Three months with CCS: Good and Bad

[jinim]

I’m pretty sure Juiced designed and spec’d the bike and Luyuan is just the manufacturer. It is very frustrating spending 2k on a bike that’s not working. Not to mention it costs me more out of pocket each day I can’t use it. I think Juiced just lacks the resources in support to handle the volume of inquiries they’re seeing from normal business activity and problems/defects with the bikes. In terms of my particular problem with the battery, it appears that’s backordered and in short supply, so maybe there’s not even any extra batteries on hand to send me. I’m just inferring this, so could be totally wrong. Either way, it’s a month and counting with no replacement battery yet.

 

[p0ppyman]

I’m pretty sure Juiced designed and spec’d the bike and Luyuan is just the manufacturer. It is very frustrating spending 2k on a bike that’s not working. Not to mention it costs me more out of pocket each day I can’t use it. I think Juiced just lacks the resources in support to handle the volume of inquiries they’re seeing from normal business activity and problems/defects with the bikes. In terms of my particular problem with the battery, it appears that’s backordered and in short supply, so maybe there’s not even any extra batteries on hand to send me. I’m just inferring this, so could be totally wrong. Either way, it’s a month and counting with no replacement battery yet.

I admire your faith and patience. Does Tora ever chime in on the sub forum? Seems it would be a great opportunity to provide some clarity and general information about how the company is handling the demand, plans for scaling up a support team in response to demand, etc. I'm new to the forum so maybe due to forum rules online sellers are not able to comment.

I do see many testimonials about the positive experiences people are having with this brand so you might just be the unfortunate one.

 

[ryanmoore]

Thanks for all the info p0ppyman. Sorry to hear about your story jinim. I was considering a Cross Current S as my 1st ebike but don't want to get stuck in a situation where something breaks, I can't ride my bike and the company doesn't respond.

 

[Reid]

I would be pulling my hair out, although there is not much to pull these days, having to look at a bike everyday that does not work where I spent my hard earned cash in good faith expecting the company would provide a reliable product.

Possibly every ticket that gets opened has to have a corresponding ticket opened with Zhejiang Luyuan Electirc Vehicle CO., LTD. so Juiced can document their warranty claim to the manufacturer of the bike. If that were to be the case I expect that could account for all the delays in making things right with the end customer, the consumer. If this is in fact the case too much friction in a process like that.

I wonder if Juiced carries any spare parts at all in their inventory. Seems they could take care of the customer's claim, make it right, and then chase after the manufacture to make Juiced whole. Seems Juiced might just be a distributor for Zhejiang Luyuan Electirc Vehicle CO., LTD. at the end of the day.

Interesting. I'm probably way off base so I'll remain quiet and follow this sub forum to see how this brand turns out for the consumers.

The Reention battery system is used by many.

Even if Juiced were simply buying an already =spec-built= bike from that named firm, and they certainly are having it spec-built to their specs by an existing ebike maker in China,

I can confirm that Juiced Bikes keeps spare parts in stock:

I was sent a new battery the day I complained that my CCS' battery had just died. They took my word for it after doing some diagnostics over the phone. I returned the dead battery by reusing the box that the replacement battery arrived in. My credit card was not charged with a hold. Months later, after much riding in the rain, my CCS' display went bad. I sent in the old controller, harness and display. I got a new display and a new harness.

What's to complain about, other than the SPOTTY warranty service? At root, they mean well.

I do not think I would care to try to make a warranty claim if I had bought the bike direct from China. I think I would get not so much and not so very quickly. Not for all the rice in China would I want to buy direct from a vendor there if I thought I might need warranty support.

Juiced fails customers daily. But in time they make good. I know they mean well.

Seven and One-Half Months out
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZJOKjjFNHg
I would not trade my Juiced Bikes CCS, not for all the rice in China.

Do you not appreciate, that despite the obvious failings of an erstwhile company, that Juice Bikes is the creation of an Olympian? That is to say only that he dares to create from a vacuum a tangible product to help people. He hopes to profit, to prosper in life by his work and help the people, his crew he enlists to support his effort. I am not a crewmember of Juiced Bikes. I receive no free product and never will.

