Anyone else having problems with Champion Electric Bicycles?

linberl said:
Brian,
I don't want to turn this forum into a personal battle. I know what I have in documentation, I know what Prodeco did (and I did not push them, I told them I needed to cancel the order if it didn't ship by the end of March because I would need to buy a Pedego from a local dealer so I had transportation; they offered to move me up one week, in fact saving you a refund). Their service has been excellent before and after I got the bike. Can't say the same for Champion. Buyer beware, imo.
Click to expand...

Linda,

This is not a personal battle. You called them and told them you would cancel and order a Pedego, so as a courtesy to you, they rushed your order out and bypassed every other customer ahead of you. Like I said, you must have been very persistent, so I commend you for that (however unfair that might be to every other customer ahead of you on the list). If you feel that us providing you with 8 updates and responses to your questions within 24 hours based on the information we were provided is not excellent service, then I don't know what excellent service is. We can only do what we can do. We are routinely commended for our excellent customer service and timely updates, so I'll take your comment with a grain. Have a nice day and I hope you are enjoying your new bike.

Brian W.
Champion Bicycles
 
Brian,
I was not "persistent" however you might try to paint it...I was disappointed and did not ask for any special service. I just asked when I could expect the bike and they gave me a very clear ship date (which you could have also gotten) which was not acceptable. When I said I needed to cancel because I needed transportation, they offered to move my bike up one week.

I did not receive 8 emails and they were not within 24 hours.

As a retail manager for an Apple flagship store, I do know what excellent customer service is. Charging a credit card 6 weeks before shipping, providing inaccurate information, is not excellent.
I always cut retailers a lot of slack, because I personally know how hard it can be. I have never posted online about a business in a negative way until now.

You have a nice day, too.
 
linberl said:
Brian,
I was not "persistent" however you might try to paint it...I was disappointed and did not ask for any special service. I just asked when I could expect the bike and they gave me a very clear ship date (which you could have also gotten) which was not acceptable. When I said I needed to cancel because I needed transportation, they offered to move my bike up one week.

I did not receive 8 emails and they were not within 24 hours.

As a retail manager for an Apple flagship store, I do know what excellent customer service is. Charging a credit card 6 weeks before shipping, providing inaccurate information, is not excellent.
I always cut retailers a lot of slack, because I personally know how hard it can be. I have never posted online about a business in a negative way until now.

You have a nice day, too.
Click to expand...

Linda,

You did ask for special service. You asked for your order to be shipped out before other customers who ordered before you. So other customers were bypassed so that you could have your bike. That is, in fact, special service (whether you wish to acknowledge it or not). Every order should be shipped out in the order that they are received. If it is too long to wait, you may simply cancel (some customers have). However, you should not exactly be on here telling everyone how wonderful it was being given special treatment by Prodeco when other customers had to wait longer because you were given that special treatment. You are mistaken when you say that we could have gotten a very clear ship date from them. We were never, have never, and will never receive an exact ship date from Prodeco because they do not provide us with them. They have only ever provided us with a time frame (as inaccurate as they may be at times). I will mention again that we were given a specific time frame by them and unfortunately they did not provide us with the most accurate information. You do not work for Champion, you do not work for Prodeco, so you have no idea what has gone on behind the scenes. You did, in fact, receive 8 emails from us in our dealings with each other. If you need a reminder of this, I will be more than happy to forward you those emails. Every single one of them was responded to within 24 hours. You received your bike within 3 weeks. We have customers who have been waiting for the Phantom X2 since September of 2011 and I have not seen any of them carry on the way you have (not only on here, but in your emails to us directly). You received your bike within 3 weeks because you complained to Prodeco. Meanwhile we have hundreds of patient customers who understand the delays and are definitely not carrying on or asking to be bumped up in front of other customers. You should be very happy that you received your bike as quickly as you did. As I mentioned, your persistence paid off.

Brian W.
Champion Bicycles
 
Wow you got an X2 already thats got to be one of the very first off the line. Waiting list of what 2 or 3 months. Maybe I should try that I sold my car bit.
 
