LMT'D Purchase and Ride1Up Responsiveness

[quattroa4m]

First and foremost, the LMT'D appears to be an excellent ebike.

Pretty simple assembly, minor adjustments, and you're on the road. Good power, excellent brakes, and apparently a headlight is now included! FEDEX delivery however, is a subject for a different time.

Speaking of FEDEX, the spare battery that was ordered at the same time is apparently permanently stuck at "shipment exception". That's unfortunately where the fun begins with Ride1Up. My tracking updates showed the exception and naturally Ride1Up was notified.

At the moment though, it's difficult to give high marks to Ride1Up for responsiveness. The LMT'D shipped along with an additional battery under a separate FEDEX tracking number...that's shown a shipping exception for a week. No response from Ride1Up Support other than to acknowledge the issue.

Per FEDEX...Ride1Up hasn't been in touch with them, and the issue is shipping documentation.

There was some minor shipping damage to the LMT'D which was documented and shared. Unfortunately there's been no acknowledgement by Ride1Up.

Meanwhile the LMT'D is a great bike. Hopefully product support, if required, will be better.

 

[Taylor57]

I have purchased 2 Gravelsters from Ride 1 UP and my service has been outstanding...

 

[quattroa4m]

Well, I did my due diligence on both the product and the company and ended up purchasing the LMT'D. I had a question before the purchase and it was answered within 24 hours.

Now, after the purchase, we're at 7 days with no response regarding the rest of my order.

When the LMT'D package arrived via FEDEX, I also sent pictures of the "torn open" condition of box the LMT'D arrived in. If it weren't for the wire ties, the front wheel probably wouldn't have been in the box. I sent pictures of the damaged "crown race" (Fork) as received.

No response from Ride1Up, not even an acknowledgment.

 

[Taylor57]

Well, I did my due diligence on both the product and the company and ended up purchasing the LMT'D. I had a question before the purchase and it was answered within 24 hours.

Now, after the purchase, we're at 7 days with no response regarding the rest of my order.

When the LMT'D package arrived via FEDEX, I also sent pictures of the "torn open" condition of box the LMT'D arrived in. If it weren't for the wire ties, the front wheel probably wouldn't have been in the box. I sent pictures of the damaged "crown race" (Fork) as received.

No response from Ride1Up, not even an acknowledgment.

I dealt with a guy named Apollo with Ride 1 UP and he was great. Very responsive. Have you tried calling them?

 

[quattroa4m]

I dealt with a guy named Apollo with Ride 1 UP and he was great. Very responsive. Have you tried calling them?

I called a couple of days after my first email and called again today. Both gentlemen that I spoke with were very nice and seemingly bewildered by the FEDEX shipping exception. The package is actually in Sparks, NV, literally right down the street from the warehouse.

 

[Rexlion]

Ride1Up warranty info
The warranty page says in part,

Warranty claims only exist for initial faults that were already present at the time of handover. Ride1UP grants a 1-year guarantee for manufacturing defects only for the original owner only.

If your product is shipped to you and arrives damaged, please contact us directly by phone or e-mail within 3 working days from the date of delivery. Please note that any damage caused by shipping is not covered by any warranty, however a claim may be filed with the shipping company and we will work together to resolve damaged goods on arrival.

Minor scratches to components don't necessitate replacement or any refund, but for major aesthetic damage a credit may be issued, or replacement sent if the item is functionally damaged. We will not cover any damage caused when owner sets up their own shipping option including using a freight forwarding or similar service.

I read this page before I ordered, and honestly it made me hesitate because it's not a friendly-sounding "We'll take care of ya no matter what" type of warranty.

As for the hung-up battery, sometimes a carrier loses something. Sometimes they find it again, sometimes not. I can understand Ride1Up wanting to give it a few days and see if it pops up, because the alternative (send out another battery) might prove expensive if you wind up getting two and they can't get one back from you. Just guessing, but FedEx might even have a policy that the seller/shipper must wait x number of days before a claim can even be filed. And maybe Ride1Up would like to get a claim filed and paid before they ship another batt to you. It would be nice if they'd tell you something, though.

 

[quattroa4m]

The guys I've talked to have been exceedingly nice. The problem is that there is no explanation or follow through. "Give us 48 hours, We'll have an answer one way or the other by Friday, etc." "Looking into it", doesn't set an expectation, it merely leaves the issue open ended and it's anyone's guess as to what the result will be.

Not responding to emails within the timeframe established by the company is a problem as well. A mere acknowledgement is helpful, nothing but crickets is not.

Admittedly, Customer Service is a bear to get right and keep right. The sale is one thing, it's the service after the sale that solidifies a customer relationship.

 

[PSm]

Not to say it's what you'd like, but in my experience with online ordering and shipping companies in general, there's always some occasional issues with delayed or lost or just annoying shipping stories.

I've gotten 3 ebikes from 3 different online only companies, and they've all been pretty similar in customer support. May require some more patience than if you bought from a LBS, but then again I've probably saved $ thousands by doing so. And even then, plenty of LBS horror stories out there.

I've had trouble over the years once in a while, whether a large company, Amazon, ebay, domestic or international. The isolated issues just stand out. And these days, lack of staff, supply problems, or other issues, require more patience on our part than in the past.

Specifically with Ride1UP, I've had quite good support from them, and generally good responsiveness. There have been a few times when it took a week for them to get back to me, but otherwise they've been excellent. Quality has been good, and extremely affordable.

From speaking with them, I get the impression they don't have a ton of personnel, so they have their hands full keeping up. But the trade off is they can give you a great price with less overhead. IMHO, this trade off is well worth it!

 

[quattroa4m]

Well I did receive the replacement battery Saturday (10/1). (The original is still showing "delayed" by FEDEX...go figure). I've still not heard a word regarding the shipping damage...just a simple acknowledgement would be fine.

 

[quattroa4m]

I did hear back from R1U regarding the shipping damage. Basically, "Take it to your bike shop and send us your receipt". I did and I did and R1U reimbursed me in about 30 minutes.

That's service.

One thing to note is apparently R1U has been slammed (in a good way) which makes it a bit difficult to be as responsive as you would like.

By the way, my bike shop was reasonably impressed with the LMT'D...calling it a good bike with the emphasis on good. They have a relationship with the guys that begin with an A, but they really don't like to talk about it...if that tells you anything.

Obviously they'd like to move me to a Specialized Turbo Vado, but they get the attraction of the LMT'D.