Love my Vado 5.0, BUT........

[GuruUno]

As previously communicated here, prior to making my purchase, I was not pleased with the reply or response from the corporate voicemail 'leave your request' process. NEVER responded.
Regardless, I bought a Vado 5.0.
NOW, as I continue to enjoy the experience and enjoy the new acquisition, I have questions that are not replied to or responded here in these forums to meet my ecxpectations or requirements.
THEREFORE, upon attempting to call the "Mother Ship" (Specialized main phone number in Morgan Hill CA) (go ahead, call it, press the numbers, play the game, listen to you options, 408-779-6229), you get zero response via e-mail or any alternate means of communications.

If the participants HERE in THESE forums want to be jerks and call me out because I am so precise as to the expectations of a manufacturer prior to and./or after purchase and ridicule me for being so specific, so be it. But quite frankly, I left an e-mail request over a week ago with zero response.
How is it then I am suppose to feel comfortable, secure, and valid that that I made a great choice by choosing a product by a manufacturer that does not respond to inquiries. Educate me ....PLEASE!!.

 

[Mulezen]

My LBS sells both Trek and Specialized. As I dithered between brands I felt subtly Pushed towards Trek. I was so on the fence it was enough to send me to Trek. As I grew more familiar with the shop I came to understand they had a much closer relationship with Trek...they got answers...and the Bosch rep used to work for the shop.
Specialized’s response to you is to be expected...from one of the bargain brands...not a big name

 

[Marcela]

As previously communicated here, prior to making my purchase, I was not pleased with the reply or response from the corporate voicemail 'leave your request' process. NEVER responded.
Regardless, I bought a Vado 5.0.
NOW, as I continue to enjoy the experience and enjoy the new acquisition, I have questions that are not replied to or responded here in these forums to meet my ecxpectations or requirements.
THEREFORE, upon attempting to call the "Mother Ship" (Specialized main phone number in Morgan Hill CA) (go ahead, call it, press the numbers, play the game, listen to you options, 408-779-6229), you get zero response via e-mail or any alternate means of communications.

If the participants HERE in THESE forums want to be jerks and call me out because I am so precise as to the expectations of a manufacturer prior to and./or after purchase and ridicule me for being so specific, so be it. But quite frankly, I left an e-mail request over a week ago with zero response.
How is it then I am suppose to feel comfortable, secure, and valid that that I made a great choice by choosing a product by a manufacturer that does not respond to inquiries. Educate me ....PLEASE!!.

Seems to me you are always disgruntled. I'd bet the manufacturers would pay you to stay away from their product. Easy way to make some cash.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

As previously communicated here, prior to making my purchase, I was not pleased with the reply or response from the corporate voicemail 'leave your request' process. NEVER responded.
Regardless, I bought a Vado 5.0.
NOW, as I continue to enjoy the experience and enjoy the new acquisition, I have questions that are not replied to or responded here in these forums to meet my ecxpectations or requirements.
THEREFORE, upon attempting to call the "Mother Ship" (Specialized main phone number in Morgan Hill CA) (go ahead, call it, press the numbers, play the game, listen to you options, 408-779-6229), you get zero response via e-mail or any alternate means of communications.

If the participants HERE in THESE forums want to be jerks and call me out because I am so precise as to the expectations of a manufacturer prior to and./or after purchase and ridicule me for being so specific, so be it. But quite frankly, I left an e-mail request over a week ago with zero response.
How is it then I am suppose to feel comfortable, secure, and valid that that I made a great choice by choosing a product by a manufacturer that does not respond to inquiries. Educate me ....PLEASE!!.

Hey,

You have my personal shop email and I've told you you're welcome to ask me questions even though I never sold you the bike. How much more contact do you need? Please ask and I'll do my best to answer questions and contact Specialized as needed.

This comment of yours seems unwarranted and based on unrealistic expectations. We as LBS owners want our riders to be happy and satisfied regardless of where the bikes came from.

How can we help?!?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Specialized (the same as Trek or Giant) work on the distributor-dealer principle, leaving the LBS as the only technical support tier for the user.

 

[GuruUno]

Well, 1st, my questions regarding the use and implementation of Mission Control, which were posted here.
Summary, Apple Watch, + iPhone, 3 apps, all have to be on, mixed ride info, incomplete carry over of data from one (Mission Control) without other app running to utilize functions, etc. It was all previously asked with sarcasm responses (by *others*) here in this forum. Bottom line, having owned Trek's for many years, it's a no brainer to call Corporate to get a "higher level" associate to assist when your level of expectation is disappointing as provided by a LBS. Did it many times, and it works like it should.
The LBS selling Specialized in my 50 mile radius sucks. I ultimately chose the one I did and overall I'm happy, but it's like your telling me I need to confer with a consultant to investigate my inquiries and then the consultant is placed in a situation that HE/SHE HAS TO DO THE LEGWORK. MANY TIMES, AT THEIR CONVENIENCE, TAKING SEVERAL DAYS, IF NOT WEEKS, OR AT ALL. REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE HERE.
A simple conversation would suffice. Do the LBS employees ride electric bikes? Do they have the same level of knowledge and experience that one would expect?
A salesman is an order taker. Some better than others with real world first had experience. Optionally, the people sitting up in their corporate tower who are the marketeers and techies are the ones that know.

