Watt Wagons Critical Product Availability Status

[Akview]

I am still waiting for my titanium frame.. lots of "updates" but all talk and no follow through...

 

[Deacon Blues]

I'm waiting for them to arrive too. Pushkar mentioned in a text to me last week that even though the bike frames were on the dock he was have some issues getting them on a truck and on their way to his shop.

 

[Merle Nelson]

The idea of something being on the dock and not being able to get it on a truck and shipped to you seems odd. Don't they have incentive, financial and otherwise, to get it off the dock and to its destination?

Evidently not. I watched a youtube report/documentary about containers piling up on the docks and they have such a time moving all the ones in front to get to needed containers in the back that they just give up in frustration. There are whole containers full of food stuffs going bad that there not even trying to get to and save.

 

[Fast n' Furious]

I talked to Greg today and hear the controller chips are in from Germany and the next batch of titanium frames are not here [available] yet.
My sense was 'still on a boat in transit', but it could be a container stack in Boston - or at a factory yard in China awaiting a Truck.
'Hey, I could 'a ordered a Lambo - now at the bottom of the Atlantic off Madera. Let's just hope the ship isn't Russian owned', I thought.
WW's responses to my inquiries have been reasonably prompt and candid. Never some scripted, offshore answering-service - that every sentence begins with "unfortunately".
My sense is they're doing all they can to make things happen and my outlook remains positive.
Indeed Merle, once a container gets buried it can be madness to locate and remove. They were backed up shipping containers back, China put the brakes on, so they stacked higher and higher - even changed the rules. Some things had to be offloaded and the other containers from that ship were set aside - and buried.
You can't pick which containers you want to offload. You take the whole bunch or nothing.
Then it's exacerbated by the lack of over-the-road semi drivers. Because of cannabis Legalization vs Federal mandated testing, more than 72,000 truck drivers were taken off the roads since January 2020 due to positive THC tests.
The guys operating those cranes don't keep your unpicked up container on top. They can't. Trucker doesn't show it's buried.
-
I'm glad youtube's explaining it.

 

[WaxedWookie]

EDIT: I just got a SMS notifying me the bike has shipped!

Gregg (...) anticipates the bike will ship this week.

The end of the week came and went without word... though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised knowing I've been a week or two away from delivery for almost 3 months now. I want different tyres to those included (a hybrid like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus MTB), and each time the shipping commitment is updated, I figure it's not worth making the request at the risk of further delays.

As the nine month anniversary of my order looms, it occurs to me that I've had a kid while waiting for my bike (so much for those last pre-fatherhood rides), and that it apparently takes professionals longer to assemble a bike from parts than it takes for an idiot like me to create a human from scratch (with no small amount of help from my lovely wife).

 

[WaxedWookie]

So I've encountered a trap for new Australian players... Not a Watt Wagons issue, but might be avoidable with changes from them, and impact can definitely be minimised with prep.

DHL reached out to say that because the import is listed as an electric bike, I need to apply for a vehicle import approval for customs clearance. In this case, I've applied for an exception on the basis that the bike is far too powerful to be road legal, and is strictly for use on private property, but there's some caveats...

• There is a fee associated with this application ($55 I think, and if you stuff up the application, there's no refunds).
• The application calls for photos of the bike from front, rear, and side, which I can't get now that the bike has shipped, potentially invalidating the application.
• I've had to provide 100+ points of ID, which is awaiting verification - I have no idea how long this will take, and can't submit my application until this is complete.
• Because of this application process, if I get caught on private roads, I assume I've lost the ability to plead ignorance.
• If this process drags on for any amount of time, I'll need to pay storage costs for the bike while it's resolved. Videos on YouTube have said this cost ~$100/day

Conclusion: There's potentially some process optimisation for Watt Wagons here (e.g. this likely would have been avoided if the description wasn't so specific), and Australian buyers should manage the customs paperwork ahead of time here to avoid further delay/cost.

 

[scrambler]

Import of electric bike bikes can be difficult, and the easiest is indeed usually to do it as an off road vehicle, as this is the only way that does not require all sort of official certifications. If WW does get official certifications like class3 ebike, it may get easier.
But hiring someone knowledgeable with electric bike to take care of the import also helps a lot, but add significant cost...

 

[greeno]

Holy smokes it seems like just purchasing the parts yourself and building up might be a better option with all the restrictions. Water under the bridge I know.
So sorry for your troubles.

 

[loamoaf]

Holy smokes it seems like just purchasing the parts yourself and building up might be a better option with all the restrictions. Water under the bridge I know.
So sorry for your troubles.

I'm in the US and tried doing this, 10 months later still waiting on my X1 motor. Can confirm not as easy as I thought it would be. I'm glad they finally got things in stock to cover current orders but I will continue to hold my breath until I have mine in my hands. I'd like to get something a little lighter based on the M600/X2 that doesn't use fatbike spacing but I'll keep up to date on how WW is doing before diving in a second time. If I had my choice I'd order directly from Innotrace for my builds, something you can do if you're outside of North America (and Russia, and North Korea)

Assuming the supply/delivery time issues are sorted I'd have less of a problem ordering from WW if I were still able to order just a motor or frameset without any parts - I can't say what the current situation is but last I visited the site they changed to only offer full bikes. If I want something super specific, it's easier for me to spend my own time and money hunting down some deals on that exact part & ensure fitment or deal with any weirdness etc than to hand WW a parts list and tell them to go find them and make sure they all work together. This is just me though, I'm super nitpicky.