This is no mere fanboy post. It is a request to see the big picture of what it is to try to exceed, to be great. You are not buying the callow product of a personal profit seeker at your expense. He hopes to make you a champion, too.

(After all that set-up, this last sentence is not a stretch. Please save the USA from Dictator Trump's anti-heroics, from his bone spurs he has brought forward to the present day.

As a genuine Viet-era military enlistee (6 years in the USNR), I resent Dictator, draft-dodger crooked pol Trump's invocation of a strong military in which he, himself, would never serve.)

Not for all the rice in (where else, today?), must we allow Trumpian destruction of the ebike import industry. He is a tax, a pox on us all. There is no "tax cut,", considering the entirely destructive piratical tariffs to come.

Please record your voice: https://electricbikereview.com/foru...fs-on-chinese-ebikes.23990/page-3#post-151519

 

[jinim]

It has been an excellent bike when it’s worked. I didn’t test out any other ebikes though. I’m not sure why the support is so spotty. As I mentioned, I had a battery fitment issue at purchase which they resolved in about a week. This issue for some reason is going on a month and counting. The lack of response is the most frustrating part.

 

[Reid]

It has been an excellent bike when it’s worked. I didn’t test out any other ebikes though. I’m not sure why the support is so spotty. As I mentioned, I had a battery fitment issue at purchase which they resolved in about a week. This issue for some reason is going on a month and counting. The lack of response is the most frustrating part.

There is no excuse for JB neglecting warranty support.

Warranty support trumps the value of new sales.

Yet we know they mean well.

To sell at such a relatively small margin while also providing good support is the elusive goal. Hope J.B.s finds a balance that favors their adopters.

 

[p0ppyman]

There is no excuse for JB neglecting warranty support.

Warranty support trumps the value of new sales.

Yet we know they mean well.

To sell at such a relatively small margin while also providing good support is the elusive goal. Hope J.B.s finds a balance that favors their adopters.

To me a "well meaning seller" is a seller that makes sure they have the right business model and pricing in place to protect me the buyer. In my 64 years I met several well meaning people who actually cost me a fair amount of money. My issue is I'm a very trusting person. I operate with trust by default.


I'm sure the JB gang is well meaning and having tried my hand at a couple of small businesses it's not a cake walk. Making the right upfront investments is not always possible because of funding constraints. So you go forward in good faith putting the support infrastructure your constrained $$$ will allow in hope things go well and as you grow you'll take some of your profit to beef up support and service. Starting a small business is sometimes a "keep your fingers crossed" endeavor from my experiences.

I have respect for people who start businesses. I know it is about managing multiple revenue models and their associated revenue streams with a focus on cost per transaction at the end of the day.

I wish JB well and hope those that are investing in them through their purchases in support of a cause they believe in have great experiences in return.

 

[Reid]

Mr. Harris wrote me a quick note to express his intent,

Tora Harris

There was a problem with his registration. We are sorting it out.
-Tora

p0ppyman above, we are of an age. Only, you have business experience and education I lack. I was born in May of your year. We are of an age of Crusader Rabbits.

 

[jinim]

So I didn’t register my bike after I bought it, but then registered the same day (6/28) they asked me about it. They’ve gone dark since then with multiple follow-ups on my side.

Here’s my email to them:
Hi, the bike wasn’t registered yet. I just registered it now online. Thanks, Jin

From: 3 Juiced Bikes Technical Support <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2018 10:05:00 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Battery is charged and power will turn on but no bars will show #SU00018894

New reply for the ticket #SU00018894

Hello,
Apologies for the delay, we will have a replacement battery sent out to you as soon as possible. Once you receive the replacement go ahead and test it to assure it's working properly. After that you can ship us back the original one to complete the warranty process. I also can't find any registration linked to this email, have you registered the bike with a different email?

Juiced Bikes Service & Support


#SU00018894
3 Juiced Bikes Technical Support

 

[Deleted member 4210]

According to Ed Benjamin there are nearly 300 ebike brands available now in the USA.
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Stories like yours will help people avoid the brands that are most problematic, and encourage them to check out the other 299.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Stories like yours will help people avoid the brands that are most problematic, and encourage them to check out the other 299.