As a computer support, network engineer for over 30 =years I can attest that I need to call Microsoft, Apple, Google, almost all vendors to assist in solving problems, and cannot rely on the 'order takers'.

Just as a quick note, I'll post my YELP posting from last week 7/30 to prove my point.

Stopped in this week while I was peddling through Westfield and saw that the light mounted on the fender of my newly acquired Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0 was a little loose and floppy. The screw was under the front fender and the small "L" of an Allen wrench would not fit. So rather than risk the loss of a loose screw and potential inconvenience, I stopped in at Jay's being they were an 'Authorized' Specialized dealer to see if it might be a quick fix. I had one person ahead of me properly social distancing and nobody behind me at that time. In about 3-4 minutes I was asked what I needed and I explained and showed it to the mechanic. He verified it would not be a quick in & out and I said, "It's a new bike I just got a few days ago form another dealer and I just thought that maybe you could take care of it under the manufacturers 2 year warranty as I'm about 11 miles away from my home." I got a look, then there were 2 more people that came in behind me for service and I was told, "You'll have to wait until we take care of OUR customers first."

Yea, I'm going to go THERE again!

Key point here....some sort of monitoring or connection to corporate, as it's utterly ridiculous to get a pre-canned phone message, and no reply calls. Really?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'd bet the manufacturers would pay you to stay away from their product. Easy way to make some cash.

+1

 

[GuruUno]

Actually, I beta test for a LOT of different companies, and it's technical knowledge like mine that I contribute that ultimately go into making a product or service better (hopefully), so I speak with experience. So in response your statement "I'd bet the manufacturers would pay you to stay away from their product", they actually 'spiff' me with waived subscriptions, product discounts (or free) for my expert contributions.

So when I see something or question something and can't get the correct response from the proper party specific to my inquiry, I'm the trouble maker? Nah, just the consumer who believes that I have entitlements if I give money to purchase a product or service.

 

[Over50]

One thing I can empathize with in the plight of @GuruUno is the difficulty of communication with the Specialized dealer. Yes, for brands with a dealer model, the dealer should be the first tier of tech and customer support. But my recent experience with purchasing my Vado SL showed that the dealer was ill-equipped to provide service - even of the most basic nature. And this they chalk up to Covid (per their responses to 1-star reviews on Google). My Specialized dealer couldn't/wouldn't return phone calls, emails and they dropped the ball on just about every accessory or upgrade I wanted to make to the bike. No one even notified me when the bike arrived. It is the only Specialized dealer I've dealt with so I don't want to imply it is characteristic of all. Perhaps it is just a difficult time to be relying on the LBS.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Guru, it is the last time for you to realise the world is as it is and it is not revolving around you

 

[GuruUno]

Guru, it is the last time for you to realise the world is as it is and it is not revolving around you

I appreciate your reply, but you miss the point. SUPPORT, RESPONSIBILITY, EXPERIENCE and anyone who accepts less sacrifices the benefits of the choices made which are all deciding factors that drive any consumer to consider acquiring anmy product or service.

It is not about me.

It is about the lack of responsibility and the failure to "own" that responsibility.

 

[BEC111]

I appreciate your reply, but you miss the point. SUPPORT, RESPONSIBILITY, EXPERIENCE and anyone who accepts less sacrifices the benefits of the choices made which are all deciding factors that drive any consumer to consider acquiring anmy product or service.

It is not about me.

It is about the lack of responsibility and the failure to "own" that responsibility.

Before I retired technology companies paid me to test their products in comparison with their competitors. They wanted to know where they were better and where they were not and how to sell to their advantages and around their weaknesses.

One of the key areas about which they were concerned was access to and quality of technical support. This was often a challenge with the new or pre-release products I was testing. Sometime, dealing with and improving support issues became a key part of the research.

Specialized appears to be caught in a challenging situation. The bicycle industry has been around for over a century and a half where support was providing spare parts, technical specifications and repair documentation. Now mechanical support is secondary to electronics and software; a whole different beast. Add a dealer channel founded and staffed by cycling physical fitness enthusiasts with nearly no knowledge of software maintenance and support. In fact there are plenty of dealers whose staff are hostile to e-bikes and, dare I say it?, their riders.

