My Atom Arrived - Not Quite As Expected/Ordered

[kwseattle]

Glad to hear you're actually getting communication out of them regarding your issues, I've sent them a million emails and only received a couple back (no phone calls). I've pretty much given up on expecting any sort of after sales support at this point. I was hoping I would get a replacement chainstay on my Hydra because of the chain clearance issues that were present on my bike as delivered, but that dropped off from the communications pretty quickly after I brought it up. Even after I figured out a solution and recommended it to their shop for future bike shipments to prevent other customers having to deal with the same issues that I had.

 

[E biker]

I'm new at the ebicycle trend, but if I up grade to a different ebicycle , I will shop local at our hometown shop,the owners live here, ride here ,and have a reputation to keep.
I feel that I dodged a bullet on my battery issue.

 

[Shel-done]

Figured another update was due, so I'll share what's transpired since my last comment.

Gregg continues to be responsive and incredibly helpful. He's easily been the single saving grace to my experience with WW thus far. However, at this current stage I'm just so remorseful of my decision to maintain this order vs. cancel and find another option.

We agreed on the following solution last week to some of my part swap problems:

1. Send me a new rack that better suits my panniers, we landed on the Tubus Vega Classic
2. WW tested a wired front & rear light combo to confirm it would work with my setup, then shipped me a Magicshine ME 2000 and a Blaze-Light RL1900
3. Agreed to send me some new WW decals (the headtube decal is off center and drives me nuts) and higo cap for the unused brake sensor connector just hanging out in my photos (the yellow tipped 3 prong triangle)
4. I would return the Planet Bike rack, Magicshine Monteer 6500s & Magicshine Seemee 200 via prepaid shipping label from WW

Parts arrived today and the following things occurred:

• Tubus rack does not fit this bike without the additional Tubus foot extension kit (Gregg instantly replied to my email today and said they'd get this out to me ASAP, possibly by this Friday)
• Front light simply does not work despite my best efforts - happy to go into the diatribe of troubleshooting steps I took if anyone is curious
• Rear light cable was snipped off and the tiny nub left was heatshrinked to be unusable
  
  

So I'm without a rack for the time being and no lights to speak of once I ship back the old parts to WW, which I haven't done just yet (planned on doing so tomorrow). I've emailed Gregg and have no doubt he'll reply to help me with next steps here but at the end of the day, boy am I down in the dumps. I had less problems building my last ebike DIY and wasted less time waiting in the process.

I have no solutions for the front light at this time. I don't know why its failing to come on. The rear light will require me to replace the 1T2 cable harness (if WW can't send me one, I found it on Aliexpress and it will take a month+ from China, fun) or I'll have to solder on new wires/leads. Why the hell they snipped this harness is beyond me.

The saga that is this bike purchase just won't end. All I want to do is ride to work. This is a tool, not a toy to me.

 

[Zachdds]

That is a bummer. Wait 8 months to get less bike then promised then you are left troubleshooting. Ww should not have sold you that bike. They should have given you back your money or offered you a free upgrade to a model that had been tested and troubleshot already. “Free” you ask? Why should ww loose money on this? It is simple. They sold a bike that they never produced. Sometimes you have to eat it if you are unable to give the customer what you promised.

 

[onlineaddy]

At this point I suggest you look into lemon law protection.

 

[Rickman1]

Paid big $ for a particular ebike with specific components from the seller. You did not receive what you paid for and what was advertised. You have the order and payment receipt. Good 'intensions' from the seller is not acceptable. A 2-3 week shipping time was given and it took 8 months to receive a different ebike than what you ordered. You are trying to make the bike work for you with lessrer quality components after you paid a premium price for a substandard ebike. It's a no brainer. The bike should be returned to the seller at their expense and a full refund given immediately. This story by itself would deter me from considering purchasing anything from WW.

 

[ruffruff]

I know it doesn't make it any better, but this has kind of been my experience with a mail order bike. When it goes bad it goes really bad.
I bought a bike from that Crazy guy in Madison and spent hundreds out of my own pocket to have a rideable bike.

 

[Shel-done]

Well, after additional conversations with Gregg they offered to pay for the bike to be returned to WW to be rebuilt/fixed with the additional items installed & tested. I originally agreed to continue working with WW until satisfied with the outcome during our call but quickly began mulling over whether this was the right path or bike for me after all of these issues.

It's almost been 9 months since my initial order, the bike would have traveled cross-country three times and still not been exactly what I ordered or wanted in the end. I decided at this point I'd rather just return the bike and extra components to Wattwagons for a refund. Gregg understood and apologized on behalf of WW numerous times, acknowledging the embarrassment factor with this specific order. Gregg has been nothing but sincere, earnest and helpful during every interaction. Not to mention responsive (including on weekends) to all forms of my communications. If anything, this experience has proved he is one damn good member of their team.

In the end I'm returning the bike and going down a DIY path. I'm really bummed about this. Wattwagons advertised and sold this bike as a finished & tested product that filled a gap in the market based on my endless scouring. That gap still exists and I believe they could address the shortcomings of the Atom and bring it back in the future, should no other companies make a competing product.

