Juiced Support - No more chat?

[Asher]

My CCS did that within the first week, early January of this year.

The battery started shutting off within a very short time. And within a couple more days the battery would not work at all.

Juiced quickly sent out a replacement. Won't they do that for you? I don't get it! A battery cutting out, and mine showed NO BARS on its status indicator as soon as any load was put to it, and the battery shut off, is clearly a defective battery.

Have not had any issue at all with the second battery.

FWIW...

I don't know how other companies do it, but I'd look for a way for customers to easily video chat with reps, for more serious issues. Or a signed letter from a shop experienced with ebikes. To avoid Juiced getting scammed by customers.

And also to provide a more human touch for customers.

 

[NeilCruz]

Asher,

I would assume that Reid would have had to have a credit card charge as a deposit while the battery swap would occur. That would keep scamming down


Or do you mean in general for not getting scammed for bogus repairs?

I doubt if someone sent in an unsubstantiated claim they would get such prompt reimbursement.

My assumption
At the least some photo's and a video of the problem, a photo of the problem part when disassembled/removed showing the flaw/failure, and a more photo's/video with the replacement would be the basic bare minimum. Oh and opening a ticket ASAP.

-------

Maybe those of you who have good support experiences could outline what you did, and how long it took, especially if its more than those obvious steps outlined above.

Please

Thanks!

Neil

 

[Asher]

I had a stripped brake clamp. Took pictures of the stripped hole, and the receipts for parts and service, got a refund within a few business hours. No back and forth.

 

[Jtoberbauer]

My CCS did that within the first week, early January of this year.

The battery started shutting off within a very short time. And within a couple more days the battery would not work at all.

Juiced quickly sent out a replacement. Won't they do that for you? I don't get it! A battery cutting out, and mine showed NO BARS on its status indicator as soon as any load was put to it, and the battery shut off, is clearly a defective battery.

Have not had any issue at all with the second battery.

FWIW...

Yes that's exactly the same problem. They have offered to send a battery box for me to ship it back (over 2 weeks ago), but I have never received that box or a follow-up to that offer. After they offered the box, they instead sent a 1to4 cable, even though we had ruled that out already. I don't know why they won't send a battery. I assume its because they don't have any extra's, but they are not explaining that.

 

[Reid]

Asher,

I would assume that Reid would have had to have a credit card charge as a deposit while the battery swap would occur. That would keep scamming down


Or do you mean in general for not getting scammed for bogus repairs?

I doubt if someone sent in an unsubstantiated claim they would get such prompt reimbursement.

My assumption
At the least some photo's and a video of the problem, a photo of the problem part when disassembled/removed showing the flaw/failure, and a more photo's/video with the replacement would be the basic bare minimum. Oh and opening a ticket ASAP.

-------

Maybe those of you who have good support experiences could outline what you did, and how long it took, especially if its more than those obvious steps outlined above.

Please

Thanks!

Neil

Tell you what, I provided zero documentation and zero dollars of security. Juiced recognized me as a person of normal decency and instantly sent a new battery. I could have scammed them.

The fact that I did not scam Juiced Bikes means that others can and may have done so on false pretext.

Yet they soldier on.

Their company is sound of heart.

Am a booster of the highly imperfect, misleading firm because they mean to do well eventually while they do not mean to do harm to anyone ever. But do. To a few. Who mostly could have cancelled. Except for one who continues to crow his victimhood (ha!), and maybe he should: he is part of the human condition of this tapestry woven by Juiced Bikes and Juiced Bikes' willing adopters whose arms today remain unbroken.

 

[Reid]

Yes that's exactly the same problem. They have offered to send a battery box for me to ship it back (over 2 weeks ago), but I have never received that box or a follow-up to that offer. After they offered the box, they instead sent a 1to4 cable, even though we had ruled that out already. I don't know why they won't send a battery. I assume its because they don't have any extra's, but they are not explaining that.

Right now, practically, Tora Harris will read of your complaint and he will rectify the issue. Period.

He will. Because he sees an issue of a very real nature. He is not omniscient. He cannot know of his employees' oversights until shown to him in a highlighted way, as you have now afforded here, thankyouverymuchtroubletransmitter.

