World Class Product Support? Nope.

[Rad.ilm]

This is what Rad says about their product support on their website; "With tens of thousands of five-star reviews under their belts, our in-house product support team is the best in the business. They love troubleshooting, are happy to talk you through your options, and will always make it right. Uh...no. I emailed Rad last week on Wednesday about an electrical issue I am having. I got an error 22, lost power, got power back, then my throttle smoked and killed all power. Rut-Ro. I thought I might have fried the system but I tested my controller, display and battery on my other Rad bike and they all work so I think I just need a new throttle and a wiring harness - which by the way, must be made out of hummingbird tongues and gossamer because you have to bend over backwards to get one from Rad. I'm on my third one so I've done this dance before. Anyway, I waited until Thursday afternoon (about 24 hours which I think is a reasonable amount of time to wait) and then emailed them again when they didn't reply. Today is Tuesday and I still have not had a response from a human. I've been a customer since 2018 and way back then you could actually talk to someone. I get that they are busy and I applaud them for growing their brand and market share, but it should not be at the expense of existing customers.

When my bike is working I like it well enough but you can definitely tell it's an entry level ebike. It's creaky, the rear brake rotor has always been warped and rubs against the pads, the kickstand is bent so much I have to level it with a board so the bike stands straight, and once a year I replace electrical components. But just because you sell entry level bikes doesn't mean you have to have entry level support. Don't pretend that you care about your customers. Actually care about them so they stay happy and don't end up writing stuff like this because they are pissed off. What did they do, get too many orders so they had to move the customer support elves over to the assembly line? Or maybe they got bombarded from too many customers with too many problems that they couldn't keep up and had to automate the process with a really bad mailbot? I don't know, maybe I'm not being patient enough, but given the subpar components that I have to keep replacing and the poor customer service that I am currently experiencing, I think my next ebike will probably not be from Rad.

 

[ki11a]

Sad to hear about Rad customer/tech service is getting too busy for their own good :/

 

[Widgets]

I have not had much luck with email responses, but I did get through with a telephone call.

Later I read somewhere that their support queue prioritizes based on the oldest activity update. Emailing again on your same ticket will add new activity and drop you to the bottom of the queue.

 

[AHicks]

3rd wiring harness? Really?

Still haven't figured out how to adjust your brakes well enough so they don't drag?

This sounds more like a customer abuse case than anything else. Maybe they're tired of hearing from you.

I don't know about your bike, but on mine, there's a set screw on the back side of the plastic part that sets the kickstand length. You should investigate adjusting it maybe? Just keep in mind it's plastic, so if you get too ham fisted when tightening it WILL strip or break.

Keep in mind these are really simple bikes. It's ignorance they are being bombarded with, trying to take care of rookies learning how to take care of their bikes......

 

[Rad.ilm]

Trolling for breakfast? Nice. Pin a rose on your nose.

• 3rd harness? Yup.
• My brakes don't drag, they rub. Because the rotors are warped. They are warped on both of my Rad bikes. That doesn't really speak to quality control.
• Customer abuse? If you consider a 10 mile round trip three or four times a week abuse then yes, I am guilty. They probably are tired of hearing from me. Maybe they should improve their products.
• I have a Radwagon so no plastic on my kickstand. I do carry a lot of gear though but not enough to bend a double kickstand out of true. I chalk it up to poor quality.

Thanks for a really helpful reply by the way. I'm sure you're a big hit a parties.

 

[Browneye]

You likely won't like my post either, which is fine with me - I'm not apologizing. So here's the absolute truth in the matter...

Rotors are cheap - consider replacing them if they are truly bent. You're claiming the bike arrived in the crate with bent rotors?

You bought an entry-level economy bike from a direct-to-consumer mass reseller and expect dealer-level service? Uh, no. In fact, you will be lucky to get any after-sale support or parts - the demand for bikes and parts in general is way out-stripping supply. It has been since the pandemic struck - everybody went out and bought a bike, just to get outdoors. This likely won't resolve for another year or so, the supply chain for components is more than a year behind schedule.

If you think any kickstand is meant to support 'a lot of gear', you're mistaken. If you think the quality is poor then perhaps there's a replacement you could source for it. None of my bikes even HAVE a kickstand.

