with this sort of post. $89 is not unreasonable. Bosch battery failures are rare given their attention to detail.

 

[Marcela]

If I buy a vehicle, second hand, from most any manufacturer, and it is still within warranty, I can take it to any of the dealerships, they will fix the warranty issue, and are reimbursed by the manufacturer. Nothing comes out of my pocket.

Just food for thought.

 

[Mike_V]

R. Tringale - same handle as - your name?
you got a rise to your copy / pasted cartoon on this board
not electric bike

A real Keystroker and emoji princess
Whining about postage cost

 

[tomjasz]

If I buy a vehicle, second hand, from most any manufacturer, and it is still within warranty, I can take it to any of the dealerships, they will fix the warranty issue, and are reimbursed by the manufacturer. Nothing comes out of my pocket.

Just food for thought.

Unfortunately bike sellers have none of the support or margins auto dealers have. Maybe not a fair or good comparison?

 

[Alaskan]

Looks like another newbee, not telling the whole story, looking to vent and flame a reputable company. Thank @Ravi Kempaiah for taking your time to try to set him straight. Those of us with years of experience dealing with Bosch and different LBSs, know how to read between the lines here. I have been relying on Bosch to keep my cars running for decades.

I agree there should be no cost added by a LBS for warranty service...UNLESSS it is not the shop that earned the initial profit by selling the bike. The OP does not seem to want to answer this question. Not going to the original LBS is the buyer's choice.

 

[Johnny]

Now comes the reality Check: With the first recharge use the battery would not recharge. After 7 weeks in two shops I was told the Battery was bad and would be replaced. Wow... 7 weeks and a new Bosch battery

rtringale can you please clarify the following points :

1. Is your bike new or have you just purchased a new battery?

2. Why did you have to visit two different shops. I see that you have a Trek and any shop should be capable of immediately telling you if the battery is bad.


Anyways it is not ok to charge $90 for warranty of a brand new battery but again if you can elaborate then people can help.

 

[Akrotiri]

Ravi...

I spent two hours talking directly to Bosch Ebike service manager Chris and the director of serve Channing who blew me off stating Bosch warranty covers parts only all service costs by the customer

Suggest you call and ask if they know a guy in Knoxville that owns anElectra Towne silver in color with a new Bosch battery he had to pay for warranty charges $89

833 267 2432

Sorry to say you Are 100% Wrong

The Bosch warranty is a scam And people need to know.

You may or may not have a point. You may or may not have been ripped off 89$ but you left out crucial details that were highlighted by Ravi.
Where you lose my interest and sympathy and willingness to offer advice is when you say Bosch warranty is a scam. Bosch is a global company that has revenues in the tens of billions of dollars, owns hundreds of VERY important patents, and has been around and operating for a Century. Their warranty isn't a scam, you just had a bad experience at your local LBS that you may or may not have bought your e-bike from and we have no idea how old your e-bike is because you left that detail out as well.

 

[Alaskan]

@rtringale You've made quite an impression with your ranting and refusal to provide full information about your situation. First you post a flaming, incomplete diatribe about a well respected company, without providing any details, like was the bike new when you bought it, did you take it to the shop where you bought it, etc.

Now you start a new thread on the same topic and insult a respected member of our community who has made numerous, incredibly generous contributions on this forum and is known for his integrity and impartiality. For years Ravi has shared knowledge both as a designer of ebikes, one of the smartest people around when it comes to electrical systems and a renowned rider and has been a great help to many if not all of us that regularly participate on this forum.

You only get one chance to make a first impression and you have blown it.

 

[BlackHand]

As someone who is 5 weeks into a Bosch motor warranty replacement I can understand the OP's frustration if not the accusations. If their battery has 0 or 1 charge cycles on it then the OP should not be out of pocket $.01 for a replacement as long as it was reported promptly to the dealer who sold it to them.

In my case, the failure happened 1300 miles and 3 months into ownership. Having purchased from a remote dealer and read the warranty up front I knew that warranty work would involve me paying labor and plus a diagnostic/dealer fee.

I'm not excited about having to pay but it is what it is. I have no complaints about how my LBS or Bosch has handled things so far other than I wish the repair timeline wasn't subject to the Covid Effect.

 

[Akrotiri]

As someone who is 5 weeks into a Bosch motor warranty replacement I can understand the OP's frustration if not the accusations. If their battery has 0 or 1 charge cycles on it then the OP should not be out of pocket $.01 for a replacement as long as it was reported promptly to the dealer who sold it to them.

In my case, the failure happened 1300 miles and 3 months into ownership. Having purchased from a remote dealer and read the warranty up front I knew that warranty work would involve me paying labor and plus a diagnostic/dealer fee.

I'm not excited about having to pay but it is what it is. I have no complaints about how my LBS or Bosch has handled things so far other than I wish the repair timeline wasn't subject to the Covid Effect.

Totally understand your point. You provided necessary details the OP hasn’t

However the OP refuses to tell us whether he brought his e-bike to the LBS he purchased the bike from. He refuses to tell us how old his ebike is, how many miles it has, whether he is the original owner or not.

Instead he posted two hit and run threads one being a personal attack against another EBR member and one being a rage and flame against Bosch. Both of which apparently he seems to have abandoned.

 

[Nova Haibike]

So you had to pay the labor for warranty work?

Many warranties only cover the part, not any labor. This is certainly true in the bicycle industry.

 

[Deacon Blues]

BlackHand, can you link me to Bosch's warranty explanation? My recently purchased Cannondale, with a Bosch Gen 4 motor, is back in the shop because of a clicking sound coming from (I think) the motor.
I'm going to be really annoyed if the shop has to do some serious work on the motor and I have to pay for labor.

 

[J.R.]

From everything I've read and heard over the years, dealers pick up the tab for labor for their own customers and manufacturers pick up the tab for parts. I was specifically told this by a dealer where I bought a bike and a dealer who's become a friend. I don't know if it is a written or unwritten rule in the warranty contract.

 

[Dallant]

Certainly not saying this is the case but the age of iffy warranty response is certainly upon us. Major car companies like Toyota find ways out of even acknowledging a problem, let alone fixing one.