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Author Topic: Zero Customer Service  (Read 11111 times)

nevetsyad

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #120 on: May 09, 2017, 12:47:07 AM »

"Power-Train Components, such as BMS, MBB, CCU, Controller etc.. The reason for this is that these parts need to be VIN specific programmed and at the moment the team in the US are the only ones who have the tools and capabilities to carry this out."

Well that's good to know if any of these fail out of warranty, you will not be able to use parts from another Zero to replace them, only Zero HQ can program them.

Plastics and charger each took over a month to air freight to me. Not to mention each of the three shops waiting a few weeks to get started, I'm guessing Zero's negotiated rate for warranty work isn't all that great. Second place to troubleshoot mine did annual maintenance without asking, tried to charge me for that and troubleshooting, because they put dozens of hours into working on it and didn't want to take the loss.
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2023 Energica Experia
2022 Lightning Strike (reservation)
2021 Energica Eva Ribelle (For Sale)
2020 Zero SR/S (sold)
2018 Zero DSR (sold)
2015 Zero SR (Lets call it sold)

nevetsyad

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #121 on: May 09, 2017, 12:49:40 AM »

Reminds me of the time I worked for a major software company back in the Nineties and one of our Hawaiian clients signed off a letter with "Mahalo."  My co-worker addressed his response:

"Dear Mahalo..."

In my defense, the last line was cut off, and Met vriendelijke groet isn't exactly a common saying, like "Mahalo". :p

With kind regards,
Met vriendelijke groet,
Missing name here
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2023 Energica Experia
2022 Lightning Strike (reservation)
2021 Energica Eva Ribelle (For Sale)
2020 Zero SR/S (sold)
2018 Zero DSR (sold)
2015 Zero SR (Lets call it sold)

maggot

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #122 on: May 09, 2017, 11:41:31 PM »

Great news! The new battery pack has arrived in Finland and I should get the bike back and running next week!  :)
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06z

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #123 on: May 10, 2017, 05:43:08 PM »

Well Zero better step it up as this is coming.

http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=6901.0
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nevetsyad

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #124 on: May 10, 2017, 06:08:28 PM »

There's lots of new eBikes coming this year. I have two friends that want me to pick up a 2017 SR with them and form an eBiker gang. I'm trying to not scare them off from eBikes with my story, just telling them to wait for better. They're new to riding, I'm tempted to get them started on Evokes. $5,500 special introductory price! I'll trade my junk in for that and hire a lawyer with the extra.

http://evokemotorcycles.com/urban-s/
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2023 Energica Experia
2022 Lightning Strike (reservation)
2021 Energica Eva Ribelle (For Sale)
2020 Zero SR/S (sold)
2018 Zero DSR (sold)
2015 Zero SR (Lets call it sold)

MostlyBonkers

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Zero Customer Service
« Reply #125 on: May 11, 2017, 01:02:49 AM »

Does anyone here know how much shipping costs? I think people waiting four weeks are having parts shipped by sea. That's understandable for a battery that weighs a lot and probably can't be shipped by air anyway, due to the fire risk. However, many components are light. A circuit board be need programming, but this probably takes all of five minutes. 

The delays are down to people not checking their email. We can all let things slip without the right procedures in place.

A ruthless fixer would just fire the entire customer service team and start again.  For whatever reason they've become too complacent.

Zero need to take a leaf out of this guy's book.  The first few minutes are worth watching:

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Richard230

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #126 on: May 11, 2017, 03:36:23 AM »

Last year I ordered a wax cotton jacket from the UK and it arrived at my doorstep in California just 3 days after my order was received.  :) I think the shipping company was a firm called Speedway.  ??? So I am thinking that it is still possible to ship things internationally by airplane.   ;)  I might add that it takes about 2 weeks for purchases that I make from Amazon to arrive and their warehouse is less than 100 miles away. So I guess it depends upon the shipping method specified by the company. :( 
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Richard's motorcycle collection:  2018 16.6 kWh Zero S, 2020 KTM 390 Duke, 2002 Yamaha FZ1 (FZS1000N) and a 1978 Honda Kick 'N Go Senior.

nevetsyad

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #127 on: May 11, 2017, 04:10:35 AM »

Yeah, just shy of 6 weeks for plastics to go from the West coast to the East coast. They were supposed to be air freighted over, like, next day. Apparently, some of it arrived a few weeks ago, but not all of it. I hope it's ready for this weekend, just 2 months after dropping it off!
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2021 Energica Eva Ribelle (For Sale)
2020 Zero SR/S (sold)
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Ndm

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #128 on: May 11, 2017, 06:40:17 AM »

Maybe zero should start using USPS , I purchased and received plastics from a forum member in under 4 days from shipping notice to pick up , and that's going from California across an international border to Toronto, Ontario , Canada
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MostlyBonkers

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #129 on: May 11, 2017, 09:12:54 AM »

Exactly. There is so much competition in the shipping business that I don't think the delays are in that area. Not everything can be sent via air freight though, batteries being a good example.

