Hey all. I'm a brand new member who joined in search of answers related to the extremely poor experience I've had with my Quick E+.
I adore the bike but the ownership experience and support I've received from my LBS has been absolutely dreadful. I realize that my problems mainly stem from my LBS, not Giant. But it did begin with a speed sensor failure on my bike. I cannot find anything on the internet about this problem.
I bought a 2019 Quick E+ April 12th 2019 from a local bike shop and was very excited to begin commuting on it. Unfortunately, from the very first week of ownership I had an issue where the head unit displayed a “speed sensor error”. Each time this would happen the motor would cut off due to the bicycle being unable to limit power output without the data provided from the speed sensor. This made the bike extremely unreliable as I could never count on the motor consistently functioning, sometimes it would be non-fuctional when I turned the bike on, other times it would quit on me 10 miles from home. For the first month I thought that it may have simply been user error and that my magnet placement was wrong. After moving the magnet around dozens of times, eventually it became obvious that was not the case. Finally, the sensor unpaired and would no longer re-pai, at which point I took the bike in to the shop and explained the situation for the first time
Upon picking the bike up on June 7th, the shop claimed that they’d disassembled and checked the connections to make sure that everything was alright. They returned the bike to me and it was functional, though I wasn’t sure if they actually replaced anything.
Not long afterward the same problem presented itself. I took the bike to them and they, again, claimed they’d check the connections. While it was at the shop they informed me that they noticed a strange noise from the motor and they then replaced it. I received the bike back on August 5th, functional once more, though again there was no evidence they had replaced anything related to the speed sensor which I’d brought it in for, only that they’d “checked the connections” once again.
Not long after this, the speed sensor malfunctioned yet again, exactly as it had the previous two times. I picked the bike up from them September 15th. Once more, the mechanic I picked it up from could not give me a straight answer as to what work they actually did to fix the bike. I was told they had “wrapped the connections with electrical tape”. I was beginning to think they didn’t know how to fix this problem.
Less than twenty miles after picking the bike up from the Sept 15th visit, the speed sensor stopped working a fourth time. I immediately took the bike back to them and told them that I had lost my patience, this was the fourth service visit for the same warranty issue, and I wanted a replacement bike since this was legally considered to be a lemon. I contacted the corporate office of the bike chain and explained the situation to the CEO. He expressed regret as to how the situation had been handled and soon afterward the bike shop gave me a loaner as the bike was being fixed. He suggested that in this case it was likely that Giant would replace my bike though I realized that wasn’t a commitment on his part.
I returned to the bike shop and told them about the conversation with the CEO and the potential of a replacement bike and received my loaner bike. They told me that the replacement bike was unlikely to happen. Two weeks passed with me commuting on the loaner bike (which is too small for me though I still appreciate having it) and I heard no update as to the status of my bike’s repair.
Finally, I called the shop and asked what the current status was. They told me they had done an “update to the bike” and that it “felt great” but that regrettably on a test ride this morning it had displayed the same speed sensor issue. I asked if they had actually replaced anything on the bike and they evaded answering the question. I got no other information that. The conversation concluded with me wondering what they been doing the previous 14 days. By rough calculation, they had my bike nearly five weeks over four separate visits and they still had not fixed the problem or even replaced the speed sensor.
Deeply unsatisfied with the previous conversation, I contacted Giant corporate and spoke with a warranty representative. They informed me that, based off the bike’s serial number, the motor had in fact been replaced but that no other parts had ever been ordered for it. He didn’t see any notes about speed sensor issues other than that the wrench had appeared on the head unit as noted in one of my visits. I got the impression that the notes he was looking at did not accurately reflect the situation. He then expedited the sensor to the shop on my behalf and told me to contact the shop to let them know it was coming. I inquired as to why I had to reach out to them to have this simple part finally sent out. He wasn’t willing to volunteer an answer – I didn’t blame him for that.
At this point, I called the shop and the manager. Before I could share the information I had learned from Giant, he told me that they were working to get me a replacement bike --- a pivot from what I had heard from the last time speaking to them. I told them that I appreciated that, though I was a little bit confused as to what I’d just learned from Giant corporate. I told him the records Giant had didn’t sync up with anything I’d heard from the mechanics at his shop. He immediately asked who I’d spoken with and how I’d even gotten their number. I told him I couldn’t recall. He then told me that since parts were coming from my current bike that I’d no longer receive a replacement bike, despite what he told me just moments ago. This alarmed me and struck me as retaliatory behavior, though I didn’t indicate I felt that way. He then told me he had to speak with Giant to see who I’d spoken with and to clear the situation up.
An hour later the shop manager called me back and told me that the part was in fact coming and fixing the bike was now the current plan. I told him that I’d prefer the replacement bike since that had been the plan only one hour ago and replacing the speed sensor may not even solve the problem (maybe it’s the head unit? who knows). This didn’t seem to change his mind.
I called Giant back and explained the uncomfortable phone call I’d had with the store manager. They said there was no record of a discussion of a replacement bike, though phone calls could have been made that were not indicated in the records. I told them that I understand them being reluctant to offer me a replacement given the incomplete or falsified notes as provided by the bike shop, but hoped that they would believe what I was going through or function as my advocate in any way. The individual I spoke with agreed that the situation was concerning and that they’d further look into it and get back to me. The bike shop’s corporate office, CEO, and both Giant employees I spoke to had been helpful. I was and still am hopeful that they may be able to help me.
Nevertheless, I am still waiting for a resolution. I am simply blown away at how dysfunctional this situation has been. The explanation of service offered by the shop has been incomplete, unsatisfactory, and inconsistent. Additionally, they have deflected blame to the inner representative of Giant for not having been able to solve the issue.
I understand mix ups. The first three times I had to take the bike in I was completely understanding. But this has now gone well beyond that point. I have never experienced a lack of warranty support for a consumer product like this before. Repeatedly, and still without resolution. It reflects poorly on Giant to allow shops that sell their bikes to mis-serve their customers in such a way. It calls into question the validity and merits of having a warranty at all, if the ones performing the work are unfit or unwilling to carry it out the work that’s necessary. Their excuse, whether true or not, that the inner Giant rep is the enemy here does not change the outcome for me. I still don’t have my bike back.
The only acceptable outcome to me is a structural change at this specific bike shop as well as a replacement bicycle. If eBikes are to be sold as a replacement to a car, we have a long, long way to go. It shouldn’t take 4 repeat visits to a bike shop spanning over a month of downtime and still no resolution. It shouldn’t involve me contacting the CEO of said bike shop because I was at a loss of what other options I had. It shouldn’t involve me calling Giant myself to order warranty parts on behalf of my bike shop. It shouldn’t involve multiple phone calls to Giant corporate in hope that they investigate what on earth my local bike shop is doing.