Those stories will also help the smart companies learn, adapt, and thrive.

 

[jinim]

Just to mostly close the loop here. I finally received a replacement battery late last week. From the time I reported my problem until receiving the replacement battery took a little over a month. It seems to have resolved my issue, but need to see if my bike stays working. They didn’t send me a replacement downtube battery lock interface. I reinstalled the original battery interface that had fitment issues. I had to replace it with my old one since a piece of plastic broke off on the pin, and the replacement part started having some fitment issues as well. I sent them a follow-up email about this, but they never bothered responding. I bought a velcro cinch strap to secure the battery to the bike, so hopefully this is a non-issue. It would’ve been nice to get the replacement part as well, who knows when I’ll get a response back. Hopefully, the replacement battery and cinch strap I added fixes my issues. Time will tell.

 

[ryanmoore]

I sent them a follow-up email about this, but they never bothered responding. I bought a velcro cinch strap to secure the battery to the bike, so hopefully this is a non-issue. It would’ve been nice to get the replacement part as well, who knows when I’ll get a response back. Hopefully, the replacement battery and cinch strap I added fixes my issues. Time will tell.

Their attention seems to be all about the Scrambler right now. Tora's over in China and seems focused 100% on it. I wish you luck getting your issue resolved.

 

[jinim]

My back tire hit a bump the other day and a bunch of the spokes jarred loose. The rim is uneven now, and the wheel rubs against the frame now. I’ll have to take it into a shop now to get this fixed. The replacement battery at least seems to have fixed my previous issue. I can’t seem to get bike to work for a month without some other issue popping up.

 

[Chris Hammond]

Must have been a quite a bump, or possibly your spoke tension was off beforehand. I've had tons of hard high speed hits over bumps and potholes, fortunately no issues so far. I do check and adjust spoke tension at least twice a month though as I am commuting everyday.

 

[kev312]

My back tire hit a bump the other day and a bunch of the spokes jarred loose. The rim is uneven now, and the wheel rubs against the frame now. I’ll have to take it into a shop now to get this fixed. The replacement battery at least seems to have fixed my previous issue. I can’t seem to get bike to work for a month without some other issue popping up.

Sorry to hear about your issues. I ended up cancelling my RCS order. To be honest, its partly because of hearing about inconsistent customer support like you've experienced (I know of one other person who ultimately went with Rad because of the same concerns). There is no excuse making a customer wait over a month for a replacement part. Hopefully they will help you offset the cost to fix your rim at your LBS. The other reason is that I was told my bike would be delayed another 3 to 5 weeks due to the 3G GPS issue. So I've decided to hold off for now. I'll revisit getting an e-bike later this year or early next year.

 

[jinim]

I don't know if I regret my purchase yet. Getting an ebike has been a game changer for commuting to work, but also for getting around the city. I suppose that applies to all ebikes. There definitely is no excuse for taking over a month to get a replacement part. They also never got back to me about getting a replacement downtube battery part. I have a velcro cinch strap keeping the battery tight to the frame. I took my bike to the shop the other day to get the rim trued up. I thought it would be done today, but it should be done tomorrow. The guy was pretty surprised how many loose spokes there were. He said typically they charge $20 for a rim true up, but it might cost $30-40 for my rim. He literally said, "holy smokes" when he checked the spoke tension and a bunch of spokes were super loose. Having never owned an ebike, but having owned several road bikes, I don't know if I'm supposed to be checking the spokes more often. I did a search of this forum and did notice some advice on checking spoke tension. I thought the issues mostly revolved around the older bikes that had different spokes than the more recent versions. I've only had one loose spoke before on my Felt road bike. This happened after owning it for a few years. I live further from work now, but I would ride a fairly similar route on my Felt bike. I'm guessing riding at a much faster rate of speed and the weight being more towards the rear of the bike puts more stress on the back spokes. I'm hoping this is the last of my issues for a while now. I'm definitely wondering if I should've just paid more for a bike with a better customer support system.

