Problems with buying from Brett White at ebike.biz. All lies

[ElectricEd]

I thought you Aussie guys would have dealt with his type appropriately long ago.

The problem down here in Oz is that the country is so large that it costs too much to go over and throw stones onto a miscreant's roof. :wink: We have remote control processes such as Consumer Affairs departments in each state.
He must have an incredibly thick skin. I reckon that most people finding themselves in a similar position would hang their heads in shame and go very 'low profile'.
By posting articles after all of the criticism in this and other threads shows an incredible ability to be in denial.

 

[johnrobholmes]

I hesitate recommending banning the guy, since this may be the only form of communication available, but to me it's unconscionable that he's treated as just "one of the guys" over in the technical section.

Banning would be too easy on him. Tech and business are separate at any rate, but his decisions for posting reflect on himself.

 

[solarbbq2003]

i'll give a bit of background on why there have been such long delays with some batteries/kits, its actually a very complex and difficult business to do, I understand that some delays are way beyond acceptable by any means.
There are often difficulties with getting good quality goods some examples:
Whilst trying different iron phosophate batteries some years back, from different suppliers I was a couple of times sold cobalt oxide type instead of iron phosphate ( way back in power assist thread its documented on some problems i had with that side). The company I get iron phosphate batteries from now I've visited the factory and I've had the cells tested independently ( zeva), one issue remaining with the supplier is they still haven't got any 48v 2amp balancing chargers, only 4amp ( which are large and bulky), I've been waiting what must be nearly two years for them to get 48v 2amp balancing type. In the past i've sent out the 48v 4amp units ( very heavy).
With controllers also there can be difficulties for example recently I recieved some infineon chip controller from xie cheng, the 6 mosfet type are fine, the 12 mosfet type they put the wrong mosfets in ( they used t430 instead of irf4310). Recently also some bmc motors had one axle side wider than normal, which caused some problems.
In the past i've been able to absorb these problems financially, its oftened caused delays and i've had to resolve at my own expense. I could write pages and pages of these type of problems that occur with suppliers, really resolving the problems takes time. I've seen over and over again ebike businesses who have made a large order of products with some suppliers only to find some issue ( sometimes very big issues eg. cyclones early lithiums caught fire, quite a high proportion of the batteries too). Any one in this business will have experienced similar issues. Over time I've always been able to resolve the issues, but it can take time.
Another major problem I had was I had all my stock that was kept in china stolen, it was 2 years worth of collecting stock,
and I never managed to get that stock back. That was really a huge setback. Pretty much meaning I had to start over from scratch. Last year also there was a bizarre situation where goods couldn't be sent out of china via normal ems freight, due to the olympics ( that went on for many months).
Theres at the moment really only two ways to resolve the time problems with orders:
1. to be amazingly patient with me to resolve the problems
2. for me to pull the plug on the business
I have really put a huge effort into this over many many years, and I think I've contributed quite alot to ebikes in general.
If I could resolve the problems instantly I would but it can take time to solve them. I understand from the consumers side that purchasing goods should mean recieveing goods in a reasonable time frame. For some orders thats possible, and sometimes there are just problems that occur that can take time to resolve them.
I realise that some peoples patience has run out, and thats understandable, but how I can resolve things quickly is quite difficult. So some people have every right to be upset with delays but just how I resolve those quickly is really difficult to achieve.

 

[Mark_A_W]

3. Keep some stock in Australia and only sell that stock. Reduce your range to 1 or 2 motor types, and 1 battery type. Keep it simple.

 

[johnrobholmes]

or give refunds on outstanding orders and start fresh.

 

[ElectricEd]

3. Keep some stock in Australia and only sell that stock. Reduce your range to 1 or 2 motor types, and 1 battery type. Keep it simple.

Here here.
I'd add 1 or 2 controller types too.
Taking the money for and promising delivery of items that you have little or no control over is a guaranteed recipe for failure. "Just in time" may work for big business, but rarely works for the little guy.
Build up local stock, only accept sales that which you can supply from stock and explain to customers that if they really want to order something you don't have but can get, tell them truthfully how long it is likely to take.

It means more upfront capital invested in stock, but you won't have your name trashed all over the Internet and would be able to develop a reputation for reliability. A very valuable commodity.

 

[lame]

Can anyone recomend someone who can actually supply me with a crystalyte hub in Australia other then brett and will not rip me off?
I have now realised this is a lost cause and not worth any more of my time.

There must be a decent shop somewhere.

BRETT SEND MY BATTERY BACK AND REFUND MY MONEY THANKS.

 

[Mark_A_W]

John at www.stealthelectricbikes.com.au has 408s and X5's in stock, and supplies Headway batteries (they are ordered in - a batch every few months).


Electric Ed got his somewhere else in Melbourne, maybe www.thebike.com.au ?

 

[ElectricEd]

JElectric Ed got his somewhere else in Melbourne, maybe www.thebike.com.au ?

Yes, AU$450 plus $50 shipping. They are now AU$500 plus shipping but he now has different shipping prices depending on which state. He was quick with delivery and quite communicative in a helpful way. His site is only a webshop though, I wouldn't expect to get repairs or servicing done there.

