After speaking to Yamaha today, and confirming that they do NOT intend to honor the battery promotion for those of us who ordered but did not register prior to 10/21/24, I created an open letter to their customer relations department.
If you are in this situation, please read the letter and sign with your info using the form link below. Power in numbers! I hope this motivates them to see change their tune.
Form link to enter your info:
https://forms.gle/eCMRRCQsWJK92qrc8
The letter is in the form above, but I'll include it here as well:
October 29, 2024
Yamaha Motor Corporation
6555 Katella AveCypress,
CA 90630
Re: eBike battery promotion fulfillment
Dear Sir or Madam:
We are recent customers who purchased an electric bicycle from Yamaha Motorsports as part of your promotion featuring a discounted price, extended warranty, and free battery.
For us, the promotion including a second battery was a deciding factor in purchasing the bicycle. Having the ability to bring an extra battery alleviates “range anxiety” considerably. Normally, due to its substantial cost, the second battery is not a feasible purchase. That is what made purchasing a bicycle with this promotion so attractive.
We are shocked to learn that Yamaha Motorsports has decided not to honor this promotion for bicycles that were registered after 10/21/2024. Many of us purchased our bicycles online through Yamaha’s online purchasing process far before this “cutoff.”
As an example, my bicycle was purchased on 10/5/24, arrived at the dealership on 10/16/24, and I was never notified of its arrival. When I called the dealership several days later to try to get status on the bike, the dealership did not know they had it in their possession. Eventually they located it in their warehouse, and I picked it up on 10/26/24. I registered it that day. Should I be penalized and lose a battery valued at $1400 because of delivery issues?
The various online forums are full of stories like this. In some cases, the dealers registered the bikes before the owners picked them up. In many cases they did not. Some bikes took weeks to arrive. Some bikes were picked up but it was unclear to the customer that they were not registered by the dealer.
When I spoke to Yamaha customer relations, the term “while supplies last” was used to explain the situation. This is an unacceptable excuse. There are several photos and other advertising copy that fellow customers have shown that do not contain this clause. Yamaha can serve its customers better than by hiding behind attempted disclaimers.
It is deceptive to lead a buying customer to believe they will receive an item of significant value, and then, after the item is purchased, announce an arbitrary cutoff in the past before they have the ability to register the item.
Many of us, myself included, have proudly purchased and owned many Yamaha products over the years—motorcycles, keyboards, guitars, etc. We expect the company we trust to do the right thing and fulfill the promise under which we purchased this product. If you miscalculated the amount of batteries, that can be easily rectified by producing and shipping more, and updating the delivery date.
Below, please see details of customers who bought under this promotion. We request the following:
1. Assure us that you will fulfill the second battery promotion for all customers who purchased the bicycle while the promotion was active as part of the sale, based on the sale date.
2. If you do not intend to fulfill this promotion, provide the option for us to return the bicycle to Yamaha Motorsports for a full refund regardless of the amount of use of the bicycle, and schedule the bicycle to be picked up from our homes (in many cases the dealers are hours away from the customers).
Not resolving this issue now will result in credit card chargebacks, difficulties for dealerships in dealing with customers who feel wronged, Better Business Bureau complaints, and potential legal ramifications. The issue will not go away by itself.
Therefore, we strongly encourage you to fulfill this promotion as promised. Any other option leaves a negative experience for us, many of whom have been lifetime Yamaha customers.
Sincerely,
Yamaha Customers (as undersigned)
If you are in this situation, please read the letter and sign with your info using the form link below. Power in numbers! I hope this motivates them to see change their tune.
Form link to enter your info:
https://forms.gle/eCMRRCQsWJK92qrc8
The letter is in the form above, but I'll include it here as well:
October 29, 2024
Yamaha Motor Corporation
6555 Katella AveCypress,
CA 90630
Re: eBike battery promotion fulfillment
Dear Sir or Madam:
We are recent customers who purchased an electric bicycle from Yamaha Motorsports as part of your promotion featuring a discounted price, extended warranty, and free battery.
For us, the promotion including a second battery was a deciding factor in purchasing the bicycle. Having the ability to bring an extra battery alleviates “range anxiety” considerably. Normally, due to its substantial cost, the second battery is not a feasible purchase. That is what made purchasing a bicycle with this promotion so attractive.
We are shocked to learn that Yamaha Motorsports has decided not to honor this promotion for bicycles that were registered after 10/21/2024. Many of us purchased our bicycles online through Yamaha’s online purchasing process far before this “cutoff.”
As an example, my bicycle was purchased on 10/5/24, arrived at the dealership on 10/16/24, and I was never notified of its arrival. When I called the dealership several days later to try to get status on the bike, the dealership did not know they had it in their possession. Eventually they located it in their warehouse, and I picked it up on 10/26/24. I registered it that day. Should I be penalized and lose a battery valued at $1400 because of delivery issues?
The various online forums are full of stories like this. In some cases, the dealers registered the bikes before the owners picked them up. In many cases they did not. Some bikes took weeks to arrive. Some bikes were picked up but it was unclear to the customer that they were not registered by the dealer.
When I spoke to Yamaha customer relations, the term “while supplies last” was used to explain the situation. This is an unacceptable excuse. There are several photos and other advertising copy that fellow customers have shown that do not contain this clause. Yamaha can serve its customers better than by hiding behind attempted disclaimers.
It is deceptive to lead a buying customer to believe they will receive an item of significant value, and then, after the item is purchased, announce an arbitrary cutoff in the past before they have the ability to register the item.
Many of us, myself included, have proudly purchased and owned many Yamaha products over the years—motorcycles, keyboards, guitars, etc. We expect the company we trust to do the right thing and fulfill the promise under which we purchased this product. If you miscalculated the amount of batteries, that can be easily rectified by producing and shipping more, and updating the delivery date.
Below, please see details of customers who bought under this promotion. We request the following:
1. Assure us that you will fulfill the second battery promotion for all customers who purchased the bicycle while the promotion was active as part of the sale, based on the sale date.
2. If you do not intend to fulfill this promotion, provide the option for us to return the bicycle to Yamaha Motorsports for a full refund regardless of the amount of use of the bicycle, and schedule the bicycle to be picked up from our homes (in many cases the dealers are hours away from the customers).
Not resolving this issue now will result in credit card chargebacks, difficulties for dealerships in dealing with customers who feel wronged, Better Business Bureau complaints, and potential legal ramifications. The issue will not go away by itself.
Therefore, we strongly encourage you to fulfill this promotion as promised. Any other option leaves a negative experience for us, many of whom have been lifetime Yamaha customers.
Sincerely,
Yamaha Customers (as undersigned)
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