No-one intends to harm another here. Just, at this point, Mr. Harris is spread thinner than peanut butter on any acre of a ring of a moon of Jupiter (just sayin') made of white bread or star dust (same difference) or gimmemymoneybackyouusuriousfools.

 

[dean1]

I don't know how other companies do it, but I'd look for a way for customers to easily video chat with reps, for more serious issues.

Just about all smartphones have that capability now. And what a great idea that would be for JB to set themselves apart from other online dealers -- even LBSes! Bringing the bike tech into your garage.

 

[tomjasz]

Here's the Scrambler link.

Nothing new there.

 

[kev312]

Scrambler is now on the front page with a little more details on the specs.

 

[Lenny7118]

So basically we figured most people will buy the 48V 13Ah version because it was cheaper. Orders are made 4-6 months before the first customer sees the bike. Effectively we have to guess what people want.

Already from the pre-orders it became clear that everyone wanted the 48V/19.2Ah and 52V/21Ah version which we made less of. These are among the biggest battery packs produced fore e-bikes and no one is making them in these kinds of numbers.

The result is production is very slow and there were some delays getting them made. But we did make more packs to catch up, and making them as fast as possible. however the actual bikes arrived before the packs.

To catch up we flew in the packs by air which is very inconsistent way to move lithium packs around and difficult to tell the customer exactly when it will arrive as it could have many delays and we do not know exactly our selves.

We decided to go ahead and ship the 13Ah version before some of the 19.2 although some some of the 13Ah versions were ordered later. Otherwise we will have too many bikes stacked up when they could be getting out.

Other things causing delays is the rack supplier making the custom rack a little lower than spec which would not normally be a problem, but we do include the fenders so the fender made noise over bumps when it hit the underside of the rack. This is unacceptable to have the bike to go out to the customers like that.

The part to address the issue was manufactured and sent from china to be installed on every bike which caused some delays and bogged down customer support and shipping of service parts.

Additionally customer support got pounded with processing canceled orders, stressed out customers calling and cursing out our reps and also posting nasty stuff on social media and else where.

Another issue is some of the bikes got damaged in shipment due to the way they are packed, the big size, and the rough nature of UPS package shipments. We adjusted the packing to be right at the limit of the UPS size, but some bikes dinged for over size charge of over $300/unit. So for some shipments we used freight carriers which are much more gentle on the product and do not have limitations on size, but are very inconsistent on the delivery dates and poor tracking capability relative to UPS.

This lead to the shipping department getting pounded with filing claims and call after call with stressed out customers cursing out our reps and also posting nasty stuff on social media and else where.

We recently pushed back estimates on the ship dates for 19.2Ah and larger bikes for new orders. We also disabled the ability to even pre-order even if you want to pay in full. We provided the stock notification signup and will send out the mail to all the customers when the particular version that they want becomes available.

This lead to the sales department getting pounded with call after call with stressed out customers cursing out our reps and also posting nasty stuff on social media and else where.

We have now several thousand bikes on order, but ramping up takes 4-6 months to see the result regardless of how much cash is thrown at the problem. The wait times will get shorter and faster until you can just order the bike you want and it ships next day. And we are reducing the pre-orders accepted until we are sure the bike can arrive and be delivered in a timely manner with our desired specifications. Some customers already got the bikes and all indications is that it lives up to the hype and is an incredible product without any equal at the moment.

Some parts used on our bikes are difficult to get. To increase the production speed and reduce lead times we could switch to more generic off the shelf components, battery packs, pedal sensors etc. But that will not result in a great product for the Juiced brand.

Juiced Bikes is a very controversial and open company so every single thing is dissected on the internet often times with incomplete information. People have extreme interest in not only our products, but also the business in general. Everything we do is to make the best possible product and deliver it to the customer successfully so that they have an amazing time on the bike.

The recent trend is to first post on social media any question or issue BEFORE contacting customer support then repost every response from the rep. This is very stressful to the person trying to do the service especially if they are new, but that is just the nature of the internet and we are in the process of upgrading the tools and infrastructure to better handle the new way people like to communicate.

I don’t see a rack problem here. The rack is nice and high off the fender.