John at Stealth bikes seems like a reasonable bloke and quite knowledgeable too. I bought a charger from him when I was having problems with Brett's chargers blowing up. Helpful and good with communication. Very handy for me as he's only about 10K up the road from where I work. He didn't have the 408 motors in when I spoke to him so I went with TheBike.

I don't think you'll have any problems with either.

 

[marshy]

Unfortunately I've been waiting on "Brett Row" for almost six months now. I ordered a http://www.ebike.biz P4 kit last October. I received my first "should be able to send out next week" on Nov 25......but I'm still waiting. It even looks like my kit could be ready in his China office - but still I have no idea when I will actually see it.

I ordered from Brett primarily to reward him for his contribution to the community over the years. I even came *perilously* close to ordering a battery pack from him as well - truly as a goodwill gesture - even though I could source good quality, less expensive ones locally. So Brett, I've tried to help you, could you please get my kit on its way?

 

[The Stig]

I wonder if lodging a complaint with the Consumer, Trader & Tenancy Tribunal will help Brett get things moving along... When I lodged a complaint with the office of fair trading they told me they couldn't do anything but the CTTT could. I haven't got around to it yet but I urge you guys to lodge complaints as well. It's the least we can do...

The role of the CTTT is to resolve disputes between tenants, landlords, traders and consumers in a timely and effective manner.

http://esd.cttt.nsw.gov.au/Application/Default.aspx

 

[marshy]

I wonder if lodging a complaint with the Consumer, Trader & Tenancy Tribunal will help Brett get things moving along... When I lodged a complaint with the office of fair trading they told me they couldn't do anything but the CTTT could. I haven't got around to it yet but I urge you guys to lodge complaints as well. It's the least we can do...

The role of the CTTT is to resolve disputes between tenants, landlords, traders and consumers in a timely and effective manner.

http://esd.cttt.nsw.gov.au/Application/Default.aspx

Yes, thanks Stig - I'm just waiting on some advice from the Dept of Fair Trading on the next steps, this could be one of them.

I'm really not sure what I've done to deserve this - I've tried to support Brett throughout this ordeal but he's putting me in a very difficult position.

 

[lame]

He's not repling to my emails, sms or msg on this board anymore.
This guy has ripped me off and will not return my LiFeP04 battery that he has.

If you are reading this and still thinking about buying ANYTHING from Brett, DO NOT GIVE THIS GUY ANY MONEY HE WILL RIP YOU OFF AND LIE TO YOU!!!

 

[eeyore]

Yet another unhappy customer I'm afraid. Originally bought a P2B from Brett, supply took longer than expected but it arrived in a reasonable time and he was very helpful with any technical questions I had. I eventually fried that motor - my fault, too ambitious over-amping the controller - so I ordered and paid for a BMC from Brett. That was in Nov 2007. The now familiar pattern of explanations, excuses and reassurances ("should only a couple of weeks now") ensued. I wanted to support Brett, especially after his stock was stolen in China, so I repeatedly gave him the benefit of the doubt and waited. And waited. Finally feed up, I asked to have my money refunded a few weeks ago, attaching a copy of the paypal transaction. Brett replied, saying he'd check the order. A couple more weeks pass, I email again but it seems he isn't going to reply at all this time.

That's the last straw. I'll be investigating how to lodge a complaint with Fair Trading this week.

On a lighter note, as my lead acid VRLAs gather dust, I've been able to watch lithiums - at the time about as obtainable as unicorn poo - evolve whole new chemistries and drop out of NASA-level pricing to something people without trust funds might aspire to. Happily they seem to have stopped setting fire to anyone foolish enough to mess with them too

Cheers
Simon.

 

[lesspedal]

One has to wonder how many potential ebikers, unhappy customers, there is outside this forum.

 

[317537]

Waiting for 48v charger.

One thing to note china is pulling a lot of its investments out of OZ at the moment. Like some of our biggest brand names originally Australian owned, these factories and corporations have been closed down due to economical crisis.. Does this have anything to do with the price of eggs I dont know.

However I keep finding myself defending his honor to my own detriment as it seems. Like one of the other members here says he buys from Brett to support a man who "has" put a lot into the Ebikers community. I can not be so generous as to buy large amounts of items but tend to support the man in voice.

I really need my charger though. I am in a dire position in life and am the one who need the support here, not the other way this time.

I dont have a car nor license to drive one. We have no public transport and it cost over a $100 a week in cab fares just to care for my children. My Ebikes are my blood life that makes life sooo much richer for all here in my home. I ended up building my own charger from an old 27v 5 amp transformer and built a voltage multiplier. At the moment I'm feeding a 48v pack 72vcd. The batteries are worth $110 each at $440 for the whole 24ah pack. I can not sleep at night when charging. To lose sleep a few nights a week to save a $100 in cab fares is well worth while.