 

[WaxedWookie]

So the $55 exemption allowing import of the bike has been approved... and I've now been told I owe $1907.44 in import duties. This bike is the gift that just keeps giving.

 

[scrambler]

This is just insane.
Did it just go up for some reason, or you had not checked what kind of import duty Australia imposes on electric bikes?

 

[WaxedWookie]

This is just insane.
Did it just go up for some reason, or you had not checked what kind of import duty Australia imposes on electric bikes?

I hadn't checked - I import quite a lot, and my normal experience is either that the goods are exempt, or the sellers tell me what the duty is and/or roll it in to the price. I haven't looked at the rate calculation yet, but know there's about $500 in other associated fees rolled into that figure.

 

[greeno]

Couple buddys of mine got a couple of bikes from the UK BY WAY OF CHINA and had to pony up almost 9 bills apiece for them to release the bikes to be delivered. They weren't told that " Import Fee" up front either.

 

[WaxedWookie]

Couple buddys of mine got a couple of bikes from the UK BY WAY OF CHINA and had to pony up almost 9 bills apiece for them to release the bikes to be delivered. They weren't told that " Import Fee" up front either.

I'd expect that kind of thing from an Aliexpress vendor or similar (though in my experience, they tend to label their packages to avoid import duty) - these kinds of nasty surprises are something I thought I was paying to avoid or have managed/communicated as part of paying the extra to buy direct from a supposedly premium brand.

 

[TomD]

Sorry you lost me there. It's not like they ship a lot of bikes to customers outside of North America, so I wouldn't expect them to have expertise here. If they made assurances up front to the contrary that would be one thing.

 

[tomjasz]

Couple buddys of mine got a couple of bikes from the UK BY WAY OF CHINA and had to pony up almost 9 bills apiece for them to release the bikes to be delivered. They weren't told that " Import Fee" up front either.

I’ve heard we weren’t told often. i guess resellers are just used to getting fucked by tariffs on products no one manufacturers here. UK and the EU countries are well versed in excessI’ve and punishing tariffs a VAT. USA buyers remain clueless and cry victim. Ignorance won’t fly as an excuse. But that said, I feel your pain. What a bum deal.

 

[greeno]

In the fine print of the sellers website (Cloudsto Andy Kirby) there is a note claiming VAT to be paid by customer. So it was stated but repeated inquiries to the company on how much it would be went unanswered.
They got there answer when US Customs sent them an e-mail on needed the Tax paid in full before they would release it to the shipper to deliver.
They like the bikes but have replaced the battery, front fork and wheel ( 29'r ), rear shock, seat, crank arms so they got a bit into it now.

I agree getting a battery from overseas would be a crapshoot and probably would have to eat it as opposed to returning the item.
Couple of years ago I purchased a carbon fiber hardtail frame ( about $500 ) to build up a bbshd bike. Bottom bracket was too thick so I had to send it back, Luckily it only cost me $80 to ship and I did get my full refund in the end.

 

[tomjasz]

In the fine print of the sellers website (Cloudsto Andy Kirby) there is a note claiming VAT to be paid by customer. So it was stated but repeated inquiries to the company on how much it would be went unanswered.
They got there answer when US Customs sent them an e-mail on needed the Tax paid in full before they would release it to the shipper to deliver.
They like the bikes but have replaced the battery, front fork and wheel ( 29'r ), rear shock, seat, crank arms so they got a bit into it now.

I agree getting a battery from overseas would be a crapshoot and probably would have to eat it as opposed to returning the item.
Couple of years ago I purchased a carbon fiber hardtail frame ( about $500 ) to build up a bbshd bike. Bottom bracket was too thick so I had to send it back, Luckily it only cost me $80 to ship and I did get my full refund in the end.

I've never paid ANY duty on the dozen or so batteries I bought from 4 different Chinese builders.

 

[WaxedWookie]

Good news - my bike finally arrived! yesterday

It's a little the worse for wear from shipping, but I haven't noticed anything too dramatic yet.

To add to the list of config issues, I was sent the standard charger instead of the satiator, and the crank 2 pedals instead of the crank 7's. Still no reply to my emails to Gregg, but I've flagged this with him.

On the taxes, I'm obviously not happy about it, and would expect more from a premium brand, but I'll wear the fact that I should have done my research there. I would probably have been a little more forgiving if I hadn't had the regrettable experience I have.

 

[tomjasz]

Good news - my bike finally arrived! yesterday

It's a little the worse for wear from shipping, but I haven't noticed anything too dramatic yet.

To add to the list of config issues, I was sent the standard charger instead of the satiator, and the crank 2 pedals instead of the crank 7's. Still no reply to my emails to Gregg, but I've flagged this with him.

On the taxes, I'm obviously not happy about it, and would expect more from a premium brand, but I'll wear the fact that I should have done my research there. I would probably have been a little more forgiving if I hadn't had the regrettable experience I have.

Glad I had the mrs wait for Ravi.