How would you feel - Juiced Rip Current S stalling/cutting out

[ntemp]

In May of 2022 I purchased a Rip Current S. After a couple of weeks, the motor started stalling/cutting out. I contacted tech support, and they suggested checking all the connectors, something I had already done. I guess you could call this a "working bike" as I depend on it for transportation. I ride it every day to work. The problem was very intermittent. It would happen once or twice a week. It only happened in high gear, it would cut out for a second or half second, on and off, and do this for about a minute then it would stop. I noticed that the problem stopped when I down shifted to a lower gear. This made me suspect that the problem could be in the torque sensor.

I went back to tech support and asked if there was some way to test the torque sensor. They did not get back to me. Finally, the problem got so bad I could not ignore it any longer. It was now happening in lower gears. I got back to tech support and begged them for help. Again, I asked about the torque sensor and again I got no answer.

They treated me like I was "just another dummy" and ignored my suggestions about what the problem could be. I decided to go ahead and purchase a new torque sensor ($230.00) and hope that was the problem. After installing the new torque sensor, the problem went away, and the bike ran better than it did when it was new. It pulled stronger in all gears. it was like a different bike. This was my first ebike so I had no way of knowing how the bike should have performed when it was new.

I would estimate that the bike was only running at 70-80% capacity when it was new. So, naturally I got back to JB and explained the situation. It is obvious, to me anyway, that I was delivered a bike with a bad torque sensor. Despite the fact that email records showed quite clearly that I had contacted their tech support about the problem while the bike was under warranty, they refused to cover the price of the new torque sensor because the bike was no longer under warranty.

So, I guess my question is, is that right? I felt their tech people should have caught the problem when the bike was under warranty, and they should cover the price of the new torque sensor. What do you think?

 

[pagheca]

I do not have any suggestion, but: smear them everywhere you can, especially on sites like these of ebike enthusiasts. 10 potential buyers who decide not to buy, and you will not recover your money, but they will lose much more than what they gained from this scam. RIP... Rip!

 

[fabbrisd]

Frankly - you are best served to put this behind you - and be grateful you're RipCurrent S is now riding strong. From the "flip side" - you Purchased a Torque Sensor to see if that would fix your Problem - either remounting/realigning the Torque Sensor , or disconnecting and reconnecting the Torque Sensor, or the New Torque Sensor itself solved your problem - either of those three things solved your Problem - it's solved, Right ?

 

[addertooth]

It has reached the point that when I buy something online, I have the fervent belief that the "bargain price" often means the warranty has an excessive possibility of being "sketchy".

Yes, you should do a separate post posting with the make and model of bike with a clear searchable title. Such as:
"Makers "Juiced eBikes" of the Rip Current S does not honor warranty".
This way, other potential purchasers will at least be Informed of the risk. They won't have the unreasonable expectation of having a functional warranty. This allows them to decide if the low price is worth having poor warranty support.

This is not a petty spite thing, and NO, you should not put it in your rear-view mirror. For others who are considering buying from that manufacturer, it is dead ahead for them. Be a service to your fellow man.

 

[Smaug]

I would feel like Juiced is not a company that honors their warranty. I would give them an honest write-up at the Better Business Bureau, write a bad review on Amazon, etc.

Meanwhile, ride the bike until the battery's about worn out, sell it cheap and never buy from them again.

This scares me a bit, as I have a Juiced HyperScrambler 2. It's been fine so far, but if I have problems?

 

[pagheca]

When I buy something "important" (not a pair of scissors for that matter), I usually prefer to spend a little more than the minimum, even for the same item, to protect myself from getting ripped off, like a sort of insurance.

The point for me is not so much the ECONOMIC loss, but the frustration of being ripped off, and the stress of having to call, write, and argue to get warranty or a reimbursement. For me, and for my partner, the peace of mind, the feeling of well-being that the lack of grit gives, is most important than everything else. For others it's not. I know people, whom I admire, for whom fighting a war with a supplier, landlord or car rental feel almost like a pleasure. But for me it is not so-unfortunately.

For this exact reason I buy only what is strictly necessary: one ebike, one laptop, one car, one cell phone, but make my choice very, very carefully and avoid risky vendors. That is why I will never buy anything that costs more than ten bucks on Black Friday, or from some obscure Chinese seller. If I want something I plan in advance WHAT and WHEN.

In my opinion, if you are like me, folks, better to pull out your wallet and pay the right amount than to go and risk trouble to save a 10 or even a 20%.

If you are the other kind of guys, no.