Brian,
I think it's ridiculous that you are trying to make the issue that I received my bike one week earlier (April 4) because I spoke with Prodeco; it's a sad attempt to deflect from the real issues with Champion. It's a lot more than 3 weeks from Feb. 29th order date to April 4th actual delivery date or April 11th scheduled delivery date. The issue is that Champion gave me incorrect info and when I called Prodeco they WERE able to give me an exact date the bike was scheduled to be built and to be shipped. Again, I only called them because Jonathan emailed the bike was in the shipping queue with no tracking info so I wanted to know when to expect the bike. At the point of that email, I was happy. That was the second week of March, just 3 weeks after my order and credit card was charged (another issue you haven't discussed). When Prodeco informed me the bike was not even ready to be built, and my ship date was the April 11th, I was understandably disappointed and concerned because I had paid in full and was given false information from Champion about my order. Why would you tell me my bike was in the shipping queue without tracking info when it hadn't even been built??? I was understandably unhappy and concerned since my card had been charged and Champion had told me something that was not true. Prodeco stepped up and offered a solution - NOT at my request - because I was ready to be done with all of it and just buy locally. I wanted the prodeco Stride because it folded but I was okay with a Pedego non-folding bike if it meant I could get it before the middle of April, nearly 7 weeks after my order and 4 weeks after selling my car. I was neither "persistent" nor in any way pushy because I was ready to walk away since I didn't want to spend my money with a dealer I didn't trust. Frankly, I doubt you had that many Stride orders in your queue anyway- most people seem to want the PX, so I truly doubt my order bumped that many people since they build the bikes by model/day. But even if it did it only happened because Champion failed to provide me with accurate info so I called the dealer to find out what was going on. I WAS given a specific date in that call which you should have had as well as the dealer. If you can't get the same information that I can as a customer, you should not be a dealer. Bottom line in business is that excuses don't cut it - you are the face of Prodeco to the customer and you are responsible for your orders and everything connected to that. I hope your future customers get great service from you and you iron out your issues with Prodeco, I've made my point about my experience which is not mitigated by receiving my bike 5 weeks after order instead of 6. BTW, here's one of Jonathan's emails below with the date...


Hi Linda,

Your order is scheduled to go into shipping queue on Monday. We should have the tracking information sometime later in the day. Hope this helps.

Jonathan H.
Internet Support
www.ChampionElectricBicycles.com

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Order Update
From: Linda (redacted)
Date: Fri, March 16, 2012 4:31 pm
To: support@championelectricbicycles.com

Hi, So today is the 5th business day - any word on the bike yet?
thanks
Linda
On Mar 12, 2012, at 6:57 AM, <support@championelectricbicycles.com> <support@championelectricbicycles.com> wrote:

Hi Linda,

Just wanted to give you a quick update on your order for the Stride 9.
Your order for the 2012 Stride 9 is going into production today, Monday March 12th.
Your bike will be built, tested, boxed, and labeled and we should have tracking information within 4-5 business days.
As soon as we have the tracking information available, we will email it to you.

Jonathan H.
Internet Support
www.ChampionElectricBicycles.com
 
linberl said:
Brian,
I think it's ridiculous that you are trying to make the issue that I received my bike one week earlier (April 4) because I spoke with Prodeco; it's a sad attempt to deflect from the real issues with Champion. It's a lot more than 3 weeks from Feb. 29th order date to April 4th actual delivery date or April 11th scheduled delivery date. The issue is that Champion gave me incorrect info and when I called Prodeco they WERE able to give me an exact date the bike was scheduled to be built and to be shipped. Again, I only called them because Jonathan emailed the bike was in the shipping queue with no tracking info so I wanted to know when to expect the bike. At the point of that email, I was happy. That was the second week of March, just 3 weeks after my order and credit card was charged (another issue you haven't discussed). When Prodeco informed me the bike was not even ready to be built, and my ship date was the April 11th, I was understandably disappointed and concerned because I had paid in full and was given false information from Champion about my order. Why would you tell me my bike was in the shipping queue without tracking info when it hadn't even been built??? I was understandably unhappy and concerned since my card had been charged and Champion had told me something that was not true. Prodeco stepped up and offered a solution - NOT at my request - because I was ready to be done with all of it and just buy locally. I wanted the prodeco Stride because it folded but I was okay with a Pedego non-folding bike if it meant I could get it before the middle of April, nearly 7 weeks after my order and 4 weeks after selling my car. I was neither "persistent" nor in any way pushy because I was ready to walk away since I didn't want to spend my money with a dealer I didn't trust. Frankly, I doubt you had that many Stride orders in your queue anyway- most people seem to want the PX, so I truly doubt my order bumped that many people since they build the bikes by model/day. But even if it did it only happened because Champion failed to provide me with accurate info so I called the dealer to find out what was going on. I WAS given a specific date in that call which you should have had as well as the dealer. If you can't get the same information that I can as a customer, you should not be a dealer. Bottom line in business is that excuses don't cut it - you are the face of Prodeco to the customer and you are responsible for your orders and everything connected to that. I hope your future customers get great service from you and you iron out your issues with Prodeco, I've made my point about my experience which is not mitigated by receiving my bike 5 weeks after order instead of 6. BTW, here's one of Jonathan's emails below with the date...