 

[Chuck E. Cheese]

So basically we figured most people will buy the 48V 13Ah version because it was cheaper. Orders are made 4-6 months before the first customer sees the bike. Effectively we have to guess what people want.

Already from the pre-orders it became clear that everyone wanted the 48V/19.2Ah and 52V/21Ah version which we made less of. These are among the biggest battery packs produced fore e-bikes and no one is making them in these kinds of numbers.

The result is production is very slow and there were some delays getting them made. But we did make more packs to catch up, and making them as fast as possible. however the actual bikes arrived before the packs.

To catch up we flew in the packs by air which is very inconsistent way to move lithium packs around and difficult to tell the customer exactly when it will arrive as it could have many delays and we do not know exactly our selves.

We decided to go ahead and ship the 13Ah version before some of the 19.2 although some some of the 13Ah versions were ordered later. Otherwise we will have too many bikes stacked up when they could be getting out.

Other things causing delays is the rack supplier making the custom rack a little lower than spec which would not normally be a problem, but we do include the fenders so the fender made noise over bumps when it hit the underside of the rack. This is unacceptable to have the bike to go out to the customers like that.

The part to address the issue was manufactured and sent from china to be installed on every bike which caused some delays and bogged down customer support and shipping of service parts.

Additionally customer support got pounded with processing canceled orders, stressed out customers calling and cursing out our reps and also posting nasty stuff on social media and else where.

Another issue is some of the bikes got damaged in shipment due to the way they are packed, the big size, and the rough nature of UPS package shipments. We adjusted the packing to be right at the limit of the UPS size, but some bikes dinged for over size charge of over $300/unit. So for some shipments we used freight carriers which are much more gentle on the product and do not have limitations on size, but are very inconsistent on the delivery dates and poor tracking capability relative to UPS.

This lead to the shipping department getting pounded with filing claims and call after call with stressed out customers cursing out our reps and also posting nasty stuff on social media and else where.

We recently pushed back estimates on the ship dates for 19.2Ah and larger bikes for new orders. We also disabled the ability to even pre-order even if you want to pay in full. We provided the stock notification signup and will send out the mail to all the customers when the particular version that they want becomes available.

This lead to the sales department getting pounded with call after call with stressed out customers cursing out our reps and also posting nasty stuff on social media and else where.

We have now several thousand bikes on order, but ramping up takes 4-6 months to see the result regardless of how much cash is thrown at the problem. The wait times will get shorter and faster until you can just order the bike you want and it ships next day. And we are reducing the pre-orders accepted until we are sure the bike can arrive and be delivered in a timely manner with our desired specifications. Some customers already got the bikes and all indications is that it lives up to the hype and is an incredible product without any equal at the moment.

Some parts used on our bikes are difficult to get. To increase the production speed and reduce lead times we could switch to more generic off the shelf components, battery packs, pedal sensors etc. But that will not result in a great product for the Juiced brand.

Juiced Bikes is a very controversial and open company so every single thing is dissected on the internet often times with incomplete information. People have extreme interest in not only our products, but also the business in general. Everything we do is to make the best possible product and deliver it to the customer successfully so that they have an amazing time on the bike.

The recent trend is to first post on social media any question or issue BEFORE contacting customer support then repost every response from the rep. This is very stressful to the person trying to do the service especially if they are new, but that is just the nature of the internet and we are in the process of upgrading the tools and infrastructure to better handle the new way people like to communicate.

All of this is understandable. What isn't understandable is how you guys to let the Internet take control of the story. If Juiced was more communicative- letting buyers know what Juiced knows- the conversation would be very different. Certainly there would still be people griping, but accusations of Juiced's impending insolvency and other random nasty assertions and assumptions would have been kept to a minimum and you wouldn't be in the position of having to refute that stuff.