 

[ntemp]

Thank you all for your input. This is not about payback or revenge. I contacted JB three times about the problem while the bike was on warranty. Each time we started all over. Check the connectors and so on. I am not a formally trained mechanic, and I would not insult real mechanics by claiming to be one.

However, I've always done my own automotive maintenance. Oil changes, tune ups. I've rebuilt a few engines, done brake jobs, clutches, etc. I'm not mechanically inexperienced. JB was not interested in my opinion when it came to the torque sensor. When I brought it up, I got no response.

The last go around I had with them via email lasted a week. I thought I was dealing with their service department. Around email exchange number five they asked for pictures. I sent them. The reply I got was, "I sent the pictures to the service department, and they said everything looks good".

So, all that time I was not talking to a service tech. Apparently, he was someone at the front desk. I spent $2,200.00 on the bike. I would think that might qualify me to speak with someone who is a mechanic. It's that type of treatment that really bothers me. I believe the bike is a good piece of equipment and other than the problem with service I'm happy. If I had read something like this before I bought, it may have changed my mind. They treated me like a chump.

After owning and riding one of these bikes for almost two years and checking out the products from other suppliers I am of the opinion that all these bikes are probably made by the same outfit in China. They all utilize the same brand components, and assembly methods. the styles are all very similar. The only real difference is the name they slap on when it goes out the door and the service you get from the company selling it. You're going to get the same bike no matter what the brand name is.

After reading everyone's response I think that telling my story is the right thing to do. Like I said, it's not about revenge, it's about the way Juiced Bikes does business.

 

[ntemp]

@fabbrisd,
Bro, I did all that before buying new torque sensor. I took it off the bike and inspected it. Remounted it and nothing changed. These torque sensors use a 'strain gauge' mounted between two stress points, so alignment is a moot point. there is nothing to align. Strain gauges measure electrical resistance.

In this case it is mounted in an acrylic between two stress points. As the acrylic compresses or expands the resistance changes, the strain gauge measures this, is read by a computer and makes the needed adjustment to the power. Under a digital microscope you can see that the acrylic in my original torque sensor is full of small air bubbles. This would prevent an accurate read of applied torque. All this info was provided to me by a friend who is an engineer at Boeing Aircraft. A new torque sensor that Juiced Bikes should have covered solved my problem.

 

[pagheca]

@ntemp

I think you did well to tell these things clearly and simply.

We should ask ourselves, in the end, how many customers need warranty intervention, assuming you pay a reasonable amount for the ebike. 10%? Or maybe 1%? A poll would be interesting...

I also wonder how many of us are in a position to really assess the value of an item like an ebike. I paid for mine, a Trek Powerfly 7, a lot, and after one and half year I am satisfied. But I have only this model (actually two, since I usually ride with a friend that own a very similar ebike). I have a fair amount of experience as a mechanic (worked for 3 years in an auto repair shop when at the University and designed and operated complex instrumentation for decades), but I don't consider myself in any way capable of really evaluating the quality of an ebike aside from a few basic aspects: it doesn't break, it does what it's supposed to do, brakes and gears are good, it allows me to do what I want to do with it. Therefore, I would never venture to review mine.

Buyer reviews are often positive partly because of this and the fact that only a small percentage of us have service problems under warranty (that minority of cases). That is why they should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[pagheca]

I started a poll about warranty. I would be really thankfull if you cast a vote: https://ebikesforum.com/threads/have-you-needed-any-warranty-work.5814/#post-40761

 

[hsdrggr]

Juiced is very very slow in responding to emails, and they have difficulty keeping up with what was said in the prior emails. I’m in the middle of that situation right now with them. Probably gonna be a bad torque sensor too.
I’m pretty involved in different Juiced FB Groups, and the consensus seems to be to phone call them for support instead of email. Then they seem do a good job handling the situation. I’ll eventually do that also, but I’ve been busy and haven’t had time to do some diagnosing on my bike, so email has been ok for now. Since I’ve been busy working on other peoples bikes and my own vehicles.
BTW, I have 10 e-bikes and 5 of them are from Juiced. I do like their build quality, geometry and feature set for the money. I feel they are actually pretty good e-bikes.

 

[PjKahut]

I got the same issue on a cadence bike
the motor stalling/cutting out intermittently and usually when upping the power levels (5 and above, never on level 1 or 2)
Would it be helpful to explore that possibility, or are there special considerations with cadence?
Thanks
PS, I also raised this problem with the cheap Chinese importer during the warranty and surprise surprise, got no answer too.