Hi Linda,

Your order is scheduled to go into shipping queue on Monday. We should have the tracking information sometime later in the day. Hope this helps.

Jonathan H.
Internet Support
http://www.ChampionElectricBicycles.com

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Order Update
From: Linda (redacted)
Date: Fri, March 16, 2012 4:31 pm
To: support@championelectricbicycles.com

Hi, So today is the 5th business day - any word on the bike yet?
thanks
Linda
On Mar 12, 2012, at 6:57 AM, <support@championelectricbicycles.com> <support@championelectricbicycles.com> wrote:

Hi Linda,

Just wanted to give you a quick update on your order for the Stride 9.
Your order for the 2012 Stride 9 is going into production today, Monday March 12th.
Your bike will be built, tested, boxed, and labeled and we should have tracking information within 4-5 business days.
As soon as we have the tracking information available, we will email it to you.

Jonathan H.
Internet Support
http://www.ChampionElectricBicycles.com
Click to expand...

Linda,

What part of Prodeco not giving us a ship date for your order and an inaccurate time frame do you not understand?
At this point, I feel as if I am repeating myself over and over again, because you do not seem to want to acknowledge the fact that no one at Prodeco gave us a ship date for your order and that whatever time frame they gave us was inaccurate. You continue over and over again to persist that we had something to do with your order not going out as quickly as you wanted or that we somehow withheld information from you when that couldn't be further from the truth. We have absolutely no say and no control over how and when Prodeco ships orders out. The way it works is - you order through us (or any dealer) and the order goes directly to Prodeco. Period. End of story. We attempt to update our customers in the best way we can, given the extremely limited information that we receive from them, and pass that along to our customers. We take our cues from them. Yet you seem to refuse to acknowledge what I am saying here. Instead, you seem to take great joy in attempting to throw us under the bus and attempt to blame us for all of your shipping delays. One more time, all of the information that we gave you came directly from Prodeco. I am not going to start posting the emails that you sent to our staff in regards to your order (as you have done), but I will say that they were not exactly polite or pleasant, but yet we dealt with you in the best way we could and responded to every one of your questions and concerns. However, apparently nothing we could say or do for you was satisfactory. It was only after you complained to Prodeco did they make a special exception for you. I really don't know or care what they told you over there, but it was not the truth and I will just leave it at that. You are incorrect when you say that we could have gotten the same information in regards to your order, because that is not the case. You are not a dealer for them, you do not work for them, you do not work for us, so you have no idea what you are talking about. I do agree with you however when you say that if we cannot get the same information that our customers can get that we should not be a dealer for them. Which is precisely why we have ended our dealer contract with them (effective April 30th) and have not accepted a single order for one of their bikes since that time. So again, please do not continue to spread false information about us or the details of your order. We have been very honest with you about your order since day 1. If after all this, you still continue to believe whatever else you choose to believe, then go right ahead and believe it. I have nothing more to say to you on this subject.

Brian W.
Champion Bicycles
 
Everyone, give Champion a break...geeeezzz. E-bikes are just now becoming popular and its gonna get crazy over the next 10 years. Yes, we are Americans and want everything RIGHT NOW!...lol. I've been waiting since Jan 03rd and I'm not complaining. Why? Because this is the best bike for the $ and they are made in the USA. Worth the wait:)

If you made ANY decisions based on a backlog of a product, then it's on YOU. (i.e. sold your car, postponed a vacation, etc..) I would not count on aything till the bike shows up on my front door.

Champion, you guys a re doing a "good" job in light of the headaches that Prodeco is giving you. Keep up the good customer service and you too will have a popular business with consumers.

My .02 cents :)
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^ Agree and Champion it's sad that prodeco is giving you the run around. But it's almost the easy times prodeco has the the new battery in and things will pick up soon. People are going to want the new PX2 and you guys have the best price. Hope your really not going to drop out.
 