BTW this charger I built is awesome. The batteries discharged state collapses the 72 Vin to vbatt and sinks into 2200uf caps in the multiplier. As the voltage rises the current drops off accordingly from 1.3A to full charge 60v@600ma. I got to keep an eye on it as it can go over a little and is a bit scary. I will add a 60v cutoff into this circuit. At full charge 60v it seems to almost stop when batts reach full charge.

Losing sleep. he!

 

[John in CR]

Unbelievable, the stolen inventory ripoff in China story dates back to 2007. I still felt a little sorry for the guy till I read that. Maybe we can get him over to Singapore for the flogging he deserves, since I assume that's not done in OZ anymore. Meanwhile he's piddling with controller mods in the technical part of the forum instead of taking care of customers. Wake up Brett and do some productive work and serve your customers instead of spending all your time doing only the things you find interesting.

John

 

[ElectricEd]

Boy, more people being pee'd off by Brett's "slack as" business practices. He must have a type of psychosis. I've never known someone that can be in denial to such an extent. Any normal person would slink off, change their name and never go into business again.

He is probably sailing so close to the wind that taking an action against him would not be fruitful.
Although, would any one be interested in a CLASS ACTION AGAINST BRETT WHITE ?
Slater & Gordon have a "no win no cost" deal, so it may be worth finding out if he has any assets.
This thread would make a great case. :wink:

 

[ElectricEd]

Gee, I've just had a PM from another pee'd off customer of Brett's. When will he wake up and realise that you can't go treating people the way he does and not expect consequences? While Brett is still giving customers a hard time, it is essential that we keep this thread active. That's why I am posting this message.

Here is my reply to the Personal Mail:
>Hi --------,
I had to get Consumer Affairs NSW onto the job after Brett had been more than 7 months coming up with parts and promising, promising. After consumer affairs got into the act, parts started to arrive, but not brand new and definitely not in as new condition. The batteries didn't have BMS boards so are not serviceable. I had already bought a battery on eBay from Hong Kong so I was at least, able to get my bike up and going. In the meantime I have asked him about the BMS boards but got the usual reply "should be a couple of weeks". I could have pushed the issue about being sent second-hand and incomplete goods, but after waiting over 8 months getting Brett's continual lies, I decided to let it go and get my pound of flesh by posting warnings about him.
Consumer affairs will want to know if you want to receive the goods or recover your money. I went for the goods and received second-hand crap. It may be risky going for the money, as he must be sailing pretty close to the wind. That's the choice you'll have to make though.
If you go to the Consumer Affairs NSW web page http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/About_us/Online_services/Lodge_a_complaint.html and lodge a complaint, feel free to refer to my case (Reference Number --------) regarding Brett. This should add weight to your case. I found them to be communicative and helpful, after all it was their input that got me the remaining items, however incomplete.
>

I haven't included my case number with this post, just send me a PM if you'd like to quote my case number with your dealings with Consumer affairs NSW.

 

[The Stig]

Whats more, Brett is posting away on this forum like everything's good. Hes made all sorts of new additions to his website, one of them is about programing the controller he was supposed to send me months ago.

I wasn't able to get any results with the Office of Fair trading, they just told me to lodge a complaint with the Consumer, Trader & Tenancy Tribunal

The puma motor he sent me a while back with no working controller was probably used, the grease was black and dirty. On top of being completely the wrong axle size.

 

[TylerDurden]

Y'all might consider also posting monthly in the "Manufacturers to Avoid" topic until the guy resolves your issues. That thread is a sticky and newbies should be made aware.

I know he's not a manufacturer, but I rekon dealers can go there too.

 

[ElectricEd]

Whats more, Brett is posting away on this forum like everything's good. Hes made all sorts of new additions to his website, one of them is about programing the controller he was supposed to send me months ago.

I wasn't able to get any results with the Office of Fair trading, they just told me to lodge a complaint with the Consumer, Trader & Tenancy Tribunal

The link you have is not in the correct area. The one where they picked up and ran with my complaint was http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/i...ation/newComplaint.sjsp?complaintType=general

I hope you get a result with this one.

 

[The Stig]

Whats more, Brett is posting away on this forum like everything's good. Hes made all sorts of new additions to his website, one of them is about programing the controller he was supposed to send me months ago.

I wasn't able to get any results with the Office of Fair trading, they just told me to lodge a complaint with the Consumer, Trader & Tenancy Tribunal

The link you have is not in the correct area. The one where they picked up and ran with my complaint was http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/i...ation/newComplaint.sjsp?complaintType=general

I hope you get a result with this one.

I already lodged a complaint with the office of fair trading. They told to lodge a complaint with the Consumer, Trader & Tenancy Tribunal, who have more authority.

 

[espanolvida]

Brett,good man,he has many suppliers in China , i am a Watchmen .
Anyone wants to Improve ? Email me: makano@qq.com
I come to make better ，if possilbe, also in order to get my pay early.

 

[solarbbq2003]

I'm trying to solve this backlog in particular the bmc and lithium orders, I'll try sell off some stock of x5 and other crystalyte motors via ebay, might be able to solve things in a reasonable time frame if I can sell off some of the stock quickly.