 

[p0ppyman]

I don't know if I regret my purchase yet. Getting an ebike has been a game changer for commuting to work, but also for getting around the city. I suppose that applies to all ebikes. There definitely is no excuse for taking over a month to get a replacement part. They also never got back to me about getting a replacement downtube battery part. I have a velcro cinch strap keeping the battery tight to the frame. I took my bike to the shop the other day to get the rim trued up. I thought it would be done today, but it should be done tomorrow. The guy was pretty surprised how many loose spokes there were. He said typically they charge $20 for a rim true up, but it might cost $30-40 for my rim. He literally said, "holy smokes" when he checked the spoke tension and a bunch of spokes were super loose. Having never owned an ebike, but having owned several road bikes, I don't know if I'm supposed to be checking the spokes more often. I did a search of this forum and did notice some advice on checking spoke tension. I thought the issues mostly revolved around the older bikes that had different spokes than the more recent versions. I've only had one loose spoke before on my Felt road bike. This happened after owning it for a few years. I live further from work now, but I would ride a fairly similar route on my Felt bike. I'm guessing riding at a much faster rate of speed and the weight being more towards the rear of the bike puts more stress on the back spokes. I'm hoping this is the last of my issues for a while now. I'm definitely wondering if I should've just paid more for a bike with a better customer support system.

I continue to be amazed at your patience and continued Juiced Bikes brand loyalty! As a Buddhist I can identify with your "no regret" approach. Life is difficult, and once we see this truth we transcend it and life is no longer difficult.

Enjoy your riding and enjoy your ebike journey!

 

[jinim]

I wouldn't say I'm patient or have any brand loyalty to Juiced. I definitely wish I checked out other bikes before I purchased this. The upfront cost vs. feature set was compelling, but I didn't fully consider potential issues with buying a direct to consumer bike. I've even contemplated purchasing a different bike, but don't know what I'd do with this one. At first I would've recommended this bike to people, but I definitely wouldn't be able to now. If I did, it would be with heavy disclaimers about the spotty at best customer support. As I've mentioned previously, every day that my bike has been out of commission costs me about $10 or more per day in commuting costs. It's also costing me extra time as well, since taking the bus or Uber/Lyft takes longer than me biking to work. I definitely recommend getting an ebike, since it really has been great as a commuting vehicle and in the long run save me time and money. I'd say anyone thinking about getting one, should just really research all the options.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Just like people who are happy with a purchase will cheerfully recommend it to others, those who have had trouble with a purchase will recommend against it. Both are correct, as far as that goes. Neither goes far enough to be of any objective worth. But it's human nature, both to share one's experience and to listen to what someone else has to say. Most of us don't have the training in statistics or research methods to be able to evaluate shared experience, although most educated people do get the concept of "anecdotal data."

I wish there was a way to do a scientific poll of Juiced Bikes customers. I mean, of course there is, but practically speaking, unless Juiced wanted to turn their customer database over to a researcher, it won't happen. A forum like this is a good place to get informed answers to particular questions, and maybe a general sense of what is right or wrong with any given bike. It's not a good place to get a real feel for how well made a bike might be, how good the customer service is, etc., because the forum as a whole is too self-selected. First, it only appeals to people who like forums. Juiced Bikes for instance has sold thousands of ebikes, but we don't have thousands of posters, we have a handful. Some happy, some not.

So if someone wanted to know about putting larger diameter tires on a CCS, that's a specific issue, and we've got people who have pushed it to the limits, and it's good information. You don't need a random sample for that. On a larger scale, when spokes were a problem last year and distribution tanked this spring, we had enough posts on the forum to know that it was not a random problem, and thus worth taking seriously, but not enough to know truly how wide-spread the problem was. With the spokes, Tora got enough feedback through his own channels to decide to do a major upgrade, for which I am grateful. The distribution problem seems to have been solved also. That one looks like growing pains to me.

@jinim I'm not disparaging your frustration, not asking you to shut up, or any of that. Many of us, myself included, have recognized that customer service is an issue and that Juiced won't become the major player they clearly hope to be if they don't fix it. And people sharing their experiences, pro or con, on this forum is one way to move that along. I sincerely hope your problems are resolved without further delay, and that Juiced puts in sufficient infrastructure (mostly customer service reps I think) to fix the overall headache.