May 25, and it's been two months to the day since I placed an order, with a deposit, for the Prodeco Storm. The Evelo electric is looking better all the time, with a $200 reduction in price over the memorial day weekend.
 
I should mention that I didn't order the bike through Champion, to be fair to them. It would be nice if Prodeco would increase production, or at least keep their customers informed as to where their order is.
 
JimBiker said:
...The Evelo electric is looking better all the time, with a $200 reduction in price over the memorial day weekend.
Click to expand...
I luvs this description:
Evelo product page said:
Patented Mid-Drive Motor – EVELO’s mid-drive system uses your bike’s gears, so the motor works with you – not against you. With a top speed of 20 miles per hour and unparalleled hill-climbing ability, you’ll be able to climb 30 degree inclines like you were cruising on the beach.
Click to expand...

I've ridden a beach all of two times in my life, the second time because I forgot just how difficult it is to ride a bicycle on deep, dry sand. :lol:
 
Loved that description too. The Evelo does look attractive because it drives through the crank instead of the hub of either wheel, providing a better torque advantage. However, it does not fold and is a bit heavier, and is pricier then the the Prodeco. It's also marketed under other names as well.

I'm trying to remain patient, because I do believe the Prodeco is a better bike then many of its competors. I only wish we could get some sort of status on our orders. Two months is a bit much, especially without any feedback from the seller.
 
More then two months for me now, and still in "the dark" as to a delivery date. Six months is way too long. I would like to believe that the Prodeco dealers, and Prodeco themselves, would be interested in keeping their customers informed as to the status of their order.
 
What are you guys doing, waiting months for a low performance commercial Ebike.
You could build better yourself and ride, long before Prodeco delivers one.
 
I know there are many of you that have ordered a Phantom X2 from us and other dealers and we feel we need to make a statement here regarding these delays. We and every other Prodeco dealer were informed back in September of 2011 of the entire 2012 product lineup. We were informed by Prodeco's management that all of the models, including the Phantom X2 were due out in late October. We started promoting the Phantom X2 on our site and all other 2012 models under the impression that these models were going to start shipping later on that month. When that didn't happen, we were then told that the Phantom X2 was pushed back to November. So we then told our customers that there were delays and that unfortunately the X2 was not coming out until November. Then November came and went and we were told by Prodeco that the Phantom X2 was definitely coming out in December before Christmas. So we then notified all of our customers on the waiting list and told them the X2 was coming out in December. Then there were more delays. And more delays. And more delays.

We have had extensive arguments with Prodeco's management and pretty much the entire Prodeco staff for their lack of updates and extensive delays, only to be told time and time again "they're coming soon". We have pleaded with them time and time again to at least give us some idea as to when these bikes were going to ship and they were certain that they would start shipping them out the 1st/2nd week of April. They even posted this information on their Facebook page. However, yet again, they did not keep their promise to us, to every other dealer, and to their customers. So again, we had to go back and tell everyone on our waiting list what the situation was.

We have been accused of not providing accurate updates to our customers on several occasions, but the fact of the matter is, we have always received our updates or lack of updates from Prodeco directly. Every order that we have ever taken ships directly from Prodeco. And every order gets shipped on their shipping schedule, not ours.

Now having said that, we completely understand and sympathize with our customers that have been waiting so very very long for these bikes. We do not agree with it. We do not condone it. And we certainly do not appreciate being misled or given inaccurate information in regards to ship times. There is much much more I can say about this, but let me just say that we at Champion Bicycles completely disagree with the way Prodeco has handled this entire situation and as a result, we have ended our dealer contract with them at the end of April and have not taken a single order for one of their bikes since that time. For us to make such a huge decision like this should give you some insight on how bad things really are and how long these delays are. We want no part of this anymore. We do not agree with their business practices and we certainly do not agree with giving customers false or misleading information about ship times.

What they should have done is told everyone that the Phantom X2 was due out "summer of 2012" and leave it at that. And then if they were available at an earlier time, then release it early and make everyone happy (aka under-promise and over-deliver instead of over-promise and under-deliver).

Having spoken directly with the owner of Prodeco I can tell you that as of yesterday, he told us specifically that the X2 "looks as if it will start to ship either Friday or Monday". So that is the latest update that we have. We have always stated that if anyone wants to cancel their order or switch to a different bike, they certainly may do so at any time and we have absolutely no problem with that. Again, we completely understand everyone's frustration out there, but believe me we are just as frustrated as you all are and we are just trying to get through these final remaining pending orders.