I really, really wanted an RCS. I ordered one as a matter of fact. But the inability to figure out with any kind of certainty whether I would even have my bike before July (pparently there was a 3rd preorder, but I didn't know that), coupled with a single anecdote of a friend who had a serious issue with his motor and couldn't get someone on the phone, pushed me over the edge. One business day after I cancelled my order an email from Pilot was sent to me announcing my bike was on its way. By that point I had ordered another bike from a larger manufacturer and from a dealer known for good service and great communication. As much as I bought into "The Legend of Tora", watching this forum and others turn into an angry mob gave me the heebee jeebees. I know an anecdote shouldn't be considered data, but when there's no other information available, you make decisions based on the little information you have. My friend with the motor issue spent a week trying to talk to someone at Juiced about his brand new, broken bike and only received emails telling him to try the fixes he had already tried- After he had already told the support people he had already tried them! I didn't want to be in his situation when Juiced was shipping out another batch of bikes which (for all I knew) might all have the same issues. Again, anecdotes do not equal data, but you guys have the data. You need to make it available so other folks don't find themselves in the same position of wondering what the hell is going on.

The bike I got is my first ebike. I suspect it won't be my last. I like to think that some day I'll have an RCS or whatever it evolves in to. I wish the company the best. But please realize that people are nervous when it comes to big ticket items, and it's not uncommon for people to assume the worst when the company being accused of shenanigans is incommunicado. If you can't get out in front of rumors to stop them, at least respond to them before even the fans start to wonder.

I sincerely wish you guys the absolute best.

-An almost-owner

 

[Lenny7118]

All of this is understandable. What isn't understandable is how you guys to let the Internet take control of the story. If Juiced was more communicative- letting buyers know what Juiced knows- the conversation would be very different. Certainly there would still be people griping, but accusations of Juiced's impending insolvency and other random nasty assertions and assumptions would have been kept to a minimum and you wouldn't be in the position of having to refute that stuff.

I really, really wanted an RCS. I ordered one as a matter of fact. But the inability to figure out with any kind of certainty whether I would even have my bike before July (pparently there was a 3rd preorder, but I didn't know that), coupled with a single anecdote of a friend who had a serious issue with his motor and couldn't get someone on the phone, pushed me over the edge. One business day after I cancelled my order an email from Pilot was sent to me announcing my bike was on its way. By that point I had ordered another bike from a larger manufacturer and from a dealer known for good service and great communication. As much as I bought into "The Legend of Tora", watching this forum and others turn into an angry mob gave me the heebee jeebees. I know an anecdote shouldn't be considered data, but when there's no other information available, you make decisions based on the little information you have. My friend with the motor issue spent a week trying to talk to someone at Juiced about his brand new, broken bike and only received emails telling him to try the fixes he had already tried- After he had already told the support people he had already tried them! I didn't want to be in his situation when Juiced was shipping out another batch of bikes which (for all I knew) might all have the same issues. Again, anecdotes do not equal data, but you guys have the data. You need to make it available so other folks don't find themselves in the same position of wondering what the hell is going on.

The bike I got is my first ebike. I suspect it won't be my last. I like to think that some day I'll have an RCS or whatever it evolves in to. I wish the company the best. But please realize that people are nervous when it comes to big ticket items, and it's not uncommon for people to assume the worst when the company being accused of shenanigans is incommunicado. If you can't get out in front of rumors to stop them, at least respond to them before even the fans start to wonder.

I sincerely wish you guys the absolute best.

-An almost-owner

I agree. Your comment is well written and to the point. In Tora’s statement he wrote there was a problem with the racks, from what I’ve seen the racks are high off the fenders and not touching as he claims. The other point Tora makes is 4-6 months from when an order is received and for Juiced Bikes to catch up on orders !! So Tora are you saying to me and other customers that are waiting on a RCS that we won’t see the bike until September or later ( 4-6 months ) Let us know now not weeks from now when we can expect shipping so we can cancel our orders if it’s going to be the case of 4-6 months before we get the bike. After placing a pre order it should be no more than 4-6 weeks before a customer gets the bike , that’s reasonable.
Just to be clear I don’t hate Tora Harris or Juiced Bikes.

 

[Chuck E. Cheese]

I don’t see a rack problem here. The rack is nice and high off the fender.

I’m pretty sure the rack or the stays are modified. That’s the first time ever seen a photo of an RCS where the rack is parallel to the ground. Even the promotional shots show it tilted. I have a friend who owns a machine shop and had spoken with him about remaking the front stays to level it out. If I’m wrong and the stock fender can be leveled without any additional hardware, someone please let me know.