I‘ve met enough who consider an e-bike cheating and say so disparagingly. I think it’s cheating too, like cheating death by being healthy and active past 70 when a century ago humans rarely lived past 50.

I guess this topic is important to me. Sorry about the rant. A little.

 

[GuruUno]

"I guess this topic is important to me"
Me Also.

"Add a dealer channel founded and staffed by cycling physical fitness enthusiasts with nearly no knowledge of software maintenance and support. In fact there are plenty of dealers whose staff are hostile to e-bikes and, dare I say it?, their riders".
100% agree, spot on!

So, moving forward, as recipients of the products for which we are acquiring, believing in.....how can we as those purchasers contribute to help make the experience an improved one? Should Specialized, Trek, and other electric bike manufacturers start changing their customer relation tactics and possibly get some feedback from their customers that will ultimately improve the overall experience as well as address some of the expectations?

This is an extremely spot on statement by BEC111. But the real world prevails, and just a electric cars begin to take over the ICE vehicles (Internal Combustion Engines), there will alway be early adopters who have been dismissed and those who are considered pioneers.

We are the pioneers, and our real world experiences should be thankfully accepted and considered for future improvements of the products which we are investing in.

 

[Marcela]

I'll give you a little insight to a universal law. Since you have free will, and you are a creator, you have the free will to create whatever you wish. What you think about you bring into your life. Whether you are afraid of something happening or desire it, you bring that manifesation into your life because of the vibration you send out you will bring back to you. So what you blame on others and project, you create yourself because you expect it, and this is your life. This is not a judgement of good or bad, it just happens. There are no accidents. If you judge others as in fault, you judge yourself. Things are as they are for you to learn your lesson. You create your reality, although it is really a dream!

I'm done.

 

[GuruUno]

Yea man.

 

[Dallant]

Guru...I sympathize and also see that this trend has been getting more engrained in our modern tech society. As a former technical writer/training curriculum developer for manufacturers in process control and scientific research, I find companies could care less anymore about informing their customers about the products they are paying big money for. Specifically, I’ve been VERY frustrated with how little specific info is available about my Trek Allant+7. Documentation, when it does exist, is never specific from model to model. Just very generic info that forces you to take your ebike into the service center for anything and everything. And that is obviously the goal here, to drive more money to the LBS. The really sad part is that the LBS community has to pay big money for their training and they are having issues keeping employees like everyone else is.
This lack of well developed training is apparent when you call the Trek customer service number to get help. Even when you can get through, the people you talk with clearly have not been trained to answer even basic ebike questions, so you get put on hold while they ask others for info or look it up somewhere. Again, that’s IF you can get through. For example, I called Monday and was told by the automated system that I was 20th caller and that I’d have probably have to wait 65 minutes.
The other big problem is that ebike manufacturers like Trek have a very limited knowledge or access to knowledge related to Bosch motor and battery sales information. Try to order a spare battery for your Trek. There is no simple order number that includes the battery+cover+spacers+whatever. Calling the LBS (I called 3!) to do this requires them to call the Trek corporate number also! Nothing in their computer system that they can just order! I called 3 LBS and still haven't yet (Thursday) received a useful call back from any of them! One of the largest of these shops did call back to say that even though they are an authorized Trek bike seller, they are NOT an authorized Bosch seller!
End rant...for now!

 

[GuruUno]

Welcome to my world. I'm somewhat relieved to know that I'm not the only one who experiences and sees these types of inefficiencies, not only in the e-bike arena.
So, at the end of the day, I'd think that in some way shape or for, we as the consumer have to push the major manufacturers to have more accountability if we are to choose their products.
This is not an easy task, nor is it something that may ever be accomplished.
As you experienced, even in the simplest of a parallel example of whether you call your local ISP or say Apple, Microsoft, or almost any software provider, the level of knowledge is very limited depending on your specific need or request; and sure, you might get that 1 or 2 out of 10 correct answer or person to assist you...if you can even get a person [with all the garbage 'telephone tree' loops], but the reality is the voids are filled with semi-skilled workers and the higher paid employees were either bought out early to leave, left to greener pastures or just bailed because the new cost cutting management made it not the peachy cream place it once was.
I experience it every day of my life and speak from first hank knowledge and experience. However, at times, you get that top notch perfect support and all the answers you need.
So, with limited/capable staff, and now Covid, it's frustrating.

I can say that if you do need extended support from Trek, it is much more easily attainable than Specialized.
If your local bike shop fails your needs, call:
Corporate
1-800-585-8735
Ask for Andy Jameson
[email protected]
He is the e-bike go-to person who I had good success with to get things done.

