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09-18-07, 07:39 PM
I invite all those who have purchased electric bikes from Farnow, formally BVT (battery vehicle technologies), to comment on their products and customer service.
My experience in dealing with this company has been less than satisfactory. I bought an electric bike from this ever changing business (was known as 'BVT' now Farnow and Ausebike) about 8 months ago. The bikes 200 watt electric motor 'gave out' after relatively little use, the 12 month 'warranty' still had 4 months to go. When I gave them a call to ask about bringing the bike in for service under warranty, they vaguely hinted that the bikes warranty would not cover the faulty motor, but nothing was made clear at this point.
When I took the bike in (all the way to Wetherall Park) I was keen to establish that the bike would have its motor replaced under warranty (as is my understanding of the term 'warranty'). This is when the business showed its true colours: The staff and owner where completely avoidant, and when confronted about the issue, their response was rude and completely unhelpful. It was made clear that if I wanted the bike fixed I would have to pay an additional $500 on top of the $750 I had paid for the useless bike.
I did consider taking Farnow to the small claims tribunal, as I was fuming after this encounter, but decided it would not be worth the time and energy :mad:. I regard this business as completely lacking customer service after purchase. From my experience they seem to only be interested in the bottom line, and have no scruples in how the line their pockets. This is interesting as they talk up 'sustainability' on their website, but if others have had similar experiences with these con artists, sustainable is exactly what they are not!!
For anyone who is tempted to purchase any of Farnows products, be warned, make sure you ask many questions, and document all correspondence, if they can they will take you for a ride!!
My experience in dealing with this company has been less than satisfactory. I bought an electric bike from this ever changing business (was known as 'BVT' now Farnow and Ausebike) about 8 months ago. The bikes 200 watt electric motor 'gave out' after relatively little use, the 12 month 'warranty' still had 4 months to go. When I gave them a call to ask about bringing the bike in for service under warranty, they vaguely hinted that the bikes warranty would not cover the faulty motor, but nothing was made clear at this point.
When I took the bike in (all the way to Wetherall Park) I was keen to establish that the bike would have its motor replaced under warranty (as is my understanding of the term 'warranty'). This is when the business showed its true colours: The staff and owner where completely avoidant, and when confronted about the issue, their response was rude and completely unhelpful. It was made clear that if I wanted the bike fixed I would have to pay an additional $500 on top of the $750 I had paid for the useless bike.
I did consider taking Farnow to the small claims tribunal, as I was fuming after this encounter, but decided it would not be worth the time and energy :mad:. I regard this business as completely lacking customer service after purchase. From my experience they seem to only be interested in the bottom line, and have no scruples in how the line their pockets. This is interesting as they talk up 'sustainability' on their website, but if others have had similar experiences with these con artists, sustainable is exactly what they are not!!
For anyone who is tempted to purchase any of Farnows products, be warned, make sure you ask many questions, and document all correspondence, if they can they will take you for a ride!!