Your ONLY posts here have been to complain about your bike and THE most popular ebike company in the country, with thousands of happy customers. You're simply not going to get the kind of sympathy and support you obviously expect and desire. If you don't like the bike you bought, sell it and get something else. Any recent bike is very easy to resell right now - I know, I spent about fifteen thousand on bikes in the past year and have resold three of them. Ready buyers with cash in hand, willing to pay nearly what I did for them. There just isn't anything out there, the supply of bikes has been stripped bare.

My hunch is no matter what they did, no matter what you bought, you would find something to complain about. Perhaps consider buying something from a reputable bicycle dealer in your own locale - sometimes this can be the difference between joy and sorrow on the entire bike-ownership experience.

And good luck.

 

[Rad.ilm]

Your hunch would be wrong. As I stated, I like my bike well enough, and I am well aware that it is an entry level bike. What I do have a problem with, and was the focus of this post, is that Rad is calling their customer service "World Class" when clearly it is not. Changing the subject, does anyone know of a wiring harness that is compatible with the Rad bikes?

 

[AHicks]

Trolling for breakfast? Nice. Pin a rose on your nose.

• 3rd harness? Yup.
• My brakes don't drag, they rub. Because the rotors are warped. They are warped on both of my Rad bikes. That doesn't really speak to quality control.
• Customer abuse? If you consider a 10 mile round trip three or four times a week abuse then yes, I am guilty. They probably are tired of hearing from me. Maybe they should improve their products.
• I have a Radwagon so no plastic on my kickstand. I do carry a lot of gear though but not enough to bend a double kickstand out of true. I chalk it up to poor quality.

Thanks for a really helpful reply by the way. I'm sure you're a big hit a parties.

On the bold, that would be the case when it comes to pity parties. I don't do those well at all.

You would do well to learn how to work on this bike, or sell it and buy a bike from a dealer who charges enough to allow them to handle people like you.

There is nothing wrong with the RAD harnesses. In the years I've been following this string (starting from when I purchased my RAD in early 2017) I've NEVER heard of anyone needing a 3rd harness. You have an issue with the install, or you have an issue with a sharp edge somewhere. That sharp edge (if there is one) could likely be found easily with a little patience and careful inspection. Do as you wish...

 

[rawlus]

Later I read somewhere that their support queue prioritizes based on the oldest activity update. Emailing again on your same ticket will add new activity and drop you to the bottom of the queue.

this is true with many of the platforms used to manage service requests, they prioritize based in time, so updating an old ticket with new info also changes your place to the end of the line as being the most recent issue. waiting on the original request will tropically get you into the queue quicker if you’re using email.

 

[rawlus]

Maybe OP has already done the diagnosis and refit for error 22 but posting it here just in case: https://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015467773-Error-22-Troubleshooting-Guide

this documentation is actually pretty comprehensive and going through the topics in their zen desk i’d say they do provide a good deal of useful knowledge to empower the user to self diagnose and self fix.

 

[ExPatBrit]

Been a field / sales electronics engineer for 45+ years.

Replacing a suspect part once OK, second time extremely unlikely, and a third time never. I had many a rookie engineer on my team try to do that before I intervened.

The best parts on a machine are the experienced ones.

Harnesses are "passive" components, if installed correctly they should not fail . Repeated harness issues are likely symptoms of the problem not the cure. You maybe have a high resistance or short somewhere in the bike . These things are hard to find.

 

[Van Haren]

At least ya'll got one to ride. I haven't gotten mine yet. Order and payed for February 2020.

 

[rich c]

Curious you would be critical of an entry level bike and components when you were the one to choose it. Did you expect more than you paid for? And complaining about an internet only sales model company is in the same vein. You didn't want to pay the price for the local bike shop style of service, but yet demand it from a place that sells well below LBS prices. Could it be that you are frustrated with your decision, but still want to take it out on the company? The solution has been spelled out quite often by people who bought internet sales only eBikes.

 

[Van Haren]

This board gave both sellers high revues. You are right that the local shops only sell the highest priced and only to those that can afford such lavishness for there pleasure. When I continued to insist the warranty be answered it was finally answer by a highly known international manufacturer. And today it's being shipped back to California instead of there Local Boutique. One of eleven in two states that I have dealt with three times. They don't sell MENS e-bikes.
Richard