So I had a crazy turn of events the past few days. I was smack in the middle of the pack for the second batch of RCSs. A guy I've been chatting with online who received his RCS at the end of April had been keeping me updated on his bike. He had a bunch of small QC issues- stripped bottle cage bosses, improperly installed fender, among other things. Then he had a major motor/ controller malfunction. I learned over the weekend that he had finally gotten to speak with a real person after getting nothing but emails suggesting he try doing all of the things he had already tried before even contacting them more than a week ago. He was frustrated when I talked with him last Thursday. Finally on Friday of last week I decided to pull the plug. It didn't look like I'd be getting my bike any time soon. The Juiced website is vague regarding delivery (as most folks around here know), and the RCS page said the 2nd batch was due to start shipping in mid June.
When I had first started looking at ebikes, my dream bike was a Stromer ST2. On Friday, I got some good financial news at work. I started looking at ST2s again. I found a dealer with a white ST2 demo with less than 5 miles on it. He offered it to me for a spectacular price. I ordered it. It's shipping today.
Then, half an hour ago I got an email from Pilotdelivers.com (Juiced's delivery company) with a manifest for my RCS!
For 10 minutes I agonized over which to cancel.
In the end, I went with the Stromer. It was the bike I originally wanted, and the extra money I just got, coupled with the screaming deal on the Stromer sealed the deal. I have to say, though, that a huge factor was nervousness surrounding the RCS. I can deal with waiting as long as I'm kept informed. What I can't deal with is a company that is apparently stretched so thin that they can't respond quickly to issues with nearly-new bikes. What happens when I have a similar issue to my friend and there are a thousand more bikes out there? How can they service the bikes they can barely deliver while trying to deliver even more and shipping them with inadequate QC?
I really, really wish Juiced and its customers the very best. I hope these growing pains are just that. I think the innovative design and components are leagues above what other direct competitors are offering. But without a dealer support network and without delivering a first rate buying experience, they're going to make more and more people think twice about buying from them. I know they read this forum, and I hope they see this. The bikes are awesome. But with a big ticket item (this is a big ticket item for me) the service and commitment of the company are every bit as important. Answering direct questions with vague or patronizing platitudes like, "Don't worry, it'll be worth the wait", or "We want to make sure we're helping you in the right way", is not a remedy for a question like "Why can't I talk to someone about this particular problem I'm having?". Vague answers are not "helping in the right way". Responsive communication and prompt followthrough is the right way.
Sorry for the long, dramatic, preachy post. In the end I get a great bike, and someone else gets their RCS sooner than they would have otherwise. A win win.
Wear your helmet,
Chuck.