I'll edit my original post with the final outcome for posterity and other forum goers to see without reading the entire thread. Appreciate everyone's input and shared frustrations with my situation. I hope it serves more as a cautionary tale of buying a bike with no confirmed deliveries or consumer reviews. However, the pitchforks and torches can probably be stowed away for another day/company. Wattwagons (Gregg specifically) has been nothing but helpful and eager to resolve my problems.

 

[Ebiker01]

Ceo 2 ship. dept./mech.: Team, we are very busy , just send this customers (they prob. used the word "suckers") whatever completed bikes we have ...don't worry about their picky requests, we need to keep the orders flow coming in !!

During the following 6-12months we can negotiate with them whatever the heck they want, hopefully they forget about it
: Understood ??
: Yes, Boss

This ebike seems like the child of an Start up company + DIY kit now .

btw: the SQL contact points are many levels superior to cheap ergons !

 

[TomD]

Shel-done, good to hear you've reached a resolution and that WW stepped up to do the right thing. I think you'll be much happier opting for a bike closer to what you originally wanted.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Shel-done, glad you hear you've worked out an arrangement with WW to take back the bike.
I've had similar problems with my UC Pro and Pushkar and I have worked out an arrangement where WW will build me a new UC Pro when the new frames come in and I'll return the UC Pro I have.

 

[rtp]

btw: the SQL contact points are many levels superior to cheap ergons !

Seat or grips?

 

[Ebiker01]

Seat or grips?

Grips, Bar, Seat , Shoe inserts... all r amazing

 

[Shel-done]

Just a quick update:

• Wattwagons agreed to accept the bike return for full refund
• Wattwagons provided a FedEx shipping label at no cost to me
• Used a bike shop to package the bike professionally at my expense of $60+ (I recycled the original packaging already)
• Bike arrived at Wattwagons on March 7th (Monday)
• I followed up with WW on March 10th to confirm receipt and refund timing
• Gregg replied on March 11th advising bike was received and all was in good condition so they'd proceed with refund ASAP
• I've since chased numerous times for a refund timeframe with a few replies from Gregg, none confirming timing
• No refund as of this writing

This was a credit card transaction so the refund timing should be 3-10 business days. Its now been over 3 calendar weeks (17 business days) since the bike was returned and I have yet to receive confirmation that a refund transaction was processed on the merchant's end.

In that timeframe I ordered some parts from JuicedBikes (front & rear lights), had them delivered, realized they wouldn't fit my DIY ebike build and filed a return, shipped them back and been refunded in full. Whole process was smooth and efficient with clear expectations with follow-through.

I just want to close this once and for all.

 

[coldriderwi]

Good luck. There are several of us “Founders” waiting for a refund of about $2800 since December (https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/founder-refunds-still-unaccounted-for.47733/) . Attempts to get a status update have gone unanswered as well.

Be prepared, you might be waiting a while. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if yours came in before the Founders’.

 

[Shel-done]

Good luck. There are several of us “Founders” waiting for a refund of about $2800 since December (https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/founder-refunds-still-unaccounted-for.47733/) . Attempts to get a status update have gone unanswered as well.

Be prepared, you might be waiting a while. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if yours came in before the Founders’.

Wow - any cited reasons from WW for the delay on those refunds? Any of you proceed with disputing charges with your card issuer/banks?

 

[Rider777]

Wow - any sited reasons from WW for the delay on those refunds? Any of you proceed with disputing charges with your card issuer/banks?

I ran out of my first thousand buckets of

Let me get some more……..

Now to sit back with a cold one and watch you debtors try and get blood from a stone

 

[coldriderwi]

Well we paid almost 2 years ago (April 6, 2020) so I don't know if it can be disputed. Most also paid by wire to avoid credit card fees.

It's been an entire saga with partial refunds starting last October, three $1000 payments.

The cited reason was waiting for refunds on parts from suppliers. But we go very long periods of time without any communication, despite attempts to at least get an update.

 

[Shel-done]

Well we paid almost 2 years ago (April 6, 2020) so I don't know if it can be disputed. Most also paid by wire to avoid credit card fees.

It's been an entire saga with partial refunds starting last October, three $1000 payments.

The cited reason was waiting for refunds on parts from suppliers. But we go very long periods of time without any communication, despite attempts to at least get an update.

Yikes. Sorry to hear about it. I hope things end well for those that paid in cash. I was not about to expend cash for a large purchase from a small company - too risky for me. I paid back in June 2021 so its possible I'm past the point of being able to dispute as well. I plan on calling my card issuer on Friday if I don't receive formal confirmation.

 

[Ebiker01]

You guys should get together and hire a lawyer who will file a civil suit on behalf of all who dod not get tbeir refund and very quickly the judge will froze WW owners bank accounts . Can also put liens on their property or other assets. Don't let them get away !!
They had prob. invested in some cryptos /stocks or NFT's , got burned and now they have ZERO $ they want to give back.

ebiker01 knows .