Brian W.
Champion Bicycles
 
Dude u could have stopped taking orders until prodeco gave u a strait answer on the shipping dates. Instead you took customers money and made them wait. Thats not good business sense and not good for your company image.
 
I ordered a bike from champion when i found out about the wait times from this forum contacted champion and they promptly refunded my credit card. The only thing they should do is let people know there is a waiting list before you order. I had also tried to contact prodeco by email using there web site never received a response from them . Also seen ebay sites that that said they have these bikes in stock but the ship date was weeks later. Prodeco has a problem a lot company's would love in this economy more customers than they can satisfy . Prodeco management is going to blow a great chance here they got get a more reliable supply chain so the can deliver product when people want it. To wait 6 months would put me into winter not a good option for me. Hope they can get there act together maybe prodeco should go on shark tank and get the capital they need to do things right.
 
ct46278 said:
I ordered a bike from champion when i found out about the wait times from this forum contacted champion and they promptly refunded my credit card. The only thing they should do is let people know there is a waiting list before you order. I had also tried to contact prodeco by email using there web site never received a response from them . Also seen ebay sites that that said they have these bikes in stock but the ship date was weeks later. Prodeco has a problem a lot company's would love in this economy more customers than they can satisfy . Prodeco management is going to blow a great chance here they got get a more reliable supply chain so the can deliver product when people want it. To wait 6 months would put me into winter not a good option for me. Hope they can get there act together maybe prodeco should go on shark tank and get the capital they need to do things right.
Click to expand...

What bike are you going to buy now? It would only be 2 months from now some of us have been waiting 6 months and longer because the battery had 5 set backs. I would guess most of the waiting is about over give them time to chatch up on 8 months of back orders. I've been told once they have the parts they can kick out a bike every 15 mins.
 
by Frog » Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:11 pm

What bike are you going to buy now? It would only be 2 months from now some of us have been waiting 6 months and longer because the battery had 5 set backs. I would guess most of the waiting is about over give them time to chatch up on 8 months of back orders. I've been told once they have the parts they can kick out a bike every 15 mins.
Click to expand...

I did buy a nice mountian bike and am going to put a kit on it have not decided on what kit yet.But i not not paying for a bike that i don't have for 6 months and unless you pay it off right away your credit card will be charging interest , plus you only have so long to dispute a payment if thing get worse and they don't deliver you could be stuck with no bike and no money.
 
ct46278 said:
by Frog » Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:11 pm

What bike are you going to buy now? It would only be 2 months from now some of us have been waiting 6 months and longer because the battery had 5 set backs. I would guess most of the waiting is about over give them time to chatch up on 8 months of back orders. I've been told once they have the parts they can kick out a bike every 15 mins.
Click to expand...

I did buy a nice mountian bike and am going to put a kit on it have not decided on what kit yet.But i not not paying for a bike that i don't have for 6 months and unless you pay it off right away your credit card will be charging interest , plus you only have so long to dispute a payment if thing get worse and they don't deliver you could be stuck with no bike and no money.
Click to expand...

I wish you luck with your build and hope you end up with a better bike in the end. It's not going to be 6 months from now and not all dealers need a payment up front some will even put you on the list with nothing down. No matter what you charge if you don't pay it off right away you pay interest.
 
Frog said:
ct46278 said:
by Frog » Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:11 pm

What bike are you going to buy now? It would only be 2 months from now some of us have been waiting 6 months and longer because the battery had 5 set backs. I would guess most of the waiting is about over give them time to chatch up on 8 months of back orders. I've been told once they have the parts they can kick out a bike every 15 mins.
Click to expand...

I did buy a nice mountian bike and am going to put a kit on it have not decided on what kit yet.But i not not paying for a bike that i don't have for 6 months and unless you pay it off right away your credit card will be charging interest , plus you only have so long to dispute a payment if thing get worse and they don't deliver you could be stuck with no bike and no money.
Click to expand...

I wish you luck with your build and hope you end up with a better bike in the end. It's not going to be 6 months from now and not all dealers need a payment up front some will even put you on the list with nothing down. No matter what you charge if you don't pay it off right away you pay interest.
Click to expand...

Do you really think people around here don't see what you're doing?
 
Ykick said:
Do you really think people around here don't see what you're doing?
Click to expand...
:mrgreen:

Imagine the after sale service and spare parts availability, from a company that can't deliver Ebikes that are sold months ago.
 
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