Alternately, if all else fails, jut to the head of the line and call Jason Schumacher, Customer Service Manager
[email protected]
1-920-478-2191 x12229
Again, use his contact as a last resort, as he WILL get things done.

THESE are the types of examples that I see sorely missing from Specialized.
Not that there is an y pressing issues at the moment, but heck, you gotta be able to touch base with someone else other than the LBS if needed, right?

Regarding your example of calling 3 LBS'es to get info for batteries, etc.; I can tell you I was questioned more then twice by Andy for my "jumping from one LBS to another" and then wanting to go to even another because of my dissatisfaction with each previous one.

Quite frankly if you go to the local grocery chain and are not happy with the one down the street, it's your option to try another location of the same chain, maybe better employees, better work ethics, fresher produce, etc., etc.

Local Bike Shops should not be any different.

And right now with the mad rush by buyers and owners to get or fix bikes, it's a crazy time to have any expectations.
However, if you look hard and long enough, you may just find the "Specialized" one

 

[Papa G]

I guess my wife and I have just been very fortunate. Bought a Trek SC +7 for myself and an Electra TC 8i for my wife two years ago. Took them both into the shop once for a software update and for the Trek to activate walk mode and lights on/off. That’s it, now have 3,400 miles on the Trek, won’t take it back to the shop again unless there is a catastrophic motor or electronic failure. Purchased a Vado 4.0 for me and a Vado 5.0 for my wife this spring. Took them to the LBS once to reset the wheel circumference on the Vado 4.0 and to check if they needed a software update, they didn’t. I have 900 miles on the Vado 4.0 and haven’t had any issues. Likewise I won’t call/bother the LBS again unless there is a catastrophic motor or electronic failure. The rest of the work, tuneups and etc, I can do myself. We bought these e-bikes to ride and enjoy them. At my 67 years of age (37 years as Type-1 insulin dependent diabetic) and my wife’s 66 years we love riding the e-bikes and the good things they add to our lifestyle and health. We are looking for what is right about e-biking and the Vado’s are awesome tools to enhance everyday life. Don’t get me wrong, I like the tech stuff too, but it is way less important than the overall experience of riding the e-bikes. This forum is a great resource to get questions answered and tips to upgrade your Specialized Comos or Vados. Sierratim, Stefan and Brendon have more knowledge about them than you will likely find elsewhere. When I needed to replace my thru axle to attach a Burley kid trailer, I simply asked the question on the forum and got a quick and detailed response from Sierratim. The information is available on this forum. We used to say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Get out and ride!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I won’t call/bother the LBS again unless there is a catastrophic motor or electronic failure

We used to say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Get out and ride!

Amen to that.

 

[Dallant]

I guess my wife and I have just been very fortunate. Bought a Trek SC +7 for myself and an Electra TC 8i for my wife two years ago. Took them both into the shop once for a software update and for the Trek to activate walk mode and lights on/off. That’s it, now have 3,400 miles on the Trek, won’t take it back to the shop again unless there is a catastrophic motor or electronic failure. Purchased a Vado 4.0 for me and a Vado 5.0 for my wife this spring. Took them to the LBS once to reset the wheel circumference on the Vado 4.0 and to check if they needed a software update, they didn’t. I have 900 miles on the Vado 4.0 and haven’t had any issues. Likewise I won’t call/bother the LBS again unless there is a catastrophic motor or electronic failure. The rest of the work, tuneups and etc, I can do myself. We bought these e-bikes to ride and enjoy them. At my 67 years of age (37 years as Type-1 insulin dependent diabetic) and my wife’s 66 years we love riding the e-bikes and the good things they add to our lifestyle and health. We are looking for what is right about e-biking and the Vado’s are awesome tools to enhance everyday life. Don’t get me wrong, I like the tech stuff too, but it is way less important than the overall experience of riding the e-bikes. This forum is a great resource to get questions answered and tips to upgrade your Specialized Comos or Vados. Sierratim, Stefan and Brendon have more knowledge about them than you will likely find elsewhere. When I needed to replace my thru axle to attach a Burley kid trailer, I simply asked the question on the forum and got a quick and detailed response from Sierratim. The information is available on this forum. We used to say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Get out and ride!

I expect that if you want or need a battery (spare or replacement), you’ll be calling your LBS because in many cases you have to go through authorized dealers to have access.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my bike and I’ve only had one issue so far with my Allant +7 that required my calling the Trek dealer. That was when the battery lock wouldn’t release the battery and he fixed that in 2 hours. Even then, I could still charge it in the bike. I did walk into another Trek dealer for a flat change and while there they updated the Bosch software to enable the light on/off function and the EMTB mode (which is awesome!). I’m about to hit 500 miles and have no real operational complaints. I just think info/communications from many tech companies with their customers AND their LBS community needs considerable improvement.