The problem Zero have is that orders simply aren't leaving the factory in a timely manner.  There's a step that involves people doing their jobs and they aren't doing them properly.  There is a lack of any proper organisation, process and procedure at Scott's Valley.  They need a proper system but are so snowed under and bogged down by the sheer workload that they haven't got time to implement anything.  Whatever process they do have is far too manual and prone to error.  No method of shipping works if the shipping company doesn't receive instructions.

Have you ever watched one of those tv programmes where a successful business person spends a few months working with a company to get it back on its feet and solve some of its fundamental problems? Zero needs one of those visits.  In fact, an episode based on an electric motorcycle company would be good telly. 

It only takes one or two people in key positions who aren't motivated for whatever reason for things to break down. I wouldn't be surprised if psychology and human nature have a role to play here.  Ten years is plenty of time for people to go stale. Perhaps they weren't the right people for the job in the first place.  Just somebody's friend who needed to earn a living. Anyone can do customer service, right? No qualifications required!

If at its heart Zero is a good company (as anecdotal evidence suggests), then  this incompetence needs to be flushed out. Training and new systems or fresh blood and new systems.

This would all happen a lot faster if Zero had some serious competition, or they got swallowed up by one of the big manufacturers.

I do hope we see some strong evidence that customer service is improving; very soon and for everybody's sake.
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maggot

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #130 on: June 13, 2017, 10:21:56 PM »

Great news! The new battery pack has arrived in Finland and I should get the bike back and running next week!  :)
Not so great news...
Some update to my misery with Zero: The battery pack was indeed replaced in mid May. However, also the MBB was diagnosed to be faulty. So now we are waiting for Zero to bother to send the MBB to my dealer. I'm not too hopeful that I can ride my SR this summer. The bike has been at the dealer for warranty repair about six months now (from mid January).
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nevetsyad

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #131 on: June 13, 2017, 10:39:16 PM »

Have you E-mailed corporate customer service back in America? That is not acceptable.
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2020 Zero SR/S (sold)
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maggot

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #132 on: June 13, 2017, 11:31:13 PM »

Have you E-mailed corporate customer service back in America? That is not acceptable.
Yes I have. I sent them an e-mail on May just before I received the new battery pack. I had asked Zero Europe about the estimate of the arrival of the battery pack. They never replied so I sent the same question also to Zero USA. I never had a response from them either.
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MostlyBonkers

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #133 on: June 16, 2017, 02:07:57 AM »

Great news! The new battery pack has arrived in Finland and I should get the bike back and running next week!  :)
Not so great news...
Some update to my misery with Zero: The battery pack was indeed replaced in mid May. However, also the MBB was diagnosed to be faulty. So now we are waiting for Zero to bother to send the MBB to my dealer. I'm not too hopeful that I can ride my SR this summer. The bike has been at the dealer for warranty repair about six months now (from mid January).

My advice on this one is to send an email directly to Aaron.Cheatham. Explain the issues you've had in detail and all the delays. Write it as though this is your first correspondence. Then, as soon as you can after you've sent it follow it up with a call to the U.S. Customer Service line. Be really nice to the person you speak to. Ask them to confirm that Aaron has received your email. Offer to forward it directly to them too.  You should be told that they will bring the email to Aaron's attention and he will endeavor to respond within a day or two.

Ask them to send the MBB via air freight if it hasn't been dispatched yet.

Also, when all is over and done, send Aaron an email asking him to extend your warranty. I got mine extended by a year to compensate me for all my additional expenses etc. for the three months my bike has been off the road since I bought it.

I hope that helps.
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maggot

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Re: Zero Customer Service
« Reply #134 on: June 16, 2017, 05:04:16 PM »

Thank you for the advise MostlyBonkers! I sent an e-mail directly to Aaron. Let's see if he will reply

I am beginning to get really tired with dealing this situation. Over 6 months without the bike, dozens of e-mails sent to the dealer, multiple visits to the dealer to talk about the situation... It feels really wrong that I should see so much trouble just to get decent customer service!
« Last Edit: June 16, 2017, 05:42:27 PM by maggot »
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