 

[Tora Harris]

We can't control the internet and would be a waste of time to do so. Time is better spent making and delivering bikes.

New bikes might be developed and tooled for a year or more without any sort of public announcement. Stuff we are working on now wont be seen until 2019 and later.

In the dealer business dealers are shown the new bikes privately and they can place orders before the public even sees the product. But this is different for the new world of direct to consumer products. Once it is seen people will want to know how to buy it.

Once we decide to go into production we order parts in some cases 6 months or more ahead of when the first customer can throw a leg over the bike. We try to flick on the pre-orders when we are about 4-6 weeks away from them arriving so the customer does not have to wait so long.

At the start we cannot announce anything about the new products so effectively we have to guess. Once the product gets out there we can understand the demand and which of the many combinations of our products people are ordering an place our orders accordingly. But in any case the reaction is like 4-6 months and we try to reduce wait times.

With something very popular like the RCS and CCS, people buy up stock way up into the pipeline. So we still need to guess and longer wait times until things smooth out.

This is not even factoring in some shipping delays and some adjustment in manufacturing parts and methods that will be needed. Especially with such a complex product with key parts and tools that we need to make our selves.

Eventually we understand the demand and get faster at making the bike. Stock levels get built up and you can order a bike and it ships next day.

 

[Lenny7118]

I’m pretty sure the rack or the stays are modified. That’s the first time ever seen a photo of an RCS where the rack is parallel to the ground. Even the promotional shots show it tilted. I have a friend who owns a machine shop and had spoken with him about remaking the front stays to level it out. If I’m wrong and the stock fender can be leveled without any additional hardware, someone please let me know.

That picture is from a YouTube video of an owner of the RCS and the Rack is Fine ! No adjustments. I’ve seen others also and all are level and no complaints about the rack on the fender issue.

 

[Asher]

You haven’t answered the most important question for customers and myself ( RCS ) that have a bike on order, is the wait time from this day on now a 4-6 month wait ?

You have launched a new Bike the Scambler and can’t fill your current orders ! What are you doing ? Working on a new bike before getting the current situation all caught up?

When you make rice in a cooker and steak on the stove, shutting off the rice cooker won't make the steak cook faster...

 

[Crazyworld]

The rack on the RCS can be adjusted to be more level or at a downward angle. Here is a picture of my RCS. Looks level to me. When I was waiting for my RCS, it was very difficult. I did reach out to JB support a few times because yes I did spend a lot of money and was not sure about the quality or fit of the bike. JB support did respond to my questions in a timely fashion. I seem to have buyers remorse when I buy high price items. I ask myself, could I get a better deal? Or was this the best time to buy or right bike? Or should I just keep shopping? Could have made a few extra car payments? So, after the past few weeks with the RCS, I know I made the right decision to not cancel my order. I ride 15-35 miles a day and love my RCS. I'm saving gas and enjoy the exercise and fresh air. I do hope the orders come in sooner than later so people can start to enjoy such a great bike.

 

[jazz]

When you make rice in a cooker and steak on the stove, shutting off the rice cooker won't make the steak cook faster...

Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity - Nat Turner

 

[karmap]

When you make rice in a cooker and steak on the stove, shutting off the rice cooker won't make the steak cook faster...

But communication helps you know what the meal is going to be in the end.

Delays happen. Most reasonable people understand this. The problem is that the information given doesn’t answer anyone’s questions.

People put money down on bikes months ago and they still don’t get reasonable updates on when thier bike will arrive. At the same time the website has had delivery dates a few weeks out. It doesn’t make sense.
The combination of month old orders and a poorly updated website makes Juiced looks unorganized at best and mischievous at worst.

 

[Lenny7118]

But communication helps you know what the meal is going to be in the end.

Delays happen. Most reasonable people understand this. The problem is that the information given doesn’t answer anyone’s questions.

People put money down on bikes months ago and they still don’t get reasonable updates on when thier bike will arrive. At the same time the website has had delivery dates a few weeks out. It doesn’t make sense.
The combination of month old orders and a poorly updated website makes Juiced looks unorganized at best and mischievous at worst.

So True!